Chapter 24: Keep Your Wife in Check

"Yes, Your Highness, I am Qin Hao."

Qin Hao knew he had been exposed, so he stopped trying to hide it. After all, the Grand Princess had called him by his name, meaning she must have obtained proof.

"You dare to deceive me!" The coldness in Li Qingyao's eyes deepened.

Qin Hao quickly defended himself, "There is no deception here, Your Highness. I have already left the Qin family to establish my own household, and my mother’s maiden name was Shen. So, my surname is Qin, my given name is Hao, and I chose the courtesy name Shen-Hao to ensure I never forget the grace of my mother who raised me."

Li Qingyao was not so easily fooled. "As expected of the talented scholar who captivated the top courtesan of the Fengyue Pavilion, your tongue is sharp indeed. However, that does not absolve you of the crime of deceiving the sovereign. The Qin family claimed you were mentally deficient, yet the talent you display now is not that of someone who has been a fool for years. First, you deceive the Emperor, then you insult the Royal Family—tell me, how should I punish you!"

Qin Hao scratched his head. It was exactly what he feared. His identity was exposed, and the Royal Family would surely assume he had been faking his stupidity all along.

"Sigh!" Qin Hao sighed. "You may not believe me, Your Highness, but I truly only regained my senses recently. As for my talent, it is something I accumulated since childhood; being mentally deficient did not diminish my innate aptitude. Of course," he added, "if you insist on punishing me, I will admit to feigning stupidity. But then, the crime of deceiving the sovereign would not rest with me alone. It would involve the Earl of Kaiyang, the daughter of Duke Yang, Yang Suxin, and my two younger brothers. In that case, please punish my entire family. The crime of deceiving the sovereign is punishable by the extermination of one's entire clan."

The Duke of Yi, who was eavesdropping nearby, couldn't help but gasp. "Good heavens, this lad is ruthless; he’s willing to take his whole family down with him. I’d heard that Qin Hao disliked the second wife of the Earl of Kaiyang, but I didn't realize the enmity ran so deep."

Emperor Xuande, having heard this, said nothing and continued to watch.

Li Qingyao was furious. Yet, she could not pass judgment on Qin Hao herself; that required a decision from the Emperor. Still, she had to vent her resentment. "Qin Hao, you have truly played me for a fool. You have talent; why couldn't you just say you were Qin Hao? Do you think I am so intolerant that I would have had you killed?"

Qin Hao scratched his head awkwardly. "I don't think you would have killed me, Your Highness, but you could have had me beaten. With my frail constitution, two strikes would have been the end of me."

Seeing Qin Hao acting so cowardly out of fear of a beating, Li Qingyao thought to herself, *So you do know fear?* Much of her internal anger dissipated.

She asked, "Qin Hao, what grievance did you have that forced you to change your name and come seeking my protection?"

Qin Hao praised Li Qingyao’s intelligence in his heart. It was a pity he hadn't retrieved his mother's remains yet. He gave a bright smile and said, "No grievances. I simply wanted to participate in the imperial examinations and lacked a path to do so. Starting from the lowest level would take too much time. That is why I sought to join your administrative staff; if I could perform a meritorious service, it would be easier to secure a spot for the examinations."

"Just that?" Li Qingyao asked again.

"Just that," Qin Hao replied firmly.

Li Qingyao was silent for a moment. "You may leave."

This left Qin Hao confused. She wasn't going to kill him? He said, still acting cowardly, "Your Highness, if you truly intend to kill me, I will insist that I was feigning stupidity. Deceiving the sovereign is a grave sin, so when you behead me, please be sure to execute my whole family."

"Get out!" Li Qingyao snapped, her composure breaking.

"Right away!" Qin Hao turned and ran.

After Qin Hao was far away, Emperor Xuande, the Empress, and the Duke of Yi emerged.

"Father, I feel there is a significant issue here; Qin Hao is definitely hiding something. With such talent, how could he have been treated like a beggar?" Li Qingyao spoke up, interceding for him.

The Duke of Yi agreed. "Your Majesty, there must be a hidden story regarding Qin Hao. Moreover, the imperial physicians examined him years ago; his condition was not feigned."

Emperor Xuande did not respond immediately, instead asking, "Qin Hao is a well-known fool in the capital. What charm does he possess that the two of you would plead for him?"

