Drunk Bamboo

Golden Stairs Palace

"Your Majesty, long live the emperor!"

"Flat body."

The emperor sat on the golden palace. His gloomy face for days finally relaxed a little when he saw Hua Qinfeng and Zhang Xinghe, and he showed a long-lost smile.

He has always liked Zhang Xinghe. Besides being the son of an old friend, Zhang Xinghe's outstanding abilities are unmatched among his peers. He is upright and loyal. He never has to worry about what he is asked to do, as he will definitely complete it smoothly.

This also contributed greatly to the quick resolution of the Loushan case.

The emperor's gratified gaze shifted from Zhang Xinghe to Hua Qinfeng.

Hua Qinfeng stood in the main hall, his figure upright, emanating a kind of intimidation that seemed to be innate, making people afraid to approach him.

His heart suddenly trembled. This breath always reminded him of the person who almost replaced him. If that person had taken the throne nineteen years ago, he would not be in his current position.

The emperor's eyes narrowed slightly, revealing a chill. Looking more carefully, Hua Qinfeng's eyebrows and eyes showed the shadow of the deceased concubine. She was a bright, cheerful and free-spirited woman who had given him warmth when he was frustrated, but she was like a bird in the sky, beyond his control.

It’s a pity...you can never find such a woman anymore.

Thinking of this, the emperor's heart softened and his eyes became gentle.

The emperor seemed to have never really taken a close look at Hua Qinfeng, who had been free and far away from Zhongdu since childhood.

But this time, when he heard the news that he had fallen off a cliff and disappeared without a trace in order to catch a silver robber, he realized as a father that he was indebted to his son. He showed very little concern for him in his daily life, almost none at all.

"This time, Feng'er and Zhang Aiqing solved a major silver robbery case in Loushan together. Not only did they recover 100,000 taels of silver, they also wiped out all the bandits. They have made great contributions. I must reward them well."

The emperor withdrew his gaze and thoughts, and praised the two of them greatly.

Hua Qinfeng hesitated for a moment. He was surprised by the emperor's overly friendly tone and attitude.

Zhang Xinghe next to him had a calm expression on his face, as if such praise was commonplace. He bowed to express his gratitude, and then got back to business.

"Your Majesty, these are the details of the investigation into the case."

Eunuch Dong presented the paper in Zhang Xinghe's hand to the emperor.

"What a bastard! Jiangbei County is actually controlled by a county magistrate, and the entire government office is full of his accomplices! How does the Ministry of Personnel evaluate officials? How could they let such a person be the county magistrate!"

The emperor was furious and the paper in his hand was crushed to pieces.

Zhang Xinghe: "Your Majesty, please calm down. The Ministry of Personnel has made mistakes due to negligence in supervision. The most urgent task is to find out who is behind Wang Qingming. How can a small county magistrate have the ability to plan everything? Why did he do all this? What is the purpose behind the murder and robbery? Finding out these is the most important thing."

"Is there someone behind Wang Qingming? What have you found out?" The emperor's eyes were sharp.

Hua Qinfeng handed over another confession without even looking at Zhang Xinghe.

"Your Majesty, this is what the captured prisoner Zhang Tian said."

The emperor took the confession and looked grim.

"Who is the noble person he is talking about?"

"I'm still investigating." Zhang Xinghe bowed and replied before Hua Qinfeng could speak.

"They hijacked government silver, killed officials, disregarded the law, and were so bold and reckless. Do you take me seriously? You must investigate it thoroughly. I will never let them go!" the emperor said angrily.

The emperor's majesty is enough to shake the heavens.

Originally, it was thought that ignorant and daring people were robbing money, which affected the dam projects on both sides of the river.

Now it seems not so simple.

Over the years, there have been people in the court who support the crown prince and those who support King Wen. In order to balance the situation and prevent the crown prince from becoming too powerful, he has always turned a blind eye and tacitly allowed King Wen's power to grow.

But now there are people who are so bold as to disrupt state affairs under the emperor's nose!

No emperor would allow that!

Zhang Xinghe said respectfully: "Yes, I will do my best to find the mastermind behind this."

Hua Qinfeng was anxious when he heard and saw this.

The emperor was furious, so he should strike while the iron was hot. Zhang Xinghe said nothing and was really hesitating.

"Your Majesty, Wang Qingming hijacked the government silver, which delayed the dike construction on both sides of the river and endangered the people on both sides. He also poisoned the prince and murdered him. How could he, a small county, have a grudge against the prince? It must be someone behind him who wants to harm the prince. How many people in the country have the strength to compete with the prince? Just check those people and you will know."

As Hua Qinfeng finished speaking, the hall suddenly became quiet.

Zhang Xinghe's brows moved slightly.

Hua Qinfeng's heart sank. Was he just speaking his mind?

At this time, the emperor spoke expressionlessly:

"Wind King, who are you alluding to?"

Obviously, it refers to King Wen.

The only one who could compete with the crown prince was King Wen.

But everyone in the world knew that King Wen was the child of the emperor's most beloved imperial concubine, and also the prince the emperor trusted the most. The imperial concubine not only saved the emperor many times, but also found Gao Fengyu who prepared life-saving medicine during the plague ten years ago. She was the "guardian goddess" in the hearts of the people.

Hua Qinfeng used to be reckless and would say whatever he wanted in front of the emperor. The rule-abiding old ministers had filed many complaints against him for this, and he suffered a lot because of it.

But that was all his personal behavior and rarely involved other people.

It has been almost half a year since he returned to China, and he has never participated in the factional disputes in the court.

This was the first time he stood on the side of the crown prince and pointed his spearhead directly at King Wen.

The emperor was suspicious, but Hua Qinfeng didn't think too much about it.

He knew that he must have said something wrong, but he didn't know where.

According to Xie Yuzhu's teachings, at this time, we should remain silent for a moment to ease the atmosphere.

Hua Qinfeng did not retort, but lowered his head slightly and said nothing more.

Zhang Xinghe said: "The King of Feng has always been outspoken. Your Majesty is selfless. I will obey your command and conduct a fair and impartial investigation."

Hua Qinfeng said: "It was my son who made a mistake, please don't blame me, father."

The emperor was somewhat surprised and somewhat understanding of his softening attitude. Soon, his composure returned to normal.

"It's good that you know you made a mistake. You've grown up and got married, so you can no longer be so self-centered as before. You risked your life to catch the criminal, and fell off a cliff and disappeared. Do you know how worried your princess was?"

"It is my duty as a son to serve the country and share my father's worries. Yuzhu..." Hua Qinfeng paused, "I feel sorry for her, and I will definitely treat her better."

"Your straightforward nature makes me feel more at ease than the crown prince." The emperor nodded.

When it comes to Princess Xie Yuzhu, he is extremely satisfied and filial. Since she married into the Feng Palace, Hua Qinfeng has become more and more stable.

"The Crown Prince personally supervises the water conservancy project to benefit the people. I, your son, cannot compare to him." Hua Qinfeng said.

"He has the people and the world in his heart, as well as right and wrong and justice. I'm afraid even my words will be put behind him." The emperor looked indifferent, but his tone was meaningful.

"Tai..." When Hua Qinfeng was about to defend the prince, he suddenly felt the breath of Zhang Xinghe beside him. He glanced at him, indicating that he should not say more.