Golden Branch

"Zhou Jiming, you are so outrageous!"

Wang Heng raised her chin slightly, and her originally beautiful and sweet face instantly became arrogant and domineering.

She is five feet five inches tall, which is not short for a woman.

When compared to an adult man, it is still a little small.

But Wang Heng was full of aura, and she acted arrogantly.

A sneer flashed in Zhou Jiming's eyes: What, are you going to start using your power to bully others?

What a pity. After the missing persons case in the capital, I have established the image of being fearless and impartial.

Even a saint praised him as the "strong commander" of Dayu and promoted him to the position of Shaoqing of the Dali Temple.

Knowing that his justice and integrity were appreciated by the sage prince, Zhou Jiming became more determined in his thoughts.

Do not curry favor with others, do not form cliques, just be a loyal minister to the monarch, or even a lone minister.

So what if I am alone?

As long as a saint is trusted and respected, he can ascend to the pinnacle of power.

Perhaps, being a lone minister will make it easier for the saint to feel at ease and trust you.

Those in power hate the most those who are fence-sitters who can please both sides.

Having lived two lives and held a high position, Zhou Jiming naturally understood this mentality.

He will surely become a knife in the hands of the saint, clearing away everything for the saint while also gaining the sharpness and glory he deserves!

Even Princess Rong'an, who had raised the saint, was brought down by him, let alone Wang Jiu, a mere fake princess?

Lou Yu lost his power, and Wang Jiu tried to protect him with her identity as a princess, but it depends on whether he agrees to this "strong order"!

Today is a good day for Lou Yu, but Zhou Jiming wants to take Lou Yu away in front of all the guests on this auspicious day that should be celebrated!

During the days when he took over the Dali Temple, Zhou Jiming read the files day and night in order to find Lou Yu's fault.

It's no wonder that after working day and night for these days, he actually found a case worth discussing.

When Lou Yu handled the case, he stepped on the red line of "Yu Lu Shu Yi".

It is said to be a violation and is suspected.

It’s not wrong to say it’s legal!

It's just a little vague, which allows Zhou Jiming to "take advantage of the situation" to make some comments.

Zhou Jiming didn't really want to kill Lou Yu. It wasn't that he didn't want to, but this case wasn't enough to bring Lou Yu down.

He simply wanted to disgust this former prodigy.

Isn't he of noble birth and extremely talented?

Humph, I'll let you embarrass yourself for once.

After this incident, Lou Yu and Lou Hanzhang, the once god-like figures, will fall into the quagmire.

How can one still be cool and noble when one is tainted and becomes the talk of the town?!

Of course, before Zhou Jiming came, he had anticipated that if he wanted to take Lou Yu away, he would most likely be stopped by Princess Langya.

But so what?

No matter how noble Princess Langya is, can she compare to Princess Rong'an?

Besides, Princess Langya might not be so presumptuous.

Wang Heng has always been low-key and easy to talk to.

In front of others, she almost never lost her temper, and she was completely devoid of the willful and arrogant behavior of a royal daughter.

She was so gentle that others thought she was weak and easy to bully.

Zhou Jiming did not intend to bully Princess Langya. He was just certain that Princess Langya would not openly conflict with his "Strong Order" for the sake of a prince consort who had already fallen from power.

Of course, Wang Heng is a princess after all. Even if she would not risk her life to protect Lou Yu, she would still put on a show of strength to save face.

For example, at this moment, Wang Heng shouted "How dare you!" in a rather cowardly manner!

presumptuous?

I'm sorry, I'm really going to be presumptuous for once!

"Don't dare!"

Although he was tough inside, Zhou Jiming still acted respectful. He bowed and apologized: "Princess, please understand. I dare not be rude in front of you!"

"It is simply my duty. I am following Your Majesty's will and handling the case according to the law. I beg Your Majesty to understand and refrain from interfering."

Wang Heng sneered, "Who said I was going to stop you from investigating?"

"I told you you were being presumptuous. You were defying the royal family! What? Have you never learned etiquette? Don't you understand the rules of the dynasty?"

"Is this how you treat the princess when you see her?"

Wang Heng is not the kind of person who gets angry without thinking. If she gets angry, she must have caught someone's handle.

For example, when Zhou Jiming saw her just now, he did bow, but it was not standard and not respectful.

This is the biggest difference between Zhou Jiming and Lou Yu.

