16

Jiang Yunshu really didn't expect that the Chu family would allow Chu Shuangfeng to be so willful at this time.

Given the current situation, everyone is avoiding the Jiang family like the plague.

Chu Shuangfeng smiled nonchalantly: "That's a misconception. Haven't I eaten and drunk my fill since I was a child in the Jiang family?"

"Enough said, my mind is made up."

She hadn't noticed it at first, but now she saw the sword at Chu Shuangfeng's waist. With his tall and straight posture and sharp eyes, he really did look like a chivalrous knight.

"Alright, alright, come on over." Thinking of something, she smiled and said, "Perfect, you can protect A-Yao then, I was just worried about that!"

Chu Shuangfeng frowned, as if trying to recall when A Yao had come into the picture.

"My daughter, Chu Shuangfeng, have you been living in seclusion since you went into the mountains?"

Chu Shuangfeng suddenly realized: "Nobody told me this. All I knew while I was in the mountains was that you had a daughter."

Then he laughed and said, "Then I have to go and see. Ah Yao should call me Uncle Chu!"

As he spoke, the smile on his lips widened, and a sly glint flashed in his eyes.

"I accidentally became the same generation as Uncle Jiang."

She curled her lips. How could this person be so unconventional? He even wanted to be of the same generation as her father. He was really dreaming.

"You're dreaming! We told you to study hard, but you had to sneak out to play. Now look what's happened, you can't even tell your grandpa apart from your uncle."

She scolded him, but Chu Shuangfeng didn't get angry. Instead, he laughed even harder.

She cursed inwardly, thinking what a waste of such a pretty face; her brain would be tricked into going to a cold, desolate place to mine coal sooner or later.

"I'll be staying at the Jiang family's house tonight. Is my old room still there?"

She glanced at Baili Chuan almost imperceptibly. "Someone lives here."

Chu Shuangfeng immediately followed her gaze and saw Baili Chuan standing under the corridor, smiling warmly.

"I was unaware that this was Young Master Chu's room. I apologize for my intrusion."

But Chu Shuangfeng had always been the nemesis of old-fashioned people like Jiang Yunzheng and Ling Jingchu since childhood, and could never hear the humility and refusal in their words.

"It's not your fault, I just got back."

Jiang Yunshu chuckled inwardly, thinking to herself, "They're talking as if this is the Chu family's residence."

Looking at Baili Chuan's face, he was clearly frozen.

"Then let's stay together tonight. I don't feel comfortable sleeping in other rooms."

Upon hearing this, Baili Chuan's smile vanished, as if he were trying his best to maintain his dignity, but the rejection in his eyes was practically leaping out of his mouth.

Chu Shuangfeng happily stepped forward, put his arm around Baili Chuan's shoulder, and addressed him as a brother.

"My name is Chu Shuangfeng. You can just call me Shuangfeng from now on. May I ask how to address you, brother?"

"My name is Li Chuan."

"Brother Li!" Chu Shuangfeng looked at him with a smile, "Tonight we will be sleeping in the same room, which means we have a life-or-death bond. If you ever encounter any trouble in the future, Brother Li, just come to me!"

As he spoke, he patted his chest and raised an eyebrow: "In Jiangnan, there's nothing that I, Chu Shuangfeng, can't handle!"

She could only laugh as she watched Chu Shuangfeng chatter away, but for some reason, a complex feeling welled up in her heart as Chu Shuangfeng turned around with his arm around Baili Chuan.

Having lived through two lifetimes, she had long forgotten what youthful exuberance looked like, and that youthful spirit had long been worn away without a trace.

Chu Shuangfeng's hair, tossed high in the air, seemed to transport her to another world, reminding her of her younger self.

"Master and Madam, we've found them!"

An urgent voice came from the doorway, and someone rushed in in a panic. He paused as he passed them, quickly bowed to Jiang Yunshu, and then rushed into the front hall.

What was found?

She didn't have time to think and quickly walked to the front hall.

