Drunk Bamboo

Xie Yuzhu came to the study and saw a pile of papers on the desk, weighed down by a ruler.

It should be the information from Lao Liu’s investigation.

She asked Yunling to make a pot of tea and sat down to watch patiently.

King Wen is now working in the Ministry of Personnel, and he often interacts with officials in the Ministry of Personnel, and he doesn't meet many people in private. Even Han Jian is not in contact with him very often. On the surface, he does a perfect job and can't find any fault with him.

If Han Jian had not been deliberately investigated, no trace of King Wen would have been found in his whereabouts.

It seems that King Wen had some cover before contacting these high-ranking officials in the court, or someone else contacted them on his behalf, such as Han Jian.

Xie Yuzhu remembered that Han Jian had a good relationship with Minister Feng of the Ministry of Justice in private.

Does this mean that Minister Feng of the Ministry of Justice is also King Wen’s confidant?

Among the three provinces and six ministries in the court, Wu Guanzhong, the Minister of the Menxia Province, and Bai Xun, the Minister of the Zhongshu Province, were both veteran ministers. They only followed the emperor's lead in their actions and were considered impartial.

Wang Yan, the Minister of the Chancellery and Prime Minister, is the prince's maternal grandfather, so naturally he stands on the prince's side.

The six ministries were nominally under the jurisdiction of Wang Yan, but the emperor was suspicious and monopolized power, and had weakened the power of the prime minister over the past decade. The six ministers almost acted independently. If there was anything, they would report it directly to the emperor.

To put it bluntly, this prime minister seems to be in a high position and has great power.

The Ministry of Works has clearly stood on the side of King Wen. If the Ministry of Justice is also on the side, and he is serving in the Ministry of Personnel, he will soon be in a high position as well. In this way, the three ministries of Personnel, Justice, and Works among the Six Ministries will all obey him. The remaining Minister of Revenue, Liu Shancai, is only protecting himself. Lord Chen of the Ministry of War and Lord Gao of the Ministry of Rites are both self-serving. Is there anyone else who can be used around the crown prince?

Now King Wen also married a principal wife and a concubine. One of their fathers was a scholar in the Hanlin Academy, a clean and upright civil servant; the other was a great general in the western frontier, a great general for generations, and a pillar of the country.

As for the crown prince, he is not in Zhongdu, but far away in Yuzhen, supervising the repair of the dam. He is doing a great thing for the country and the people, but judging by the current situation, things are not looking good.

The most important thing is the emperor’s partiality.

I don’t know whether the Imperial Noble Consort and Prince Wen were honored because of the mother’s son or the son’s because of the mother’s status, but the Emperor liked and trusted them anyway.

Xie Yuzhu put down the information and frowned.

If we had not carefully checked it today, it would be hard to imagine that the weak and powerless King Wen had already controlled half of the court without realizing it.

In addition, due to the advice of his mother, the emperor had long been wary of the prince. If this continued, it would only be a matter of time before Prince Wen took power.

What the prince has is a legitimate title and a name.

If there is even the slightest mistake, his position as crown prince might be in jeopardy.

Xie Yuzhu sighed softly. At this moment, if Prince Feng’s Mansion directly stood on the side of the Crown Prince, would Hua Qinfeng be in greater danger?

No.

Even if they don't make a choice, they will not let Hua Qinfeng go. They have even sent out killers. Their intentions are obvious!

Xie Yuzhu thought for a while and felt a headache. Thinking about these things was much more difficult than reading medical books and memorizing pharmacology. Just thinking about it made him feel worried.

She shook her head, stood up and planned to walk around the yard to check on her poisonous flowers and plants. She had already made all the arrangements that could be made in advance, and there was more that she could not do, nor was it something she could do.

The prince has the Wang family and the Hua family behind him, old ministers who are upright and impartial, and the support of the people. It will not be easily replaced by someone else if it is his position.

Yunling carried some snacks into Changfeng Courtyard and saw Xie Yuzhu walking out of the study.

Then he asked, "Princess, would you like to sit in the pavilion and eat cakes?"

Xie Yuzhu responded softly.

