Chapter 75: Was the Treatise on Statecraft Truly Written by the Chancellor? Part 3

“He said: ‘Minister Gu, I know I have no face to ask this of you, but the empire is already riddled with holes. Only you can save my Yuan family.'”

“‘I beg of you, for the sake of the bond between me and your sister, help me clean up this mess. Do not let me be remembered as a failure for eternity…'”

The Matriarch paused. Amidst the shock of the hall, she let out a long sigh and closed her eyes. “Emperor Rui never said, ‘Everything shall be decided by your word.'”

“What he said was—’I swear by the imperial ancestors: Minister Gu’s actions are my will. Anyone who opposes him shall be executed by Heaven and Earth alike.'”

Gu Huaiyu had truly left the Late Emperor some dignity.

The entire hall erupted in an uproar!

Grand Preceptor Dong and Qin Zijin turned as pale as paper, so shocked they nearly couldn’t stand.

The officials were dumbstruck, looking as if they had seen a ghost.

They had thought that the Matriarch’s return would mean backing Qin Zijin to take down Gu Huaiyu. Instead, the old lady’s personal testimony was even more terrifying than Gu Huaiyu’s own words in Zichen Hall!

Who would dare mention “forging a decree” now?

This wasn’t a forgery; this was Gu Huaiyu acting as a legitimate, undisputed regent entrusted with the throne by the Late Emperor himself!

With these words, the Matriarch had pushed Gu Huaiyu to a height where no one could ever touch him again!

Yuan Zhuo’s eyes suddenly lit up.

On the Gu Faction’s side, Shen Jun, Xie Shaoling, and Wei Qingya exchanged knowing glances. They finally understood—the Chancellor had told them to “wait and see” because he had already accounted for today!

And as for “Snowball,” who else could it be?

The only person in the entire court who could bear such an affectionate nickname from the Matriarch was their Chancellor!

The Matriarch opened her eyes and asked expressionlessly, “Grand Preceptor, are you satisfied now?”

Grand Preceptor Dong’s once-straight back crumbled visibly. He knelt in terror. “This subject is terrified… I would never dare…”

The Matriarch didn’t even spare him a look, turning her eyes to Qin Zijin. “There is one thing I don’t understand. I thought the Treatise on Statecraft written by Minister Gu years ago was known to all. How did it become your work?”

The calmly spoken sentence was like a thunderclap on a clear day.

The hall fell into a sudden, absolute silence.

Every drop of color drained from Qin Zijin’s face. He felt a bone-chilling cold, his mouth opening and closing without a sound.

In that moment, he felt as if he had fallen into an abyss of ice, unable to move.

Yuan Zhuo snapped his head up, a brilliant light flashing in his eyes.

Xie Shaoling was stunned, wondering if his ears were failing him.

Shen Jun and Wei Qingya were equally speechless, their eyes filled with shock.

The Treatise on Statecraft… was actually written by the Chancellor?

The Matriarch continued to stare at Qin Zijin, her tone flat. “The Treatise on Statecraft was a policy paper Gu Huaiyu wrote for me. It was because of that paper that I decided to choose Emperor Rui to succeed the throne, and then sent Gu Huaiyu to assist him.”

Her voice suddenly turned sharp. “You have quite the nerve. You even dared to plagiarize that? Do you know that this is a crime of deceiving the monarch, punishable by the execution of nine generations?”

Grand Preceptor Dong trembled, his face filled with extreme shock. He stared death at Qin Zijin. “Zijin, is… is this true?”

Qin Zijin’s legs gave out, his knees hitting the floor with a heavy thud. A metallic tang of blood rose in his throat.

Years ago, it was Grand Preceptor Dong who had discovered that copy of the Treatise on Statecraft in the Hanlin Academy archives. Because the handwriting was similar to his, Dong had mistakenly believed he had written it and used his influence to propel him to fame.

He would always remember that moment when he chose to remain silent, and the subsequent years of pleasure as he rose through the ranks.

He knew the true author existed, but he assumed they were long dead. Why else would they never come forward?

He never, in his wildest dreams, imagined that the true author was Gu Huaiyu!

The Matriarch looked away from him, her gaze indifferent as she turned to Yuan Zhuo. “Your Majesty, according to the law, how should one be punished for plagiarizing a Chancellor’s work and falsely claiming merit for the throne’s succession?”

Yuan Zhuo clenched his sleeves, took a deep breath, and said solemnly, “According to the Laws of Great Chen, punishments do not usually extend to the literati.”

He paused, a slight, cold smile playing on his lips. “But today, I shall show mercy. He shall be sentenced to dismemberment, and his nine generations shall be executed as a warning to others. What does Grandmother think?”

The Matriarch nodded. “Since Your Majesty is being merciful, let it be so.”

“Guards! Execute the order immediately!” Yuan Zhuo barked with a wave of his sleeve.

Qin Zijin snapped out of his daze, lunging toward Grand Preceptor Dong. “Grand Preceptor! Save me—”

Grand Preceptor Dong kicked him away with a vicious strike, trembling with rage. “You beast! You dared to deceive me!”

Yuan Zhuo’s gaze shifted to Grand Preceptor Dong. “The Grand Preceptor failed to judge character and harbored a criminal. Considering you are a veteran of three reigns, I will not take your life. From this day forth, you are stripped of your rank and exiled three thousand miles. You are never to return to the capital.”

Grand Preceptor Dong swayed, his face turning gray as he slumped onto the floor.

The entire hall was silent. Every official was trembling, not daring to make a sound.

Suddenly, the Matriarch sighed with a hint of regret. “This play was quite entertaining, but it’s a pity Snowball didn’t see it.”

She looked at Yuan Zhuo, the wrinkles at the corners of her eyes smoothing out as she showed her first genuine smile since entering the palace. “Where is my Snowball? Is he feeling unwell again?”

Yuan Zhuo’s expression froze. He lowered his head and spoke honestly, “Grandmother… I held a public vote at the morning court… and fired Chancellor Gu.”

“Hahaha—”

The Matriarch was so furious she actually laughed. She slammed her prayer beads onto the table with a sharp crack. “Wonderful! Minister Gu began cleaning up the mess of your Yuan family at the age of fifteen! And now he’s been discarded like a worn-out tool! Simply wonderful!”