Prince! The political conspiracy is not a play, the show is real

Chu Huanjun almost spit out the wine in his mouth that he had not yet swallowed.

He pondered briefly in his mind and quickly replied, "Father, don't you understand me yet? Is the wine in Chunfeng Tower not good enough, or are the flowers in this world not beautiful enough? I haven't had enough fun yet, so I'm not in a hurry to get married."

The emperor raised his hand and slapped him on the forehead, saying sternly, "Nonsense! Although you are still young, you are not young anymore. Look at your cousins ​​who are the same age as you. Which one of them doesn't have a wife and children?"

Chu Huanjun slowly loosened his hand from the emperor's arm, still smiling, but his voice suddenly became tinged with a hint of sadness: "Father, I don't want to get married because I miss my mother."

The air suddenly stagnated. The emperor sighed deeply, patted Chu Huanjun's shoulder again, and said in a tone that was both comforting and resentful, "Look at you, bringing it up again! Okay, have fun drinking today, and don't dwell on those trivial things."

The two of them climbed up the stairs and reached a rocky mountain that was neither too high nor too low.

Chu Huanjun often played here when he was a child, but after that incident, he rarely came here. I wonder if the emperor is the same.

Father and son stood before the rockery pavilion, looking down at the winding staircase, overgrown with weeds and moss from neglect. A unique wildflower grew tenaciously between the stone steps, swaying in the breeze and spreading its delicate fragrance.

Chu Huanjun pointed at the flowers and said with a faint smile, "Jade Liquid Grass!"

The emperor also looked at the white flowers swaying in the wind and smiled slowly, with a hint of bitterness in his smile: "Xiao Chu still remembers... this name."

"Ah."

Chu Huanjun squatted down, gently picked up a flower that had been blown to the ground by the wind, and carefully put it into his sleeve.

The past is gone with the wind. The old friend has been gone for many years, but the flower seeds she casually left behind are still blooming year after year.

The emperor could see what Chu Huanjun was thinking, and a trace of guilt crossed his flushed face. He was also feeling distressed, so he grabbed the glass cup and drank deeply.

Chu Huanjun snatched the glass cup from his hand, poured a few drops into his mouth, and said with a smile: "Didn't the emperor say that I should drink it slowly and sparingly?"

The emperor raised his sleeve and swiped his lips a few times, cursing, "It's all your fault! I told you not to dwell on those nonsense."

"Okay, okay, I don't want to think about it anymore. I'm just going to have fun drinking today."

Chu Huanjun stuffed the glass wine cup back into the emperor's arms and picked up the teapot to pour tea.

While the father and son were talking, Song Zhishou had already been waiting outside the pavilion without anyone noticing.

The emperor noticed someone behind him and turned around suddenly. He was startled by Song Zhishou who was standing quietly and motionless.

"Oh! Zhishou, Zhishou! Are you obsessed with raising cats? You walk like a cat, making no sound... My heart and lungs are fragile, and I can't stand you scaring me like this."

The emperor pointed at Song Zhishou's nose and cursed him, while patting his chest to calm himself down.

Chu Huanjun then joined the emperor in cursing, "Song Zhishou, what's wrong? You didn't even inform me beforehand about your arrival, and you scared my father so much."

Chu Huanjun turned his head and secretly winked at Song Zhishou.

Song Zhishou immediately prostrated himself, offering a profound salute. "Your Majesty, please forgive me! I've come to report something important, concerning the case of Jiangnan merchant Zhou Yan... It's a matter of great importance, so I've hurried to report it. I'm sorry to have disturbed the peace of Your Majesty and His Royal Highness Prince Yi..."

The emperor's expression gradually grew serious. He flicked his sleeves and said, "Alright, alright, you stand up and talk first."

Song Zhishou responded, bowed respectfully, and then slowly stood up.

After Chu Huanjun placed the tea he had just poured on the small stone table, he tactfully stepped aside, leaned on the beauty's backrest, fanned himself, and watched the falling flowers and flowing water outside the pavilion.

"Father, you two chat."

He gave a lazy smile and yawned deeply.

