Taking the Blame

Song Zhizhang's memorial was delivered to the Capital City two days later, reaching Shen Que's hands.

Shen Que read by the lamplight late into the night. The candlelight illuminated the Grand Tutor's gentle and refined face, his eyelashes casting a small patch of shadow. His expression was solemn. He spent a long time reading the short letter of only a few thousand words, turning it over and over, occasionally frowning, then relaxing his brow again.

Shen Xiu used a pair of scissors to trim the burnt wick, adding oil to the lamp beside him, and asked curiously, "Uncle, what are you reading?"

Shen Que: "A memorial arrived from Lianghu, saying a capable person in the Capital City sent him a letter detailing matters regarding building dams and controlling the waters."

He handed the memorial to Shen Xiu. Included inside was Jiang Xun's letter. Song Zhizhang had made a copy to keep as a reference and sent the original letter back completely intact.

Shen Xiu: "This person's handwriting is quite wild and unrestrained."

He read it word by word, his eyebrows raising higher and higher. When he reached the end, he flipped it over to look at the signature on the letter. "Youngest Uncle, who wrote this letter? Every word is a gem, and the analysis is profoundly incisive."

Shen Que shook his head: "There's no signature, only a single character left behind."

Shen Xiu: "...Xun?"

He thought carefully: "Nowadays in the Capital City, I really haven't heard of anyone named Xun. It's a pity for such a talent to be left unrecognized out there. If Uncle can find out who he is, we should recruit him."

Shen Que pulled the letter back: "There's no rush to recruit him, we need to submit a memorial first."

Building canals, building canals. Jiang Xun provided the blueprints, but manpower and materials were still needed. Corvée labor could be recruited locally, but silver and funds still needed to be allocated by the central government. However, Great Wei had reached a point where countless things were waiting to be rebuilt, and everywhere urgently needed money. Officials shirked responsibilities onto one another. How to allocate funds, and how much to allocate, still needed to be decided by the emperor.

Thinking of this, Shen Que rubbed his temples.

Shen Xiu also thought of this. He muttered, "The current emperor has a bizarre temper, and his way of handling things is erratic. Getting him to sign off on allocating funds will probably be harder than ascending to heaven."

Shen Que lowered his eyes in deep thought and did not speak. A moment later, he blew out the candle: "It's very late, you should leave."

Shen Xiu packed his books and prepared to leave.

Shen Que currently lived in the palace and didn't live with them, so he had to return to Shen Manor alone.

A sedan chair had already been prepared at the door. Shen Xiu looked back. Shen Que stood alone by the window with his hands behind his back. The moonlight passed through the window lattice and fell upon him, making him look inexplicably lonely.

Shen Xiu couldn't help but think: "What is Youngest Uncle thinking about?"

Is he truly worrying about the country's future, the rise and fall of the clan, or his own unpredictable prospects?

——Shen Que was thinking about how to get Jiang Xun to summon him once.

Ever since the last time, the emperor hadn't summoned him for six or seven consecutive days. The charcoal fire in Yaoguang Hall never stopped burning day after day, and food, clothing, and daily necessities were all fully provided. However, the emperor seemed to have forgotten him, letting him live alone day after day without ever summoning him once.

Xue Jin was still in the Imperial Prison, the hidden threat of the Northern Di had not been eliminated, and now a memorial had arrived from Lianghu. Shen Que was troubled, constantly thinking about how to meet Jiang Xun. However, if the emperor didn't summon him, he couldn't force his way into the sleeping quarters. Gazing at Qianqing Palace from Yaoguang Hall every day, he actually began to resemble a resentful woman locked deep within the palace.

But as time went by, he didn't wait until the emperor's summon, but instead waited until Xu Ping's impeachment.

In the spring of the first year of Jingming, during the morning court, the heir of Xuanping Marquis Manor, Xu Ping, submitted a memorial. He impeached the Investigating Censor Shen Xiu for disregarding the royal family, stating that he had disparaged the Xuanping Marquis Manor and Emperor Jiang Xun on numerous occasions. He requested the emperor to investigate and punish him severely to set the record straight.

