The princess regretted it.

The next day, outside the Golden Throne Hall, ministers, dressed in court robes embroidered with various crests, held tablets in their hands, standing leisurely in pairs or groups of three. The morning court had not yet arrived, and the officials exchanged greetings and discussed topics of mutual interest. The atmosphere was somewhat harmonious. Unfortunately, this harmony was short-lived.

Suddenly, a quarrel erupted, and the court officials turned to look at the source of the commotion. Three or four ministers surrounded Marquis Jin Wu, seemingly accusing him of something, and the exchange escalated into a shoving match. The other ministers nearby were all shocked. Such a commotion in front of the throne room! What could have happened?!

The commotion was quite a commotion, startling the nearby imperial guards and eunuchs, who were about to step forward to intervene. Just then, the golden bell rang, clear and solemn. The other ministers, snapping to attention, hurriedly straightened their attire, holding their tablets, and marched in unison into the Golden Throne Hall. The noisy ministers also released Jin Wuhou, hurriedly straightened their appearance, and followed him into the Golden Throne Hall. Jin Wuhou, however, merely adjusted himself casually and followed closely behind.

The emperor's eldest grandson, Hongze, was now steadily ascending the magnificent dragon throne, surrounded by a group of eunuchs. When the emperor sat down, all the officials knelt and kowtowed, chanting, "Long live the emperor!"

"Stand up!" Changsun Hongze's voice, carrying the majesty of an emperor, sounded in a deep voice.

The ministers stood up and lined up on either side. The ministers who had previously argued with Jin Wuhou looked indignant, their eyes occasionally glancing at him. Jin Wuhou, on the other hand, stood there with a stern expression. If you ignored the few strands of hair on his temples and the wrinkles in his court robes, it seemed as if the previous argument had not affected him at all.

The emperor's eldest grandson, Hongze, frowned slightly and said in a deep voice, "How can you make such a commotion in front of the palace? What's going on?"

At this time, the Minister of the Imperial Household stepped out of the queue, took a step forward, bowed and said: "Your Majesty, we have reasons to accuse Marquis Jin Wu. Marquis Jin Wu allowed his son to hurt people in the street for no reason, but refused to admit his mistake. He is really too arrogant! Your Majesty, please make a decision for us." Several other court officials also echoed.

However, Marquis Jin Wu remained calm and stood there, sneering inwardly: "Go ahead and make a scene! You don't even know what your own people have done. Just keep making a scene like this. Let's see how it ends." Seeing Marquis Jin Wu's indifference, the court officials were filled with even more resentment.

At this time, Changsun Hongze turned his gaze to Jin Wuhou and asked solemnly, "Jin Wuhou, is this true?"

Marquis Jin Wu stepped forward calmly, bowed and saluted, and replied calmly: "Your Majesty, my son did hurt someone, but it was definitely not without reason."

"Oh!? Then tell me why?" Changsun Hongze looked at Jin Wuhou calmly and asked in a deep voice.

"Yes, Your Majesty. It was because those people were slandering the royal family in the downtown area, and their words were extremely disrespectful. My son happened to hear it, and he shouted to stop them, but was laughed at by those people instead, so he started fighting." Marquis Jin Wu replied slowly.

The Imperial Household Department officials were instantly enraged, slamming him, "Marquis Jinwu, you're slandering us with your bloody words and spouting nonsense." They then knelt before Changsun Hongze, shouting, "Your Majesty, this is unjust! This son of Marquis Jinwu, relying on his own title, is arrogant and has severely injured my family. To accuse him of such a serious crime is truly excessive. Your Majesty, please help us!"

Marquis Jin Wu snorted coldly and said, "Unjust? It seems that none of you gentlemen have ever asked your children what they said in the restaurant. Otherwise, how could they be so bold as to make such a scene before His Majesty?"

The Imperial Household Department officials all felt a pang of fear. They lowered their heads and glanced at each other, only to find that they all looked clueless. They were also secretly anxious. They knew their children's personalities well: they loved to get together for fun, eating, drinking, and sometimes, after a few drinks, they would say some nonsense. But they had never heard them talk about the affairs of the imperial family, so they still had some sense of propriety. But now, seeing that Marquis Jin Wu was not lying, it seemed as if he was lying.

At this thought, they all tensed up, cold sweat breaking out on their backs. But they didn't dare admit it. They were just fighting each other, so each had their own reasons. They exchanged glances and fell to the ground, crying out for justice.

The court was in chaos. Changsun Hongze quietly watched the farce below the stage and shouted coldly, "Enough!" The entire Golden Palace suddenly fell silent.

Changsun Hongze glanced solemnly at everyone in the hall, then said, "Prime Minister, what are your thoughts on this matter?"

Prime Minister Mu was dressed in a dark purple court robe embroidered with delicate auspicious cloud patterns in gold thread. He wore a black jade belt around his waist, inlaid with several warm jade stones, which made him look more solemn.

His graying hair was meticulously combed and neatly tied into a jade crown. His face was marked by the marks of time, deeply wrinkled yet majestic. His eyebrows, though gray, were still thick and well-shaped, rising slightly. His eyes were deep and bright, with a glint of wisdom and the calmness of a man who had experienced many hardships. His nose was high, and his lips, when pressed tightly together, had a firm line.

Prime Minister Mu slowly took a step forward, bowed, and said slowly, "Your Majesty, this is not a difficult matter. Since it happened in the street, there must have been many witnesses. We only need to find those who were there and question them, and we will know the truth."

Prime Minister Mu spoke calmly and forcefully, his words like a hammer hitting the kneeling Imperial Household Minister and his companions, leaving them feeling even more uncertain. However, Marquis Jin Wu was secretly pleased. "This is all as Third Prince expected. The Emperor will indeed question the Prime Minister, and the Prime Minister, with his unyielding character, will undoubtedly ask for witnesses to ensure justice."

Just as Changsun Hongze was about to call for help, Marquis Jin Wu appeared at the right moment, bowed, and said, "Your Majesty, as soon as I learned of this matter, I reported it to the Dali Temple. The Dali Temple immediately located several civilians who witnessed the entire incident, and they are now waiting outside the palace."

The faces of the Minister of the Imperial Household and others turned extremely ugly. They never expected that Marquis Jin Wu actually prepared a witness.

Upon hearing this, Changsun Hongze turned around and glanced at Eunuch Fuquan. Eunuch Fuquan understood and stepped back to notify people to go to the palace gate to bring the person up.

After a while, several people walked into the hall trembling with fear and knelt down to pay their respects.

"Tell us what you saw and heard at that time truthfully." Changsun Hongze ordered.

The common people were meeting the emperor for the first time, and for a moment no one dared to speak, their hearts filled with fear. This was understandable, as they had heard too many storytellers say that serving the emperor was like serving a tiger. Now, facing the tiger, how could they not be afraid?

In reality, they didn't know they weren't the only ones panicking in the hall. Those kneeling officials like the Imperial Household Department, unable to stand up, were now not only panicking, but their calves were cramping. At that moment, they had only one wish: that things weren't what that old scoundrel, Marquis Jin Wu, had said.

Unfortunately, things often go against our wishes.