The princess regretted it.

Changsun Hongze was silent for a long time, then slowly raised his head. His gaze, cold as ice, stared intently at the kneeling figures. He spoke in a deep voice, word by word, "I hereby order that Ma Zhengke, Minister of the Imperial Household, Qian Sizhe, Vice Minister of the Ministry of Revenue, Tu Zhenrong, Chief Censor, and Qu Zhongxian, Chief Justice, be suspended from their posts for investigation and fined for one year's salary. The four offenders will each be given fifty lashes of the cane and temporarily detained in the Dali Temple. Further action will be taken once the Dali Temple has ascertained the truth. They will also be held responsible for compensating for any damage to the restaurant."

Upon hearing this, the Imperial Household Minister and the others were trembling in their hearts, and they quickly kowtowed to thank the Emperor for not killing him. The sound of his forehead hitting the ground was particularly clear in the silent hall.

"Grand Justice of the Supreme Court, please come forward and receive my command!" Changsun Hongze's voice echoed again. Grand Justice of the Supreme Court, Wang Zhengxing, hurriedly knelt to receive the order, his expression tense and respectful. "Order Grand Justice of the Supreme Court, Wang Zhengxing, to promptly investigate all the questions raised by the Prime Minister. No mistakes!"

Wang Zhengxing, the Grand Court official, kowtowed in acceptance, beads of sweat forming on his forehead. He had a premonition that if he mishandled this matter, his career would be in jeopardy. Sure enough, the emperor's next words confirmed his premonition.

"Wang Zhengxing, you should know that if there had been no progress on your side, my Jin'an would not have been involved. If you can't even handle this matter well, your career as the Chief Justice of the Dali Temple will be over." After Changsun Hongze said this coldly, Lord Wang's face turned pale in an instant. He kowtowed again in a hurry, and said yes repeatedly.

Everyone was thinking that the next step would be to reward Marquis Jin Wu. After all, his son had done it for Princess Jin'an. Some of the court officials were quite upset that their actions had benefited the uncouth Marquis Jin Wu.

However, Changsun Hongze paused. He had originally intended to commend Wu Changfeng, but a sudden recollection of the Prime Minister's question to Marquis Jin Wu made him suspicious, for he knew the old emperor's father-in-law wouldn't speak without a purpose. From the tone of his words, it seemed as if Crown Prince Wu had acted on purpose. Emperors are naturally suspicious, and seeing Wu Anshuo's blatant expression of being beaten and wronged, the more he thought about it, the more suspicious he felt about both father and son.

He turned his gaze and looked at Marquis Jin Wu with a meaningful look, then asked solemnly: "Marquis Jin Wu, do you admit your guilt?"

Wu Anshuo was shocked when he heard this. He quickly stepped forward, knelt down and kowtowed, saying in fear, "I acknowledge my guilt!"

"Oh! Since you have admitted your guilt, then tell me what crime you have committed?" Changsun Hongze looked at Wu Anshuo meaningfully.

"Uh... Your Majesty... Your Majesty..." Marquis Jin Wu stuttered for a long time, unable to articulate a clear answer. The Prime Minister's question had disrupted their flow, and now, suddenly being called out by the Emperor, he himself was bewildered. Shouldn't he be rewarded? Why was he being punished? He was panicked and bewildered.

"It seems that you still don't know where you are wrong? Then let me tell you. Look at your appearance, your hair is disheveled and your clothes are untidy. Isn't this a disrespect for me in front of the palace?" Changsun Hongze said slowly, his tone was not heavy, but full of majesty.

Upon hearing this, Wu Anshuo was so frightened that he quickly kowtowed and confessed his guilt. He was deeply upset. He had not properly dressed himself, just wanting His Majesty to see him being brutally assaulted by the Minister of the Imperial Household and his men. He was beaten because his son stood up for Princess Jin'an, thinking this would be a bargaining chip for more rewards, but it had the opposite effect.

The saying "too clever by half" applies to people like him. He didn't even think about how the emperor could be unaware of his intentions and must have seen through him long ago.

"As for your son's incident this time, although his original intention was to maintain the prestige of the royal family, this method was inappropriate. Considering his original intention was good, I can let him go without holding him accountable for the brawl in the street. Then the merits and demerits will be offset, and there will be no reward or punishment. As for you - considering that you did not do it unintentionally, I will deduct your salary for three months as a warning. Are you convinced?" Changsun Hongze continued to speak slowly.

Even if Wu Anshuo was still feeling dissatisfied, he couldn't show it at this moment. He could only kowtow again and said, "Thank you, Your Majesty, for your grace! Your Majesty is wise!"

After Changsun Hongze finished speaking, he stood up. Eunuch Fuquan hurriedly shouted, "Withdraw!" and then followed Changsun Hongze out of the Golden Palace. The others knelt and chanted, "Long live the emperor!"

All the court officials rose and left the throne room one after another. The Minister of the Imperial Household and others also struggled to rise, ignoring the aching and numb knees as they supported each other and limped away. They were all anxious to get home, almost unable to return. They had to return and properly discipline the rest of their families. As for their respective "good sons" still in the Dali Temple, they would let them suffer in there.

As the court officials gradually left the Golden Throne Hall, the tense atmosphere within gradually dissipated. Outside the Golden Throne Hall, sunlight shone on the white marble steps, but it could not dispel the gloom in Wu Anshuo's heart.

Wu Anshuo slowly stood up, his face gloomy. Watching the Prime Minister leave, he felt a surge of resentment. If it weren't for the old man's gossip, this incident would have brought honors to his son and himself, but instead, it resulted in a salary deduction. He also secretly regretted his own misstep, not wanting to act so unbecomingly in front of the palace. It seemed he would have to conspire with the Third Prince.

Wang Zhengxing, the Grand Court Justice, was filled with worry. He pondered his next line of investigation as he walked, thinking to himself that the constant stream of incidents and the emperor's edicts were putting him under immense pressure. He had to get to the bottom of everything as quickly as possible, or his career would be in jeopardy.

Of course, there are still some people involved in this farce who have been carefully watching all the developments in secret without making a sound.

Although the turmoil in the Golden Palace has temporarily subsided, it has spread to other places.

.......