Transmigration: Space-Aided Rise to Power and Prosperity-Chapter 596 - 432: I Am Guilty!

With the crack of a whip, a Honglu Temple Official shouted, "Enter the ranks," as Xia Qing and the other court officials split into two lines and walked towards the imperial road. 𝓯𝙧𝓮𝓮𝒘𝓮𝙗𝙣𝒐𝒗𝒆𝓵.𝓬𝓸𝒎

Gu Chengyu woke up early and opened the window to breathe in the fresh air outside, which instantly lifted his spirits.

He practiced with paper and pen for half an hour, and by that time, the sky outside had brightened a bit more.

It was time to head to the Hanlin Academy for roll call, and Lichun had already brought in a copper basin, preparing to assist Gu Chengyu with his grooming.

Lichun turned around and saw the hangover soup placed on the table, still untouched.

She had brought the soup over yesterday, but unexpectedly, the master hadn’t taken a sip.

"Master! You drank wine yesterday but didn’t drink the hangover soup. Are you experiencing any headaches today?"

Lichun’s graceful face appeared even more charming under the illumination of the candlelight.

Gu Chengyu shook his head; he wasn’t drunk yesterday, so he didn’t drink it.

Suddenly, he thought of the two new maids who seemed not to have appeared these past few days. Could they have been sent off to Nanny Liang’s place to learn manners again?

"Where are those two maids? Weren’t they supposed to help you with the chores? It’s tough on you alone; just feel free to instruct them to do the work!"

While cleaning his face, Gu Chengyu casually asked. Lichun, who was very clever and diligent, had been managing his room meticulously in recent days, and he was quite satisfied.

"Yes! I understand, master." Lichun’s pretty face turned pale as she glanced at Gu Chengyu, then responded in a low voice.

By the time Gu Chengyu reached the outer courtyard, the carriage was already prepared.

The carriage needed to take a detour, picking up Ye Zhiqiu first before heading to the Hanlin Academy.

Sitting in the carriage, Gu Chengyu pondered, wondering if Zhang Hai would meet him today.

"Jinyu! You are early today, earlier than usual by a quarter of an hour!"

Ye Zhiqiu climbed into the carriage and said to Gu Chengyu.

Gu Chengyu smiled, "I missed the time for proofreading the veritable records yesterday, so I’m going earlier today, otherwise, I won’t make it."

This volume of veritable records is thicker than the previous one, and he must complete it within the stipulated time, lest he hands Zhang Hai a handle.

When Gu Chengyu arrived at the Hanlin Academy and entered the room, he found that Ren Ge had also come.

"Mr. Ren, you’re early too?" Gu Chengyu was a bit surprised. Ren Ge had drunk quite a lot last night, yet he still managed to get up so early today.

It seemed that this person was very disciplined, being almost always the first to arrive in the room every day, with very few exceptions.

"Mr. Zhang wasn’t here yesterday, so I have to go earlier today. Why are you here so early?" Ren Ge looked at Gu Chengyu with a smile.

Gu Chengyu rarely came this early; usually, he arrived just at the expected hour.

"This volume is thicker, I need to hurry up!" Gu Chengyu raised the veritable records in his hand and said helplessly.

After exchanging a few pleasantries, Ren Ge went to Zhang Hai’s place.

"Submit a memorial if you have one, otherwise, court is dismissed!" De’an shouted towards the Ministers in the hall, preparing to end this court meeting.

All the Ministers in the Taihe Palace bowed their heads in silence; the court meeting was considered over at this point.

Shen Shikang looked at the back of Xia Qing in front of him and sneered inwardly, wondering what method he could use after the morning court.

At this moment, Xia Qing suddenly stepped out from the left side with a "thud," kneeling on the ground, and loudly proclaimed, "Report to the Emperor! I am guilty!"

The other officials were startled by Xia Qing’s actions, not knowing what had happened.

