The Favored Imperial Concubine

  Imperial Censorate Library

  In the simple and elegant study, a faint scent of books wafted through the air. Behind the desk, the normally refined and carefree imperial censor's expression was unusually gloomy as he stared at a letter on his desk, lost in thought.

  "Qingfeng, what does this 'Xianzhao Taifei' mean?" After a while, the Imperial Censor finally raised his head to ask.

  Not far from the book case, a handsome young man stood with his hands clasped together, furrowed his brow in thought for a moment before saying: "Is it because of the dignity of the Dingguo King's mansion that...?" Xu Yu Shi shook his head and said: "In the eyes of parents, this move by the imperial family is just to maintain the dignity of the Dingguo King's mansion. Is it useful to slap someone in the face and then give them a sweet date? This approach may be effective for ordinary officials, but it's useless for the Dingguo King's mansion." Xu Qingfeng's sword-like eyebrows were slightly furrowed, his expression filled with indignation as he said: "However the imperial family treats the Dingguo King's mansion, they shouldn't sacrifice my cousin as a pawn." The Xu family had many males and few females for generations. In the previous generation, there was only one daughter, Ye Li's mother. By the time of Xu Qingfeng's generation, both branches of the direct line of the Xu family were all sons. Xu Qingfeng, who had always lived in the capital, also loved his cousin Ye Li dearly, whom he often saw during her childhood.

  Xu Yu Shi let out a soft sigh and said, "In the eyes of the imperial family, who else can't be sacrificed besides themselves? Moreover, Lian'er hasn't been seen in the capital since your aunt passed away, and her reputation has already been tarnished by that evil woman from the Ye family. It's natural that the Prince of Lei wouldn't want to marry Lian'er." Xu Qingfeng coldly snorted and said, "My son is right not to let his cousin marry that Prince of Lei. This hasn't even reached the point of marriage yet, and he's already taking things from his fiancée's family store without paying - is this the behavior of the imperial family? If my cousin really marries him, I'm afraid he'll use up all the dowry we and her mother left behind." Thinking back to what Qingfeng had mentioned when she came over, Xu Qingfeng's anger grew, and his impression of Mo Jing Lei became even more unfavorable.

  Magistrate Xu stroked his beard and nodded, "That King of Lei is indeed not a good match for Lian'er. Lian'er has always been a strong-willed person, she must have seen through King of Lei's true nature, otherwise she wouldn't have let the mother-daughter duo from the Ye family behave so atrociously." He recalled how his younger sister had passed away, and he had wanted to take in his seriously ill niece to raise her himself, but was stopped by the old matriarch of the Ye family. Lian'er, despite being ill, had sent her wet nurse and maids back to Yunzhou, choosing to live alone in the isolated and helpless Ye Manor. Although Ye Wangshi had tried multiple times to harm her, she had managed to avoid each attempt with ease. Now, it seemed that his niece not only possessed his younger sister's intelligence but also a strength and sharpness that surpassed hers, which filled Magistrate Xu's heart with pride.

  "But Emperor... " Li Wang was not a satisfactory person, but at least he was a complete person with four limbs. The marriage the emperor was referring to now not only humiliated the Dingguo royal family but also tarnished the Xu family's bloodline.

  "Hmph! Compared to the Li King, I believe more in the upbringing of the Dingguo King's household. After all, that Ding Wang was raised by Old Master Dingguo himself." As he spoke, Xu Yu Shi lit the candle on the table and burned the letter into ashes before saying to his son, "How have things been at the Dingguo King's household these days? Tell your mother to tell Li'er when she goes to the Ye family in a few days." Xu Qingfeng said somewhat helplessly, "The Dingguo King's household is fine except for one thing - that Ding Wang rarely interacts with people. In recent years, there are only a handful of people who have seen him. I couldn't gather any useful information. There's just one rumor - it's said that the Ding Wang is a wife-killer, and several of his fiancées before were killed by him. And another one died of fright on the night she married into the family."

