Drunk Bamboo

Hua Qinfeng changed his words and said, "I am not good at strategy, so I can only use myself as bait to force the criminal to commit suicide. It is my fault for making my father worry."

The emperor finally smiled and changed the subject: "You did a good job this time. Although a little reckless, you solved the case in time. You and Zhang Aiqing are worthy of being on the same battlefield, sharing the same hatred and defeating the You Kingdom's cavalry. One is strategic and the other is courageous. Even though you haven't worked together for many years, you still have a tacit understanding."

"The Zhang family has three generations, and each of them is a pillar of the country."

Zhang Xinghe said calmly: "It is the honor of the Zhang family to work for your majesty."

The emperor nodded with satisfaction.

The latter said calmly, "All evidence and witnesses of the Loushan case have been handed over to the Ministry of Justice. Since Wang Qingming has admitted all the guilt, the matter ends here. All subsequent investigations will be handed over to Zhang Aiqing."

Are you trying to keep things quiet?!

Hua Qinfeng raised his eyes and said in surprise: "Your Majesty..."

Zhang Xinghe raised his voice: "I obey your order."

The emperor looked at Hua Qinfeng with a cold gaze:

"Yuzhu is still waiting for you in the mansion. Go back and have a good rest and spend more time with Yuzhu. The palace will hold a banquet the day after tomorrow to welcome you."

Full of resentment and confusion, he finally calmed down when he heard Yuzhu's name.

Hua Qinfeng lowered his head and replied, "...Yes."

After Hua Qinfeng and Zhang Xinghe left the Golden Hall, the emperor was still sitting on the dragon throne.

After a long while, he asked the empty hall:

"Who in this Zhongdu City dares to collude with Wang Qingming secretly to rob silver and kill people?"

No one responded.

The air in the hall seemed to be condensed, and the guards and eunuchs dared not even breathe.

Eunuch Dong knelt down and suppressed his trembling voice:

"Your Majesty, I dare not! Who in the world dares to kill the Crown Prince and King Feng!"

"Yeah, who dares?"

The emperor's eyes were cold.

After coming out of the Golden Stairs Hall, Zhang Xinghe remained silent all the way.

Hua Qinfeng finally couldn't hold back his dissatisfaction and asked:

"Why does father want you to investigate privately? Such an obvious matter is nothing more than the court officials who are against the crown prince and are not on good terms with Prime Minister Wang's family. If we interrogate them one by one, we will know the truth. Letting you, a vice minister of the Ministry of Justice, conduct an investigation in private, with your official position, can you interrogate those high-ranking officials? Does father want to let it go?"

"Your Majesty is so angry, why didn't you get angry in the palace just now?" Zhang Xinghe stopped and looked indifferent.

"you……"

Hua Qinfeng didn't know what to say for a moment after Zhang Xinghe hit him in the heart.

"Zhang Xinghe, you ask questions even though you already know the answer." He raised his head and walked forward.

"The prince doesn't want to implicate the princess." Zhang Xinghe followed and spoke naturally.

Hua Qinfeng sighed lightly, but his eyes became sharp:

"Father is right. I can't let Yuzhu worry anymore. But you are the Minister of Justice. It is your duty to find out the truth of the matter."

"Whether it is an open investigation or a private investigation, the final task of the investigation was handed over to me. Your Majesty did not favor anyone and did not end the matter at this point, which shows that Your Majesty did not want it to be over. An open investigation of this matter may cause panic in the court. As a king, Your Majesty may have deeper considerations." Zhang Xinghe explained.

At least the emperor's attitude showed that he was not aware of this matter and would not let it go.

Hua Qinfeng pondered for a while and said:

"I'll take your word for it. Where do you want to start?"

"The Minister of Works Han Jian." Zhang Xinghe did not hide it.

"Yuzhu has already sent people to monitor the Han Mansion. Wang Qingming also sent a letter to Han Jian before his death. That letter is the key. As long as there is evidence, Han Jian will have nothing to say." Hua Qinfeng's words clearly meant that he wanted to help Zhang Xinghe.

In order to find out the truth, Fengwang Mansion is willing to cooperate.

But he did not tell Zhang Xinghe about Changfeng Tower.

