The journey of the only child of a peasant family to take the imperial examination

Even though he was not favored, he still had his pride as a prince.

In the Third Prince's view, being banished to Shu and confined to a tiny fiefdom for the rest of his life, living a life where he could see the end from the beginning, was no different from being killed.

Even the subtle coughing of the fourth prince beside him couldn't bring him back to his senses.

Perhaps it's due to years of neglect and a rebellion against a hopeless future, but Zhou Zhuo now feels like he's going all out.

He no longer cared what his biased father, Zhou Ziming, had done to him.

Grand Tutor Qian was delighted with this uncontrollable situation between the royal father and son, and secretly signaled to his faction not to act rashly.

Let's see how things develop.

"You unfilial son, you are too arrogant! Guards, seize him and send him to the Imperial Clan Court!" Zhou Ziming was so angry that his fingers trembled as he raised his hand.

She had lost the last bit of patience and pity for her son.

"Do you want to confine me or imprison me? But it doesn't matter anyway. Sending me to that tiny place in Sichuan to be a prince, where I can never leave, is no different from being confined!"

The Third Prince, Zhou Zhuo, was as fearless as a newborn calf. He crossed his arms and asked in return, not even bothering with honorifics. His tone was both mocking and nonchalant.

"However, I truly feel sorry for you, Father. It's both pitiful and lamentable that you, as emperor, still get cuckolded. Hahaha, you think you've got everything under control, that you're so great, huh? You're just a joke! And Empress Wei, does she even deserve to be called the mother of the nation? She looks down on me for being a son of a concubine, and on my mother for being a former courtesan. But what about her? Hahahaha, how laughable!"

Zhou Zhuo's words became increasingly outrageous.

Green Bean stared in disbelief, muttering, "He's gone mad..."

He wasn't the only one who thought this way; everyone in the court thought the same way, wishing they could hear nothing and know nothing.

"I think you've gone mad! What are you all doing? Shut him up!" Zhou Ziming shouted expressionlessly, his hands no longer trembling.

The sallow, sickly face looked quite terrifying at that moment.

He coughed, clutching his chest, because he spoke too forcefully.

Seeing this, Liang Fu, who was standing nearby, quickly stepped forward to help him catch his breath.

He was also quite frightened by the changes in the court, and even carefully softened his breathing.

Only then did the Crown Prince realize what had happened, pulling himself back from his reverie. He stood up and angrily rebuked, "Third brother, how dare you! What nonsense are you spouting? Where is he? Quickly gag him!"

"Hmph, I don't need you to tie me up, I'll walk by myself," Zhou Zhuo patted his sleeve.

Seeing the surprised or speculative looks on the faces of the ministers in the hall, he felt a sense of satisfaction.

However, the Second Prince had his head down, so his expression was obscured, which made him slightly disappointed.

The guards didn't care what he said. After entering, they followed Zhou Ziming's orders, quickly gagged him, tied him up, and took him away.

All the cool and confident air he had just displayed was gone, leaving only a disheveled state.

Although no one was discussing it, the ambiguous and speculative glances from the ministers below almost made Zhou Ziming faint from anxiety.

This was probably the most embarrassing day of his life.

Seeing that the Third Prince had already been taken away and the Crown Prince was also helping the Emperor to calm down, Grand Tutor Qian knew that things had come to this point, and he could no longer pretend to be deaf and dumb.

I had no choice but to step in and smooth things over.

On the surface, they offered words of advice, but in reality, they were helping to explain: "Your Majesty, please take care of your health and do not be angry. We all know that the Third Prince is holding a grudge over the matter of the fiefdom, which is why he is talking nonsense."

"Yes, Your Majesty. The events of this morning's court session have shown that although the Third Prince is not yet of age, he has always harbored wolfish ambitions. Because of the small size of his fiefdom, he slandered Your Majesty and the Empress, as well as the royal bloodline. This is truly heartbreaking! It also shows that Your Majesty's previous decision was very wise. The most urgent thing for Your Majesty is to take care of your health. The matter of punishing the Third Prince can be temporarily handled by the Imperial Clan Court."