The group quickly stepped forward, and a large number of people quickly gathered in the front hall.

Jiang Jinhong and Ruan Qingshang were sitting in the main hall, and even the usually composed Jiang Jinhong couldn't help but show signs of anxiety.

The person kneeling on the ground was still catching their breath when they started talking.

"Reporting to Master and Madam, the person who poisoned us has been found!"

"Who is it!"

Ruan Qingshang asked impatiently.

Jiang Yunshu's gaze involuntarily drifted to Baili Chuan beside her, whose face also showed a mixture of anxious concern and anger.

As Ruan Qingshang asked, "Who exactly are they?"

The person kneeling on the ground hurriedly replied.

"It's Liu Er from East Street."

Liu Er?

Everyone was stunned when the name was mentioned, and Jiang Jinhong also fell into deep thought.

"What's wrong with him? Has he gone mad?"

The kneeling man then said slowly, "A few days ago, when the government collected poll tax, everyone on East Street protested, but in the end, no one cared."

“They talked about these things in private. Some people said it would be better not to have children, because having them would only be a burden to them, and they also said…”

Ruan Qingshang frowned and asked, "What else did they say?"

"He even said... why not just go back and strangle him?"

Jiang Yunshu gasped, and the atmosphere in the room grew even heavier.

Before becoming a parent, Jiang Yunshu did not understand the feelings parents have for their children; she only knew that her parents were people from whom she could obtain love and money without any clue.

He is someone who will always think of her, no matter what.

Later, when she became a parent herself, she finally understood what children meant to parents, and she was willing to live for them and die for them.

Judging from her own experience, she felt that these people were having a really hard time living.

"Liu Er had six sons and three daughters, and he simply couldn't afford to pay the taxes. That very night, Liu Er killed his two best sons in the river."

"He regretted it the next day. Just then, his neighbor Zhu San came over. He looked at him strangely and mocked him for being heartless."

“When he was working that day, he saw those who had said harsh words working with his son, and he felt resentful.”

"Later, I don't know where he bought that poison, and under the cover of night, he went down into the rice bins of various households."

After the man finished speaking, the room fell silent.

Jiang Yunshu not only pitied the hardships of the people, but she also quickly thought of the Third Prince.

In the end, all the blame will fall on the Crown Prince. Jiangnan is the most prosperous region in Daxing Kingdom. Losing the hearts of the people of Jiangnan will reduce the Crown Prince's bargaining power by one-tenth.

The matter was quickly reported to the imperial court by the prefect. After all, this was a trial implementation of a new policy, and such a major incident occurred during the trial period, resulting in over a hundred deaths and injuries. It could not be concealed any longer.

The emperor looked at the memorial from Jiangnan and threw it angrily to the ground.

Among the piles of scrap paper on the ground were some memorials, eight out of ten of which were impeaching the crown prince.

The Crown Prince held a high position at a young age. His mother had a simple background and was the only daughter in the family. Therefore, after Consort Yu's death, he had no one to rely on.

The people in the court did not approve of this illegitimate crown prince; they believed that the eldest prince was the rightful heir.

The eldest prince was born to the Empress, the mother of the nation, and was the legitimate son.

Therefore, this incident caused turmoil throughout the court and the country, and memorials were submitted one after another, some even filling thick volumes, listing the Crown Prince's absurd behavior over the years.

In the end, everyone pleaded with the emperor to depose the crown prince and choose another heir.

The emperor casually picked up the memorial beside him, flipped through it, and immediately coughed violently in anger. He threw the memorial down, clutched his chest, and coughed until his face turned red.

"Your Majesty, please calm down. You must take care of your health!"

The eunuch Fu'an abruptly withdrew his hand from the memorial, hurriedly stepped forward to serve the emperor tea, and gently patted his back with one hand.

"These people are just trying to drive me crazy!"

The emperor coughed as he helped himself to his feet, his face ashen: "Whom do they mean by choosing another crown prince?!"

