My Wife is Unbeatable in the Whole World, Touch Me If You Dare!-Chapter 392 - 263 Whistleblowing

Ministry of Personnel.

Song Zhe took a sip of tea and looked at Li Nuo, asking, "Why are you looking at the Advanced Scholars roster for the year?"

Li Nuo closed the booklet and replied, "The Prime Minister Wu of the Guanglu Si has passed away, and the Honglu Si needs to write an elegy for him. Could Lord Father-in-law provide me with Prime Minister Wu's dossier?"

Without much thought, Song Zhe instructed a clerk to retrieve Wu Zongguang's dossier from the Archives.

Normally, the Honglu Si would need to submit official documentation to access an official's dossier.

But with the relationship between the two as father-in-law and son-in-law, this step was conveniently omitted.

A quarter of an hour later, Li Nuo opened the dossier in his hands, and after a glance, his expression did not show surprise.

After Wu Zongguang passed the Imperial Examination with high honors, his first official position was as a food taster at the Dining Bureau of the Eastern Palace.

The Dining Bureau was responsible for overseeing the meals served in the Eastern Palace, and the food taster's duty was to sample the Crown Prince's meals before he ate them. One reason was to guard against poisoning, and the other was to taste the meals for flavor, eliminating dishes that were too salty, too bland, or otherwise poorly seasoned.

Years of diligent study for that one moment of success, merely to taste food and test for poison for the Crown Prince, sounds quite pitiable.

But in fact, it was a coveted position.

Officials who made it into the Eastern Palace were all part of the Crown Prince's inner circle, and once the Crown Prince ascended the throne, promotions were easily attainable, often by three ranks.

Unfortunately, ever since the Crown Prince fell ill and the Eastern Palace was disbanded, many of its officials have found their careers in officialdom unsatisfying.

Wu Zongguang, however, was an exception.

After leaving the Eastern Palace, he was transferred directly to the Guanglu Si. From the Delicacies Bureau to eventually becoming the Grand Court Officer, he climbed the ranks seamlessly, his previous positions aligning perfectly with his new ones. In the following years, he rapidly advanced to become the Chief Clerk and then Prime Minister of the Guanglu Si, a meteoric rise.

Had he not died from illness, it was very likely he would have become the next Assistant Minister of the Guanglu Si.

In this Imperial Examination year, all three officials who entered the Eastern Palace had died.

Gu Wenhan had been executed by his father for corruption and abuse of power.

Zheng Tianxing had been killed over an affair with a concubine, and Wu Zongguang had been poisoned by two of his own concubines.

And these three concubines were no ordinary women.

Driven by his sharp Legalist intuition, Li Nuo had reason to suspect that there might be a deeper conspiracy at play.

He returned the dossier to his father-in-law and left the Ministry of Personnel, heading back to the Honglu Si.

He wrote the elegy for Wu Zongguang and had it sent to the Wu family by a Junior Official, practiced his cultivation for a while outside, and then returned home for lunch as usual when work ended at noon.

Anning returned from the Ministry of Justice halfway through lunch.

Li Nuo asked, "Have you solved the case?"

Li Anning nodded and explained, "They've all confessed. The two concubines of the Prime Minister of the Guanglu Si were forced into marriage by him under coercion. On the surface, they appeared to cater to his every whim, but in their hearts, they harbored resentment. Every time they prepared his medicine, they would deliberately hide some ingredients, turning what were supposed to be nourishing remedies into slow-acting poisons. It was the long-term consumption of these medicines that truly killed the Prime Minister of Guanglu Si..."

Li Nuo did not ask any further.

He had seen the prescription. Although he had not witnessed it firsthand, he could guess which ingredients were missing.

Indeed, the removal of certain ingredients would turn it into a slow-acting poison.

This type of slow poison wouldn't be detected, but would gradually cause organ failure, creating a false impression of chronic illness and a seemingly natural death.

Li Anning sighed softly, "Those two poor girls... The Prime Minister of Guanglu Si caused the death of their parents and forced them into marriage. Knowing that conspiring against a court-appointed official meant a dead end, they seizd the prison guard's dagger during their time in the Ministry of Justice's prison and committed suicide together..."

"Another suicide..." Li Nuo put down his chopsticks, his expression contemplative.

Zheng Tianxing's concubine had also committed suicide in prison.

What exactly were they trying to cover up?

The escape of these two women in the dead of night was also highly suspicious.

Even though the Law Code identified them as the murderers, Li Nuo actually had no evidence.

The ingredients they hid could easily have been disposed of in secret. Why keep them in their room?

Moreover, the hasty escape immediately after the Prime Minister of Guanglu Si's death seemed too impatient.

It was as if they were deliberately coming forward, eager to confess to his murder.

This only made Li Nuo more suspicious.

The Eastern Palace staff died mysteriously, and the cases themselves were full of doubts, making it hard for Li Nuo not to wonder what exactly had happened in the Eastern Palace back then.

Li Nuo felt it was necessary to compile a detailed list of the Eastern Palace officials prior to the Crown Prince's death.

He had a premonition that this was a major case.

If he could solve it, his cultivation might experience a significant surge.

However, this case had far-reaching implications and could potentially involve the late Crown Prince. Even if he wished to investigate, he could not do so openly.

After lunch, Li Nuo offered to do makeup for his wife and Anning.

Without having illuminated the portrait of Assistant Minister Zheng's concubine, his makeup skills were already far superior to those of ordinary women.

