Rebirth: So what if my husband is a little crazy? He loves me.

Chapter 424 This woman is strange

He coughed lightly, trying to attract his wife's attention.

Shen Li looked over immediately, but was puzzled to see that Gu Chang'an had no expression on his face. He seemed to be fine.

It's worth noting that the two of them barely communicate in this setting, and even eye contact is extremely rare.

Because they have such a good understanding, whether they speak or not, they know what the other is thinking, what they will do, and whether they need to cooperate.

This was the only time Shen Li didn't understand what Gu Chang'an meant. After thinking it over in her mind, she realized there was nothing important that she needed to do, so she continued to daydream.

When one is lost in thought, one inevitably stares straight ahead, and among the scholars standing in front, the one who attracts the most attention is undoubtedly Wei Zheng, who has a dignified appearance.

So when Gu Chang'an turned around again, he saw Shen Li still looking at Wei Zheng, and he couldn't help but want to bury Wei Zheng.

Make sure he never appears in Ah Li's sight again for the rest of his life!

He couldn't help but glance at Wei Zheng a few more times. Was he not as good-looking as Wei Zheng? Or did A Li prefer his talent?

Is my talent no longer worthy of Ah Li's attention?

Is there any possibility that I could be even more beautiful?

We should read more books and shift our focus away from politics to composing poems and indulging in romantic pursuits.

You should also spend more time with Ah Li to strengthen your relationship.

Several thoughts flashed through Gu Chang'an's mind in an instant. He felt a strong sense of crisis and even considered resigning from his official post to take the imperial examination again.

Will passing the imperial examination again be enough to win back Ah Li's favor?

Because he was so preoccupied with this matter, he didn't even hear the emperor's question clearly, and he even ignored the look that the Prince of Yi was giving him.

He had always been keenly aware of the power struggles in the court, but now he didn't care about other people's motives at all; he only wanted to know what his Ah Li was thinking.

Shen Li also received Yi Wang's provocative gaze. Ever since she made those harsh words, Yi Wang has stopped pretending and only shows hostility towards her.

Shen Li admitted that she was furious that day. In her previous life, she missed Gu Chang'an because of the deposed crown prince's instigation, so she hated instigation the most. In addition, she suddenly felt unwell, which made her words a bit too harsh.

Given her shrewdness, she wouldn't normally show her murderous intent so obviously.

However, she did not regret it, and she was not talking nonsense.

Five days have already passed since she mentioned the seven-day period, and today is the sixth day. The King of Chess's provocative expression was tantamount to asking her, "When do you plan to make your move?"

Shen Li was no longer angry. Faced with that provocative look, she only smiled calmly. Ever since the imperial decree was issued to marry her younger sister, she felt that there was nothing difficult enough to make her angry.

These are just minor, insignificant troubles; she doesn't need to put any effort into them.

As the palace examination began and the candidates began to answer questions, Emperor Cheng summoned Shen Li to his side and asked with a smile, "Li'er, the other day, Imperial Physician Jiang came to take your pulse and said you were pregnant. Is that true?"

"Your Majesty, it is true," Shen Li replied.

The officials present were all astonished, because there had been many rumors that this Lord Shen was infertile, otherwise how could she still not be pregnant after more than three years of marriage?

"Then congratulations to you two, young couple," Emperor Cheng said with a smile. "I'll have the Imperial Household Department send you some tonics later. You should stay home and take good care of yourself. Your allowance will be doubled."

Upon hearing this, the officials' minds began to stir. Chief Minister Shen had just resigned, and the emperor had sent Shen Li home. It couldn't be clearer that the emperor was trying to undermine the Shen family.

Shen Li had no such intention, but upon hearing this, she still expressed her gratitude: "Your Majesty, I thank you for your great kindness."

Emperor Cheng was surprised that Shen Li agreed even more readily than Shen Zizai, but he was still relieved, as the Shen family did not seem to be so attached to power.

Once he curbs the Shen family's momentum, he might recall them to serve the court in the future.

Gu Chang'an also expressed his gratitude. He still wanted A-Li to stay at home, since it was not safe to be outside and there were bound to be bumps and bruises.

Having myself in the court is enough.

After the matter was settled, some of the Ministry of Rites officials who had comforted Shen Li a few days earlier distanced themselves from her. Judging from the situation, the decline of the Shen family was inevitable.

However, compared to the Zhou and Wu families of the past, they are more respectable, at least their lives have been saved.

The King of Chess did not reveal any obvious expression, but a hint of disdain could be seen in his eyes. With a casual move, he defeated the Shen family.

Although Shen Yue failed to marry her man, the Shen family's power was almost completely destroyed. How much influence could Gu Chang'an exert in the court?

He was dismissive.

"Someone, bring a seat." Emperor Cheng didn't want to dishearten his veteran ministers, so he made some superficial gestures.

