Chapter 205.3: Exposed as False
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S T E L L A R C L O U D
[Azurixa] [Celeste S.] [Christine G.-L.] [Esther D.]
O R A N G E S T A R
[J Jean] [K.Rom] [Smurfinbatik] [Tori D.] [Ziana K.-P.]
Y E L L O W S T A R
[Maria P.] [Nicole]
G O L D S T A R
[Amanda] [Cindy] [Nanashi D. Y.] [Reece P.]
R A I N B O W S T A R
[Book W.] [Britnae M] [Caroline] [Christigale M.] [DetectiveGeek421] [Haruka N.]
[Hlau V.] [Ine O.] [Kiiayame] [kuroneko_chan] [Liznel M.] [onepiece] [Oushna]
[Ray] [Samanta V.] [Scorpion Princess] [Sweetlove] [Victoria]
The way she looked at him was very magnanimous and sincere.
The Emperor suddenly became speechless.
Gu Changqing whispered, "I'll deal with the investigation, so hurry and go fill your stomach."
Gu Jiao felt it was feasible, thus she turned and went to her small courtyard.
When she was gone, the Emperor recovered from the successive shocks.
He remembered the way Gu Changqing got along with the other party. It didn't look like the first day they met each other. He asked, "Do you know each other?"
Gu Changqing cupped his hands, took a deep breath, and answered, "Responding to Your Majesty, she is this subject’s younger sister."
The Emperor was surprised once again, "Your… younger sister? Isn’t your younger sister——"
Gu Changqing replied with a resolute voice, "She is this subject’s real younger sister."
……
On the carriage back to the palace, Qin Chuyu, who was exhausted from playing, fell asleep.
He lay beside the Emperor, and the little fat man curled up like a little bear.
Eunuch Wei guarded him with his hand to prevent him from rolling down from the couch.
As for the Emperor, he was immersed in an unspeakable shock.
The harvest of this trip was really too great.
The condition of the injured, the concealment of the Ministry of Works, and the little miracle physician who cured his disease in the county town.
The little miracle physician turned out to be the biological daughter of Marquis Ding'an.
So, the bellows was also her invention——
Marquis Ding'an! Marquis Ding'an, what a stupid swine you are!
The first thing the Emperor did upon returning to the palace was to summon Minister Zhao to his imperial study and ask him about the real casualties.
Minister Zhao wanted to make a dying struggle at first, but the Emperor threw the list of the injured directly in front of him.
Minister Zhao was extremely shocked to see the list.
Didn't he issue a gag order? Just which, which brat wasn’t afraid of death and told the truth?
People in the Ministry of Works naturally didn't have the courage, so the Emperor never expected to start with the Ministry of Works at all. He appointed Gu Changqing to the task.
Many of today's patients were escorted by Gu Changqing's soldiers. He knew which medical halls they were sent to and easily got the names of the patients.
Among them, Miraculous Hands Hall treated the most patients, including one dying patient and six critically ill patients who were rejected by the rest of the medical halls, seven seriously injured patients and ten slightly injured patients.
Minister Zhao's face blanched when he saw the list.
Although the cause of the accident was caused by Gu Jinyu's ignorant modification of the bellows, Minister Zhao, as the highest superior in the Ministry of Works, was not free of responsibility. The yamen’s stipulated working hours started at Chenshi(7-9 am), but the time of the accident was Maoshi(5-7 am).
That was to say, those blacksmiths were already working hard before dawn.
Minister Zhao actually postponed the news for a two-hour period just to cover up the fact that he had those blacksmith work early.
But this still wasn’t the most terrible thing. The most terrible thing was that there were many illegal workers in this group of injured people hired by the yamen—— they were paid the least money but did the most tiring and dangerous work, despite the fact that the salary the imperial court allotted to them was according to the regular salary of craftsmen. So where did the difference in payment go?
There were countless workshops in the Ministry of Works, both large and small. This was just the tip of the iceberg. If such shady operations also occur in other workshops, it would absolutely be a terrible number.
The Emperor’s chest was filled with anger, "Zhen truly has blind eyes and deaf ears!"
Such an abominable thing was actually happening at the foot of the son of heaven, what more the whole State of Zhao?
The treasury was in deficit, all because of these blood-sucking pests!