It appeared that the concubines of Prime Minister Wu were also makeup experts.

The makeup styles and techniques of the three were very similar, as if they were all taught by the same master.

There must also be some kind of connection between these three women.

Li Nuo was pondering when he suddenly felt a gaze sweeping over him now and then.

Seeing Yiren sitting there all alone and comparing her to his radiant wife and Anning, Li Nuo walked over and said, "I've been practicing makeup application on women lately. May I practice on your face?"

...

Ministry of Rites.

Archives.

Zhanggu Fang was drinking tea when he saw a figure walk in from outside and, surprised, said, "Zhanggu Zhao, where did you go this morning? Why did you leave two hours early?"

The young Zhanggu named Zhao He sat down on a chair and said, "I asked leave from the Minister because the Prime Minister of Guanglu Si passed away from illness. I went to his mansion this morning to offer my condolences."

Zhanggu Fang was taken aback and asked, "You know the Prime Minister of Guanglu Si?"

Although the Prime Minister of Guanglu Si was not a high-ranking official, for a Ninth Grade Zhanggu, he was still a personage rather difficult to come in contact with.

Zhao He glanced at him and said, "What are you talking about, Zhanggu Fang? My connections are much broader than you can imagine. Not to mention the Prime Minister of Guanglu Si, even…"

He stopped speaking halfway and then said, "In fact, I wasn't close with that Lord Wu either. It's just such a pity he died so young. A fifth-rank official position, gone just like that. We won't be promoted to Secondary Fifth Rank in our whole lives…"

Zhanggu Fang felt somewhat emotional as well and said, "That's why I say the most important thing is one's health. No matter how great the power or how high the position, without good health, being a high-ranking official is useless…"

Zhao He, however, had a different opinion and said, "Life is but a brief few decades. If one cannot stand out, what's the difference from not living at all? I'd be willing to die ten years earlier if it meant I could become a high official…"

Zhanggu Fang shook his head and said, "My old saying still stands, the more you want to stand out, the more likely your head will fall. Being able to retire securely from my position as Zhanggu is enough to satisfy me…"

Zhao He didn't argue further.

Everyone has their own aspirations. If Zhanggu Fang wished to spend his lifetime working in the Archives, then let him be here for his lifetime. He himself must strive for a bright future.

However, before that, he had to try once more.

After the end of work, he did not go home but headed to the Capital Prefecture instead.

A moment later, in a government office within, the Capital Governor with heavy thoughts on his mind saw Zhao He coming in and his eyebrows relaxed a bit, asking, "Is that you, Zhao He? What brings you to see me?"

Zhao He said, "My Lord, Li Nuo went to the Ministry of Personnel today and requested to see Wu Zongguang's records."

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The Capital Governor nodded and said, "I'm aware of that. The Honglu Si needs to write an obituary for the late Prime Minister of Guanglu, so it's not strange to request his records. Is there anything else?"

Zhao He hesitated for a moment and then said, "My Lord, another year has passed, and about what you said regarding my promotion…"

The Capital Governor stood up and said, "You are so impatient. I told you, the time is not right yet. Within a year, I will transfer you to the Capital Prefecture, and within two years, you'll be promoted three ranks…"

Zhao He's face showed excitement, and he bowed deeply saying, "Thank you, My Lord!"

When he left the Capital Prefecture, the excitement on his face faded, and he turned back to look expressionlessly.

One year, and another year after that, and another year after that...

He had been sitting in the position of Ninth Grade Zhanggu for five years already.

How many sets of five years does one have in life? He couldn't, and didn't want to, wait any longer.

He had to take control of his own future.

He had predicted Wu Zongguang's death a few months in advance.

Unexpectedly, his prediction turned out to be true.

Gu Wenhan, Zheng Tianxing, Wu Zongguang, Zeng Yan, Sun Jin... someone was staging accidents to cause these former Eastern Palace retainers to die one after the other.

There had to be a huge secret hidden within.

The Crown Prince's death was bound to be suspicious.

The then Junior Chief Steward of the Crown Prince's Chief Steward Mansion, now the Capital Governor, must know some inside information.

He belonged to King Han, and King Han probably had a hand in this matter as well.

Once he reported this to King Han's adversaries and took the chance to take down King Han, it would surely count as a great service.

Would he need to worry about his future then?

The first person he thought of was Li Xuanjing; recently, Li Xuanjing's struggle with King Han was simmering fiercely. If Li Xuanjing found out about this, he certainly wouldn't let King Han off.

But he was somewhat afraid of Li Xuanjing.

Moreover, following Li Xuanjing would make him despised by people, so he quickly ruled Li Xuanjing out.

Aside from Li Xuanjing, the one who most likely wished for King Han's downfall was probably King You.

After the Crown Prince's death, King Han was the Eldest Imperial Prince. If King Han fell, King You would be the most eligible prince.

If he informed King You of this matter, once King You ascended the throne, he would become a favored minister, and his rapid rise would be just around the corner!

Thinking this, his heart couldn't help but surge with excitement.

Night.

King You's Mansion.

The time was approaching curfew, and King You was about to rest when someone reported that a visitor was asking to see him from outside the mansion.

King You waved his hand and said, "It's so late. Whatever it is, we can talk about it tomorrow."

The messenger said, "But Your Highness, that person said he has a crucial secret to tell you, about a major treasonous conspiracy. If Your Highness can uncover it, it will surely count as a great service…"

King You's eyebrows raised slightly and, after a moment, he said, "Have him wait for me in the study."