strictlysupreme Chapter 32 The Game is Broken and the Net is Broken
Chapter 32 The Game is Broken and the Net is Broken
"What? Did I hear that right?"
"His Majesty has appointed him as a Grand Academician of the Hanlin Academy? How is that possible!"
"And there's also an imperial edict written by the emperor himself... This is the highest-ranking Hanlin Academician!"
Hanlin Academician, Imperial Brush!
The room erupted in uproar; everyone was utterly shocked.
Xu Ruyu and Li Guan were both completely dumbfounded, as if they had been hit on the head with a club, feeling utterly bewildered!
The courtiers exchanged bewildered glances, some even wanting to ask what had gotten into Emperor Xianxian...
Even Lin Zheng was baffled at this moment. He knew that the Emperor's actions were always unpredictable and difficult to fathom, but this... was a bit too outrageous, wasn't it?
Just a moment ago, Li Lan was a death row inmate, burdened with a case of cheating in the imperial examinations that had not yet been investigated. Moreover, now someone is accusing Li Lan of disrespecting the immortals!
Just for the fact that he disrespects immortals, as long as Li Lan has this reputation, regardless of whether he is truly disrespectful to immortals, he should have been killed by the emperor.
How come it's completely reversed!
Of all those present, only Empress Xianyi nodded slightly. She glanced at Li Guan, a hint of mockery in her beautiful phoenix eyes.
"If you hadn't reminded him, His Majesty probably wouldn't have remembered this..."
Her eyes were smiling.
Li Guan's accusations were indeed a fatal blow to Li Lan:
Regardless of whether Li Lan disrespected the immortals, some now claim he did, and some "evidence" has been found. As a monarch wholeheartedly welcoming the immortals, Emperor Xianxian's only option is to kill Li Lan.
The so-called fabricated charges.
The core issue is that Li Lan's existence could potentially provoke the wrath or anger of immortals.
But his attack also made Emperor Xianxian think about another problem:
A person burdened with guilt writes a petition, which is then shown to an immortal. What would the immortal in the heavens think?
The imperial edict was of great importance to the emperor, but if he wanted to use it, he had to reward Li Lan handsomely and make sure Li Lan was honored and clean!
Only such people are qualified to write Qingci (a type of classical Chinese poetry).
Otherwise, if a death row inmate or criminal were to write it, the immortal would truly be furious.
Therefore, Emperor Xianxian originally planned to release Li Lan after the Qingtian Grand Ceremony, but now he was forced to declare Li Lan innocent in front of everyone and even bestow upon him a higher title!
Only she understood the mystery behind it.
"I have investigated and found that the case of Cen Jingchi leaking the exam questions is completely fabricated. Li Lan's title of top scholar is well-deserved. After the Qingtian Ceremony, the Ministry of Justice and other relevant departments should immediately investigate who instigated this miscarriage of justice and restore the innocence of Cen Jingchi and Li Lan."
"Xu Ruyu, as the second-place scholar in the imperial examination, falsely accused Li Lan and slandered his colleague. He has been stripped of his academic honors, demoted to a commoner, and will never be employed again! Considering the upcoming ceremony, I will spare your life!"
Emperor Xianxian continued speaking, and upon hearing this, everyone in the room gasped in shock!
The cheating scandal in the examination hall shocked the court and the public. The news of the newly appointed top scholar, Li Lan, being imprisoned on the day the results were announced had already spread throughout the land. Everyone believed that Li Lan was doomed and that the General of the State's Mansion would also be implicated. But now, Emperor Xianxian made a decision with a single word...
The situation has completely reversed!
Li Guan was taken aback and extremely puzzled. He subconsciously wanted to ask a question, but Mr. Zhu next to him tugged at his sleeve, telling him to shut up.
Emperor Xianxian's intentions are unfathomable. He has already miscalculated. If this matter continues, it will only be more detrimental to Liguan.
Li Yue was also somewhat taken aback. He didn't know why Emperor Xianxian valued and favored Li Lan so much. He subconsciously glanced at Liu Ziwen and the others, but Liu Ziwen and the others were even more confused than him.
He had no idea when Li Lan had caught the Emperor's eye!
Even Lin Zheng was completely bewildered at this moment.
Emperor Xianxian was a cunning and ruthless ruler. He would definitely use Li Lan's imprisonment as a bargaining chip. Lin Zheng was even prepared to mutilate himself on the Northwest battlefield in order to ensure Li Lan's safe release...
Now, we don't need these at all?
Everything was resolved easily, and Li Lan even rose to the top in one step?
What... exactly is going on?
What exactly did Li Lan do?
He had countless questions in his mind.
"monster……"
He heard his daughter's voice, turned around, and saw Lin Ruobing also staring blankly at Li Lan, muttering to herself.
"It's really weird..."
Lin Zheng could only sigh softly!
At this moment, the hearts of all the civil and military officials were filled with turbulent waves, but no one dared to speak. They were all lost in their own thoughts. Those ministers who had previously attacked Li Lan were even more trembling with fear!
"Your Majesty, I...I am innocent, Your Majesty!"
Xu Ruyu was struck dumb, and it took him a long time to react. His face was deathly pale, and he was drenched in cold sweat, repeatedly kowtowing.
"Your Majesty, I did not make a false accusation, I did not! Li Lan plagiarized, he cheated..."
He cried out in panic, not understanding why things had turned out this way, and turned to look at Li Guan for help:
"Your Highness..."
"Shut up!"
Li Guan's expression changed drastically, and he hurriedly rebuked him!
