Shipin Dalizheng

The news that Prince Rui injured himself last night while trying to avoid a little child spread throughout the capital overnight. However, it was said that Prince Rui had suffered a concussion and needed to rest, so he would not see anyone.

Naturally, I didn't see Jin Shizhao either.

Last night he waited until the flowers had wilted, and Prince Rui and his entourage returned to the palace. Unexpectedly, he was pushed aside before he could even get close, and then locked outside.

Back at the Minister's Mansion, Yang complained, Jin Xiangxiang cried, Jin Yaoyang talked nonsense, the old lady had a nightmare, and the servants from each courtyard took turns calling him to deal with it.

After a sleepless night, he got up before dawn and rushed to Prince Rui's mansion, but was turned away again. He was filled with anger and grievances but had no place to vent. Seeing that the time for court was approaching, he had to go first.

As soon as he left, Rong Quan arrived, took two wooden crutches from the carriage, and knocked on the gate of the palace.

"This was specially made for the prince by my son-in-law. The prince sprained his ankle, and this is just the right thing to use. I also wish the prince a speedy recovery. I won't bother you anymore."

Prince Rui's steward didn't know what to do with these two strange things. They didn't seem to be auspicious things. Besides, his prince had broken his head. Couldn't he just give him some supplements?

As soon as Rong Quan left, visitors from other mansions came to visit him. The housekeeper and the chief secretary accepted the gifts, but rejected the requests to meet the prince.

Today's court was a little special. The censor, who rarely praised others, started to praise others. He emphasized what King Rui did last night, saying that he had noble character, was approachable despite being in a high position, and cared about the safety of the people as if they were his own.

After praising Prince Rui, he changed his tone and criticized some high-ranking officials in the court for their decadent private lives, corrupt family traditions, and chaotic atmosphere, which were disgraceful to society.

He almost mentioned Jin Shizhao's name, and Jin Shizhao blushed and felt ashamed and angry. But since he didn't mention him by name, he was too embarrassed to step out and refute him.

Who knew this was not the end yet? The censor who spoke in the court was always gentle, to the point and to the point, leaving people with some face. But the next one was not so humane.

"Why didn't Censor Zhao mention the name? Everyone in the court knows this is the Minister of Rites, Jin Shizhao. If you didn't mention it, he would think you were talking about someone else."

Jin Shizhao's eyes narrowed, and he felt something was wrong.

As expected, the man stepped out, holding a tablet in hand, and recounted every rumor that had been circulating in the past few days in the main hall. He concluded by saying, "Your Majesty, an official and his family with such a reputation have brought disgrace upon the court. How can they be considered officials? I urge Your Majesty to thoroughly investigate this matter. If it is true, Lord Jin should be dismissed and imprisoned. If it is false, Lord Jin should be cleared of all charges."

Jin Shizhao's face turned red. He didn't expect that after just one day without seeing Prince Rui, he would be considered to have lost his value and started to be attacked.

"Prince Liu, please stop slandering me. How can you tarnish my reputation over such a baseless rumor?"

Censor Liu looked at him coldly, "Master Jin, why don't you explain? Was that all just talk? Did you favor your concubine over your wife, or did you repeatedly try to kill your legitimate son? Was it true that you had an affair with your cousin before your marriage? Was it true that you allowed your illegitimate son to hunt down your legitimate son?"

Jin Shizhao denied any of these crimes. Every time he was asked about one, he gritted his teeth and denied it, refusing to admit it.

At the same time, he glanced at Prince Rui's party, hoping that someone would stand up and defend him, even if it meant diverting the topic.

Censor Liu sneered, "Master Jin, just deny it until your death. That day, when Madam Rong was buried, your concubine Yang said it herself. She and you were before Madam Rong. If you two weren't engaged, it would be an affair. If you were engaged, it would be a divorce. Madam Rong is the daughter of the Earl of Jian'an, and her dowry was generous. She should have been in charge of it herself, but why is it that your concubine is in control now? Jin Yaoyang openly chased and killed Madam Rong's legitimate son in the street, and many people witnessed it. Are you going to deny it too?"

Jin Shizhao waited for no one to support him, his heart trembling, but he refused to back down. "Lord Liu, the affairs of my backyard are all family matters. My wife never raised any objections to this when she was alive, so there is nothing wrong with it. As for my concubine handling the estate of the Earl's Mansion, it was because my wife was seriously ill and unable to manage it, so she asked me to help. As for my son killing someone in the street, it is even more ridiculous. Now my son is seriously injured and incurable, and dozens of servants in the mansion have been beaten and maimed. It is still unclear who killed whom. The Jingzhao Prefecture hasn't even closed the case yet, and Lord Liu has already convicted my son?"

"Master Jin's eloquence is truly admirable. With just one sentence about family matters, he managed to cover up all the ugliness. But when family matters become so ugly that they are despised by the whole world, that's another matter altogether."

Jin Shizhao's face was grieved. The Yue people valued filial piety and propriety, and his family affairs had many flaws that were truly questionable. A closer look would have been inconsiderate. But then, in the entire capital, and indeed, among all the aristocratic families of officials across the country, whose bottoms were clean? Weren't they all good on the outside, but full of filth on the inside? They just kept it under wraps so no one could see. So, who cared about them?

Looking at Emperor Xuanning on the throne, he looked like he was asleep, with his eyes squinted, motionless, neither speaking nor expressing any opinions.

Suddenly he felt confident again. His Majesty did not reprimand him. It seemed that he still favored his own family.

This also indirectly proves that Your Majesty prefers Prince Rui to be the crown prince.

"Your Majesty," he said, bowing boldly, "Your Majesty personally promised my son Yaoyang the title of nobility half a month ago. Now that Rong's funeral is over, please issue a decree to grant my son the title."

Before he finished speaking, several eyes were directed at him, all looking at him as if he was a fool.

Wei Shangshu of the Ministry of Rites sighed inwardly, thinking that this idiot was blinded by greed and had violated the emperor's taboo.

No matter how humble his tone was, asking His Majesty to fulfill his promise was already an act of forcing the king. Anyone in the court, civil or military, could say this for him, except himself.

Originally, he was still hesitating whether to mention this oral order and remind His Majesty that he had promised this matter and that a king’s words should not be taken lightly. In this way, Jin Shizhao still had a chance of winning the title.

Now, there is definitely no hope.

Sure enough, an official spoke up to refute it. It was Lord Duan, the Left Vice Minister of the Ministry of Justice.

"Master Jin, Jin Yaoyang is still under investigation. If he is convicted, he will face imprisonment or exile. Is it appropriate to promote him to a higher rank at this time?"

Someone from the Ministry of Personnel also spoke up. "Since Lord Jin mentioned the Emperor's oral instructions, let's review them. The situation on that day was that Madam Rong had died, leaving no surviving bloodline. The Rong family had no suitable successor, which gave Lord Jin the opportunity to promote his own illegitimate son. However, the prerequisites for this succession are: first, adoption, second, a change of surname, and third, being the adopted son to watch over Madam Rong's body and burial. Lord Jin, how many of these three conditions have you fulfilled? Many officials from the court were present at Madam Rong's burial. Could you please come forward and explain in detail what transpired?"