Chapter 151: Men Have a Fondness for Self-Destruction

"Did the patron truly leave nothing behind?" Cao Jinhua asked, unwilling to accept it.

The imperial guard shook his head.

The truth was, Zhao Zhen had originally intended to step inside, but the moment he caught sight of Prefect Mo, he had spun around and bolted.

Elevating the dignity of scholars and their standing within the state inevitably fostered an environment where scholars demanded strict moral perfection from the emperor.

Although this Prefect Mo was only relegated to the back row during morning court assemblies, Zhao Zhen recognized him at a single glance.

That made things rather awkward.

Today's escapade—whether considering his reasons for sneaking out of the palace or his petty annoyance at someone showing off, which prompted him to snap back at them—was hardly anything to boast about, especially given that he was the emperor.

Therefore, the instant he crossed the threshold, he had turned and fled at a runner's pace.

All of this had transpired in the span of a single heartbeat. How could he possibly have had the time to issue any instructions? Leaving a single guard behind was entirely Chen Lin's doing.

"This is too much, simply too much! He wanted a fine horse, he got what he wanted, but the moment work needed to be done, he bolted..."

Cao Jinhua muttered in a voice barely audible.

She felt that her brother-in-law was truly devoid of class; the moment he laid eyes on a fine horse, his eyes had locked onto it. Without even asking whose horse it was, he demanded it. Then, to top it all off, he actually challenged someone to a race, thoroughly enjoying himself despite his mediocre riding skills—requiring others to coach him from the sidelines.

Yet when she actually needed him, he had run off... he had simply run off...

Cao Jinhua's mind was in total disarray.

Suddenly, she raised her head and locked her gaze onto Prefect Mo.

"You... is something the matter?" Her stare made Prefect Mo feel quite uneasy at heart.

"If I were to tell you that the Sovereign not only knew about this, but was actually present at the racetrack at the very moment, what would you say?" Cao Jinhua looked at Prefect Mo and asked earnestly.

The main hall fell into a profound silence, with everyone straining their ears to listen!

Hearing Cao Jinhua's words, all of their expressions turned peculiar, and a few even failed to contain themselves, letting out a sudden burst of laughter.

When those scholars showed off, they relied on genuine capability and intellect, but their opponents... were simply talking utter nonsense.

Claiming the Sovereign was present? If the Sovereign had been there, would they not have known? They were all well acquainted with the royal procession and regalia.

"My Lord, it was truly my fault for invoking the Imperial Stables as a joke," Tang Renxian stepped forward, putting on an apologetic posture.

In his view, taking the lead and trading on the emperor's name was a display of cleverness. But for the opposing party to overhear it and mimic them—that was like the crow imitating the phoenix, achieving nothing but clumsy failure. It was sheer, utter foolishness.

Tang Renxian added with what he thought was a touch of humor, "If the Sovereign had indeed visited the stables, I would have gladly ridden alongside him. Unfortunately, though I have frequented the Imperial Stables for years, I have never once laid eyes on the Sovereign."

He once again fancied himself quite witty.

"That's because you were blind... failing to recognize Mount Tai," Cao Jinhua retorted. "Not only did you see the Sovereign, but you also made a wager with him on a horse race."

Everyone was stunned, and then—

"Hahaha..."

"They really know how to put on a show!" they thought to ourselves.

"We almost believed you for a second," one of them remarked.

"A wager with the Sovereign?"

"Brother Tang is truly fortunate to have raced horses alongside His Majesty!"

...

They exchanged mocking remarks, clearly refusing to believe a single word.

"You—come here, you prove what I was saying!" Seeing that they refused to believe her, Cao Jinhua grabbed the imperial guard and insisted that he bear witness.

This was truly putting a man in an impossible position. Without the Sovereign's direct command, how could he ever dare to divulge matters concerning the emperor?

The crime of leaking palace secrets was by no means a light one, and anything involving the emperor fell strictly within the category of palace secrets.

"Fortunate? I'm afraid none of you will be saying that in a moment," Shen Shi said.

He knew that pressuring the guard was pointless; moreover, Zhao Zhen had indeed left behind proof.

"What is the meaning of this?"

The scholars grew increasingly displeased with Shen Shi and his companions' relentless persistence.