"The princess really is prepared for a rainy day." Zhang Xinghe nodded, without much surprise on his face.

During the days of handling cases in Loushan, most of the news from Zhongdu was brought by people sent by Xie Yuzhu. The news was confidential, accurate and fast, even better than his most capable subordinates, which shows Xie Yuzhu's ability.

Besides being amazed, I feel more admiration.

"Whatever we find out, I want to know the result."

Zhang Xinghe raised his eyes to look at Hua Qinfeng and said, "Even though he didn't know the reason, the prince still endured his resentment for the princess. As for the mastermind behind the scenes, the prince has already made up his mind. The result of my investigation is just to cut off the last tie in the prince's heart."

Hua Qinfeng paused and said coldly: "Zhang Xinghe, you are conceited and smart, and you can see through everything. If something happens to you one day, will you still be so nonchalant and calm?"

Zhang Xinghe said indifferently: "I have been deserted by everyone and have gone my separate ways. What else do I have to lose?"

Hua Qinfeng gritted his teeth and said fiercely: "That's true. You have always been alone and don't even have a personal servant or guard by your side..."

When I turned around, I met Zhang Xinghe's dark eyes. For some reason, I seemed to see a trace of loneliness and desolation in them, and I swallowed back the words that were about to come out of my mouth.

"Teacher Zhang is devoted to the emperor, and Zhang Hansu entered the palace to become a court lady at a young age. There are three people in your Zhang family, and none of them has any selfish motives." She waved her sleeves and stopped looking at him. "Zhang Xinghe, from this point of view, you are quite pitiful."

"Free from worries, one mind, and fearless." A faint smile appeared on the corner of his mouth.

Hua Qinfeng: "..."

He was just overthinking it. Zhang Xinghe was a heartless person.

"The Loushan robbery has ended. Your Majesty has completed your mission. Please do not interfere in future investigations, and the princess is not allowed to intervene."

Before Hua Qinfeng could reply, Zhang Xinghe said:

"This matter is complicated, and it is still unknown how much is involved. His Majesty asked the prince to accompany the princess well because he did not want the prince to get into trouble. Since His Majesty is concerned about her, the princess must have made a lot of efforts. Don't let the princess' efforts in Zhongdu go to waste."

He didn't know how Xie Yuzhu collected and passed on information, or how she won the emperor's trust. He didn't want to know, nor did he want to delve into it. Instead, he felt lucky for Hua Qinfeng that there was someone around him who was always vigilant and protecting him.

But it is enough to do this. If there is more, it will attract attention and be dangerous.

"Your Majesty, since you have no intention of competing, you should just keep to yourself."

"Zhang Xinghe, have the intrigues and scheming in the court worn down your bones?" Hua Qinfeng asked in disbelief.

"Robbery, murder, plotting to murder the crown prince, assassinating the prince. Now that they have revealed their vicious claws, they will only become more dangerous in the future. This is the beginning of the struggle, and I don't know how long it will last. You can see the attitude of His Majesty when he talked about the crown prince just now. There is a grudge in his heart. At this time, Your Majesty, it is best not to say anything and do nothing."

Zhang Xinghe's eyes were cold.

Hua Qinfeng took a step back with his eyes wide open. The people who had fought side by side with him in the battlefield all those years, with such passion and determination, were now clearly standing before him, yet they looked so unfamiliar.

"The Crown Prince is wise and legitimate, so it is only natural that he will inherit the throne. I do not fight for it, nor do I join a party, but when I see someone endangering the foundation of the country and the people suffering, I cannot sit idly by. If the person in power is immoral and incompetent, Zhang Xinghe, will you still be so loyal?"

Zhang Xinghe remained silent.

At this time, a crisp and gentle call came:

"Your Majesty!"

Hua Qinfeng looked in the direction of the familiar voice, and a smile instantly broke out on his cold face.

Outside the palace gate, there was a carriage from Prince Feng's Palace, and the palace's people.

Xie Yuzhu stood between Baiguo and Yunling, with Lao Liu following behind him.

They're here to pick him up!

Zhang Xinghe looked solemn: "For them?"

Hua Qinfeng said word by word: "If anyone dares to hurt them, I will take away everything that person cares about most and make him suffer."