When Wen Yuesheng’s words fell, the officials around her immediately changed their expressions.

They all thought that Ma Huaiyou was about to be bloodily dealt with on the spot, with some even turning their backs, not daring to watch.

After Tang Yushi was detained, he was panic-stricken while continuously trying to justify himself.

Wen Yuesheng’s soldiers, seeing this, directly sealed their mouths.

Several nearby officials changed their expressions.

However, since the matter involved Prince Wei Yangwang, and Wen Yuesheng was known to only kill with evidence, no one dared to speak up to defend Ma Huaiyou.

Even those who could not hold back were stopped by those around them. “The Princess of Sinning dared to draw her sword in the palace. Do not act impulsively.”

The person called out was unwilling, but they did not dare step forward at this moment.

With no one to stop her, Wen Yuesheng did not immediately take Ma Huaiyou’s life.

Instead, she coldly ordered, “Drag them both away.”

“Yes!”

This statement made many people’s eyes shift slightly, but considering Wen Yuesheng’s usual methods, everyone understood that the lives of these two were most likely doomed.

It was just a matter of whether they would die sooner or later.

Before the morning court started, such a major event had occurred.

Arriving at the Taihe Hall, the surrounding officials were all unusually quiet.

The officials gathered outside the Taihe Hall.

Wen Yuesheng lagged a few steps behind.

She stood there, wiping her hands with a silk handkerchief.

Behind her, Yan Wei whispered, “…The important witness in Ma Huaiyou’s case, Madam Wu from Changlan Tower, suddenly died in the prison yesterday.”

Ma Huaiyou had instructed Tang Yushi to approach Wen Yuesheng, intending to provoke her into dealing with Wen Xun.

This way, he could make use of the situation to secure the position of Imperial Attendant before the morning court.

However, Wen Yuesheng’s people had already uncovered his secret dealings beforehand.

According to the information collected by Jiang Lu, Wen Yuesheng had quietly sent people to kidnap Madam Wu from Changlan Tower and, later that night, had Lu Hongying visit Zhang Feiyan to learn about the dancer An Yu’s story.

This dancer had been a gift when Prince Weiyang first established his residence years ago.

She had passed away years ago.

If it weren’t for the list Madam Wu had, Zhang Feiyan herself might have forgotten about her.

After learning the details from Zhang Feiyan, Zhou Manniang had also investigated An Yu’s remains.

Although Zhang Feiyan was fierce, she was never harsh with the concubines in her residence.

A dancer like An Yu had been given a coffin after her death and buried in a cemetery outside the capital.

It was for this reason that Zhou Manniang could find the complete bones when she investigated.

However, years had passed, and the body had already decayed, leaving only dried bones.

At this moment, Zhou Manniang was most interested in poison and curses.

Despite her usual timid nature, she had no fear at this point.

She personally examined the bones and confirmed that the curse worm’s mother had indeed been lodged in An Yu’s body.

All the evidence had been gathered before the morning court, and the plan was to have Yan Wei report it during the court session.

But before that, Ma Huaiyou had arrived, so Wen Yue ordered him to be detained directly.

Before she even raised her sword, she saw Yan Wei’s slight change in expression in the crowd, so she stopped.

An Yu was dead, and Madam Wu was the only person who could testify.

Yet, she had died suddenly at this moment. Yan Wei’s expression darkened as he said, “To be cautious, after the interrogation yesterday, I made sure no one approached Madam Wu.”

“The prison was made of dark iron, almost airtight. From last night until her death this morning, no one had come near her.”

The guards in the prison were Wen Yuesheng’s soldiers, so there should have been no issues.

But the fact remained, she had died.

“Princess,” the cold morning wind blew, and Gu Yu returned with a cloak for Wen Yuesheng.

As she quickly approached and helped Wen Yuesheng put on the cloak, she whispered, “Miss Zhou sent word. She has examined Madam Wu’s body.”

“Madam Wu had a curse worm in her. Miss Zhou said that the worm had already deeply infested her lungs before she was captured. During the interrogation, her emotions became too agitated, and the worm pierced her heart, causing her sudden death.”

Hearing this, Yan Wei’s expression darkened. “This also explains why the madams of Changlan Tower have changed several times in the past few years.”

People involved in such businesses are not important figures, so their frequent replacements don’t attract much attention. Moreover, each replacement had a different reason—some returned to their hometowns, some fell ill, others left after making enough money.

