Chapter 299: Father‑in‑Law Has No Right

At this moment, the hall of the Ministry of Justice was already packed with people.

If this scholar's matter is not pacified, the world will fall into chaos.

Crown Prince Xiao Ting sent someone back to the palace to explain the matter clearly.

Emperor Longqing did not expect that a case involving Mr. Wen would spiral into such a huge affair.

Regardless of whether Emperor Longqing's thoughts were malicious, he was still the ruler of Southern Qi and did not wish his ancestors' legacy to be destroyed by his own hand.

He did not expect the aristocratic youths to grow bolder, even attempting to manipulate the imperial examinations, and the imperial countenance instantly raged, issuing an edict to the Ministry of Justice.

He ordered Crown Prince Xiao Ting to thoroughly investigate the cases of Mr. Wen and Gu Huai.

Xiao Yin, who feared a world without turmoil, upon hearing the emperor's edict, personally led men to the Gu family on behalf of his nephew Xiao Ting.

Gu Shijie also learned the news in the court, but as the current Prime Minister, he felt embarrassed to appear at the Ministry of Justice.

He dispatched his eldest son to investigate, yet Mr. Wen's case remained unresolved, and his third son was suddenly implicated in an examination cheating scandal, causing him to break out in a cold sweat.

Prime Minister Gu at this moment dared not think of anything else; he dressed properly and prepared to go to the hall of the Ministry of Justice himself to see the situation.

Just as he was about to leave, he ran into his son-in-law Xiao Yin at the doorway.

"Yo! Father-in-law, where are you going?" Xiao Yin, though Gu's son-in-law, showed no respect toward his father-in-law at all.

When Gu Shijie saw Xiao Yin, he instinctively stepped back a few paces, his face paling slightly; any encounter between the Gu family and this man spelled disaster.

"Prince, what do you mean?"

Xiao Yin chuckled softly, "Of course it is to assist the Crown Prince in investigating Gu Huai's examination cheating case…"

"You… what are you saying? Gu Huai's examination cheating—how could that be? Pure falsehood!"

"My son's literary talent is so outstanding, why would he need to cheat? Is it Gu Jiu Ling again? That scoundrel stirring trouble?"

The moment Prime Minister Gu uttered the word "scoundrel," Xiao Yin's complexion darkened.

The aura seeping from his whole body seemed to kill the mood, causing Prime Minister Gu to step back again.

Xiao Yin stared at him, slowly gripping the hilt at his waist, "Gu Jiu Ling is my Princess Consort; what are you, daring to demean her so…"

Prime Minister Gu was about to speak, but Xiao Yin raised his hand and waved; Ling Feng and his men charged into Gu's residence.

Prime Minister Gu panicked instantly and did not try to stop them.

Soon after, the emperor's edict arrived at Gu's residence, ordering a search of the third son's courtyard.

When the imperial edict arrived, Prime Minister Gu was rendered speechless, his aged face turning deathly pale.

At that moment, Lin Qingxue hurried in with a maid; outside the third son's courtyard, Xiao Yin and the royal guards had surrounded it, and she burst into tears.

"What are you doing? What exactly are you doing? Why are you searching my son's courtyard? Someone! Someone, quickly!"

Xiao Yin then sat calmly in Gu Huai's courtyard, raised an eyebrow and glared coldly at the Lin family, then turned to Prime Minister Gu, "Control your concubine; if she dares to interfere with my investigation again, I will have her cut off."

The murderous aura radiating from Xiao Yin made Lin Qingxue dare not step forward.

Prime Minister Gu was now agitated, already displeased with Lin Qingxue; what kind of people had this scoundrel turned those innocent children into?

He hurriedly ordered Lin Qingxue dragged out, and at that moment Ling Feng also opened a secret chamber in Gu Huai's study, retrieving several documents from a hidden compartment.

The handwriting in the documents was clearly not Gu Huai's; one of them matched exactly the text that Gu Kang had just muttered in the hall of the Ministry of Justice.

More damning, Gu Huai had placed the document deepest, and on its top he smugly added a line of small characters that ultimately sealed his fate: "For use during the Spring Examination."

Those simple four characters finalized the case.

Satisfied, Xiao Yin nodded after obtaining the items and led his men toward the main gate of the Prime Minister's residence.

Seeing Xiao Yin's demeanor, Prime Minister Gu's heart sank to the bottom, his whole body turning icy and trembling.

He hurried a few steps, blocked Xiao Yin, his face a panicked, obsequious expression.

"Prince, step back and speak!"

Xiao Yin stared at him coldly.

Prime Minister Gu quickly said, "Prince, for Gu Jiu Ling's sake, why not hand these documents over to me again?"

"Prince, could you spare my son a way out? After all, he is Gu Jiu Ling's younger brother; show him some mercy."

Xiao Yin's widened eyes stared incredulously at the old man, whose skin was far too thick to utter such words.

Xiao Yin laughed bitterly, "You're joking with me."

"Your third son and your second daughter, when they framed the Du family's children, why didn't you turn a blind eye and let them go?"

"Driving your own flesh and blood to death—truly you are less than a beast."

"To be frank, if it weren't for Gu Jiu Ling's face, I would have already killed you."

Prime Minister Gu recoiled in terror, and Xiao Yin coldly laughed, "This time your Gu family won't survive; you'd better find a solution quickly."

A mocking smile crept onto Xiao Yin's face as he stared at the pallid Gu Shijie, "Think carefully: in this situation, will you save your own life or your third son's? Weigh it yourself."

"Honestly, since ancient times, examination cheating cases have warranted extermination of the entire clan."

Gu Shijie's body shivered violently.

Xiao Yin, unwilling to waste time on him, marched out with the evidence.

Xiao Yin handed the evidence to the nearby Guan Cheng; he had just come to collect the items himself, fearing they might not match, and without a powerful official overseeing, the items might not be seized. Now that he was present, nothing could escape his grasp, and the officials, clutching Xiao Yin's evidence, hurried toward the marching Duke.

At this moment, Gu Xiang—Gu Xiang was so frightened he could not stand and collapsed with a thud, while Lin Qingxue knelt before him, gripping his arm and crying loudly, "Xiang Yu, please save Huai's child, please save him!"

"It must be Gu Jiu Ling, that scoundrel who has always hated our whole family; this time even his brother is not spared."

Suddenly Gu Xiang raised his hand, slapping Lin Qingxue hard, then, still staring at Lin Qingxue, said, "It's all you, scoundrel—how you've raised the children to this state, and you still say such things. Now Gu Jiu Ling is the Princess Consort of Rui; you'd better overturn the heavens and kill them."

"Don't you see your own son? The previous Southern Xiang was the same, and now the misunderstanding is similar; your children have all been raised into treacherous, poisonous people. Mr. Weng's case involves today's examination cheating and the murder of scholars—these are all women, all ashes. You think he hasn't done this, but it has already alarmed the emperor; there is no room for reversal. Get out, quickly."

Gu Xiang kicked Lin Qingxue, sending her sprawling; she was instantly bruised and dared not cry.

Gu Xiang had to steady himself against the wall, glanced at the steward, a shadow flickering in his eyes, and slowly said, "Take that thing out and follow me into the palace."