Dad, open the door. I'll bring your mistress back for you.

In the imperial study in the palace, Emperor Jing's face was so gloomy that it seemed as if water could drip out of it. He sat upright on the dragon throne that symbolized supreme power, emitting a terrifying aura of majesty.

At first, he had only said this out of courtesy: "Even though my uncle is at home, he must never forget his duty to share my worries."

Who would have thought that just because of such an ordinary polite remark, Shen Huaizhong actually believed it without a doubt and was delighted to think that he was still highly valued by the emperor.

"Your Majesty, I am your humble servant. I am here to pay my respects." With the sound of steady and powerful footsteps, Shen Huaizhong stepped into the hall. He knelt down respectfully and saluted with his forehead pressed tightly against the cold ground.

Suddenly, there was a loud "bang" and Emperor Jing threw a thick stack of memorials in front of Shen Huaizhong.

The memorials were scattered all over the ground like fallen leaves blown by the wind, and some of them even flew to Shen Huaizhong's feet.

Shen Huaizhong raised his head slightly and quickly glanced at the messy memorials on the ground.

Then, he carefully stretched out his hands, picked up the memorials one by one, and looked through them carefully one by one.

Upon closer inspection, it was discovered that some of the memorials reported on important issues concerning farmland and water conservancy; some reported in detail the revenue and expenditure of the national treasury; and some were actually border military reports delivered urgently.

At first glance, these memorials seem to have nothing to do with each other, but if you look closely, it is not difficult to find that the ministers who wrote these memorials are all Xiao Yuanlang's confidants without exception.

After Shen Huaizhong had finished sorting out all the memorials, he gently stood up, holding the neatly stacked memorials in both hands, and slowly walked to the desk in front of Emperor Jing, placing them gently and carefully.

After finishing all this, Shen Huaizhong looked up at Emperor Jing and asked doubtfully, "Your Majesty, is there any problem with these memorials?"

However, before he could finish his words, Emperor Jing roared in rage, "Is there a problem? These are all memorials that you have secretly withheld!"

Faced with Emperor Jing's sudden rebuke, Shen Huaizhong was shocked, but he quickly regained his composure.

He took a deep breath and responded calmly, "Your Majesty, I have never seen these memorials, let alone any talk of withholding them."

"Haha! This is ridiculous! I have never seen these memorials. Doesn't Zuo Jiange run to your house all day long? How could he miss these important memorials? Those ministers who wrote to the emperor failed to get a reply for a long time, and had no choice but to send the memorials to Jin Jimin. Only then did I have the opportunity to see them. How many of these memorials have you privately withheld? Don't forget, you are no longer the prime minister and have no right to handle government affairs without authorization!" Emperor Jing scolded angrily.

Upon hearing this, Shen Huaizhong frowned, looked at Emperor Jing with a face full of grievance, and said in a trembling voice: "Your Majesty, it was you who personally ordered me to help you handle government affairs!"

Emperor Jing snorted coldly and said sternly, "Yes, I did ask you to help, but do you know what the word 'help' means? Help means you can only intervene when I need it; if I don't need your help, you should stay home and not interfere! Don't you understand this principle?"

After hearing this, Shen Huaizhong's body shook violently, as if he had suffered a heavy blow.

He stared at Emperor Jing with wide eyes, and asked with a trembling voice, "Your Majesty, do you mean that you no longer need this old minister?"

Emperor Jing couldn't help feeling a little flustered when Shen Huaizhong stared at him like that, and quickly turned his head away to avoid his gaze.

After calming down for a moment, Emperor Jing took a deep breath and spoke again, "Forget it. Let's put aside everything else for now and discuss these memorials first. Tell me the truth about why you withheld these memorials. Also, how many memorials have you hidden that you haven't submitted?"

Shen Huaizhong straightened his back and said solemnly, "I have been staying at home and have never come into contact with these memorials. It must be that some traitor has deliberately framed me!"

Upon hearing this, Emperor Jing sneered, his sarcasm evident in his words: "Haha, everyone says that the Shen family is like a small court. Even if Shen Aiqing never leaves his house, Zuo Jiange will naturally deliver the memorial to your house."

"In that case, then summon Zuo Jiange to come for a face-to-face confrontation." Shen Huaizhong knew that he couldn't show his weakness at this moment, so he responded with forced calmness.

However, what he never expected was that Dequan had just turned around and walked out, and in the blink of an eye he had led Zuo Jiange in.

Seeing this scene, Shen Huaizhong's heart couldn't help but skip a beat, and he instantly understood that Zuo Jiange had betrayed him.

After Zuo Jiange stepped into the hall, he first greeted Emperor Jing respectfully, and then at Emperor Jing's signal, he walked steadily to the desk.

From beginning to end, he hadn't even glanced at Shen Huaizhong. This scene made Shen Huaizhong's heart, which had originally had a glimmer of hope, suddenly feel as if it had fallen into an ice cellar, and it was completely cold.

Emperor Jing's face was as gloomy as water. He stretched out his hand and handed the thick stack of memorials to Zuo Jiange, and asked coldly, "Come and take a look. Have you seen these memorials?"

Zuo Jiange took the memorial, glanced at it briefly, and quickly replied, "Your Majesty, these are all memorials submitted in the past month or two. However, Lord Shen said before..."

Having said this, he suddenly seemed to realize something and fell silent.

Emperor Jing's face was gloomy, and he pressed on, "What did Shen Huaizhong say?"

Zuo Jiange tilted his head slightly, glancing quickly at Shen Huaizhong from the corner of his eye. He then spoke slowly, "Lord Shen previously stated that these memorials were unimportant and didn't need to be presented to Your Majesty for review, so I didn't dare submit them. I'm puzzled why Lord Shen brought them over today. The events recorded in these memorials happened a long time ago, and those matters that should have been dealt with promptly have likely already suffered adverse consequences due to delays."

Upon hearing this, Emperor Jing's face instantly turned livid. His eyes widened in anger as he stared at Zuo Jiange and sternly said, "Shen Huaizhong forbade you to present these memorials to me. Are you just going to obey him like that?"

Zuo Jiange trembled at the sudden fury of the Emperor Jing. He quickly bowed and answered cautiously, "Everyone in the court knows that I was able to sit on the position of Prime Minister thanks to Lord Shen's strong recommendation! Since Lord Shen was able to support me to such a high position, it must be easy for him to fall from this position. Moreover, it has been less than a month since Lord Shen returned to the court after his mourning leave. I dare not disobey Lord Shen's will."

Upon hearing this, Emperor Jing was furious. He suddenly stood up and slammed his palm on the desk in front of him, causing the pens, inkstones, and paper to jump. He roared, "Humph! I personally appointed you as Prime Minister. No matter how powerful Shen Huaizhong is, he can never make the decision for me on this matter!"

Seeing the Emperor's wrath, Zuo Jiange grew increasingly uneasy, but he couldn't help but lower his voice and mutter, "It's reasonable to say so, but everyone in the court knows that Your Majesty obeys Lord Shen's every word! Whenever Lord Shen makes a suggestion or request, Your Majesty agrees without hesitation, never once uttering a word of objection."

"Rebellion... Rebellion... You are the ones who are rebelling." Emperor Jing's eyes were wide open with veins bulging on his forehead, and he began to cough violently.