With no traces to be found, Yan Wei sent people to investigate but found nothing.

The only reason no trace was found was that the person was already dead.

“The lead is broken. What should we do now?” Yan Wei looked at Wen Yue.

She stood in front of the hall, her profile as beautiful as a painting, but her tone was exceptionally cold. “The events of this morning happened so conveniently, giving us the perfect opportunity.”

“Let’s see if the big fish will bite the hook,” she said, handing the handkerchief to Gu Yu and stepping forward into the Taihe Hall.

As she arrived at the hall’s entrance, the morning court began.

By now, the events that had transpired before the court session had already spread throughout the court.

The Emperor sat on his throne, looking very displeased.

He looked at Wen Yuesheng:

“Do you have evidence?”

Harming the royal family is a serious crime, let alone causing the destruction of Prince Weiyang’s bloodline.

Even if the Emperor disliked Prince Wei Yangwang, he was still his son, and he could not tolerate such an event.

“Someone,” Wen Yuesheng said coldly, “Present the testimony of Madam Wu from Changlan Tower, the curse worms found in Prince Weiyang’s body, and the ones found in dancer An Yu’s body.”

The court fell silent.

Eventually, someone asked, “With just these, it seems difficult to prove that Ma Huaiyou was responsible.”

Indeed, these pieces of evidence could only prove that Prince Weiyang had been cursed.

Madam Wu’s testimony pointed to Ma Huaiyou, but now she was dead, leaving no one to confirm it.

Wen Yuesheng said lightly, “Yes.”

“So I sent people to check the list of curse worms Madam Wu provided and investigated thoroughly.”

The mention of the “curse worm list” shocked everyone in the hall.

Some officials, forgetting their manners, hurriedly asked, “What do you mean, Princess?”

Wen Yuesheng’s face was expressionless. “If he’s using women’s bodies to raise curse worms, he surely wouldn’t just raise one.”

In an instant, everyone in the court, both civil and military, felt a chill run through them.

Many ministers, especially those who had once accepted dancing girls as gifts, turned pale.

Sterility and the extinction of one’s lineage!

For any man, this was an intolerable fate.

The fact that Ma Huaiyou had sent such a deadly poison to the residences of various ministers was shocking.

What they did not know was that the gu poison found on the Prince of Wei Yangwang was extremely difficult to cultivate.

Even those especially skilled in raising gu insects would only manage to cultivate one or two after many years of effort.

Indeed, the dancing girls carried gu insects, but they were of all sorts—mostly failed or incomplete specimens that caused little or no harm, or were even too weak to survive.

Yet, no one could tolerate being framed in this way.

Particularly when the list provided by Wen Yuesheng’s had clear and undeniable ties to Ma Huaiyou.

Immediately, many were astonished, and all demanded that the emperor execute Ma Huaiyou.

“Your Majesty, Ma Huaiyou’s actions not only disregard the royal family but are also vicious and far-reaching in their cruelty. Just the thought of such a villain holding office in the court for years sends chills down my spine,” one minister declared.

“A man guilty of such heinous crimes must be executed without delay!”

“Your Majesty,” another minister added, “based on the list presented by the princess, the officials and the Prince of Wei Yangwang involved all had disputes with Ma Huaiyou. The Prince of Wei Yangwang even had a deep-seated grudge against him, which appears to have provoked such revenge.”

The conflict between the Prince of Wei Yangwang and Ma Huaiyou was no secret in the capital.

It all began when Ma Huaiyou’s only son fell from his horse during a polo match with the Prince of Wei Yangwang, leaving him permanently disabled.

Though the fall was accidental, it was now clear that Ma Huaiyou had blamed the Prince of Wei Yangwang for the misfortune.

“Ma Huaiyou is venomous, ruthless, and unscrupulous, harming ministers and the royal family alike. Such a person deserves to be executed immediately!”

The court was abuzz with impassioned accusations, and many turned their gaze to Grand Secretary Ma, Ma Huaiyou’s father.

How could a father remain untouched when his son had committed such unforgivable crimes?

The ministers who had been poisoned by Ma Huaiyou’s gu insects—whether harmed or not—now hated him to the core and wished to tear him to pieces.

Some even implicated Grand Secretary Ma, accusing him of failing to discipline his son and indulging his misconduct.