"I know perfectly well what they're thinking. They just think the Crown Prince isn't the rightful heir. Is this really something that warrants them submitting a memorial overnight?"

Fu'an frowned and said, "Your Majesty, please don't make things difficult for yourself. Besides, His Highness the Crown Prince is an exceptional person, and good fortune will always come his way. Has Your Majesty forgotten the divination from before?"

The emperor paused, and when the crown prince was implementing his new policies, he invited a Taoist master to divine the future of the prince.

The hexagram indicates that danger lurks everywhere.

The Celestial Master said that the prince was already in dire straits, but good people are always blessed by Heaven. The more desperate the situation, the more likely he is to receive help from benefactors.

Furthermore, the Crown Prince's destiny is extremely compatible with the nation's destiny. If the Crown Prince ascends the throne, he will surely unify the nine provinces and bring about a harmonious and prosperous society.

The emperor pondered for a moment, then let out a soft, cold snort: "The eldest prince is unruly in both words and deeds, incompetent in both literature and martial arts. Is this the legitimate successor they desire?!"

"ignorance!"

Fu'an didn't say anything, but quietly supported the emperor.

The Imperial Study was quiet, with only the rustling sound of footsteps on the paper.

After a long silence, the emperor spoke in a deep voice: "Bring me paper and pen."

Fu'an glanced behind him, and the maidservant placed the brush and ink on the small table in front of the emperor.

He wrote on the paper with great force, the characters penetrating the paper.

The unrestrained handwriting was quickly completed. The emperor put down his pen, pulled out the paper, and threw it to Fu'an.

"You, go to the Eastern Palace to deliver the imperial decree."

Fu'an knelt to receive the imperial edict and quickly relayed the message to the Eastern Palace.

The Crown Prince was immediately deposed and imprisoned in the Eastern Palace, where he was not to be released until he repented.

When the imperial edict was issued, some were happy and some were sad.

The crown prince hurriedly accepted the decree, tears streaming down his face as he stepped down the stairs. He said he shouldn't have acted so rashly, causing the deaths of hundreds of people in Jiangnan. He then knelt before the Buddha for forty-nine days and copied scriptures to help the souls of the dead.

Fu'an sighed deeply, quickly helped the Crown Prince up, and ordered someone to help him back to his palace.

When Fu'an returned to the Imperial Study, the Emperor drafted another edict: "A country cannot be without a ruler for a day, nor can it be without a crown prince for a day."

One person should be chosen to handle the affairs of Jiangnan and be established as the new crown prince.

All court officials may recommend him.

Upon receiving this order, everyone in the capital city was unable to sleep at night.

Many ministers gathered in the Empress's palace, all of whom had arrived in the dead of night.

"I entrust the gift of inkstone entirely to you gentlemen."

"This trip to Jiangnan is inseparable from Yanli. Supporting the orthodox lineage and rectifying the court is our lifelong wish."

"Your Majesty, please rest assured."

On the other side, Consort Li's quarters were much quieter, with only the Third Prince sitting quietly with her.

"Mother, what does Father mean by this?"

"Should we... take it?"

Consort Li flipped through the book in her hand, looking at it with great interest. When she heard Mo Yanzhou's words, she smiled and looked at him.

“Silly child, opportunities don’t appear in the open. Once everyone has access to them, they’re not opportunities anymore, they’re another kind of hell.”

Mo Yanzhou frowned and remained silent, but when he thought of the report from the spy that the Empress had summoned the court officials tonight, his heart sank.

"Let's wait and see."

Having said that, he turned his gaze back to the book and said slowly, "You should also submit a memorial, but do not mention the Crown Prince's faults. Just offer your good advice."

"If your father allows you to go to Jiangnan, you know what to do."

"Is that all? Father Emperor is already..."

Consort Li gave a bitter smile, a ruthless glint in her eyes.

That will suffice.

“Your Majesty,” a eunuch entered and said in a low voice, “Eunuch Fu’an went to the East Palace last night, carrying food in his hands.”