Li Zhu was so frightened by Wang Gōnggong's incident that she wished she could extend her sick leave for a few more days. However, neither Ji An nor Li Shengyuan wanted her to remain ill any longer.
The Imperial Physician came without fail every day, and Li Zhu's cold quickly recovered.
When she returned to duty, everyone in Qinzheng Palace breathed a sigh of relief.
But Li Shengyuan sensed something amiss.
Not only had the constant murmuring in his ears diminished, but even her eating habits had become more refined—unnervingly so.
"Li Zhu, have you fully recovered from your illness?"
Li Zhu immediately set down her chopsticks and replied respectfully, "Your Majesty, I have completely recovered."
"Hmph, it seems to me you haven't."
"Your Majesty, this servant does not understand."
As she spoke, Li Zhu made to stand and beg for punishment.
Li Shengyuan's expression darkened further. "Sit down!"
Li Zhu obediently sat with her head bowed, not daring to even breathe heavily.
Ji An also didn't understand why the Emperor was acting this way and was at a loss as to how to intercede.
"You never used to eat so… delicately before. Explain, what's going on?"
Li Zhu relaxed—so that was all it was. She quickly found an excuse.
"This servant's illness has just passed, so my appetite is poor. Moreover, the Imperial Physician advised a light diet."
Li Shengyuan believed her. "Then in the future, just tell Ji An what you'd like to eat."
Li Zhu looked up, a smile she couldn't conceal at the corners of her mouth. "Can I really eat anything I want?"
A smile also appeared on Li Shengyuan's face. "Yes, as long as the imperial chefs can prepare it."
"Thank you for your great kindness, Your Majesty!" Li Zhu made to stand again.
Li Shengyuan glanced at her. "From now on, don't kneel at every moment during meals."
"Yes."
Li Zhu was the type to forget past troubles once appeased, and her fear of Li Shengyuan immediately lessened by a third.
However, to maintain her earlier lie, Li Zhu continued to eat delicately throughout the meal.
Ji An observed everything and couldn't help but sigh inwardly—the Emperor's indulgence toward Li Zhu was somewhat excessive.
Yet he felt it was a good thing.
For the sake of her own life, she could do nothing.
Li Zhu knew there were wicked people in this world—many of them—but witnessing these evils firsthand was different.
Li Zhu felt a sense of powerlessness.
Fortunately, she quickly composed herself.
Even if she alone saw the truth, it was still better than letting the facts remain buried forever.
Perhaps one day, she would be able to lend a hand.
After several ministers left Qinzheng Palace, Li Shengyuan pondered, focusing his attention on the "substitute" Li Zhu had mentioned.
If it was a substitute, there must be differences between the two individuals.
Li Shengyuan discreetly ordered someone to retrieve Chen Boyu's provincial and palace examination papers from the thirteenth year of Yuantai.
While appearances might be so similar as to be indistinguishable, handwriting was difficult to replicate exactly.
He carefully compared the two examination papers with the memorial submitted by Chen Boyu.
Over a decade had passed, and though Chen Boyu had intentionally imitated the handwriting of the exam-taker, he still retained unique habits in the strokes.
Chen Boyu had indeed risen through cheating in the imperial examination.
Cheating in the imperial examination had always been a grave matter throughout history, and Li Shengyuan had already decided on Chen Boyu's fate.
However, he was more interested in how Chen Boyu had pulled off this deception.
If not for hearing it from Li Zhu, Chen Boyu might have truly kept this secret buried forever.
When Li Zhu entered to serve tea, Li Shengyuan stopped her.
"Li Zhu, come take a look at the handwriting on these two examination papers and the memorial."
[He wants me to look? Do I even understand this?]
Hearing Li Zhu's merciless self-mockery, Li Shengyuan twitched the corner of his mouth.
Though inwardly grumbling, Li Zhu obediently took them and pretended to compare them carefully.
At first glance, the handwriting seemed identical.
[Wait, the dog emperor asked me to look—it must not be that simple!]
Li Zhu continued examining them and suddenly caught sight of Chen Boyu's name, her eyes widening in an instant.
What a coincidence?
Then don't blame her.
Li Zhu focused intently and indeed found differences.
"Your Majesty, these two examination papers appear to be written by the same person, while this memorial was written by another."
"Oh? How can you tell?"
Li Zhu stepped forward. "Your Majesty, look at this character 'Ming'…"
She pointed out several characters to illustrate the differences.
Li Shengyuan nodded. "You are correct."
"Thank you for your praise, Your Majesty."
[Ah, that Zheng Jian not only lost his future but his entire family was silenced by Chen Boyu. What a tragedy.]
Li Shengyuan remained expressionless but mentally noted the name Zheng Jian.
"Although the handwriting on the examination papers and the memorial differs, over a dozen years have passed—some variation is normal."
Hearing this, Li Zhu quickly added, "What Your Majesty says is true, but while a person's handwriting may change, their writing habits—often unnoticed even by the writer—are less likely to change."
[The Chen family spent years grooming Zheng Jian as the substitute exam-taker, but the two could never be completely identical.]
"These examination papers and the memorial are both from Chen Boyu, the Minister of Honglu Temple, with the papers from his provincial and palace examinations. So, are you suggesting Chen Boyu cheated in the imperial examination?"
Li Shengyuan stared directly at Li Zhu, making her tremble with fear.
Li Zhu could have brushed it off as mere speculation, but she boldly took another step forward.
"Your Majesty, this humble servant thinks that if it is indeed a misunderstanding, that would be fortunate. However, the imperial examination is no trivial matter, so it would be best to investigate thoroughly."
Bolder than he had expected, Li Shengyuan said: "Indeed, I will naturally investigate this matter. You may withdraw."
After exiting Qinzheng Palace, Li Zhu let out a long sigh of relief. She had done all she could.