They argued that he should share in Ma Huaiyou’s guilt.

As countless eyes bore into him, the atmosphere grew tense and oppressive.

At last, under the barrage of accusations, Grand Secretary Ma stepped forward.

Those who had just called for him to share his son’s guilt sneered, certain he was about to defend Ma Huaiyou.

Unexpectedly, Grand Secretary Ma took a step forward, knelt down, and solemnly declared:

“I implore Your Majesty to order the execution of Ma Huaiyou.”

The entire court was stunned.

Wang Jin and Grand Secretary Lü exchanged glances, their eyes heavy with thought.

Everyone in the hall had expected Grand Secretary Ma to plead for leniency.

Instead, he had done the opposite, calling for his son’s death.

Grand Secretary Lu remarked coldly, “Even a tiger does not eat its own cubs. Yet here, Grand Secretary Ma has chosen righteousness over kinship.”

Though the two statements seemed contradictory, no one in the hall found fault with them.

Grand Secretary Ma’s ability to remain unshaken in the court for so many years set him apart from ordinary officials.

Even though most people knew it was unreasonable to plead for one’s child in the face of irrefutable evidence, when the moment came, few could bear to see their child sentenced to death.

Everyone has a weakness.

But Grand Secretary Ma was different.

He abandoned his son without hesitation.

Before this day, Ma Huaiyou had risen to the rank of Hanlin Academician.

Though he could not compare to his father’s illustrious career, he was well on his way to success.

Yet Grand Secretary Ma discarded him as if it were nothing.

His decisiveness left the court ministers in awe.

Even those who had earlier implicated him were now silent and somber.

Grand Secretary Ma declared in a firm voice, “Since he has committed such unforgivable crimes, he should be immediately executed at the Meridian Gate to serve as an example.”

“He is my son, and I, too, bear inescapable guilt for his actions. I ask Your Majesty to punish me severely as well!”

He spoke all the words others wanted to say and then bowed to the ground.

The hall fell into utter silence.

“Your Majesty, please examine this carefully. The curse placed on Prince Weiyang is only the first step. Ma Yu’s ultimate goal is not here.”

Upon hearing these final words, the officials in the hall all changed their expressions.

Not only had they harmed the prince, but now it seemed Ma Yu had more sinister plans?

This statement left little room for Ma Yu to justify himself or retreat.

No one had expected the events of today to unfold in this way.

But Ma Huaiyou was his biological son, and his testimony could not be completely dismissed.

For Ma Yu, to be betrayed by the very son he raised left him utterly speechless.

This case had already touched the Emperor’s bottom line.

Had Ma Huaiyou not exposed everything, Ma Yu might have had a slim chance of survival.

But now, both father and son would face their demise.

The Emperor was furious, ordering the immediate imprisonment of the Ma father and son in the Heavenly Prison, where they would await execution.

Furthermore, anyone involved in this matter, such as Tang Yushi who had helped Ma Huaiyou and sent women, was also sentenced to death.

By the end of that morning, the court had lost a Cabinet Minister and a Hanlin Academy scholar.

When the court session ended, all the officials were left with heavy hearts.

Especially after witnessing such a father-son confrontation, many people’s emotions had grown complicated.

Only Yan Wei, after the session, hurriedly left.

Although he knew it might be impossible to extract more information, he always felt there was someone else behind this incident.

Before the execution date was set, he planned to see the old Cabinet Minister Ma one last time.

But the developments of this matter did not follow the course Yan Wei had expected.

After Old Cabinet Minister Ma was imprisoned, he refused to speak a word.

Unlike anyone Yan Wei had interrogated before, this official truly remained silent.

By the third day of his imprisonment, after Yan Wei had finished his interrogation and returned home, he received the news that Old Cabinet Minister Ma had died after crashing into a wall.

Ma Yu’s entire life had been marked by ruthlessness—toward others and even toward himself.

The most absurd part, however, was Ma Huaiyou.

After Ma Yu’s death, he actually reversed his earlier statements, claiming that everything was unrelated to Ma Yu and that he had framed his father out of resentment for not helping him.

He even caused a stir in prison, demanding an audience with the Emperor to clear Ma Yu’s name.

But he never saw the Emperor.

Instead, he saw the emotionless Wen Yue and the executioner who escorted him on his final journey.

Until the end, he never uttered another word in his defense.

