After being reborn as a man, the woman improved her family's fortunes through education.

Chapter 345 The Minister of Rites Pleads for Mercy

When Xiao Dezi arrived at the Ministry of Rites' residence, it was already dusk. Whether it was by chance or intentional, it is unknown.

"Master, it's an eunuch from the Fourth Prince's residence."

Minister Tong frowned slightly: "Let him in."

Xiao Dezi was somewhat reserved when he met his master's maternal grandfather, as this was the first time he had ever met a high-ranking official of the second rank in the imperial court in private.

"You mean the Fourth Prince wants me to go to the palace to plead for him?"

Xiao Dezi wiped the sweat from his brow and returned:

"Yes, the Fourth Prince has been under house arrest for over a year. His Majesty's anger should have subsided by now. His Majesty's long-term neglect and indifference must mean he has simply forgotten that he has a son who is confined to his quarters to reflect on his mistakes."

"How dare you! How dare you, a mere servant, speak of His Majesty!"

Minister Tong roared in anger.

"Your Excellency, please forgive me. I was only worried about His Highness, which is why I spoke without thinking."

Xiao Dezi knelt down smoothly, and his reasons came to him effortlessly.

"Your Excellency, in this entire court, only you can save His Highness!"

"Sigh, get up."

Minister Tong sighed, feeling that his grandson had been imprisoned for too long, and if he continued to be imprisoned, he feared he would be permanently forgotten by the palace.

"Tell the Fourth Prince that I am aware of this, and that he should not be in a hurry. He should also find a suitable time to speak to His Majesty."

In the coming days, you should spend more time advising the Fourth Prince and prevent him from acting rashly again.

If I were to offer this advice, His Majesty would certainly have someone conduct a secret investigation. If anything unpleasant were to happen, not only would my confinement be lifted, but I might also face additional punishment.

Xiao Dezi listened without hesitation, nodding repeatedly, feeling that the Minister was right and that His Highness should not be allowed to make any more mistakes.

Otherwise, if they can't lift the confinement and instead face harsher punishment, wouldn't that be like trying to steal a chicken and losing the rice instead?!

Once Xiao Dezi received confirmation, he hurriedly returned to the Fourth Prince's residence.

The fourth prince was pacing back and forth in his somewhat messy study when he saw Xiao Dezi return and hurriedly asked:

What did your maternal grandfather say?

Xiao Dezi repeated Minister Tong's words to him. Upon hearing this, the Fourth Prince's brows relaxed considerably.

“I knew my grandfather wouldn’t abandon me. I acted impulsively before and couldn’t bring myself to go back to the Tong family for help.”

My maternal grandfather's considerations are thorough. I was indeed a bit too hasty. My father will definitely send someone to check on things during this time.

"No, the Prince's residence is too chaotic now. Xiao Dezi, go and fetch my private funds. I refuse to believe that with money to be had, these unruly servants won't do their jobs."

"Yes, Your Majesty. It's already late today. Tomorrow, I will arrange for the Prince's residence to be thoroughly cleaned up inside and out."

Seeing his prince cheer up, Xiao Dezi was also very encouraged.

All the private money he had saved up for his coffin hadn't been wasted. Once His Highness regained his freedom, he would still be the most respectable person in His Highness's presence, and those unruly servants would have to grovel and fawn over him.

Minister Tong did not rush to plead with the emperor, but only spoke up at the palace banquet on Laba Festival more than a month later.

Emperor Zhao Yong was in a good mood today and bestowed rewards upon all the officials.

Minister Tong seized the opportunity to step forward and pay his respects, then subtly mentioned the Fourth Prince's confinement, saying that the Fourth Prince had deeply reflected on his actions.

They listed some of the Fourth Prince's insights from reading and practicing calligraphy today, whether true or false, which showed that he had achieved considerable self-cultivation.

After a moment of silence, the emperor said, "I understand. We will observe for a while longer... and then we'll see if his performance is consistent after the imperial examination."

If Jiang Xiaoqi were here, he would surely shout "Long live the Emperor!" and praise His Majesty's wisdom!

The period after the imperial examinations may seem insignificant at first glance, but upon closer examination, it becomes quite subtle.

Since their attitude has already softened, why wait another three months?

This is definitely not because Jiang Xiaoqi has a protagonist's halo, but because the emperor has his own considerations.

Although he believed Minister Tong's words to some extent, he knew his own son best. The Fourth Prince was most likely going crazy from being so frustrated and wanted to be released from confinement.

He went to his maternal grandfather and asked Minister Tong to intercede on his behalf.

It's not impossible for someone to feign remorse before or after pleading for leniency.

We couldn't afford any trouble before the imperial examinations, which is why we decided to discuss everything after the examinations.

After all, there were quite a few sons of Minister Wu, Minister Lin, and other officials from the Ministry of Works who would be participating in this imperial examination.

To avoid these people being retaliated against directly or indirectly, let's keep the fourth brother locked up for a while longer.

In Minister Tong's view, both morally and logically, the emperor would give him, an old minister, face.

Since the deadline was only a little over three months, Minister Tong felt it was within an acceptable range and didn't try to negotiate further.

When the news reached the Fourth Prince's residence, he was overjoyed. However, Xiao Dezi reminded him, "Your Highness needs to be even more cautious at this time; His Majesty is still observing."

The fourth prince nodded in agreement: "Yes, yes, you're right. It's only three or four months. We've waited for over a year already, what's a few more months?"

"By the way, Master, the Prince's residence is almost finished, but they still can't finish the garden, pond, and rockery."

Xiao Dezi used Zhao Hongsheng's private savings to hire servants in the mansion, spending a considerable amount of money.

The Fourth Prince's residence is currently only clean and tidy without weeds; it's impossible to furnish it with scenery, that would require the Ministry of Works.

These palace servants sent by the Imperial Household Department don't know how to do this kind of technical work; they wouldn't do it even if they were paid.

Zhao Hongsheng's original servants and slaves were a few of them skilled, but after being confined to their quarters, they were all placed under separate supervision and replaced by palace servants appointed by the Imperial Household Department.

In addition, the eighteen shadow guards that Minister Tong had once given to Zhao Hongsheng were also put under guard, after all, they were the main force that drove away the officials, clerks and soldiers of the Ministry of Works and the Ministry of War.

It is a serious crime for officials to privately train assassins, enough to lead to the confiscation of their property and the extermination of their entire clan. However, Minister Tong is a cunning old fox, and these people are all law-abiding citizens, not slaves bound by death contracts.

The relationship between the Minister's Mansion and the government was one of employment; they were called shadow guards, but they could also be called household servants or bodyguards.

Huh? My servants and guards just happen to have a little bit of martial arts skill, is that a crime?

Xiao Dezi felt very aggrieved for his master. They were both sons of the emperor, yet his master had to spend his own money to maintain the prince's residence.

Besides, which prince who went out to build a mansion wasn't first granted the title of king, or even a county king?

Their master is doing well; he has a mansion, but only half of it is being built, and who knows when the other half will be completed.

There was no official title, so his master might be the first prince to live outside the prince's residence while actually residing in the prince's mansion.

I heard that the eldest prince, the second prince, and the third prince are all about to be enfeoffed as princes, and the princely residences outside the palace have been completed long ago.

Hey~

"It's nothing, just a little loss of face. As long as I can regain my freedom, there's always tomorrow."

"Yes, Master. Once you regain your freedom, those who used to bully us will have to come back and fawn over us. Don't give them a hard time then!"