Shen Shi ignored them entirely. These people were so accustomed to the excessive flattery of the Song dynasty that they mistook themselves for men of supreme intellect, expecting everyone else to kowtow to them.

Shen Shi turned to remind Prefect Mo, "Prefect Mo, don't you find the signature on the promissory note exceptionally familiar?"

"Familiar?"

Prefect Mo had only focused on the contents of the note and hadn't paid much attention to the signature itself.

"This is..."

You wouldn't notice until you looked closely, but upon closer inspection... it truly was familiar. On official government documents and the memorials he submitted himself, there were always annotations made in the Sovereign's own hand, but... this defied all reason.

The Sovereign was a benevolent ruler; how could he possibly...

"Hmph! Take a good look! That is the Sovereign's own signature," Cao Jinhua said brightly.

The situation had taken a sudden turn; she did have evidence after all.

"The Sovereign? Hahaha..." The scholars burst into laughter.

They had seen plenty of bluster and posturing, but to boast to such an absurd degree—how could they not laugh?

"Master of records, come take a look."

Yet Prefect Mo could no longer manage a smile. Because this handwriting genuinely looked too familiar.

"My Lord." The master of records stepped forward, examined the signature closely, and said, "My Lord, perhaps we should adjourn to the inner chambers so that your humble servant may retrieve an official document and make a careful comparison."

The advisor offered his suggestion.

"This..."

"My Lord, this is our Lord Shen." Prefect Mo was about to address Shen Shi as "Young Master," but Cao Jinhua directly introduced him by his official title.

Gasp—

"Lord Shen is an imperial official?" Prefect Mo was taken aback. He had assumed all along that Shen Shi was a commoner without rank.

"Indeed! Our Lord Shen holds an officially conferred imperial post," Cao Jinhua declared loudly.

She had been thoroughly disgusted by Tang Renxian and seized the chance to strike back—so what if your master is a prefect? You yourselves hold no official rank at all.

"Bestowed by the emperor..."

Only then did Prefect Mo truly size up Shen Shi. Initially, he hadn't paid him much mind; a young gentleman of wealthy background was nothing out of the ordinary.

Yet looking at him now, he realized this young man possessed an extraordinary aura of poise and authority.

Such a commanding presence was something he had only ever witnessed in truly great personages—what books described as remaining utterly calm even if Mount Tai collapsed upon one's head. No, this went beyond mere calm; it was the manifestation of absolute, unshakable confidence!

It felt akin to the times he had gone to burn incense at Daoist temples, where the statues of deities and immortals possessed that very same gaze. Let the mortal world churn in chaos; to them, it was nothing more than a passing play.

By this point, Prefect Mo was already inclined to believe that this matter was connected to the Sovereign.

Since it involved the emperor, continuing to try the case openly in the main hall was no longer appropriate.

Nevertheless, out of an abundance of caution, he still instructed his advisor to cross-reference the handwriting first.

As the advisor took the note away to verify the script, Prefect Mo observed Shen Shi. Seeing that the visitors showed not a trace of anxiety, his own heart became all the more certain.

If this were a falsehood, they would never remain so composed.

The verification process was swift. When an affair involved the Sovereign, efficiency had to be absolute.

"Master of records, how is it?" The moment the advisor returned, Prefect Mo anxiously inquired.

The advisor replied, "Your humble servant has compared it against official court documents, and the handwriting does not match."

"Does not match?"

Prefect Mo froze, momentarily failing to process the statement. The group of scholars, however, burst into hearty laughter.

"My Lord, we told you from the start that we never encountered the Sovereign."

"That's right! That's right! His Majesty is overwhelmed with affairs of state; how could he possibly appear at a racetrack?"

"My Lord, this is clearly a case of fraudsters impersonating the Sovereign to perpetrate a scam. Your Lordship ought to have them arrested at once!"

"Eh? Where is that old man? Where did he go?"

"What? He's vanished? My Lord, quickly seize them before they escape!"

...

The scholars were filled with righteous indignation, instantly turning the main hall into a boisterous marketplace as they clamored for Prefect Mo to make arrests.

Meanwhile, Shen Yuejiao's face had turned pale green.

First came Tang Renxian, the man upon whom she had set her heart. And immediately after, her own cousin had also invoked the Sovereign as a ruse. Why on earth were men so relentlessly bent on courting their own destruction!