This seat was naturally bestowed upon Shen Li, so Shen Li sat there calmly. Even though she and the emperor were the only ones sitting in front of the palace, she showed no unease or displeasure.

Halfway through the palace examination, a palace maid brought Shen Li tea and snacks, which Shen Li naturally ate, not caring whether the tea and snacks were just for show.

She's going home anyway, what else could she care about?

Gu Chang'an was relieved to see that his Ah Li had food and drink. He had originally wanted to find some excuse to let her rest in the back hall.

A quarter of an hour later, a young eunuch hurriedly walked in from outside and whispered something in Wang Ru's ear. Wang Ru only thought about it for a moment before walking up to Emperor Cheng.

Emperor Cheng was leaning back on his dragon throne with his eyes half-closed when he heard what Wang Ru said. He immediately frowned, straightened up, and asked, "Really?"

"Lord Zhao is waiting outside the hall, saying the evidence is conclusive."

"Summon." Emperor Cheng sat up completely, his face full of frost.

Although Shen Li was not close to Emperor Cheng, she could hear clearly without even listening carefully. Her reaction was to slowly put a pastry into her mouth, take a gentle bite, and not a single crumb of pastry would stick to her lips, which was the demeanor of a noble lady from a high-ranking family.

The King of Chess was unaware of what would happen next, and the court officials were equally bewildered as Zhao Jing, dressed in a flying fish robe, walked in, followed by two flying fish guards carrying three large boxes.

"Greetings, Your Majesty." Zhao Jing knelt down, lifting his robe, and clasped his hands in a fist salute: "Your Majesty, I have discovered that some candidates cheated in the imperial examination by bribing examiners in advance to obtain the exam questions. I beg Your Majesty to make a decision."

Upon hearing this, all the officials present who were unaware of the implications changed their expressions. Throughout history, except before the fall of a dynasty, the imperial examination was regarded as the most important task of the court, and it could not be taken lightly in the slightest.

In scientific research, even the smallest matter is a big deal, let alone a subversive matter like cheating in the examination hall. Every time such a thing happens, it has far-reaching consequences.

Even those who were not involved were implicated, and their wives and children were often also harmed.

It's fair to say that once this happened, no one present dared to say they wouldn't be affected.

The King of Chess swallowed hard, his expression changing drastically.

He has been under house arrest recently, which has made him less aware of outside news. He doesn't even know if Zhao Jing is investigating his people.

"Stop and listen," Emperor Cheng said to the candidates taking the palace examination.

So everyone stopped writing and looked at Zhao Jing, who was kneeling at the bottom of the steps.

"Tell me, who is it?" Emperor Cheng's face was so dark it seemed like it could drip water, and his voice was terrifyingly cold.

"Your Majesty, it was Zhou Huaiqin, the Vice Minister of Rites, who accepted bribes and leaked the exam questions. The box behind him is the stolen goods." Zhao Jingzhong spoke clearly, so that everyone in the large square in front of the palace could hear him clearly.

Upon hearing the commander's words, the two Flying Fish Guards behind immediately opened three large boxes, exposing the contents to the sunlight. The yellow and white objects inside were dazzlingly bright.

The frontmost box contained a considerable amount of jewelry, calligraphy and paintings, and thick stacks of silver notes.

Those present couldn't help but gasp.

Zhou Huaiqin, the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Rites, immediately felt his legs go weak. He believed that he had hidden the items perfectly and had not left any loopholes in his actions. Even his wife and children at home did not know about them. How could the Flying Fish Guards possibly have noticed?

That's impossible, impossible.

The officials around him could tell from his deathly pale face that Zhao Jing's words were true.

Emperor Cheng merely glanced at him coldly, and Zhou Huaiqin was so frightened that he knelt on the ground, kowtowing repeatedly: "Your Majesty, these are not my things. I don't know where they came from."

"It seems Lord Zhou won't shed a tear until he sees the coffin." Zhao Jing snorted, and with a wave of his hand, two Flying Fish Guards brought over.

It was a servant of the Zhou family who knew the whole story.

Zhou Huaiqin saw that the two of them had completely gone limp.

The two were clearly terrified by the Flying Fish Guards before they arrived. They knelt down and, with tears streaming down their faces, eagerly confessed what they knew.

This includes details such as how the exam questions were sent out and where the money was hidden.

Seeing that he could not escape, Zhou Huaiqin continued to kowtow repeatedly, but it was already a plea for mercy.

"Your Majesty, spare me! I was confused for a moment. Please spare me!"

Emperor Cheng ignored him and continued to look at Zhao Jing: "To whom did you sell the exam questions?"

“There is only one person,” Zhao Jing replied. “According to the identification by the servants of the Zhou family, it is a scholar named Gao Chang. I have already brought this person here for questioning by Lord Zhou.”