What's more, Shen Xiu's colleagues at the Censorate publicly testified, saying that Shen Xiu had long been dissatisfied with the emperor and seemed to have rebellious intentions.

During the morning court that day, all the officials kept their mouths shut, lowering their brows and averting their eyes, while Shen Xiu knelt in the hall, both his legs trembling.

Many people secretly observed Jiang Xun's expression. Seeing the emperor's face as calm and deep as still water, they couldn't help but sweat for Shen Xiu, sighing in their hearts: "This newly appointed kid from the Shen family is probably not long for this world."

Xu Ping held the memorial and pointed at Shen Xiu, repeatedly questioning: "On the fourteenth of July, Censor Song heard you slandering the emperor as muddle-headed and incompetent after drinking. Is that true or not?"

"On the eighteenth of September, you were chatting with your peers in the Imperial Academy, slandering the emperor as lacking courage and strategy. Is that true or not?"

"On the first day of the first lunar month..."

"On the third of February..."

Every single incident, the time, the place, the witnesses, and the material evidence were all crystal clear and undeniable. Shen Xiu had spoken casually and couldn't even remember it himself. Bean-sized drops of sweat rolled down his forehead, and his lips were pale. He looked around and saw that all the colleagues who used to treat him warmly were now bowing their heads in silence. He then hurriedly looked at Shen Que. The fingers with which Shen Que gripped his jade tablet were turning white from the force. His eyes were tightly closed, but he didn't even glance at Shen Xiu. He simply stood in place without saying a single word.

In this situation, no one could save Shen Xiu.

Thus, Shen Xiu raised his eyes tremblingly and looked at the supreme emperor. Jiang Xun's face was hidden behind the twelve-tasselled crown, his expression gloomy and unclear.

Shen Xiu prostrated himself on the ground, his forehead hitting the cold floor, finally feeling fear.

But up on the nine-tiered imperial steps, Jiang Xun thought to himself: "He said it quite well, actually."

System 55 rested on his lap, allowing the host's fingers to pet it like a cat. It hummed comfortably a couple of times: "What's quite well?"

Jiang Xun: "His evaluation of me: muddle-headed and incompetent, lacking courage and strategy... Hmm, he's actually being quite polite."

System 55 asked in a small voice: "Host, aren't you angry?"

Jiang Xun lowered his eyes to look at it, finding it amusing: "He's telling the truth, why should I be angry?"

Jiang Xun wasn't angry at all.

In his previous life, when writing exam papers, he had evaluated "Jiang Xun" countless times. Every time was more exaggerated and harsher than Shen Xiu's scolding. As for what Shen Xiu was scolding him for, Jiang Xun couldn't even be bothered to bat an eyelid.

In the grand hall, Xu Ping had finished listing all of Shen Xiu's crimes. He lifted his robe and knelt on the ground, saluting: "I hope Your Majesty will severely punish such a treacherous and sycophantic villain."

Jiang Xun gave a noncommittal "En."

He looked to the left at Shen Que. Shen Que could barely hold his tablet steadily. Then, his knees gave out, and he knelt on the ground.

But he just knelt silently, his eyes looking at Jiang Xun, filled with sorrow, as if saying, "If Your Majesty can show some leniency, this subject is willing to do anything."

But he didn't plead for mercy aloud.

——If it were the Jiang Xun from history, no matter how one pleaded, it would only be adding fuel to the fire.

Jiang Xun's gaze swept over his knees, his eyebrows twitching slightly, and then fell upon Shen Xiu.

He spoke indifferently: "Shen Xiu, for your impudent words and actions, you shall receive sixty strokes of the cane and be sent to the Imperial Prison."

"..."

This was also a line required by the system.

This time, Shen Xiu completely collapsed into a limp heap.

Shen Que slowly closed his eyes, but he couldn't utter a single word.

The court flogging in the palace was no joke. The wooden staffs were as thick as bowls. Ten strokes would damage the muscles and bones, twenty strokes would tear the flesh open, and sixty strokes would leave one dead or crippled. After being tormented like this, a person would be ruined.

A smug look appeared on Xu Ping's face.