Ma Huaiyou was executed by public beheading.

Ma Yu committed suicide.

Yet, Wen Xun did not gain any advantage from this situation.

He had initially believed that the Lower Minister of the Court of Judicial Review had come to him because someone was deliberately framing him.

Before he went to the Court of Judicial Review, he even thought Ma Huaiyou was setting him up.

However, once in the Court of Judicial Review, he saw the evidence they held.

Unbeknownst to him, his wife, Madam Chen, had secretly been working with her family’s brothers and engaging in underground moneylending.

She had also been involved in charging exorbitant interest.

Although the amount involved was much smaller than that of the corrupt officials dealt with by Wen Yuesheng, amounting to less than ten thousand taels, the evidence was undeniable.

Wen Xun’s reputation was tarnished.

Madam Chen’s brother was arrested and took full responsibility for the crimes, while Madam Chen herself was heavily punished.

Among the noble women of the capital, she became infamous.

As Wen Xun’s reputation plummeted, his chances of becoming the Imperial Attendant were dashed.

After these events, the position of Imperial Attendant had still not been settled, causing discontent among many scholars in the capital.

The impact of these events even spread to many of the academies in Da Hui.

There was no other reason; the imperial examination was approaching, yet numerous incidents had occurred in the court.

If these incidents had only involved others, it would have been one thing, but from Sun Mingyuan, to Kong Rui, to the recent Ma Yu, each of these individuals had a direct connection to the imperial examination.

The crimes committed by Sun Mingyuan were already heinous enough, but with the issues revealed by the Ministry of Rites and Kong Rui before the spring examination, it led to the current problem with Ma Yu.

Ma Yu had originally been appointed as the head examiner for the spring examination.

And now, another mishap had occurred.

The saying goes: one can make a mistake once or twice, but not three times.

The officials in the court, especially those involved with the imperial examination, had become thoroughly corrupt.

How could this be acceptable!?

Especially for the impoverished scholars who were already oppressed and struggling in this harsh winter—every thought of their plight brought only bitterness.

In the aftermath, dozens of students had criticized the situation through poems, and new officials from the Ministry of Rites were questioned by the scholars.

These series of events had made the already fractured court even more unstable.

Students and scholars were the foundation of the nation.

Three major incidents had caused the court to lose its face, and the Ministry of Rites had lost the trust of the scholars.

The emperor’s mood, understandably, was not good.

For several days, the atmosphere during morning court had been unusually tense, and with the upcoming New Year’s Eve, there was no sense of festive cheer.

In such a situation, the appointment of the Grand Commandant was especially important.

During the morning court, the emperor spoke, asking about the position of Grand Commandant.

After much discussion, the ministers’ suggestions failed to satisfy him.

In the midst of the heavy atmosphere, Yan Ling slowly stood up.

Under the gaze of countless eyes, he spoke slowly: “There were corrupt officials who disrupted the court, and now the head examiner for the spring examination is involved in a scandal. The root cause is not any individual, but the atmosphere in the court itself.”

The room fell silent, and his voice was the only one heard in the hall.

“Now, simply appointing a Grand Commandant will not win the trust of the people or the scholars,” Yan Ling paused, then coldly added, “What is needed is the position of Inspector-General, with the emperor’s direct orders to oversee all officials!”

“The Inspector-General would supervise both military and civil officials, overseeing all the provinces, and hold the power of life and death over corrupt officials.”

Once his words fell, all the ministers in the hall exchanged glances.

There was indeed someone in the court who possessed the resolve to act decisively and who was respected and trusted enough to execute such measures without hesitation.

In an instant, countless eyes turned to a figure in a red-patterned official robe, wearing a distinctive woman’s-style dress.

Even the emperor’s gaze was drawn to her.

In the silence of the hall, the emperor’s gaze momentarily paused, then shifted to Wen Yuesheng.

“Si Ning,” the emperor called her name, and with a meaningful look, asked, “Who do you think is suitable for this position?”

Wen Yuesheng replied indifferently, “It must be someone who can gain the trust of the people, someone with decisive means, capable of eliminating all corruption.”

The emperor seemed to understand and shifted his gaze from her to Yan Ling.

Before the emperor could think further, Wen Yuesheng added, “I believe there is no one more suitable for this position than Grand Academician Wang Jin Zhi.”

Wang Jin Zhi: ???

Huh???