"Bring him up." Zhao Jing waved his hand after Emperor Cheng nodded.

So Gao Chang was brought up. His usually shrewd eyes were now dull, and even his goatee seemed to have lost its former luster, turning ashen.

When Shen Li saw him, he was bringing a cup of tea to his lips. It was the season for drinking pre-rain Longjing tea. The tea, picked by young girls and carefully processed, was fragrant and delicious. It rolled down his throat with a rich aroma.

Just as pale as Gao Chang was the King of Chess; he never expected that this matter would be exposed!

Yi Wang looked at Shen Li almost immediately, so her statement about wanting Master Gao's head within seven days did not refer to assassination.

He immediately understood that this matter must be related to Shen Li. She must have discovered something in the Ministry of Rites and leaked the information to the Flying Fish Guard.

I didn't even realize it!

In an attempt to receive a lighter sentence, Zhou Huaiqin immediately pointed out Gao Chang upon seeing him: "It was him! He's the one who gave me the money. I would never have agreed without his instigation. Please forgive me, Your Majesty."

Emperor Cheng still didn't look at him, but only at Gao Chang: "Who are you? And to whom did you give the test questions?"

"No comment." Gao Chang finally showed some backbone at this point.

He was originally a down-on-his-luck scholar who rose to his current position only because he was valued by the King of Chess. He absolutely cannot reveal the King of Chess's name.

He was a strategist, but after living off others' salaries for so long, he was no different from a death squad member.

Emperor Cheng merely frowned and glanced at Zhao Jing.

"Your Majesty, according to my investigation, Gao Chang gave the exam questions to three people, namely the top three in the provincial examination: Lu Mingyuan, Xie Changqing, and Pei Yuzhi," Zhao Jing continued.

He then ordered someone to bring out a tray: "I have arrested the servants of the three men and interrogated them. This is their testimony."

The three of them knelt on the ground almost simultaneously. They were already under immense psychological pressure for cheating, and now that they heard the people below had confessed, they were completely overwhelmed and had no strength left in their bodies.

"Did you search Gao Chang's residence?" Emperor Cheng asked, finding no physical evidence.

"Your Majesty, we cannot search the area," Zhao Jing said with difficulty.

King Yi felt a chill run down his spine. Zhao Jing really had no intention of doing him any favors; he had to tell him everything.

"Are there places your Flying Fish Guards can't search?" Emperor Cheng was indeed puzzled.

"It is the Prince Yi's residence."

Emperor Cheng's expression gradually calmed down, a calm that didn't show outwardly, but anyone could see the turbulent undercurrent in his eyes.

“Father, this person is indeed my retainer, but I was unaware of it,” Prince Yi hurriedly knelt forward to defend himself.

"Are you really unaware?" Emperor Cheng asked coldly.

The Prince of Yi nodded repeatedly: "Your subject has been raised by Your Majesty's side since childhood, how could you not know the importance of fairness in the imperial examinations? How could your subject do such a rebellious thing?"

Which official present couldn't see that this was an attempt to appeal to emotions?

As expected, Emperor Cheng did not ask any further questions, but said, "Even so, you are still guilty of raising such retainers. You shall stay at home and reflect on your mistakes for a month."

"Father..."

The Prince of Yi wanted to plead for mercy, but when he looked up, he saw the coldness and impatience in Emperor Cheng's eyes. He was so frightened that he broke out in a sweat and had no choice but to kowtow and express his gratitude.

Having reached the level of Emperor Cheng, how could he not know the intricacies of this matter?

Gao Chang was clearly a suicide soldier. What could someone who could disregard life and death possibly want? He was simply working for his master.

Emperor Cheng suddenly felt extremely disappointed in Prince Yi. He could accept the rivalry between his sons, but what he could not tolerate most was stupidity.

Making the King of Chess reflect on his mistakes was also intended to help him learn to be smarter.

“Bring Gao Chang and the others involved in the fraud out of the Meridian Gate and behead them immediately.”

"The provincial examination will be held again, and today's palace examination is invalid!"

"Zhou Huaijin has been imprisoned. The Flying Fish Guards must thoroughly investigate this matter and not let anyone involved in the imperial examination fraud go unpunished!"

Emperor Cheng issued a series of orders, then stood up, flicked his sleeves, and left.

Shen Li was still eating until he gave his final order, and she only had to get up to see him off when the emperor got up.

Gao Chang was taken away, and the Prince of Yi, who had just left the mansion, was once again placed under house arrest, this time for an even longer period.

The King of Chess looked at Shen Li with murderous intent.

Where did this woman get such secret information? How could she possibly know about the cheating? And how could she pinpoint Gao Chang so accurately? It's as if she has supernatural powers!

This is weird!