Inside the Imperial Study,

Zhang Huai'an, the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Personnel, remained calm and bowed, saying...

"Your Majesty, the traps and hidden weapons that appeared during the suppression of bandits at Qingfeng Village are exactly the same as those used to ambush the funeral procession. In Xiahe Village on the outskirts of the capital, a plague broke out, and hundreds of soldiers died tragically, all killed by the same traps and hidden weapons. Su Weichuan even used evil magic to control the corpses and break into the palace. Such a coincidence! The funeral procession was also attacked on the same day. If you say that the two are not related, I will never believe it."

"Now, the Third Prince has been demoted to a concubine's son because of the plague case, and the Second Prince has also been imprisoned and investigated. It is obvious who has benefited from all these actions. And who is connected to the Sui Dynasty by blood? I implore Your Majesty to investigate thoroughly!"

Mo Shaoze, standing to the side, said angrily, "Lord Zhang, why don't you just call out my name directly?"

Zhang Huai'an didn't look at him and continued, "Your Majesty, my younger brother is dissolute and promiscuous, which is due to my and my father's failure to discipline him properly. However, this cannot be a reason for the Ninth Prince's mansion to send a seductive woman to seduce and steal. The officials have been falsely accused, which makes the people believe that the Great Zhou court is corrupt and incapable of distinguishing right from wrong. This matter not only tarnishes Your Majesty's reputation but also incites unrest in the capital from within. All these things are connected, and their motives are despicable."

Mo Shaoze felt a chill run down his spine.

He couldn't help but look at the empress standing opposite him.

The Empress and the Zhang family not only wanted to smear him, but they also wanted to drag the Ninth Prince's Mansion into the mess.

After a moment's thought, he stepped forward and bowed.

“Father, I have heard of the vixen that Lord Zhang mentioned. Her name is Luo Ruyan. She is an orphan that General Zheng Qing brought back to the capital after his mission. It is said that she saved General Zheng’s life, but in fact, she plotted to frame General Zheng and then saved him, all in order to return to the capital with him. It is said that she caused a lot of trouble for everyone in the Prince’s mansion. We can summon General Zheng and Madam Song to the palace and ask them about this.”

Zhang Huai'an stood up.

"Your Highness, I thought you would defend yourself first, but I didn't expect you to be so concerned about the Ninth Prince's residence. That's quite surprising."

Mo Shaoze coldly replied, "What reason do I have to defend myself? With the Emperor above, whether I have done anything wrong or had any ulterior motives, the Emperor will investigate thoroughly and give me justice. There is no need for Lord Zhang to worry about me."

Zhang Huai'an's expression changed slightly.

It was quite unexpected that Mo Shaoze, who had always been marginalized, would be so composed and unyielding.

He abruptly changed the subject, skipping over it entirely.

"Your Highness just mentioned that Miss Luo Ruyan, and you seem to know quite a bit about her. However, there is one thing I have a question about. If this Miss Luo Ruyan is being hidden by the Ninth Prince's residence, may I ask how we can find her? And what can we get out of General Zheng and Madam Song if we summon them?"

He then cupped his hands and said, “Your Majesty, I request that Zhou Tao be interrogated. This man dared to blow up the Empress Dowager’s coffin, and there is no doubt that he is a spy for the Great Sui Dynasty. If that Miss Luo has nothing to do with the Ninth Prince’s Mansion, but is just using the Ninth Prince’s Mansion’s identity to hide spies in the capital, then the two must be connected. Your Majesty’s personal interrogation will surely clear the Ninth Prince’s Mansion of its innocence.”

Mo Shaoze frowned slightly.

“Father, Zhou Tao is a man destined to die. His words cannot be trusted.”

Zhang Huai'an snorted coldly.

"Fourth Prince, why are you panicking? Didn't you say that the Emperor is above and will clear your name? Are you questioning the Emperor's ability to distinguish right from wrong?"

Mo Yunzhao coldly glanced at Mo Shaoze.

"Someone, bring Zhou Tao here!"

Zhou Tao was quickly dragged in by the Imperial Guards.

He had clearly been subjected to extreme torture.

He curled up on the ground, muttering to himself.

"Stop hitting me! I'll confess everything, I'll confess everything!"

Zhang Huai'an took two steps forward.

"Zhou Tao, if you don't want to be tortured, confess obediently: Is Luo Ruyan your subordinate?"

