Golden Branch

The Crown Princess was not the Queen, nor was she an elder, so her death was not considered a national mourning.

After the funeral, the coffin was stored away and the Eastern Palace removed the white silk.

Only the Crown Prince, the concubines of the Eastern Palace, and a group of children were still mourning for the Crown Princess.

However, the prince only had to mourn for three months.

This is what the prince fought hard for -

There is a difference in status between the emperor and his subjects.

In ancient times, a wife was already shorter than her husband, not to mention the prince who was the heir to the throne.

The two levels of elders, such as the retired emperor, the retired empress, the saint, and the empress, are still alive, and the prince cannot wear mourning for others.

However, the Crown Princess died to save the Crown Prince. For this favor, the Saint and the Queen turned a blind eye to the Crown Prince's "willfulness".

But this indulgence only lasts for three months.

When the three months were up, the prince not only had to stop mourning, but also prepared to marry a new bride.

The successor Crown Princess was Lu's cousin from the next room.

Little Lu is only fourteen years old this year, more than twenty years younger than the prince.

But he is the most suitable candidate:

First, she is a daughter of the Lu family, and is a candidate that both the Lu family and the Lu family are satisfied with.

Secondly, she was young, and even if she entered the Eastern Palace, she could not consummate the marriage.

It would take at least two years, and at the latest three to five years, for her to give birth to the prince's child.

And these few years are enough for Xiao Dalang to grow up.

By then, even if Xiao Lu gave birth to a son, it would be more than ten years late and she would not be able to compete with Xiao Dalang at all.

The Crown Prince knew that this was the Crown Princess's plan, but he was willing to indulge her.

They were his first wife, gave birth to his children, and saved his life. The Crown Princess's plan was for the sake of having a few children.

The Crown Princess is a loving mother, and isn’t the Crown Prince also a loving father?

He values ​​Xiao Dalang no less than the Crown Princess.

This is his eldest son whom he has carefully raised for ten years and is his designated heir.

Even though Xiao Dalang broke his leg, now that it has healed, he is still a little lame, and the prince has never thought of replacing Xiao Dalang.

He's not really lame. He walks normally and there's nothing unusual about him.

Only when you walk fast or get tired will you notice some difference.

This "difference" does not affect Xiao Dalang's running, jumping, and riding.

He is still the eldest son of the Eastern Palace who is both civil and military, and proficient in riding and shooting.

The most serious problem for Xiao Dalang is not the sequelae of his leg injury, but his depressed heart caused by the sequelae.

What’s even worse is that the Crown Princess passed away at this time.

Xiao Dalang was already psychologically traumatized, and then he lost his mother who had always loved and protected him. The blow he suffered was absolutely fatal.

The prince insisted on mourning for the princess for three months, not only out of love between husband and wife, but also for the sake of little Dalang.

This child needs time to heal his heartache!

The prince really thought carefully about little Dalang.

Not only did he mourn for the Crown Princess for three months, but he also sent Xiao Sanlang out of the palace!

Although he did not want to admit that his son would cause a tragedy of "brotherly feud", the prince, who was always wise and sober, was very clear:

Xiao Dalang had a knot in his heart because of his leg injury.

What bothered him most was his younger brother, Kozaburo, who was born to the same mother as him.

They are brothers and sisters from the same mother, but they are also natural competitors.

He is lame, but Xiao Sanlang is a healthy man.

Even if Xiao Dalang is open-minded and can think things through, he still has to be wary of the people around him.

Often, when brothers fall out, it’s not a problem between the two of them, but rather the instigation and deception of those around them.

Now that Mrs. Lu is gone, as a loving father, the prince wants to protect his two legitimate sons even more!

After the first month of the year, the three-month mourning period ended, and the prince ordered his men to pack up Xiao Sanlang and send him and his entourage to the Duke of Qi's mansion.

Wang Heng: ...Alright! After all, he's my student, so I'll just keep supporting him.

The one who arrived at the Duke's Mansion earlier than Kosaburo was Jiulang—

Although Da Lu was gone, the palace was not at peace.

The reason why Da Lu was injured was that the saint was assassinated.

Although the assassin failed to get close to the saint and did not even touch the corner of the saint's clothes, the assassination itself was enough to make the saint furious.

This happened in the capital city. An assassin had sneaked into the autumn hunting ground he had designated and stabbed the Crown Princess to death!

For a saint, it was like being slapped in the face.

check!

Must be scrutinized!

The assassination attempt was no longer a case of "someone sleeping soundly beside my bed", it was clearly the enemy standing in front of my bed!

