Gu Chengyu was impatient to hear these things, he just wanted to know who that person was?

Could it be the person he had suspected in his heart? He felt it was likely.

"Who is it? It’s not hard to guess, it’s the former Grand Secretary Liang Zhirui!" Xue Miao looked indignant, but Gu Chengyu was stunned.

"Liang Zhirui?" Gu Chengyu repeated the name through gritted teeth, and after a while, his anger turned into a smile.

Ming Mo and the others were even more shocked. How could it be possible? They knew who Mr. Liang was.

For so many years, following the master to Liang Mansion was like a routine, Mr. Liang was upright, treated the master like his own child, and was kind and pleasant to them, the servants.

Regarding injustice, Mr. Liang couldn’t bear it. The master had said that Mr. Liang resigned and returned home because of his upright and staunch personality.

How could such a person be a treacherous minister selling out the country? Not only did the master not believe it, but they also didn’t believe it.

"So, do you have evidence of him betraying the country and selling out the nation?" Gu Chengyu smiled slightly, eyes fixed on Xue Miao.

Xue Miao’s face stiffened, then, thinking of something, his eyes that originally looked at Gu Chengyu began to dodge somewhat.

"The evidence is not in my hands." He paused for a while and then murmured to himself.

"You’re the survivor of the Xue Family, if the evidence isn’t in your hands, whose hands is it in?"

Gu Chengyu raised an eyebrow, his gaze as cold as icy arrows tightly fixed on Xue Miao, making him suddenly a bit flustered.

"It’s true it’s not in my hands, I have explained everything, and won’t lie anymore." Xue Miao suddenly showed some hesitation and guilt, feeling very contradictory.

Gu Chengyu ordered Ming Mo and the others to take away the cold meal, he had now lost the mood to enjoy lunch.

"Who exactly has it? How dare you slander a court official without evidence? Don’t you want the Xue Family’s grievances to be redressed?"

Gu Chengyu told Ming Mo and the others to pack up, intending to set out immediately.

He had no intention of delaying any longer, as Xue Miao had been captured and had explained quite a lot. He felt an impulse now to return to the Capital immediately to ask his teacher what really happened back then.

Trust the teacher? He did trust him!

"If I tell you, can you help the Xue Family overturn the case? The Emperor’s order was to exterminated the Nine Families, are you daring to defy it? As long as the current reign continues, there will be no opportunity for the Xue Family to overturn the case."

Xue Miao frowned deeply, which King would face up to his own mistakes? They would only try to cover up the truth to preserve their imperial dignity.

Moreover, is there really no suspicion in the Emperor’s heart about what happened back then? There are many doubts in this case, why did the Emperor not order a thorough investigation but closed the case hastily? There must be several reasons he isn’t aware of.

"Why not allowed? This matter involves treason and selling out the nation, it is a heinous crime. Would the Emperor let it go? Furthermore, allowing these people to exist would have a huge impact on Dayan. Perhaps they are planning how to usurp Dayan’s throne, making our Dayan people their slaves."

Gu Chengyu spoke righteously, this matter indeed was not trivial. Many years have passed, and it can no longer be delayed.

No matter what plan Da Xing has, over the past decade or more, it must have been set in place. If not stopped soon, it would be too late to repair.

Actually, Gu Chengyu was also quite puzzled about this matter, in theory, after the Three Ministries had tried the case, the Ministry of Justice would review and close it.

But the case was closed very swiftly. From Xia Qing’s impeachment of Xue Haozhen, presenting evidence, to the trial by the Three Ministries, and then the Ministry of Justice closing the case, it took only half a month.

In ancient times, major cases like this required considerable time just to gather evidence and review by the Ministry of Justice. Not to mention undergoing review by the Three Ministries, such a speedy resolution was truly lamentable.

At the time he thought the Emperor might have hated treason so utterly that, upon discovery, he left no margin.

But thinking about it now, there are just too many doubts, like who in Da Xing is the enemy?

Historical records mention a Prince of Da Xing named Wei Dan, but upon investigation, Gu Chengyu found Wei Dan was merely a teenager, sixteen or seventeen years old at the time.

Though his mother was a concubine, this child was lame.

With a physical defect, he couldn’t inherit the throne, would Xue Haozhen be that foolish? Choosing this disabled person over the other sound Princes?

Adding fuel to a cold stove must consider the stove itself, not just burnt bricks and exposed pots, that’s merely self-destruction, isn’t it?

So there’s clearly something fishy about this, did the Emperor truly not know? Yet the Emperor’s mind is often unfathomable.

However, Gu Chengyu understood that Xue Haozhen had been highly esteemed by the late Emperor. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have been summoned right before the Emperor’s demise.

Such powerful influence would naturally arouse the Emperor’s suspicion.

Although the Emperor had been reigning for twenty-one years, he was still troubled by how to weaken the aristocratic family’s strength.

Might it be Xue Haozhen’s excessive authority that stirred the Emperor’s concern? Subsequently, Xia Qing’s impeachment allowed the Emperor to take advantage and eliminated Xue Haozhen? It’s not impossible!

But if this were solely the reason to annihilate the Xue Family, it would be too chilling. Could the Emperor in his youth really be so ruthless?

Then how was Xia Qing’s growing authority over these two years? Based on the Emperor’s temperament, would he tolerate Xia Qing’s power expanding and causing turmoil in the court?

This is why the Emperor’s thought is elusive, Gu Chengyu tentatively believed the Emperor initially allowed Xia Qing to curb those aristocratic families, weakening their power.

But who is Xia Qing? He is extremely cunning, wouldn’t he seize the chance to expand his own power?

Once the Emperor came to realize, Xia Qing had become an unstoppable force.

Thus completing his own rise, the Emperor again employed old tactics, yet these tactics remained effective.

As for whether he might later become like Xia Qing, who was discarded by the Emperor after use, he really wasn’t worried.

Because the Emperor was already elderly, likely wouldn’t live to see that day.

No matter the Emperor’s thoughts, he would not allow the Xue Family to defame his teacher.

"I ask you once more, where exactly is the evidence? Or whose hands is it in?" Gu Chengyu saw everything sorted and lost interest in going in circles with Xue Miao.

Xue Miao sighed heavily, shaking his head, "The evidence is lost!"

"Swoosh!" Gu Chengyu sneered, the sword at his waist unsheathed.

"Are you playing tricks on me? You think I’m here for pleasantries, treating you kindly, but you repeatedly fool me. It seems without making you suffer, you won’t speak honestly. You know I’m a scholar, very reluctant to resort to force, which befits no refinement."

Gu Chengyu’s eyes flashed coldly, frightening Xue Miao into waving his hands.