Guards nearby rushed forward and dragged Xu Ruyu away. Xu Ruyu continued to shout, but no one paid him any attention...
"Li Lan, why don't you thank His Majesty for his great favor?"
In the arena, Empress Xianyi spoke up to offer a reminder.
Li Lan felt a slight mix of emotions, but he quickly stepped forward and said, "Thank you for your great favor, Your Majesty!"
When he wrote the imperial edict for the emperor, he was only keeping a backup plan and adding an extra layer of insurance. He never expected that this backup plan would be so powerful.
"Flat body."
Emperor Xianxian glanced at Li Lan with approval, then turned to Lin Zheng and said, "General Lin, you have found a good son-in-law. Not bad."
A eunuch stepped forward and led Li Lan into the group of ministers, placing him directly at the very front.
The Grand Academician of the Hanlin Academy, a first-rank official, held a position equivalent to the Ministers of the Six Ministries, and his imperial writings were even more illustrious!
He stood directly next to General Lin Zheng, the General Who Protects the Nation.
Seeing this, the other officials all had grim and complicated expressions. He was just a prisoner, but in the blink of an eye, he had actually risen to the ranks of the Yuan Dynasty!
"It seems you were prepared."
Seeing Li Lan return, Lin Zheng finally felt relieved, gently patted his shoulder, and said, "Okay."
I'm sorry to have worried you.
Li Lan smiled slightly, then looked at Lin Ruobing. Lin Ruobing had already released the hidden arrow from her sleeve, but she couldn't help but pout her cherry lips and whispered, "Oh, you're playing tricks on me again. If I had known, I should have let you taste the rotten egg when you went to jail."
Despite saying that, the relaxation and joy in her tone were hard to hide. Li Lan smiled, reached out her hand, and she reluctantly took it.
Not far away, the Third Prince Li Guan watched this scene with a face so gloomy it was almost dripping with water!
Beside him, Mr. Zhu sighed softly, "I underestimated Li Lan. This man is truly... far too cunning."
"It doesn't matter... he's still going to die."
Li Guan clenched his fist slightly!
……
"By imperial decree, a general amnesty is hereby granted!"
Emperor Xianxian spoke.
Immediately, a group of prisoners knelt down and shouted.
"Thank you for your great favor, Your Majesty! May Your Majesty live forever and enjoy a lifespan as long as the heavens!"
"Thank you for your great favor, Your Majesty! May Your Majesty live forever and enjoy a lifespan as long as the heavens!"
……
"Tribute!"
The eunuch of the Directorate of Ceremonial Affairs spoke loudly, and in an instant, the officials stepped forward one after another, taking the Qingyun Fruit and other prepared items, and placed them on the offering table placed in front of them.
Lin Zheng and Li Lan walked over one after the other.
"Your Majesty, I have a memorial to present!"
At this moment, Qin Wu, the deputy director of the Secret Service, suddenly spoke up loudly.
Both the civil and military officials present frowned. Why were there so many problems today?
Emperor Xianxian was clearly displeased and asked, "What is it?"
Qin Wu pointed at Lin Zheng and said, "I have received news that the General Zhenguo has purchased fake fruits in an attempt to deceive the immortals!"
In an instant, the expressions of the assembled officials changed once again.
Fake offerings?
This is a crime of deceiving the emperor.
Moreover, he even forged items offered to immortals... How could Lin Zheng have such audacity?
Lin Zheng was about to place the jade box on the offering platform when he heard this, and his hand stiffened slightly. However, he showed no fear. Instead, he glanced at Li Lan with a hint of admiration in his eyes, and Li Lan also smiled.
"Your Majesty, I request permission to inspect the contents of Lin Zheng's box and expose this treacherous and deceitful person on the spot!"
Qin Wu spoke with absolute certainty.
Emperor Xianxian frowned slightly, waved his hand, and Qin Wu was overjoyed, walking towards Lin Zheng.
"Hehe, General Lin, give me the box you're holding!"
His face was beaming with smugness!
Lin Zheng calmly handed it to him.
"Lin Zheng, the humiliation of being whipped on the front lines back then will be repaid tenfold today!"
The moment Qin Wu took the jade box, he muttered something under his breath, his eyes filled with ferocity, and said, "Your entire family... I'm going to wipe them out!"
As he spoke, he slowly opened the jade box!
The ministers watched intently. Not far away, the Third Prince's eyes revealed a cold smile. Beside him, Mr. Zhu also smiled slightly. Li Lan was intelligent, but the killing move he had laid out... would ultimately lead to the downfall of the Lin family!
Under the watchful eyes of everyone, Qin Wu finally opened the jade box.
But when he looked down at the contents of the box, he was suddenly stunned, shocked, and incredulous... His hand slipped, and the jade box fell to the ground, from which several green fruits rolled out, fragrant and delicious—they were none other than the Azure Cloud Fruit!
An uproar erupted in the arena!
The Third Prince's pupils constricted sharply; he was utterly incredulous. He turned abruptly to look at Mr. Zhu and roared, "What's going on?!"
Mr. Zhu froze, as if struck by lightning, his face filled with horror. He looked at Li Lan from afar and said, "He... he actually turned the tables on me?!"
His breath caught in his throat, and he could barely contain himself. Blood suddenly spilled from the corner of his mouth, and his face turned pale!
He had thought that this grand ceremony was a trap, a sure-fire way to kill him, but in the blink of an eye, the trap had crumbled and everything had come to nothing!
In an instant, he felt utterly hopeless. All the arrogance he had built up over the years, and the ambition to conquer all directions, collapsed in an instant!
……