Qin Qingshan was Zhou Ziming's confidant. Since Grand Tutor Qian had stepped forward, he naturally had to do the same.

The impact on him was no less than that on Zhou Ziming.

I really don't know how the Third Prince, with his reckless nature, has survived this long. How dare he say such things?

However, in any case, the scope of this matter cannot be expanded any further, otherwise not only will the royal family lose face, but the foundation of the court will also be shaken.

Zhou Ziming's eyes were dark and he seemed to be lost in thought.

After a long pause, he turned his gaze to the fourth prince. "And you? Do you also feel that your fiefdom is too meager, too remote and barren, and that you are resentful and think that I am biased?"

"Your subject dares not! I beg Your Majesty to investigate!" The Fourth Prince knelt down without hesitation when Zhou Ziming's gaze swept over him.

His survival instinct spurred him to quickly distance himself from the Third Prince. "Father, you are wise. The Third Prince's words have nothing to do with me. I have never thought about the size of my fief. Wherever I am, it is all a gift from you, Father. How dare I complain!"

After saying that, he started kowtowing repeatedly, and soon his forehead was covered in bruises and blood began to seep out.

It's clear they didn't hold back at all.

Because more than a dozen ministers had just been swept away and imprisoned, no minister dared to speak up for the Fourth Prince now that he was speaking.

The main hall was eerily quiet, and a suffocating silence enveloped Zhang Ping'an once again.

"Hehe, really?" Zhou Ziming chuckled twice, whether he believed it or not.

After a moment, he spoke again: "In the imperial family, there are no fathers and sons, only rulers and subjects. The ancients were right!"

"Since my ascension to the throne, I have considered myself to be diligent in governing and caring for the people, working tirelessly day and night, fearing only that I might fail to live up to the expectations of the people. However, my son, Prince Zhou, has always been eccentric and unruly. I have repeatedly admonished him, hoping that he would repent and make progress. But instead of remembering the kindness of his sovereign and father, he harbors evil intentions, forms cliques for personal gain, and acts arrogantly and rebelliously. Today, he even uttered foul words in front of me and all the civil and military officials, slandering the sovereign and father and defaming the government. His despicable behavior is truly outrageous to both gods and men, and cannot be tolerated by heaven and earth!"

"Throughout history, the proper order of father and son, ruler and subject, heaven and earth, has always been the right way. Today, Zhou Zhuo has offended his father as a son and insulted his ruler as a subject, violating human ethics and cutting himself off from heaven. If such behavior is tolerated, the moral order will collapse, the country will cease to exist, and the emperor's authority will be lost. Although I love my son deeply, the discipline of the country cannot be disrupted. In order to uphold the moral order and rectify people's hearts, I have no choice but to follow the example of the ancient sage rulers and do the great thing of putting righteousness before family."

While others were fine with what he said, the Fourth Prince Zhou Yong was on tenterhooks.

"The Third Prince Zhou Zhuo is hereby removed from the imperial clan, demoted to a commoner, and executed according to the law! The Fourth Prince Zhou Yong's fief is changed to Shunde in Lingnan, and he is not allowed to return to the capital without an imperial edict!"

"Retreat!"

These words caused an uproar in both the court and the public.

While it was not uncommon for princes to be executed throughout history, it was extremely rare. Most of the time, the death penalty was imposed because of treason.

The previous dynasty, Great Xia, enjoyed centuries of peace and stability, but this situation is no longer possible.

In the Great Zhou Dynasty, this was the first time in history.

It's clear that this matter has touched a nerve with Zhou Ziming.

There was absolutely no room for maneuver, and their methods were decisive and ruthless enough.

Watching Zhou Ziming, supported by Liang Fu and the Crown Prince, turn and leave.

The officials below saw him off respectfully for a long time, only daring to stand up when Zhou Ziming's figure was no longer visible.

The fourth prince was covered in cold sweat and staggered a couple of steps when he got up. He was lucky to have survived, and he dared not jump around anymore.

Zhang Ping'an later heard that he packed his bags that very day and left the capital with his guards.