Immediately, guards stepped forward to drag Shen Xiu away.

By this time, Shen Xiu's legs were so weak that he couldn't walk.

Jiang Xun waved his hand to stop them, then added: "Seeing blood in broad daylight is unseemly. Postpone the punishment and deal with it tonight."

Jiang Xun had no intention of taking Shen Xiu's life. His reputation in later generations was quite good. History said he was an upright and pure official who couldn't tolerate any grain of sand in his eyes, a character akin to the incorruptible Hai Rui. Later on, he was widely beloved under Xue Jin's leadership. Jiang Xun had to keep such a good official.

The court session continued, and the officials presented their memorials as usual. No one mentioned the taken-away Shen Xiu again. Shen Que knelt in the hall for a long time without getting up. Jiang Xun was worried about his legs. Fortunately, he didn't usually hold long court sessions anyway, so he hastily ended the assembly and left with a flick of his sleeves.

Jiang Xun tapped the system. System 55 had already marked the next plot point, eagerly presenting it on the screen, waiting for Jiang Xun to review.

Jiang Xun felt a slight headache: "It really is this scene."

This incident with Shen Xiu also happened in his previous life, he vaguely remembered.

In his previous life, although Jiang Xun was muddle-headed, he couldn't really be considered cruel. Shen Xiu badmouthed him, but he never wanted his life. The 50 strokes didn't hit solidly, only causing some superficial flesh wounds. The main reason he put on this show in his previous life was to see Shen Que's reaction.

He wanted to see how Shen Que would react when his most beloved nephew was being beaten strike after strike outside the window, while the Imperial Tutor had to please his most hated student inside the room, pressing their skin together and sharing lingering kisses.

Looking back on it now, Jiang Xun only felt that his past self was boring and perverted. He let out a long sigh: "System 55, do we really have to go through with this?"

System 55 became alert: "Host, 85 points!"

That night, Shen Que indeed knelt at the door of the emperor's bedchamber.

Jiang Xun wasn't surprised at all. He timed it just right and had Wang An bring him in and settle him inside the room. The long-pile carpet he had laid out last time was still there, soft and fluffy when stepped on barefoot, ensuring that kneeling for a long time wouldn't hurt his knees.

Wang An lit the candles and then bowed before retreating. The emperor's face was hidden in the dim candlelight, obscured and unclear.

Shen Que bent his knees: "Your Majesty."

He forced a slight tug at the corners of his lips, trying to make himself look a bit better, but eventually dropped the effort weakly. He only said, "Your Majesty, Shen Xiu... was impudent in his words and actions, but he is still young. It is my failure in teaching him. Could you perhaps show some leniency?"

Jiang Xun: "Just empty words, and you expect me to forgive him?"

He wasn't angry. His voice was quite light, implying he wanted to let the matter slide easily. However, Shen Que couldn't hear that implication. He gritted his teeth slightly and actually bowed his head, saying, "If a child is not taught well, it is the father's fault. Shen Xiu's father died early, and I raised him. I am like a teacher and a father to him. If you do not disdain it, I am willing to take the blame for him... doubling his punishment."

Doubled, that would be one hundred and twenty strokes. Even the healthiest person would be dead.

For Shen Xiu, he was willing to go to his death.

Jiang Xun's hand, which was toying with a teacup, paused.

In his previous life, Shen Que had also said these words. Jiang Xun remembered being very angry at the time. He didn't know if it was because of the phrases "like a teacher and a father," "take the blame for him," or "doubling his punishment." His heart burned with an unbearable discomfort, yet he couldn't articulate the reason. In the end, he had sent people to drag Shen Xiu outside the door to beat him in front of Shen Que.

Although he had eventually let them off lightly, the show of force had still been played to the hilt.

And this time, hearing Shen Que say this, he still felt a bit uncomfortable.

Jiang Xun repeated with an ambiguous tone: "You want to take the blame for him? How will you bear the punishment?"

It was already late at night, and Jiang Xun was only wearing a thin inner garment. Shen Que's gaze swept over him and then quickly darted away. He bowed his head respectfully and said, "Any method that can bring you a bit of joy... is acceptable."