Chapter Thirteen: Xia Fu's Downfall

  Xia Yongfang was scolded by Xia Wutang, and Zhang Huan was also ignored. This situation made Xia Tian somewhat unexpected, and for a moment, he didn't dare to believe it.

  In her past life, until the downfall of the Wang Manor, Xia Tian had never seen a scene where Xia Yongfang was scolded by Xia Wudang, let alone giving Zhang Huan face. Instead, she had witnessed several instances of Wang Suoya being treated coldly.

  Reborn, it turns out that many things can be changed. The series of events extended from the murder case are all non-existent in the previous life.

  In summer, thoughts drift away, with a thousand threads of worry and joy in mind, the sound of Xia Wutang's words echoes again.

  "What happened in the free market yesterday, I also heard about it. The cause of the matter can't be blamed on Xia Tian, but Xia Tian is also suspected of using excessive force."

  With an imposing gaze sweeping across the crowd in the hall, Xia Wutang spoke out loud.

  As soon as this was said, everyone in the hall was shocked, whether it was Xia Yongfang who framed others or Xia Tian who was being framed.

  "What's going on? When did I become so important? Yesterday's events, how did they spread like wildfire?"

  Perplexed in mind, summer is indeed a bit inexplicable, like a monk who can't find his head.

  Although surprising, it's not that strange. As the master of Yongcheng County and the controller of all rights, most things in the county town can't escape Xia Wutang's eyes.

  It was clear that Xia Wutang had understood the cause and effect of this matter, and Xia Tian didn't have much to do with it. He wasn't a reckless killer, and there was no fundamental mistake.

  Xia Yongfang felt anxious in his heart, and after careful investigation, he indeed wanted to frame Xia Tian. If Xia Wutang were to punish him, he would have nothing to say for himself.

  Fortunately, Xia Wutang didn't intend to dig deeper into the matter and simply said lightly: "As for Xia Tian, let's just give him a slight punishment. He's already eighteen, so let him officially participate in this year's annual grand competition."

  "The king is wise and bright, his son is obedient and loyal."

  It's no longer possible to tell whether the punishment for summer is light or severe, Xia Yongfang was secretly delighted that he had escaped with his life and didn't dare question Xia Wutang's decision again.

  The Xia family, as the imperial clan of the Great Xia Empire, dominated a world for tens of thousands of years. In order to stand tall and unshakeable, it was extremely necessary to maintain the prosperity of the family's talents.

  The rich and noble are prone to decline, the aristocratic families easily rot, so Xia's family made a rule that every year there would be a grand competition at the end of the year, selecting the best from among the imperial children.

  The royal family's year-end competition has age restrictions, with an upper limit of thirty years old and a lower limit of eighteen years old. The upper limit cannot be exceeded, and the lower limit cannot be crossed unless there are special circumstances.

  Adult royal children can participate in the year-end Grand Competition, but it is not mandatory. The first two years are free to choose, until the third year, that is, 20-year-olds must participate.

  Xiatian is currently eighteen years old. Originally, he still had a two-year buffer period, but today, Xia Wutang's verdict has decided that he will have to participate in the year-end Grand Competition this year.

  This punishment should be considered relatively light. As a member of the imperial family, it is inevitable to participate in the annual grand comparison, whether it's two years early or late, there isn't much difference.

  Besides, Xia Wutang just let Xia Tian participate and didn't specify that he had to get a certain ranking. Even if there were such requirements, it wouldn't be a big deal for him as he was very confident in himself.

  Such a result disappointed many people. Zhang Huan, Hu Mei'er and Xia Fu all felt quite disappointed, while Hu San Dao was very complicated in his mood.

  Some people were disappointed, but others were delighted. Wang Su's beautiful eyes welled up with tears as she gazed at Xia Tian, her stunning face breaking out into a joyful smile.

  It was summer, what he cared about wasn't the punishment itself, but some details revealed in it. He felt that Xia Wudang's attitude today was a bit strange.

  In the impression of summer, Xia Wutang has always been indifferent to himself, let alone maintaining it, even a close attitude is not available, and Wang Su seems to be about the same.

  Today, without being biased towards myself, at least Xia Wutang has achieved basic fairness, unlike Xia Yongfang who doesn't distinguish between right and wrong and distorts facts.

  Having detected the anomaly among them, Xia Tian prepared to test it out and thus bowed down to Xia Yongtang, shouting loudly: "Your Majesty, I, your subject, wish to accuse Xia Fu."

  "Oh, what's going on?"

  Xia Wutang looked at Xia Tian deeply and asked.

  "Xia Fu, as the steward of the royal palace, has colluded with street thugs and participated in some underworld activities, greatly tarnishing the reputation of the royal palace. Please, Your Majesty, severely punish Xia Fu."

  Summer one face I wholeheartedly for the public expression, said loudly.

  Xia Tian started to counterattack, and Xia Fu felt uneasy. When he spoke out his reasons, Xia Fu's face turned pale with fear, looking like a man who couldn't escape his fate.

  He fell to the ground, prostrating himself, and cried out loudly: "Your Highness, Your Highness, I'm innocent, I'm innocent!"

  Looking coldly at Xia Fu's performance, after a long time, Xia Wutang finally spoke up: "Are you really innocent? I'll give you an opportunity. If you confess, I can consider leniency."

  It felt as if a thunderbolt had exploded on his head, stunning Xia Fu, making him dizzy and weak in the limbs, unable to support his heavy body, and suddenly collapsing to the ground, all his strength disappearing instantly.

  Tears streaming down his face, Xia Fu's desperate plea was like a dying ember: "I confess, I confess, Your Highness, spare my life!"

  With Xiaofu's confession, the inside story was clear, and everything became clear. Xiaofu was actually Lei Kun's backstage supporter, and the free trading market was occupied by Lei Kun, which means it was actually controlled by Xiaofu.

  As for whether there was anyone behind Xia Fu, he didn't say, and Xia Wutang didn't ask further. However, looking at his hesitant expression and the way he glanced at Xia Yongfang from time to time, Xia Yongfang feared that he couldn't escape being implicated.

  "Xia Fu does not follow the rules, damaging the reputation of the royal palace, twenty lashes, expelled from the royal palace."

  Xia Wutang's cold and indifferent verdict.

  This sentence is not heavy, Xia Fu's guilt can be light or heavy, if heavily punished, it would not be excessive to strike him dead.

  Although the sentence was not severe, for Xia Fu, it was like a devastating blow, being expelled from the palace was something he did not want and could not accept.

  As a steward in the royal palace, he was considered a low-ranking servant, but after leaving, his status was extremely high, and even high officials and wealthy merchants did not dare to show him disrespect, instead treating him with great courtesy.

  If expelled from the palace, not only would these treatments be enjoyed no more, but also the high and mighty feeling would never return, and even, there would be people who would add insult to injury.

  When Wang Fu was in charge of the household, Xia Fu had offended many people. When he worked in the palace with this amulet, nothing happened.

  But once they were driven out of the palace, those people would surely have grievances to report and complaints to make. Just thinking about it made Xia Fu's whole body tremble with fear, his heart as cold as ice.