The Duke of Yi recounted his entire conversation with Qin Hao to the Emperor. Upon hearing it, Emperor Xuande’s eyes flickered with intensity. *Standing with the common people? Claiming to be a master of both civil and military arts? What bold words.*

After a moment of contemplation, Emperor Xuande spoke. "Qingyao, hear my decree."

"Your daughter obeys," Li Qingyao said, bowing.

Emperor Xuande said calmly, "For his contribution of the disaster relief strategy, I grant Qin Hao permission to participate in this year's imperial examinations. His remaining credit shall be held in reserve; if he performs further meritorious deeds, he will be rewarded accordingly."

Li Qingyao quickly replied, "I obey the decree."

Empress Xiaoyuan wanted to speak, but the Emperor stopped her with a glance. The two then departed for the palace.

However, shortly after leaving the Grand Princess's mansion, the Emperor said to his personal eunuch, "Dahai, go tell the Earl of Kaiyang to keep his wife in check. If she dares to disturb the Empress or interfere in royal affairs again, tell him to bring his head to me."

"This servant obeys." Eunuch Hai immediately left the entourage to head toward the Qin residence.

Then, Emperor Xuande said gently, "Xiaoyuan, you saw that there were issues between Qin Hao and his family; do you think I did not? The Earl of Kaiyang's wife was stoking the flames in front of you, hoping to strip him of Qingyao’s protection—she likely intends to do something to him. With my decree now in place, Qin Hao will be safe. Furthermore, that child's evaluation of scholars was very fair. He is quite talented, and I will not execute a capable servant without understanding the full truth. But one thing: the Royal Family should not involve itself in the domestic affairs of court officials. You should stay out of it as well and observe the situation."

Empress Xiaoyuan breathed a sigh of relief and replied softly, "Thank you, Your Majesty."

***

At the Qin residence, the Earl of Kaiyang returned home in high spirits. After consulting with his father-in-law, he already had a plan. He was a civil official and could not watch the military officers grow in power. His father-in-law had provided the perfect strategy. Tomorrow at court, he would have a way to reject the Grand Princess's proposal.

As for the mysterious strategist behind the Grand Princess, he and his father-in-law agreed that they should attempt to win him over. The fact that the person could answer the Grand Princess's absolute couplet had already indirectly helped them greatly regarding their wager. Having come up with such an ingenious national policy, the person must be a scholar. As the civil official faction, they were well-versed in dealing with scholars; winning one over shouldn't be difficult. The problem was that the Grand Princess hadn't revealed who he was. They knew nothing about him.

"The Earl has returned. Quickly, dinner is ready." Seeing the Earl, Yang Suxin greeted him with a smile, clearly in a good mood.

"Does my lady have something to be happy about?" the Earl asked with a smile, noticing her pleasant disposition.

"It is just that you have been promoted to Minister of Revenue, so I specifically ordered the servants to prepare a feast," Yang Suxin said with a smile.

What truly made her happy was that the Empress was about to take action against Qin Hao. As long as the Empress confiscated the token given to him by the Grand Princess, it would mean the Grand Princess was no longer protecting him. At that point, she could kill him without restraint.

The Earl, hearing of his promotion, was also delighted, his stride quickening.

Before they could take two steps, a servant hurried toward them, shouting, "My Lord, someone from the palace has arrived!"

The Earl stopped, his expression shifting. *Someone from the palace at this hour? Could the Emperor have a decree?* He immediately turned and headed for the main gate.

Yang Suxin felt a surge of joy. Someone coming from the palace could only mean one of two things: official business for the Earl, or something regarding Qin Hao.

"Eunuch Hai, does the Emperor have an order?" The Earl was surprised to see Eunuch Hai, the Emperor's personal head eunuch. He rarely handled minor matters personally.

Eunuch Hai, maintaining a professional demeanor, said in a shrill voice, "The Earl of Kaiyang will hear the decree."

The Earl quickly hiked up his robes and knelt. Yang Suxin knelt beside him, feeling a wave of disappointment—it was Eunuch Hai, so it must be official business.

"The Emperor's oral decree: The Earl of Kaiyang is ordered to keep his wife in check. If she dares to disturb the Empress or interfere in royal affairs again, he is to bring his head to see the Emperor."