It would be better to go back to the palace. There are tea and snacks prepared. She is really tired after running around these days. Now she feels sore all over.

I still have to go find Gu Suiyi tomorrow and ask him to focus on investigating the person.

Xie Yuzhu was stunned, Yun Ling's little hand was already gently tapping her sore shoulder, and she said very considerately: "Princess, you must be very tired from riding horses for days. I will prepare hot water tonight, and Princess, take a good bath and relax."

"You are so thoughtful." With Yunling around, Xie Yuzhu doesn't have to worry about the trivial matters.

The next morning, Xie Yuzhu came to Yongxing Marquis Mansion to find Gu Suiyi.

Everyone knew that Gu Suiyi was standing outside the city gate and accompanying her out of the city, so there was no need for her to deliberately distance herself from Gu Suiyi.

The Fengwang Mansion and the Yongxing Marquis Mansion were originally military officers, so it is understandable that they have close contacts.

There are also two families who now have little military power.

But when they looked up, they were both loud and clear: one was the current third prince, and the other was holding a red-lettered iron certificate.

Xie Yuzhu was brought to the main hall by the people from the Gu Mansion, and the Marquis came to greet her with a smile.

"My Lord, I am sorry to bother you by visiting you so early." Xie Yuzhu said a little embarrassedly.

"That's not true, Princess. The prince has made great achievements in Loushan, and I was planning to visit you in a few days to congratulate you." Marquis Gu was very polite and asked her to sit down.

"My Lord, you are too polite. This time, thanks to the escort of Master Gu, I was able to travel safely to and from Zhongdu and Loushan. The trip to Loushan was extremely dangerous. If it weren't for Master Gu, the prince would have been in danger of being assassinated."

"The prince was assassinated?" Lord Gu's smiling face immediately turned into surprise, with confusion in his eyes.

Sure enough, Gu Suiyi didn't say anything to his biological father.

No wonder his father always thinks he is unreliable.

Xie Yuzhu came here early in the morning, actually to find Gu Suiyi and to rescue him.

"Yes, someone attempted to assassinate the Crown Prince and the Prince in Loushan. If it weren't for Master Gu who risked his life to protect them, the consequences would have been disastrous." She lowered her voice, feeling both grateful and scared.

Lord Gu slammed the table, his face full of anger:

"Who dares to assassinate the prince and the prince?! The prince is the god of war!"

Seeing Xie Yuzhu looking at him, he felt it was impolite and lowered his voice: "Who is so bold?"

Xie Yuzhu said solemnly: "This is a state affair and a royal secret, so it was not reported back to Zhongdu along with the news of the Loushan case. It is probably the crown prince or the prince who came back to explain it to Your Majesty in person."

Lord Gu is a smart man. He dared to assassinate the Crown Prince and Prince Feng, so there must be something complicated behind it.

He nodded and said, "Yes, yes, this is a big deal..."

He asked in disbelief: "Then, did my son really save the prince?"

Xie Yuzhu smiled and said, "How could it be false that Prince Gu bravely protected me and the Crown Prince?"

"I didn't expect that he has such a skill..."

Lord Gu lowered his head and thought, although King Wen couldn't get close to him, he actually got close to the prince. The prince is the heir to the throne and the future monarch. The Gu family saved the prince, so they will definitely be successful in the future.

"I came to the Marquis' Mansion this morning to get something from Master Gu."

Xie Yuzhu interrupted Lord Gu's thoughts.

"What is that?" Lord Gu looked up blankly.

"What the prince delivered."

"Prince?"

"The prince asked us to bring something to the crown prince. We dare not delay. I will go to the palace soon." Xie Yuzhu said slowly.

The smile on Lord Gu's lips rose even higher, and he shouted:

"My dear Crown Prince, that cannot be delayed. It cannot be delayed."

"Someone, go to the ancestral hall and call the eldest master over!"

Ancestral hall?

As soon as Gu Suiyi came back, he knelt in the ancestral hall.

pitiful.

Xie Yuzhu smiled and said, "Master Gu is really filial. He kowtowed to his ancestors early in the morning."