After the cannon fodder father and daughter married into the family, the whole family regretted it

After the rain stopped, the boatman parked the boat in the lake.

Mr. Zhou, Mr. Deng, Fang Nanzhi, and Qingyan each had a chair and sat on the deck fishing.

Mr. Deng rolled up a bait as big as his fist, put it on the hook, and started fishing.

Fang Nanzhi was stunned.

"Sir, you are the bait. Most fish won't dare to bite."

Mr. Deng glanced at her indifferently and ignored her coldly.

Looking at Mr. Zhou again, he didn't put out any bait, but wanted to learn from Jiang Taigong who fishes and only waits for those who are willing to take the bait.

Fang Nanzhi felt that the gentlemen were too willful and that they would not be able to catch any fish this way.

"Mr. Zhou, don't forget, we're going to have grilled fish for lunch."

"Then I will count on my disciple's filial piety." Old Zhou smiled and stroked his beard.

Fang Nanzhi was speechless. Was it her business again?

She pouted and fished honestly, hoping to catch something.

Qing Yan ignored the bickering between the master and the apprentice. He suddenly pulled the fishing rod and reeled in the line.

Looking at the hook again, there was a black fish hanging on it.

"The fish has taken the bait."

"Humph, this fish must not be tasty. I want to catch crucian carp."

Fang Nanzhi slandered him out of jealousy.

"Okay, I'll wait for Zhizhi." Qingyan said good-temperedly.

At the same time, something big happened again in the palace.

Bai Wu was seriously injured and rode into the palace at full speed to present a secret memorial.

A secret memorial written by Fang Yin himself.

It records the surrender of Marquis Xinan and what he confessed.

In recent years, the southwest has not paid taxes to the imperial court, but has paid tribute to others.

What Jin family, what prince, what prince, and the one who got the biggest share was actually the third princess.

The Marquis of Southwest was very disloyal and even mentioned several things he did for the Third Princess after he "joined" her.

The emperor's face turned dark after reading it.

Thinking about how the Third Princess' husband suddenly brought some miraculous doctor to see the Crown Prince when he was seriously ill, he thought it was instructed by Concubine Tong, but it obviously seemed not to be the case.

The third princess, this daughter of his is so brave.

The other princes accepted benefits from the southwest just out of greed, for the sake of money and benefits. But the third princess was different. She wanted to control the power in the southwest.

In addition to the secret letter, Bai Wu also brought a message.

The yamen runners who were responsible for escorting Chen Yong to Beijing all died in the post station, and Chen Yong disappeared.

At that time, Bai Wu was taking a small road back to Beijing, but he encountered ambushes repeatedly and was seriously injured.

He thought, since he had been exposed anyway, he might as well take the official road and pass through various post stations. The other party might be wary of him.

As soon as Bai Wu arrived at Xuanzhou Prefecture and He County Post Station, he smelled blood and saw many people lying in the yard.

After checking, he found one person who was still breathing. The other person only revealed their identity. Chen Yong's whereabouts were unknown and he had died.

Bai Wu felt a chill in his heart, feeling that the danger at the post station was not small.

He didn't dare to stay any longer, so he left quietly and continued to rush towards the capital.

In fact, the local officials must have discovered the massacre at the post station and reported it. Bai Wu should not have been involved.

But he knew that Chen Yong was related to his young lady, so he couldn't help but mention it.

"Come here, summon Prime Minister Yue, Minister Zhao, and Duke Han... to the palace."

The emperor looked solemn.

It is really a turbulent time. I thought that the prince had just recovered from a serious illness and the court would be stable for a while. I didn’t expect that his trip to the southwest would bring him such a big surprise.

Several important ministers hurried to the imperial study, and after paying their respects, the emperor gave them seats.

"Lord Yue, have you received any memorials from Xuanzhou Prefecture recently?"

The emperor asked directly.

"Indeed." Yue Xiang thought about it. As the prime minister, most of the memorials submitted by court officials had to pass through his hands, except for secret memorials and urgent memorials.