Minister Zhao kowtowed despairingly, "Your Majesty! This official is clueless about this! It’s this official’s oversight! Begging Your Majesty to give this official a chance to atone for one’s sins. This official will thoroughly investigate the matter and find out who is causing trouble behind the scenes!"
It would be a wonder if the Emperor believed him. He ordered the imperial guards to drag him down.
The Emperor was trembling with anger.
Eunuch Wei offered a cup of tea, "Your Majesty, please calm down."
The Emperor was simply seething with anger as he said, "Such a big accident has happened, but each and every one of them take me as deaf! As blind! How do you want me to calm down?"
Eunuch Wei sighed.
Minister Zhao was actually quite useful. He had been re-elected as the Minister of the Ministry of Works for two terms. His merits outweighed his faults. If this bellows and furnace accident hadn’t happened, he would be promoted again next year.
Unfortunately, he came upon that Young Miss Gu——
Was it Minister Zhao's own bad luck after all, or whoever was exposed to Gu Jinyu would get unlucky?
Eunuch Wei shook his head helplessly. Suddenly thinking of something, he asked, "Your Majesty, what about Commandery Princess Hui..."
Right, there was still this problem.
The Emperor felt a headache. He pinched his throbbing eyebrows and said, "Let her enter the palace tomorrow."
Early the next morning, Eunuch Wei made a trip to the Marquis Estate and announced Gu Jinyu’s entry to the palace.
Gu Jinyu had learned from the previous lesson, and had a refreshed state of mind today. On the way to the imperial study, she secretly stuffed a heavy purse into Eunuch Wei's hand.
She said in a warm voice, "May Eunuch Wei enlighten this young miss as to why His Majesty summoned me today?"
Eunuch Wei smiled and put the purse into his pocket.
Gu Jinyu was delighted to see him accept it, but then she heard him say, "Princess will know when she goes in; this sage is afraid to probe into His Majesty’s intentions!"
Gu Jinyu：“…”
After entering the imperial study, Gu Jinyu performed a respectful salute, "Female subject kowtows in salute to Your Majesty."
The Emperor didn't tell her to rise as he continued to approve the memorandums at hand, treating her with a cold-shoulder for half a quarter of an hour. It wasn’t until her legs were numb did she hear His Majesty speak calmly, "The investigation result of the accident has come out, and it was caused by too many bellows. You personally came up with the modifications. What do you have to say about this?"
Gu Jinyu stayed up all night. Having guessed this possibility, she thought of a good speech in advance.
She knelt down, knocked her forehead on the floor, and said sincerely, "This female subject is guilty. This female subject has made a miscalculation in the maximum intensity and volume of air a furnace can bear."
These were Gu Jiao's words, and now she was learning and using them at the same time.
Thank you so much, sister.
The Emperor was obsessed with arithmetic and astronomy. When he heard her mention this, he almost motioned for her to continue. Fortunately, he remembered his purpose again, "Then, this piston bellows, did you really invent it? If not, do you know what crime you have committed? Tell Zhen honestly, and for Old Marquis’s sake, Zhen can forgive you this time. Otherwise, if you let Zhen find out some evidence, Gu Jinyu, you know the consequences."
For the crime of deceiving the monarch, lighter punishment was flogging with a stick to teach people lessons, and extreme punishment was directly flogging people to death.
Panic arose from the bottom of Gu Jinyu's heart.
Didn't His Majesty believe her yesterday? Why did he suddenly suspect her again?
Could it be that His Majesty summoned Gu Jiao, and then Gu Jiao exposed her or something in front of His Majesty?
What a loathsome girl!
Gu Jinyu was tempted by the Emperor's proposal, but she still kept her last sobriety.
This was His Majesty's trap!
His Majesty hadn’t found any evidence at all. If he had, she would have been punished a long time ago. Why still coerce her into admitting it?
So long as she denied it, the credit to inventing the bellows was hers.
Even though her mistake led to a very tragic accident, there was still the invention of bellows, and her merits offset her demerits according to the law of the State of Zhao. The worst thing could happen was that she would be fined a large sum of money, and she herself did not have to accept any severe punishment!
She kowtowed and said, "Your Majesty, everything I have said is true. The bellows is this female subject’s invention!"
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