Had something significant occurred in the court? They couldn’t help but feel worried, exchanging glances with the officials they were familiar with.

They saw Xia Qing prostrate on the ground, continuously declaring his guilt.

The people in the hall couldn’t help but focus their gaze on the Emperor, who was also quite perplexed, "Xia Aiqing, what are you guilty of?"

The Emperor was being shouted at by Xia Qing until he had a headache. What kind of trouble was this Xia Qing stirring up again? The Emperor squinted his eyes. Did Xia Qing intend to brush aside the issue of the troops’ pay?

"Emperor! I am guilty!" Xia Qing cried tearfully as he spoke.

"Xia Aiqing! What are you doing?" The Emperor frowned, a wave of anger rising in his heart.

"Emperor! Yesterday, I received a letter from the Clan Leader of my family, saying that someone in the clan had used my name to commit misdeeds locally, amassing wealth unscrupulously. I was terrified and guilt-ridden upon knowing this and couldn’t sleep all night, waiting for today to plead guilty to the Emperor."

Xia Qing secretly glanced at the Emperor, seeing that the Emperor seemed puzzled. He knew he guessed correctly—the Emperor indeed had ulterior motives.

Xia Qing’s words shocked everyone in the hall. The officials below whispered to each other, filling the hall with murmurs.

Jiang Mingyuan and Yin Kun exchanged silent glances, unable to comprehend why Chief Minister Xia was behaving this way suddenly.

They couldn’t understand, and the other officials in court couldn’t either, especially Shen Shikang, who was the most perplexed.

He narrowed his eyes; what exactly was this old fox up to? Wasn’t this matter known throughout the court? Someone had impeached before, but the Emperor shielded him without pursuing it. Why was Xia Qing bringing it up again?

Shen Shikang was utterly puzzled at this moment. He couldn’t believe Xia Qing had suddenly had a change of heart and felt guilty. There must be some hidden agenda here.

"Emperor! I am ashamed of betraying your trust and failing the people of my hometown. I feel guilty for not restraining my clansmen, disgracing our ancestors!"

Xia Qing wept bitterly, seemingly moved to tears by his sorrow, and even bowed his head sobbing painfully.

If the Emperor couldn’t grasp Xia Qing’s intentions by now, his decades as emperor would be in vain. Just as Xia Qing understood the Emperor, the Emperor also understood Xia Qing’s nature very well.

Unexpectedly, Xia Qing reacted swiftly, quickly guessing the Emperor’s intention.

Although Xia Qing spoke so righteously, his aim was still to randomly pin the blame on someone within the clan to quell the matter.

However, this would depend on how much sincerity Xia Qing could show. Otherwise, he wouldn’t be treated so kindly.

"Oh? Is there such an outrageous matter? Xia Aiqing, this person is your clansman, yet he used your name to wreak havoc. This matter cannot be overlooked. Explain it in detail, and we will determine what to do next later!"

The Emperor’s eyes widened, his face gloomy, with his gaze as sharp as arrows directed straight at Xia Qing.

Upon hearing this, Xia Qing’s heart tightened. The Emperor had known about this matter for a long time. As soon as he spoke, he bestowed a significant accusation, leaving him speechless.

"Emperor, this person is my cousin within the fifth degree of kinship, named Xia Zhou, serving as a County Magistrate in Yishui County of Yingnan Mansion. Initially, I saw him as intelligent, sharp, and understanding of current events, offering him some guidance in the scholarly field. Later, he became a scholar, but failed the Imperial Examination, and stopped pursuing it, seeking a County Magistrate position in a neighboring county of Yingnan Mansion instead."

Upon reaching this point, Xia Qing paused, looking at the Emperor. Although the Emperor’s face was gloomy, Xia Qing didn’t discern much anger from his eyes, and he quietly sighed in relief.

"Lord Xia! Are you saying this person unscrupulously amassed wealth, exploiting the people, and it was reported to you by your family’s Clan Leader?"