Zhou Tao slowly opened his eyes, which were covered in blood.

He glanced around at everyone in the hall.

A ferocious hatred flashed in his eyes.

But soon he calmed down and reverted to his timid and weak state, trembling as he got up and knelt on the ground.

Crimson bloodstains were left on the clean floor tiles.

He knelt on the ground, his hands trembling.

"This sinful subject kowtows to Your Majesty, long live Your Majesty!"

Mo Yunzhao scoffed coldly.

"You should kneel before the King of the Sui Dynasty, not me!"

Zhou Tao shrank back slightly.

"Your Majesty, if I confess everything, can you...can you spare my life? I...I want to live."

Mo Yunzhao looked at him coldly.

After a moment, he said, "Alright, I'd like to hear what secrets you have to tell me."

Zhou Tao knelt down to express his gratitude.

He slowly straightened up before speaking slowly.

"Luo Ruyan is not my subordinate. That day, the Ninth Prince's wife and Song Yushu wanted to kill her. It was the Ninth Prince who ordered me to take her to the Dali Temple. She couldn't resist her seductive charms and became her devoted follower. The plan to install the mechanism and gunpowder under her control was the Ninth Prince's scheme, and he also gave me that gunpowder. I thought he hated the Empress Dowager and only wanted to blow up her body so that she wouldn't have peace after death. It wasn't until someone attacked that I realized the Ninth Prince was plotting to usurp the throne. He wanted me to create chaos to lure troops out of the city so he could seize the palace..."

"That's utter nonsense!"

Mo Shaoze found it absurd.

"If Ninth Prince wanted to seize the palace, why did he lead troops to rescue the emperor? Are you trying to shift the blame even on your deathbed, causing damage to the strength of the Great Zhou?"

Zhou Tao shook his head repeatedly.

“I didn’t implicate anyone, I’m telling the truth. Didn’t you arrest Luo Ruyan? Go and interrogate her!”

The empress, who had been silent until now, slowly opened her mouth.

"The reason why the Ninth Prince went back to save the Emperor was because Su Weichuan's attack on the palace caused unforeseen circumstances. If he hadn't gone to save the Emperor, he would have had no chance of survival once the Emperor returned to the capital."

Zhang Huai'an nodded in agreement.

"No wonder when the Ninth Prince arrived at the battlefield, he suddenly accused Zhou Tao of being a spy and had him taken into custody. If the Ninth Prince's wife hadn't been kidnapped and he hadn't been unable to attend to other matters, Zhou Tao would probably be a cold corpse by now."

"Your Majesty, this matter is far too serious. I request that the Three Judicial Offices open a case and investigate it thoroughly."

Mo Shaoze was extremely anxious.

“Father, Ninth Prince has just successfully rescued you and has not yet returned. If we issue an edict to open a case now, it may arouse suspicion among the people.”

Taking the opportunity, Zhang Huai'an angrily questioned him.

"Fourth Prince, are you the Emperor's son or your Ninth Uncle's son? Why are you always defending him? Could it be that the two of you have been secretly conspiring against each other for a long time!"

Although Mo Shaoze is a Seven-Bead King, his foundation is unstable.

Knowing that Zhang Huai'an was not afraid, if he said anything more, he would not only fail to help Mo Yunhan, but would also implicate him.

At that moment, all he could do was keep his lips tightly shut and offer no explanation.

Zhang Huai'an was secretly pleased.

He immediately clasped his hands in supplication and requested permission.

"His Majesty and the Ninth Prince have not yet returned. This makes it easier to investigate certain matters. I implore His Majesty to issue an order for the Three Departments to open a case."

At this moment, Liu Ruzhi called out loudly from outside the palace, "Liu Ruzhi, the Prefect of Jingzhao, has urgent business to discuss with His Majesty!"

Zhang Huai'an's eyes flickered.

"This Lord Liu, you've really come at the perfect time."

The door to the Imperial Study was not closed.

Liu Ruzhi, dressed in court attire, knelt upright outside the hall.

Upon hearing this, he looked at Zhang Huai'an, smiled slightly, and bowed in greeting.

"Lord Zhang is here too, that's great. The Zhang family has reported that someone is persecuting Zhang Haotian. We have found clues, and the murderer, Luo Ruyan, has been captured and is currently being held in the Jingzhao Prefecture prison."