The emperor frowned, shook his head, and sighed, saying to Song Zhishou, "Zhishou, don't worry about him. Xiaochu has never cared about these things, nor is he willing to share the worries of an old father like me." As he spoke, he patted the stone bench beside him, motioning Song Zhishou to sit down and drink tea together. "Zhishou, sit down wherever you want. This is not the court, so don't worry about those monarchs and ministers."

Song Zhishou sat down as ordered, took out a wooden box from his arms and placed it on the table.

Over the course of three cups of tea, Song Zhishou unraveled the entire story of Zhou Yan and Zuo Di's secret collusion. He opened the wooden box on the table, took out the thick stack of bills and letters, and presented it to the emperor.

"These are the bills for the money transactions between Zuo Di and Zhou Yan at Tonghui Bank over the years. Your Majesty, please examine them."

The emperor took the bill, flipped it open and glanced at it. His face became increasingly worried, and the ridge between his brows became higher and higher.

"Zhi Shou, this is a coincidence. Zuo Tang also gave me a copy of the bills you found, and his account is exactly the same as yours."

"Tell me, should I believe you or Zuo Tang?"

The emperor's words were like a bolt from the blue, completely devastating Song Zhishou and Chu Huanjun.

Zuo Tang and Zuo Di are brothers. After passing the imperial examinations in the same year, they both started as minor officials. Until now, Zuo Tang has become the prime minister, second only to the emperor, and Zuo Di has also been promoted to the position of Minister of Revenue.

Over the years, the emperor had personally watched these two brothers grow up. The emperor's trust and respect for Zuo Tang and Zuo Di were well known to everyone in the court.

Song Zhishou was just a new official, so naturally his status in the emperor's heart could not compare to Zuo Tang's.

Song Zhishou quickly stepped down from the stone bench, prostrating himself on the ground, and pleaded with the emperor, "Your Majesty, please understand! Every word I say is true, and I dare not lie in the least."

The emperor's face was filled with more worry, and he gradually revealed a solemn and murderous aura: "Zhi Shou, Zhi Shou, I know that you have always been able to distinguish right from wrong, so I am confident in letting you investigate the many cases in the city.

The Zhou Yan case is like a glacier in a cold land: calm on the surface, yet turbulent undercurrents surge beneath the surface. If it weren't for the unexpected death of Zhou Yan, the merchant, which revealed a crack in the glacier, no one would have delved deeper into the waters, let alone captured this sea worm, Zuo Shangshu.

"Over the years, I have always regarded Minister Zuo as a good official with clean hands. I never expected him to be so greedy and bribe-seeking in private, colluding with the city foxes and the community rats to bully and dominate the market..."

The emperor frowned, took a sip of tea, and couldn't help shaking his head and sighing.

"They are a group of wolves who are cruel and treacherous, harboring evil and treachery! Zuo Di has no self-respect. It's a shame that I have appreciated and rewarded him for so many years... Zhishou, tell me, am I blind and appointing people without merit?"

The emperor slammed the teacup in his hand heavily on the stone table, shocking Song Zhishou so much that he trembled all over and almost scared half of his soul out of his body.

The emperor's words were full of meaning. Song Zhishou knew that any answer he gave would be wrong, so he said nothing and buried his head even lower.

Chu Huanjun had been observing everything from the sidelines. Seeing that things were getting bad, he quickly stood up and came over to mediate: "Father, although I don't understand the principles you're talking about, such as treachery and virtue, I do know an old saying: No one is perfect.

Your Majesty, although you are very perceptive, you are still very busy and inevitably make mistakes. This Zuo Di is cunning and treacherous, and it is normal for you, Your Majesty, to not be able to guess his intentions...

Father, you only have one pair of eyes, but the civil and military officials in the court have countless pairs of eyes, and they are very sharp - isn't this what Song Zhishou is doing now? "

Chu Huanjun winked at Song Zhishou, signaling him to quickly find a way down.

Song Zhishou understood, and he lowered his prostration even lower, more sincerely, and said with tears of gratitude, "Your Majesty, Zuo Di abused his power for personal gain, secretly colluding with Zhou Yan to oppress the people. The people of Jiangnan have suffered from this for a long time. This move will capture Zuo Di, severely investigate his crimes, and punish him according to the law. This will serve as a warning to the officials in the court, and will also appease the people and stabilize their lives..."

The emperor sighed deeply for a long moment, then said in a deep voice, "I understand. Zhishou, come with me."