  "Nonsense!" Xu Yu Shi scolded. As an imperial censor, Xu's family was well-connected and knew more than ordinary people. For instance, the death of Prince Ding's first fiancée was suspiciously timed. Similarly, his second fiancée, chosen by the Empress Dowager, was originally a sickly person, so it wasn't surprising that she didn't live past her coming-of-age ceremony. However, in Xu Yu Shi's opinion, the possibility of being scared to death by Prince Ding's appearance was extremely low. He had seen Prince Ding from afar when he returned to court injured, and although his scar looked intimidating, it wasn't enough to be fatal. "Alright, go see your mother. I'll personally visit Prince Ding later. Now I need to write a memorial."

  "Writing a petition? Who does Father want to impeach?" Xu Qingfeng asked in surprise.

  Xu Yu Shi's pale face showed a hint of cold smile as he said, "I impeach Ye Shangshu for teaching his daughter without principle and allowing the four girls to privately interact with him before the annulment of their marriage contract." According to the Great Chu Imperial Court's regulations, speaking officials were not punishable. As long as the words spoken by the censor were not fabricated or slanderous, no matter what was said, the emperor could not punish them. Who among the nobles in the capital did not know about the affair between Li Wang and Ye family's fourth miss? It was just that the Ye family didn't care, so others naturally pretended to be unaware. Now that someone had submitted a memorial with clear evidence, those idle censors and some of the upright Confucian scholars who couldn't bear to see such things would not let this opportunity pass. On the surface, it was an impeachment against Ye Shangshu, but in reality, the final matter pointed to Ye Ying and Li Wang. It was likely that even the fact that Li Wang had taken away his former fiancée's property without justification would be exposed.

  "Will this make Lier a target?" Xu Qingfeng furrowed his brow, saying with some concern.

  Xu Yu Shi smiled faintly and said, "If not, do you think the look on Li Wang's face is like he has a guilty conscience towards Lian Er? At least our Xu family's stance needs to be made clear to Li Wang and the Emperor." The Xu family was openly showing that they would protect their niece with all their might. "Since we can't figure out what Xian Zhao Tai Fei means for now, let's find something for the Li Wang Fu to do, so they won't have time to scheme against your cousin." In Xu Yu Shi's heart, no matter how he looked at it, he couldn't understand why Li Wang would give up his own niece and marry that Ye family's fourth miss instead. Apart from looks, in terms of status, one was the legitimate eldest daughter and the other was born to a concubine. In terms of intelligence, virtue, and conduct, Ye Ying, who only knew how to charm people with her beauty, would have been punished by the Xu family long ago. Even if it were about dowry, the Ye family's wealth might not be enough to match the grandeur of what the Xu family had prepared for Lian Er. The difference between a newly risen wealthy family and an ancient aristocratic clan was not just a little bit.

  Having heard his father's words, Xu Qingfeng couldn't help but smile and said: "As expected of Father, you've thought this through. I'll take my leave."

  Watching his son leave, Xu Yu Shi let out a soft sigh and picked up his brush to write a memorial. His own son, Qing Xiu, followed his old father back to Yunzhou, showing filial piety in front of his father. His second son, Qing Feng, had been by his side since he was young. Although both he and his wife came from scholarly families, Qing Feng showed great talent for martial arts from a young age, but his literary skills were only average. He couldn't help but smile bitterly when he thought of Ye Li's words of advice when she came to pay her respects last year: "Could it be that the Xu family, with their hundred years of scholarly tradition, will actually produce a military general?" After putting down his brush and thinking for a long time, Xu Yu Shi finally got up and walked to the bookshelf on the side, skillfully pulling out a book from the third layer. He looked at the strong characters on the cover - "Taizu's Military Classics" - and called out in a loud voice: "Come in!"

  Soon, the little servant waiting outside pushed open the door and respectfully called out: "Master."

  "Give this book to Second Master and tell him to finish reading it within the year. Also, send me a reflection every month."

  The little servant took over the book and retreated respectfully without asking much.

  Before long, a bright and clear laughter came from afar, apparently the young servant had caught up with him. "Thank you, Father! I'll take my leave!"

  "You little scamp, you're not even a proper thing!" Xu Yu Shi cursed in a low voice, but his face couldn't help but reveal a relieved smile.