The princess regretted it.

"You don't have to worry about this! They will believe it. You are in charge of all affairs of the Zhang Mansion. You naturally know how many connections there are in the mansion, and it is you who have dealings with these people. And which of these things was not arranged by you? Huh? You should know that I am giving you a chance to compensate you for your years of hard work in the mansion. Otherwise, do you think that I will let you bear all the consequences? What good ending will there be for you and your family?" Zhang Chengde bent down and spoke in a low voice, with threats and oppression in his tone.

Hearing this, Steward He's body trembled uncontrollably. He knew the master's methods well and understood that he had no way out. He gritted his teeth and said with difficulty, "I understand. I will do as the master commands."

"Okay! Then you only need to explain to the Dali Temple that you have always been resentful of Miss Lin for having your son beaten, so you secretly arranged for Qi Kui to do this. It has nothing to do with the Zhang family. After learning that Qi Kui was arrested, you were afraid of being discovered, so you made arrangements privately. And all this was done by you behind the back of the master, and the Zhang family was not aware of it." Zhang Chengde's face was stern and his tone was unquestionable.

Manager He's face turned pale. He knew what would happen if he did this. But now that things had come to this, he had no choice. The master had made it clear that if he could buy his grandson a better future and earn a place for the He family, he felt it was worth it.

Zhang Chengde nodded slightly. "Don't worry, as long as you do as I say, I will take care of your family. Your grandson will also be freed from slavery as I said, and will have the opportunity to take the imperial examination in the future."

Although Steward He understood, he still felt helpless and unwilling. Now he could only kowtow with tears in his eyes and said: "This old servant thanks you, Master. I want to..."

Zhang Chengde understood what he meant and wanted to go and explain himself to his family. He thought about it for a moment, then nodded slightly. "Well, go ahead! But you should know what to say and what not to say, right?"

"I know!" Steward He kowtowed, stood up, and walked out the door with heavy steps. His heart was filled with despair and helplessness, but for the sake of his family, he had no choice but to sacrifice himself.

Zhang Hengrui watched Manager He's retreating figure, a mixture of emotions. He slowly turned to look at his father, only to see Zhang Chengde's face as calm as water, without a trace of emotion, as if those cold and heartless words hadn't just come from him. Zhang Hengrui's heart trembled, and he suddenly realized the huge gap between him and his father. In such a critical situation, his father had remained so calm and decisive, while he, instead, was overwhelmed by emotions, appearing flustered and immature.

Zhang Chengde lowered his head and adjusted his clothes, his movements graceful and composed. He turned to look at Zhang Hengrui, "First, send a message to Xinrou, telling her not to panic and not to plead for mercy if the emperor gets angry. Also, be prepared, as we may have to deal with the Dali Temple soon!" His voice was steady and powerful, as if reminding Zhang Hengrui that this crisis was far from over.

Zhang Hengrui took a deep breath and nodded slowly, but he couldn't help but ponder in his heart. He wondered if Wang Zhengxing had already reported this to the emperor, and if the emperor would believe him. If the emperor did believe him, could the Zhang family safely deal with this crisis?

The Lord Wang Zhengxing, whom he was talking about, was still outside the Imperial Study within the palace. He had arrived later than Minister Lin and was waiting outside. There was a commotion inside. The Emperor's roar could be heard faintly, like thunder, interspersed with the crisp sound of objects crashing to the ground. The roar seemed to carry an immense majesty and rage, terrifying the heart.

Lord Wang secretly counted the number of times he had cursed. The Emperor had been cursing more often than before. He wondered what the Emperor was doing today. After a while, Lord Wang heard no more noises from inside, but no one had come out. Seeing that time was almost up, he bravely stepped forward and asked the eunuch outside to help him go in and announce something.

The eunuch pushed the door open and went in, then came out soon. "Sir Wang, His Majesty summons you." He then made a gesture of invitation.

Lord Wang straightened his clothes, took a deep breath, suppressed the tension in his heart, and walked steadily into the imperial study.

Entering the imperial study, they found Minister Lin still kneeling on the ground. Since he was prone, they couldn't see if his face was in disarray. There was nothing on the ground, so they assumed the eunuchs had already cleared it. Changsun Hongze's face still showed signs of anger. Lord Wang stepped forward, standing ten steps from the desk. He lifted his robe and knelt, "Your Majesty, your servant, Wang Zhengxing, pays respects."

Changsun Hongze's sharp gaze fell on the top of his head, "Stand up and tell me! What's the matter with you coming here at this time?" There was a hint of anger in his voice, but this voice did not scare Lord Wang. Instead, Minister Lin, who was still kneeling on the ground, could not help but twitch his body.

"Your Majesty, the Dali Temple has captured the coachman who hit Miss Lin today based on clues. I have conducted a preliminary interrogation on him, but the coachman has not pleaded guilty yet." Lord Wang said respectfully.

A loud "bang" interrupted Lord Wang's report. Something came hurtling down from above, and Lord Wang's face paled with fear. He quickly lowered his head, his body tense, not daring to breathe. He couldn't help but panic, wondering why the Emperor had suddenly become so angry.

"What? Are you all here to piss me off?" Changsun Hongze's voice was so cold that the air in the entire imperial study seemed to be frozen.

"Your Majesty, calm down!" Lord Wang said hurriedly. "Although the thief has not confessed, he did say before he was arrested that he was instructed by someone."

"How dare you!" Zhang Sun Hongze shouted angrily, like thunder. "Are you going to say it's my Jin'an again? I think you are simply..."

"Your Majesty, calm down! You misunderstood. The thief wasn't referring to Princess Jin'an." Upon hearing this, Lord Wang understood the reason for the Emperor's anger. It seemed Minister Lin had been foolish again, going before the Emperor to implicate Princess Jin'an. This was truly detrimental. He silently cursed Lin Song in his heart, but quickly interrupted the Emperor. He was terrified that the Emperor, in a fit of rage, would take his life.

"Not Jin'an? Then tell me, who is it?" Changsun Hongze's anger did not diminish at all, instead he asked with gritted teeth.

Lord Wang silently lit a stick of incense for the Zhang family. He pondered for a moment and then replied respectfully, "He said he was from the Grand Tutor's Mansion."

As soon as Lord Wang finished speaking, the atmosphere in the imperial study froze.