The princess was ordained by Heaven.

Chapter 133: Scheme against each other

With such thorough preparation, if I didn't know your evidence was fabricated, I might have actually believed you.

[But it seems some people actually believe him, tsk tsk]

Zheng Xun's disgruntled "tsk" made the ministers who had doubted Liao Hongsheng tense up instantly, and they quickly smiled amicably at Liao Hongsheng to show their stance.

【Lu Youzu, right? You dare to slander my Xiaoshengsheng? You're finished, I'm telling you.】

Liao Hongsheng: ?

While the princess's protectiveness was very touching, what kind of weird title is that?

Qin Duzhi gave Zheng Xun the look one would give a heartless man.

Why does Liao Hongsheng deserve this treatment? Didn't he work hard? Wasn't he disobedient?

Why wasn't the princess as affectionate towards him?

At this moment, Lu Youzu's expression gradually turned to confusion because he did not receive the expected response.

Zheng Xun gave a soft snort.

There is no such thing as a flawless lie in this world. The old donkey thought he had everything under control, but in reality, once you determine that he is slandering, and then examine the evidence against him, you will find that the evidence he presented is full of flaws.

Old...old donkey?

The princess is getting better and better at coming up with nicknames.

The first piece of "ironclad evidence" from the old donkey was an account book containing 572 entries from three years ago to the present. The stolen goods were kept in a hidden underground room in an inconspicuous courtyard.

That courtyard wasn't directly related to Liao Hongsheng, but it was somehow connected to his deceased wife.

Everyone knows how much Liao Hongsheng cares about his wife; this only makes the old donkey, who even uses the dead, seem even less than human.

Liao Hongsheng: The fist has hardened.

With no sound from his surroundings, Lü Youzu was very puzzled. He raised his head to observe, but the emperor let out a light, muffled cough, which startled him so much that he lowered his head again.

To complete the details, Lao Lv kept stealing things from Liao Hongsheng that he had used in public and putting them in the yard.

Liao Hongsheng often wondered why his things kept going missing. He suspected many people, but never Lü Youzu. In the end, he even doubted himself, thinking there was something wrong with his head, and secretly went to see a doctor several times.

Not only that, the old donkey also wore several layers of insoles and stuffed cotton around his waist, mimicking Liao Hongsheng's movements as he sneaked in and out of the courtyard.

Sure enough, the neighbors became suspicious of this mysterious person; if things came to light, he would be a witness.

Of course, the most important question regarding Liao Hongsheng's alleged acceptance of bribes and buying and selling of official positions is: who were he dealing with?

[Old Donkey's method was to shift the blame, attaching his own dirty deeds and dealings with Liao Hongsheng.]

But how exactly does it work? He never shows his face during each transaction. Out of caution, he never lets anyone else relay his messages. He always meets with his trading partners through a screen, and he even deliberately changes his voice.

[But since he wanted to shift the blame, he couldn't possibly keep his identity completely hidden; he had to reveal that he was "Liao Hongsheng."]

Those who collude with others may be able to keep their actions hidden for now, but once the truth comes out, they are very likely to be implicated and dragged down with them.

Of course, Liao Hongsheng would be the one dragged into it at that time.

[This plan was indeed brilliant, its brilliance lay in its calculated strategy against the unsuspecting, taking three years to lay out the plan and perfect every detail to ensure that Liao Hongsheng could not escape.]

Liao Hongsheng: So this is the power of jealousy?

He did approach Lü Youzu with ill intentions, but Lü Youzu didn't know that! As a result, just because he wanted to join the cabinet, he plotted against him to the death. Is this something a normal person would do?

However, Lü Youzu did not expect that Liao Hongsheng also had suspicions about him.

Before he could pin the blame on Liao Hongsheng, Lü Youzu acted very cautiously and should not have aroused suspicion. However, on one occasion, Liao Hongsheng unexpectedly encountered a beggar in his twenties on the street.

The beggar was mentally unstable, but he spoke very politely. He had caught a cold, but because he had no money for treatment, his condition worsened and he was now on the verge of death.

Liao Hongsheng felt sorry for him, so he bought some food and two ounces of wine to send him off on his final journey.

As he lay dying, he regained some of his senses. Through his account, Liao Hongsheng learned that he had already passed the imperial examination with flying colors, but when the results were posted, he discovered that his exam paper bore someone else's name.

He was indignant and immediately wanted to file a lawsuit to seek justice, but the final investigation results shocked him. They said he had gone mad because he failed the exam, and that it was all his delusion.

However, the handwriting on the exam paper was clearly his.

After the beggar's death, Liao Hongsheng began investigating the examiners from that year, and eventually, he focused his attention on Lü Youzu.

However, Lu Youzu acted very cautiously, and he was unable to find any results.

Could it be a false accusation? That beggar has gone mad; who knows if what he's saying is just nonsense?