No matter how arrogant Lou Yu was in his heart, his words and deeds always followed the rules and no one would find fault with him in the slightest.

He was even able to exude respect and kindness from the inside out.

Zhou Jiming was feeling very proud and felt a little proud.

He seems polite on the surface, but in fact he is disrespectful.

Wang Heng, who comes from a noble family and acts cautiously, is best at capturing these small details.

Zhou Jiming had a lot of minor ailments, and Wang Heng was able to pinpoint each one accurately.

There is no need to let go of the past.

And today——

"Come here, tell Zhou Shaoqing how to greet the princess!"

Wang Heng didn't even look at Zhou Jiming, whose expression suddenly changed. She just gave the order in a cold voice.

brush!

A slender figure suddenly appeared in front of Zhou Jiming.

Zhou Jiming didn't even have time to react before he felt as if a mountain was pressing down on his shoulders.

Zhou Jiming couldn't bear the pressure of such a huge force, and his straight back bent down in an instant.

Immediately afterwards, the figure raised his hands again and firmly grasped Zhou Jiming's two wrists.

Zhou Jiming instinctively wanted to struggle, but his wrist seemed to be clamped by an iron clamp and he couldn't get free at all.

A'man, the female guard who was born with supernatural powers, controlled Zhou Jiming firmly with just one hand.

Her other hand was still pressing on Zhou Jiming's back.

Zhou Jiming put his hands together, clasped his fists, and bowed deeply.

The whole person's "saluting" action is extremely standard and extremely "humble"!

Zhou Jiming finally reacted, his face flushed red, he was so angry!

He was filled with shame and anger, and he wished he could kill Wang Jiu.

But now he couldn't move at all.

A six-foot-tall man was pinned down by a lowly maid.

Shame!

What a shame!

But Zhou Jiming couldn't do anything——

Just now, when he saluted Wang Jiu, oh no, when he saluted Princess Langya, he was indeed not respectful enough.

The etiquette is not standard and the attitude is not humble.

Being caught in the act by Princess Langya, and with the powerful people in the capital around as witnesses, Zhou Jiming could not even try to argue.

He admits defeat!

"Hmm! Now that's a proper greeting!"

"Zhou Shaoqing, this princess knows that you are very good at solving cases, but as an official of Dayu, you still need to know the basic etiquette!"

"Offending Princess Langya is nothing, but being so disrespectful in front of His Royal Highness the Crown Prince, or even the Emperor, would be disgraceful!"

At the end of her speech, Wang Heng actually hinted at the meaning of "I'm doing this for your own good."

Zhou Jiming felt so aggrieved.

He was humiliated, but still had to thank this domineering princess. He felt extremely angry.

But he has to do this!

"Your Majesty, I thank you for your advice."

"You're welcome. As the 'Strong Commander' of Dayu, Mr. Zhou's abilities and character are greatly admired by this princess!"

"Zhou Shaoqing has always been ruthless and impartial. He treats others in this way, and he must be the same to himself!"

"This princess has little education and is not familiar with the laws of Dayu. I would like to ask Mr. Zhou, according to the laws of Dayu, what is the crime of disrespecting the royal family? What is the punishment?"

Wang Heng opened her eyes, which were clearly black and white, and lied without a guilty conscience.

Little education? No knowledge of law?

Haha, she is the favorite disciple of Mr. Shen and the founder of Lishan Academy.

She also has a husband who participated in the revision of "Yu Lu Shu Yi". Even if she was influenced by him, she would not be "unfamiliar with the law"!

But that's what she said, and others could only listen to her.

Especially Zhou Jiming, he broke out in a cold sweat.

The crime of disrespecting the royal family can be serious or minor.

If it is strictly considered, it is a great disrespect and a serious crime punishable by beheading and confiscation of property.

Of course, that is for the prince and the saint.

For princesses and other noble ladies, the most they would be punished with is kneeling, caning or whipping.

However, even these punishments were a great humiliation for a Dali Temple Shaoqing who had just come to power.

But as the "king", Princess Langya has already asked, and if Zhou Jiming keeps silent, it would be a disrespect to the royal family.

Zhou Jiming closed his eyes tightly and said in a hoarse voice, "Reporting to the princess, disrespecting the royal family will result in twenty lashes at the least and exile at the worst!"

Wang Heng nodded in satisfaction, still trying to tease him, "As expected of Zhou Shaoqing, you're well-versed in Dayu law. If that's the case, then twenty lashes will do!"