The Martial Doctor

Imperial City, Rouyi Palace.

"Yu’er, take a look at this." Zhao Rui directly arrived and threw the message sent by Pei Jian to Consort Xue.

Consort Xue, unaware of what had happened, gracefully received it, but upon reading the content, she was instantly terrified, her face turning ashen. She immediately knelt down: "Your Majesty, I am guilty."

"What are you guilty of? You’ve been living in the palace for so long. It’s likely your audacious brother who’s behind this, isn’t it?" Zhao Rui asked calmly.

"Your Majesty..." Consort Xue was momentarily at a loss for words. This matter was too sudden, and she had received no news whatsoever and was completely unprepared.

"Colluding with Beihu and betraying the country. If this is proven, it is a capital offense."

"Your Majesty, my brother does not have the courage for such things. He may be greedy, but he absolutely doesn’t have the guts to betray our nation." Consort Xue hurriedly defended her brother. "Moreover, my brother has been in the capital for years and hasn’t returned. You know his capabilities, and he would never have the means to do such things."

Zhao Rui remained silent. He understood a bit about his brother-in-law; he lacked real talents and was greedy and lecherous. If not for benefiting from his sister’s favor, how could he have become a Marquis?

In fact, this title of Marquis Lingyang was given considering Consort Xue and King Qi. Without someone beside the fifth prince, how could one balance the forces of the Crown Prince and the third prince?

Currently, the third prince was detained, and most of his followers had disbanded. Zhao Rui hadn’t pursued many of them. After all, involving too many in the matter would harm the government and hinder its administration.

Most of the third prince’s supporters were now with the fifth prince.

The competition between King Qi and the Crown Prince was something Zhao Rui deliberately orchestrated, as this ensured he could securely sit on the throne.

The person sitting on the throne is ultimately lonely; this much Zhao Rui learned early on.

"I have already ordered a thorough investigation of this matter. Marquis Lingyang will be temporarily detained in the heavenly prison; you have no objections, right?" Zhao Rui asked.

"I... I have no objections..." Consort Xue fell to the ground upon hearing this.

"Until the truth of the matter is revealed, you should stay in Rouyi Palace. Also, as King Qi has now established his residence, he should not reside in the inner palace anymore. He should be sent out and should not visit you frequently." After saying this, Zhao Rui flicked his sleeves and left Rouyi Palace.

Even if he had intentions to show favoritism, he could not be so indulgent; otherwise, the courtiers would deem him an incapable emperor.

...

Mr. Yao, who was to announce the decree, had arrived at the Su residence. However, this was his first visit to the Su residence. Given his position, he did not need to personally attend to such matters.

In the eyes of outsiders, the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Personnel was a substantial official, but to Mr. Yao, it was nothing special. There were plenty of third-grade officials.

There were few who could gain his attention.

Yet this time, His Majesty assigned such an important task to this Su Mobai, who was also a student of Lien Yanru, making this situation intriguing.

It was hard to fathom His Majesty’s intentions. Whether Su Mobai was merely a shield for diversion or someone whom His Majesty truly intended to promote, Mr. Yao felt obliged to make this trip.

Because there were certain things he could not entrust to others.

Compared to other third-grade officials’ residences, Mr. Su’s home seemed rather humble; it was quite far from the capital. After leaving the imperial city, it took him almost half an hour by carriage to get there. If he had walked, it would have taken most of the day.

Su Mubai was not a native of Li Jing; this residence was not bought by him but allocated by the court as an official residence.

Such official residences would be reclaimed by the court once an official’s term was over, they were no longer serving in the capital, or they returned home to retire.

There were certain requirements for these official residences. If you wanted to live in a better place, but the location and size did not match the benefits allocated to you by the court, you would have to pay additional rent.

In other words, it’s like renting a house from the court. If your rank is adequate and you enjoy these privileges, then essentially, you do not have to pay.

However, the court would initially give you rent money, and then you would pay. This was a way to ensure you wouldn’t overstay your welcome for free.

After all, if everyone did this, wouldn’t the number of official residences in the capital continually decrease?

Official residences were for renting, not selling. If you wanted a better and bigger place, you would have to buy it yourself, but rental allowances would be given to you just the same.

Su Mobai’s family was not lacking; even in the pricey Li Jing, it wasn’t difficult. Though affording a grand mansion in a prime location was out of reach, buying a regular home was entirely feasible.

The issue was that Su Mobai never planned to stay in the capital for life; he intended to retire back home once he no longer could work.

Why stay in the capital?

So, after ten years in the capital, he continued living in the rented official residence as it was quite good. The court also maintained and repaired it every few years without any cost to him.

The Su family was just about to have dinner. His habit was to finish dinner before dark, then generally not eat anything except drink tea afterward.

This was the Su Family’s long-standing lifestyle, contributing to their longevity. The oldest Su family member lived to be one hundred and twenty years old.

Although Su Mobai did not expect to live to one hundred and twenty, living to seventy or eighty seemed probable.

Therefore, he took great care of himself. Despite being over fifty, he looked only in his thirties. Moreover, his handsome appearance made him renowned in Li Jing as an attractive man, drawing admiration from numerous oiran wishing to offer themselves.