Based on the few sentences of the exam paper he read aloud, he found the exam paper the beggar had mentioned and the case file from that time. Both the beggar and the person who passed the exam used standard official script, without any special style, so no clues could be drawn from their handwriting.

Finally, he found the beggar's ancestral home and the academy where he studied. The beggar's family was not wealthy; his father had died early, and his mother gritted her teeth to support his education. To earn money for his books and ink, she stayed up all night embroidering until she went blind. When she learned of her son's plight, she couldn't take her breath and died. The beggar had only this one family member, but he couldn't get any answers from her.

Next, he visited the beggar's fellow villagers. This family, which had devoted almost all its resources to supporting such a scholar, could not say how well the beggar had studied, only that he was the most diligent and knowledgeable person in their village.

The beggar's teacher had passed away. Liao Hongsheng eventually found several of his classmates, but they all said that the beggar's grades were average and there was no guarantee that he would pass the exam.

[Upon reaching this point, Liao Hongsheng genuinely considered giving up, but they said that the beggar's skills were extremely solid. As the hope of the entire family, the pressure on him was immense. Therefore, he almost constantly studied and practiced, sacrificing all his leisure time.]

They knew Liao Hongsheng's purpose in coming and unanimously pleaded with him to investigate thoroughly. If the beggar had truly been wronged, the story would be far too tragic.

Despite recalling all of this, Liao Hongsheng ultimately did not choose to give up.

He wondered, if Lü Youzu really had rigged the imperial examination that year, was it possible that the beggar wasn't the only victim?

He changed his approach and started investigating other people.

Liao Hongsheng was like a jackal that wouldn't let go once it had bitten its prey; no matter how tough the prey was, it would still take a piece of its flesh.

[But before he could investigate, a fire broke out where the exam papers were stored, and all the evidence was destroyed.]

Zheng Xun looked at Liao Hongsheng. His waist was still thick and his smile was still kind, but his figure was inexplicably majestic.

The ministers sighed deeply, asking themselves if they, Liao Hongsheng, could have persevered in their place.

No one can find the answer unless they face that situation.

Even the emperor admired Liao Hongsheng's perseverance. For a complete stranger he met by chance, and for the sake of "justice" in his heart, he made countless efforts that are unimaginable to ordinary people. How can this not be amazing?

At that moment, Liao Hongsheng genuinely wanted to resign from his official post and then travel all over the country to find each and every candidate from that year's cohort.

But no, he still has many things he wants to do. Without the power in his hands, he cannot mobilize enough manpower and resources to contend with Lü Youzu.

This incident cut off Liao Hongsheng's path to finding the truth, but it also made him convinced that there was something fishy going on behind the scenes.

Otherwise, why did the fire break out now, just when he started investigating past grievances?

He was unwilling to accept this; he was fed up with being constrained when investigating cases, and he was also fed up with the frustration of watching evildoers go unpunished.

He wants to climb higher, to reach a position high enough that one day, simply by standing in the imperial court, he can bring clarity and order to the Great Yong Dynasty!

Zheng Xun always admires ambitious people, except for those like Lü Youzu who are unscrupulous.

Moreover, Liao Hongsheng was a staunch rationalist who never engaged in empty talk but instead strived to put his ideals into practice.

Having such an official is undoubtedly a blessing for the Great Yong Dynasty and its people.

In this light, the quality of the ministers in the Dayong Dynasty was surprisingly high. In such an unequal era, it was incredible that so many people worked hard for ideals like "fairness" and "truth," which sounded very grandiose and unrealistic.

However, Zheng Xun, a person who pursues humanity in the apocalypse, happens to be most compatible with people like Liao Hongsheng.

So, is this why the system chose her to come to Dayong?

That said, following the original trajectory, Lü Youzu did indeed target Liao Hongsheng.

However, because I didn't intervene, Liao Hongsheng was in a passive position.

At that time, Liao Hongsheng's evidence was not yet complete, but even so, it was enough to kill Lü Youzu seven or eight times over.

Unfortunately, Liao Hongsheng was smeared with mud by Lü Youzu and ended up with both sides suffering losses.

In truth, only my father knew about Liao Hongsheng's ambitions.

He initially didn't believe Lü Youzu's accusations, but with witnesses and physical evidence against him, and after some time, before Liao Hongsheng could produce any evidence to prove his innocence, he had no choice but to order the execution of both men.

Duan Yunfeng lightly kicked Liao Hongsheng: "I misunderstood you. I've been treating you badly all along, I..."

He was a little ashamed.

I feel ashamed for not trusting my friend.

Liao Hongsheng was afraid that he would suddenly burst into tears, so he quickly comforted him in a soft voice: "It's nothing. I was really spineless back then. If you continued to associate with me, you wouldn't be Duan Yunfeng. Besides, the fact that you could refrain from kicking me a few times shows that you care about me as a brother!"