Since his family had been dealt with so severely, the emperor would certainly not take any further action. This was a preemptive move and quite appropriate.

But Shen Yu did not have such good luck. He first deceived the Crown Prince and then refused to pay back the silver owed to him by the Ministry of Revenue. Now he still owes the court more than 60,000 taels. Shen Ruojin also made the old lady so angry that she had a stroke, showing that he has no talent or virtue, cannot discipline his children, and lacks the basic qualities to be an official.

The emperor first fined Shen Yu two years’ salary and then pointed out several noble families in the capital, saying that they had not made any contributions over the years and had not set a good example. Their ideological awareness was even worse than ordinary people. If such people held power for too long, it would surely harm the country’s stability and the people’s trust.

After the emperor spoke, he marked a few of them as the focus of observation and impeachment by the Censorate. Except for Shen Yu, who ranked first, the others either behaved improperly, had poorly disciplined children, or were too close to the prince in public.

The emperor issued an ultimatum that if these people failed to show any results in the next few years, their descendants would be demoted.

The others whose names were mentioned all hated Shen Yu to death. They had been in office for many years and had lived peacefully with each other. If he had not offended the emperor, they would not have faced this situation.

“So this matter has come to an end,” Xie Huaian concluded. “I heard that the impeachment memorials of the Shen and Guan families were sent to the cabinet like snowflakes. The emperor calmed down a little after handling this.”

Tao Sheng felt that these people were receiving retribution in this life.

At that time, Shen Ruojin used various means to frame the original body, causing her to be deserted by friends and relatives. She was forced to leave the capital.

Now Shen Ruojin has exposed her past deeds and angered the old lady, so she is abandoned by the Shen family.

Old Madam Shen always praised Ruojin, often saying that Tao Sheng was odd and lacked proper filial piety, while Ruojin was respectful and knew how to act appropriately in different situations. She was regarded as the most filial and thoughtful child in the family. However, when Ruojin upset Old Madam Shen, it caused her such anger that she suffered a stroke, leaving her unable to move and making normal speech nearly impossible.

However, the heroine of this family fight has left the Guan family and the Shen family, losing the battle. It is unknown whether the world will collapse.

Tao Sheng had some doubts.

“Oh, there is another piece of good news I haven’t told you.” Xie Huaian said, “At the morning court today, His Majesty announced a group of promoted officials, including Brother Ji, who has now been promoted to the sixth rank.”

Tao Sheng was stunned to hear this. Ji Yanming became a sixth-rank deputy envoy, which also meant that he would be leaving soon.

But regardless, it is worth celebrating.

Tao Sheng sent people to Taibai Tower to buy wine and food, inviting several familiar relatives and friends to come and celebrate Ji Yanming.

The King of Chu, Mr. Wei, Luo’s parents, and Xie Huaian were all there. Su Jia sighed to Tao Sheng that this family finally had some popularity, unlike in the past when only the three of them drank together.

The emperor also knew that he would soon be sent on a diplomatic mission, and he took the initiative to show concern for his ministers, giving Ji Yanming and others three days of rest. After hearing this, Tao Sheng also took two days off.

Tao Sheng’s story has been widely spread in Beijing, and many people know about it. She is now greeted with sympathetic and distressed looks from people around her almost wherever she goes, especially from her colleagues and classmates.

When Xu Jijiu from the Imperial College learned that Tao Sheng wanted to take a break, he quickly approved it and added an extra day off.

After Tao Sheng thanked him, he mentioned that the emperor planned to make changes in official education, focusing on updating textbooks about rituals and music. Updating these textbooks is a big job, meaning Tao Sheng would have more work ahead.

Xu Jijiu hoped that this holiday would help Tao Sheng relax and return to work feeling more positive and enthusiastic.

The King of Chu had already planned their outing. They would first go to Yue Lao Temple, then to his farm for a meal, and finally enjoy the hot springs.

Tao Sheng thought it would be a simple outing but was surprised by the many activities, especially the hot springs. She had lived in Beijing for a long time and didn’t know there were hot springs nearby: “Are there really hot springs outside the capital?”

The King of Chu chuckled and replied, “About a dozen years ago, when the Crown Prince was still the King of Yue, we heard from the Ministry of Works about a hot spring here. We both wanted this farm, and in the end, my father supported me. He gave me both the farm and the hot spring, which made the Crown Prince really angry!”

As the King of Chu recalled good times with his father, he smiled, and Tao Sheng felt happy seeing him like this.

The King of Chu had faced difficulties for nearly four years, but after meeting Ji Yanming, he gradually regained the emperor’s favor.

He told Tao Sheng that since Lord Ji left, he had to be careful with what he said and did to avoid making mistakes.

Without Ji Yanming, he had no one to remind him of things, which led to more errors and wrong paths.

He was pleased that Ji Yanming had been promoted to a sixth-rank deputy envoy. If he rescued hostages safely this time, he would surely get another promotion.

The King of Chu shook his head, saying, “Working for the court requires knowledge, like in martial arts. The risks and rewards are the same. I thought you would settle in the Hanlin Academy and rise as a civil official, but I didn’t expect you to change your career.”

Ji Yanming replied, “When I was in the academy, my teacher said my writing needed improvement. Luckily, I adapt quickly. Since your Majesty has favored me, I have done this job, so it’s not in vain that the court trained me.”

Hearing this, the King of Chu leaned back and moved away from Ji Yanming. Even the usually serious Princess Chu couldn’t help but cover her forehead with a fan.

As a top scholar who had ranked first in six exams, if Ji Yanming thought his writing was poor, what did that make the others’ essays?

This is the highest level of being unaware of one’s superiority, right?

Tao Sheng smiled helplessly. She couldn’t understand the world of geniuses.