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

Chapter 425 The Chess King's Indulgence

But no matter how unwilling he was, Gao Chang's head had already fallen. This strategist he relied on most died on the sixth day after Shen Li threatened to kill him.

Shen Li remained expressionless, just as she had at the beginning. She had known this would be the outcome all along, ever since she made those harsh remarks.

Everything was proceeding according to plan, so she naturally didn't bother to waste her expressions.

The palace examination ended amidst the trepidation of the officials. The metropolitan examination was scheduled for a month later, and the Ministry of Rites was bound to conduct a thorough investigation before setting the questions.

Shen Li was relatively lucky. While everyone in the Ministry of Rites was walking on thin ice, she was able to rest at home, without having to face the cold-blooded Flying Fish Guards or be taken to the imperial prison for interrogation.

The Flying Fish Guards naturally wouldn't cause her any trouble. The few routine interrogations they did were all conducted at the manor, and since Shen Li had given them plenty of gold, the questioning was always brief and to the point.

A few days after the palace examination, Emperor Cheng suddenly couldn't sleep one night and issued an edict that night ordering the Court of Judicial Review and the Flying Fish Guard to jointly investigate the case of cheating in the imperial examination, saying that it would be better to kill the innocent than let the guilty go free.

Both major government departments have mobilized their resources, extending their reach from the Ministry of Rites to other departments. Anyone who has had close ties with the Ministry of Rites is to be questioned, and all those who have come into contact with the examination papers are to have their ancestral records thoroughly investigated.

Since the Zhou Zhen incident, there had been no such case-related uproar in the imperial court for a long time. This investigation could easily uncover other things, causing a great uproar and widespread panic.

The new Grand Secretary was in a state of utter chaos after taking office. He dared not advise the Emperor to be lenient, and he was unable to suppress the impeachment memorials flying around from below. He even began to envy the retired Minister Shen.

These are truly turbulent times.

Many civil officials considered themselves upright and honest, while the censors were even more interested in this event that might go down in history. They kept submitting memorials, either impeaching the Prince of Yi or accusing the emperor of indulging in excessive punishments that caused unrest in the country.

The emperor was furious and ordered the Grand Secretary to suppress the situation, but the Grand Secretary was a newly appointed official, and even the cabinet had only been formed the previous year.

When he entered the cabinet, he saw the three big Buddhas in front of him and thought that even if he worked himself to death, he probably wouldn't be able to reach the position of prime minister. Who would have thought that in just over a year, he would have to exercise the powers of prime minister himself.

Which of the chief ministers under Zhou Zhen hadn't been suppressed for many years? Apart from Shen Zizai, who had many disciples in the Ministry of Rites, almost everyone else was a lone commander.

At this time, even a regular chief minister couldn't suppress the censors, let alone a newly appointed one with no real power base.

As for the idea of ​​punishing these officials who dared to speak out, Emperor Cheng didn't even dare to have it. These people who dared to jump out when such a big thing happened were all fearless. They even hoped that the emperor would beat them up or kill them so that they could be remembered in history.

Emperor Cheng didn't want to be emperor for the rest of his life only to be condemned by later generations as the number one tyrant for killing one or two officials who dared to speak out.

He could only endure it.

Of course, when he was swallowing his anger, he often thought of Shen Zizai.

If Shen Zizai were still in court, his influence would be enough to quell a large part of the turmoil.

Emperor Cheng now even hopes that Shen Zizai has not left the capital, since he is still the nominal Grand Secretary and is still helping him handle this matter.

However, it's too late for him to regret it now. More than half a month has passed since Shen Zizai stepped down, and he should have left the province long ago.

I can't find it even if I want to.

Just as anxious and distressed as Emperor Cheng was Prince Yi, because almost the entire court knew that Gao Chang was his advisor and strategist, and those who already disliked him would naturally take the opportunity to kick him while he was down.

As a result, many of the usual misdeeds were brought to the forefront for judgment, including the comments that he indulged in nightly revelry, entertained court officials in a decadent manner, and that his actions were immoral and his intentions were despicable.

It must be said that civil officials are capable of uncovering crimes. Once such remarks were made, the memorials almost flooded the imperial desk again. Many people began to suggest that Prince Yi, as a vassal king, should not stay in the capital for long and should return to his fiefdom.

You should know that this is the King of Chess's biggest weakness. Even Emperor Cheng can't help him and can only pretend not to see these words.

The Prince of Yi was anxious because he couldn't get out and couldn't effectively counterattack. In the past, his mother, Consort Zheng, could whisper in his father's ear, but now Consort Zheng was practically confined to the palace and couldn't help him at all.

The King of Chess was completely on the defensive. The thing he did most at home every day was to lose his temper. He summoned more than twenty dancers to his room and made a ruckus day and night. He killed or injured many of the dancers if they were not in his mood.

Of course, those who didn't die didn't fare well either; they all had to endure the King of Chess's almost inhuman abuse and torture.

The dancers are injured or die, and new ones will come in their place. The King of Chess is constantly receiving sensory and physical stimulation, which allows him to completely numb himself and continue to indulge in the dream of victory.

Xia Shiyin had once thought of persuading Yi Wang, but after being scolded once, she gave up. She didn't even dare to look at the scene in that room for long, for fear that she would also have to endure that kind of inhuman torture.

She hid and cried several times. She had thought that marrying the favored prince would allow her to stand out among the noble ladies and become a person of high status in the future.

She was almost there. The Crown Prince had fallen, and the Prince Yi's family was now all-powerful. Although the Prince Yi was a womanizer, she was the only and rightful Princess Yi.

In the future, she would naturally be crowned Empress and become the most honored woman in the world, but it seems that fate has been working against her ever since she made this choice.

The King of Chess didn't give her much attention, and he rarely visited her room, sometimes only a few times a year. Not only did he not show her any affection, but she also often had to endure his anger at his defeats.

Now, the King of Chess has become increasingly unbearable and cruel. She doesn't even know how to face him. Apart from crying in secret, she doesn't even have the courage to go home and confide in him.

Her family would only side with Yi Wang, always saying that it was her fault for not being able to win a man's heart. Whenever she saw loving couples, she would have a strong thought in her mind.

That was regret. She truly regretted taking this path of power struggles. Everyone who embarked on this path was a cold-hearted and ruthless person, but she was still a person of flesh and blood and couldn't adapt to any of this.

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

After the King of Chess's decline, the court welcomed some new faces who were not exactly new.

Li Rui was granted permission to live outside the palace. The three large characters of "Rui Wang Fu" (Rui Prince's Mansion) were written by the emperor himself. After leaving the palace where he could not enter or leave at will, he felt much more relaxed.

Of course, Emperor Cheng did not let him off the hook completely, but added another responsibility for him: to preside over the next re-examination of the imperial examination on behalf of the emperor.

Although Prince Rui was reluctant, he dared not disobey the emperor too much and accepted the task. Unlike the other examiners who lived in the Ministry of Rites, he could come and go as he pleased.

After all, he was supervising the exam on behalf of the emperor, so no one suspected that he would leak the questions.