On the day of the assassination, the Crown Princess was carried back to the Eastern Palace, and the Saint issued a series of orders.

Many government offices, including Jingzhao Prefecture, Dali Temple, Qianniu Guards, and Baiqi Division, were put into action.

Thoroughly investigate the autumn hunting ground and Longshouyuan!

The search scope even included the Daming Palace.

The saint would naturally not ignore the possibility that Wang Heng could guess.

In fact, he understood his father better than anyone else and could understand his father's reluctance better.

That’s the emperor, the supreme ruler who rules the world.

My father raised an army and built a new dynasty with his own hands, but before he could even sit on the throne, he was kicked off by an unfilial son.

Anyone would feel unwilling and resentful if they were in the same situation.

In the past few years, the former emperor has been drinking, having fun, indulging in beauties, and having children one after another in the Daming Palace.

In the space of four or five years, the saint had more than a dozen half-brothers and half-sisters who were younger than his grandsons.

On the surface, the former emperor had accepted his fate and was decadent and extravagant.

However, the saint did not believe that the emperor had really fallen.

He is in the court, so he must have a backup plan.

Outside the court, there must be hidden forces similar to the Hundred Cavalry Division and the Shadow Guards.

"...regardless of whether it's my good or not, I'm going to dig out these stinking bugs and maggots hiding in the gutter!"

The emperor was angry and laid down millions of corpses.

A sage is a wise ruler who will not kill innocent people indiscriminately, but he will not be merciful either.

Those who deserve to die must not be allowed to stay.

Many government offices were mobilized, and the entire capital was once again plunged into panic.

Among them, Zhou Jiming is the most active and outstanding.

He had just been promoted to the position of Shaoqing of the Dali Temple when he was whipped in public by Princess Langya, and all his face and dignity were gone.

He urgently needed an opportunity, preferably a major case that would cause a sensation in the capital, to clear his stain and establish his power.

Otherwise, let alone rising to a high position, he would most likely not even be able to gain a foothold in the Dali Temple!

Lou Yu had outstanding political achievements in Yongzhou, and even the King of Yong was imprisoned by him.

As the second-in-command of the Dali Temple, Zhou Jiming personally received Prince Yong who was escorted to Beijing.

Seeing the dusty appearance of Prince Yong and hearing about Lou Yu's thunderous methods from Prince Yong's mouth, Zhou Jiming suddenly woke up:

Perhaps, Lou Yu’s going to Yongzhou was not “exile” as everyone believed.

Not only did he not lose favor with the prince, but he was also very likely to be entrusted with important tasks by the prince.

Could it be that the sage knew about the tyranny of King Yong in his fiefdom and wanted to punish him severely, so he sent Lou Yu there?

If this is true, then Lou Yu will definitely not stay in Yongzhou for too long.

Perhaps he will be transferred back to the capital in less than one term.

If he had not made any achievements in the Dali Temple, he might be replaced by Lou Yu.

"No! I worked so hard to get to this position, I can't lose it."

Zhou Jiming, who vaguely guessed the truth, began to feel a sense of crisis.

He simply lived in the Dali Temple and looked through the files of previous years day and night.

Perhaps his diligence moved God, and he actually gave him a good opportunity to show himself——

The saint was assassinated, the crown princess died, none of the assassins survived, and the mastermind behind the incident was never caught.

This is a huge case involving a lot of people.

Offending the powerful is the least of your worries. If you are not careful, you will get yourself into trouble.

Zhou Jiming didn't care about all this.

Firstly, he was able to solve cases without fear of power, which was why he was highly valued by the saint.

Secondly, he needed this opportunity so badly that even though he knew it was very dangerous, he was still going to give it a try.

check!

He would stop at nothing, even resorting to torture, to find the real murderer for the saint.

Zhou Jiming, despite being the Shaoqing of the Dali Temple, mobilized the secret agents of the Baiqi Division.

Zhou Jiming adhered to the principle of "it is better to kill innocent people" and frantically stirred up trouble in the capital.

Either the house of a powerful official is raided today, or a nobleman is thrown into prison tomorrow.

Zhou Jiming watched all kinds of horrifying tortures with cold eyes, and there was no change in his fair and handsome face.

If Zhou Jiming was labeled a "cruel official" in the past, it would be unfair. But now he has completely become a cold-blooded Shura who kills without blinking an eye.

Zhou Shaoqing's brutal murders earned him the infamy of "stopping a child from crying," and also marked the beginning of his life as a cruel official...