"Xuanzhou Prefecture reports that this year's tribute oranges have been escorted on their way."

"Also, there are bandits in the He County area. They are so arrogant that they even burned down the post station. Xuanzhou Prefecture has sent troops to suppress them."

"Bandit? What a bandit!" The emperor angrily slammed the dragon table.

Eunuch Fu immediately told the news reported by Bai Wu.

Everyone was surprised that Chen Yong had not yet come to Beijing. They privately guessed that it was the emperor's intention.

Now, the yamen runners were killed and Chen Yong is missing, could it be?

Yue Xiang immediately denied this idea, and Your Majesty would not resort to such means.

Minister Zhao pondered. "So, when Bai Wu arrived at the post station, the ground was littered with dead bodies, but there were no signs of a fire? Yet, the memorial from Xuanzhou Prefecture mentioned a fire, and that fire was set later."

If the murderer hadn't changed his mind halfway through and then ran back to set the fire, that would have been really stupid.

Later, the other person he pointed to was unknown, but it was definitely not a bandit.

Why would the bandits burn down a post station full of dead people? Did they have nothing better to do?

"Your Majesty, there are many strange things about this matter and it requires a detailed investigation!" Yue Zhongchi suggested.

"That's what I'm planning too. In your opinion, my dear, who would be the most suitable person to send?"

What the emperor meant was that he no longer trusted the officials of Xuanzhou Prefecture and would not let them investigate He County.

Yue Zhongchi pondered for a moment, and finally recommended Zhu Guanfeng, the Shao Yin of Jingzhao Prefecture.

"Your Majesty, although Lord Zhu is young, he is calm and careful. He has a unique way of solving cases. He has also been experienced in Jingzhao Prefecture for many years. He is indeed the most suitable candidate."

Most importantly, Zhu Guanfeng was born into the Zhu family, a small clan, and had nothing to do with Xuanzhou Prefecture.

In addition, his position as Shaoyin of Jingzhao Prefecture proved that he was trusted by the emperor.

"Okay, someone draft an order to have Zhu Guanfeng leave the capital today to investigate the post station tragedy and retrieve Chen Yong."

The emperor ordered.

Someone drafted an edict for him, and the emperor stamped it with his seal. Eunuch Fu took the edict and hurried out of the palace.

The imperial study did not remain silent for long.

The emperor sighed and said, "I'm sure you, my dear ministers, have seen this. What do you think should be done about the Third Princess?"

"Of course, we will investigate whether it is true or not and then deal with it according to the law." Minister Zhao was the first to express his opinion.

The others glanced at him and then looked away.

According to the law? Don’t you know that the law can be either light or heavy for kings, nobles, and celebrities?

Duke Hanguo pondered for a moment, then spoke tactfully, "Your Majesty, even the harem is not allowed to interfere in government affairs, let alone the Third Princess?"

"I want to know, as a princess, what use is there for her to have power? Could it be that she wants to be the first to crow at dawn?"

"The hen crows at dawn" was something Duke Han said deliberately, but no one present actually believed it.

The Third Princess had to be very brave to do such a thing. What's more, they felt that although it was apparently done by the Third Princess, it was actually done by the Second Prince.

At least it was authorized by the Second Prince.

Yue Zhongchi glanced at the emperor's expression before speaking: "Your Majesty, you cannot be indecisive just because of blood ties."

"Announce the Third Princess, her husband, and the Second Prince to enter the palace."

The emperor said expressionlessly.

Yue Xiang and others lowered their heads silently, wondering if they were pushing His Majesty too hard.

But if the Third Princess dares to gather the forces in the southwest, she might not be afraid to gather other forces in the court. If we don’t take this opportunity to investigate, wouldn’t it be like nurturing a tiger to cause trouble?

Soon, the eunuch came with the second prince.

The third princess followed closely behind, but she was wearing mourning clothes, her face was pale, and her eyes were red, as if she had been crying.

"What is the Third Princess doing? Wearing mourning clothes for no reason? Is she trying to bring bad luck?"

Minister Zhao frowned.