Zhao San, a bully who preys on the weak and fears the strong, naturally knew that Su Junyao was not someone he could afford to offend, so his tone became respectful, with a hint of flattery.

"Your Excellency is also interested in a variety show troupe? You've come to the right person!"

Seeing the situation was turning sour, Zhao Fengyuan tried to tell Zhao San to shut up, but Emperor Jingming raised his hand to stop him. He could only hope that this fool wouldn't say something he shouldn't!

Zhao Fengyuan silently prayed to all his ancestors in his heart, hoping that he wouldn't be involved in anything treasonous!

He was scared, he was really scared!

Zhao San, oblivious to his brother's sorrow, excitedly recounted, "The acrobatic troupe from West Street came from the south. Their specialty is the Five-Colored Opera, and the monkey performer joined later. Their signature act is the Monkey Dance. I wonder if Your Excellency has ever seen it?"

What is "monkey control"?

Zhao San thought Su Junyao was interested and winked at him, but unexpectedly, they were kindred spirits!

"The so-called 'monkey control' means controlling baby monkeys and making the mother monkeys obey him."

What puzzled Su Junyao was why Zhao San's expression was so lewd, even though he was letting the monkey run free. His body, hollowed out by wine and women, looked particularly ugly at that moment.

"You can say what you want to say directly; there's no need to beat around the bush like this."

He said it was too spicy for his eyes!

Zhao San chuckled: "An expert!"

Su Junyao: What bad luck!

Zhao San knelt before Emperor Jingming: "I'm afraid I'm going to insult Your Majesty's imperial ears today. Please forgive me."

"I forgive you for your guilt."

"Thank you, Your Majesty!"

With permission granted, Zhao San dared to say many things: "The monkey show is just a trick, a tool for the monkey trainer to conceal his identity. In reality, he is a pimp."

"Cough cough cough!" Hearing his younger brother's increasingly outrageous words, Zhao Fengyuan immediately coughed violently, trying to interrupt him. How could such a thing be said in front of His Majesty!

The monkey trainer on West Street was a prostitute. He controlled the children born to these prostitutes; the boys were sold to the lowest of professions, and the girls, once they were half-grown, followed in their mothers' footsteps.

It can be described as extremely vicious!

It shares a similar meaning with the monkey-riding game.

Emperor Jingming remained silent for a long time. The sorrow of the lower classes is often overlooked by those in high positions. How many of his subjects are trapped in cages when no one is watching, spending their entire lives in endless darkness?

Zhao San finally sensed the tense atmosphere and looked to his brother for help. Zhao Fengyuan turned his face away and refused to look at him.

At this point, his dirty secrets probably can't be kept hidden any longer.

Seeing that his brother did not stop him, Zhao San continued, "The monkey trainer took a fancy to Miss Wu Yan, and Yun Zihan was a regular customer of Miss Wu Yan. The two had a conflict before. I saw them in the back alley of the brothel. Yun Zihan stabbed the monkey trainer with a knife and robbed him of his money."

Zhao San heard that the silver was meant by a monkey trainer to redeem Wu Yan, but Yun Zihan snatched it away to use for Wu Yan's benefit, which was quite ironic.

"Your Majesty, Your Lordship, isn't this a bit ridiculous? A pimp who runs a brothel actually wants to redeem a prostitute, hahaha..."

Zhao San's voice grew softer and softer until, under the gaze of three pairs of eyes, he could no longer laugh. "Heh, it's really, really not funny."

"There's one more thing!" Zhao San suddenly remembered, "The silver that Yun Zihan stole was supposedly money from the monkey trainer selling his monkeys. Oh, right... Gongye Changfeng..."

He thought about it carefully: "My lord, it seems that the silver was given by your daughter. The little monkey was taken away by your daughter, but what about the mother monkey?"

Su Junyao had never seen a mother monkey. The baby monkey at home was well cared for, had gained some weight, and often dozed off while climbing trees.

According to Zhao San, the mother monkey has a very strong maternal instinct, and if she escaped after the monkey trainer's death, she would definitely go looking for her baby monkeys. Now that the mother monkey is missing, something must have happened to her.

"And how did Wu Yan die?"

Zhao San was a man of pride, and he was too embarrassed to admit that he had ordered Wu Yan, and that the madam had taken his money but hadn't seen her. As soon as he pushed open the door, he saw Yun Zihan getting off Wu Yan, who was lying lifeless on the bed.

He made a huge scene when he encountered such bad luck. Yun Zihan even fought with him, and after he revealed the story about the monkey trainer, Yun Zihan offered to marry his sister to him.

"Your Majesty, everything I have said is true. It is true that Yun Zihan owes me money at the casino, and it is also true that I caught him murdering someone! You are free to investigate!"

Emperor Jingming: "Whether it's true or false, I will naturally go back and verify it. But Zhao Fengyuan, you have truly disappointed me!"

"I am incompetent in managing my household; I deserve to die a thousand deaths!"

"The Zhao family is also a powerful clan, yet they tolerate Zhao San's wrongdoings. Although the marriage to the Yun family's daughter wasn't forced by Zhao San, there were other reasons, and in my opinion, it's unacceptable. Zhao Fengyuan, what do you think?"

Emperor Jingming didn't spare Zhao San a single glance, but stared at Zhao Fengyuan, needing him to make a statement.

Zhao Fengyuan knelt down guiltily. His Majesty wasn't discussing things with him; he was trying to give him a warning!

"Your Majesty is absolutely right. I also believe this marriage is inappropriate. I will have my brother return the official documents as soon as I return the property, and the Zhao family will never mention this matter again!"

Emperor Jingming was very pleased with Zhao Fengyuan's sensibility. "Liu Debao."

"This old servant is here."

"By imperial decree, Lady Yun is favored by the Empress and is hereby granted gold."

"Here you go."

Emperor Jingming knew Gao Xun's thoughts, and praising Yun Xiangling was also a way for him to gain face.

"Zhao San preys on the people, runs a private gambling den, and knowingly breaks the law. Guards, take Zhao San to the Dali Temple for trial."

"Your Majesty!" Zhao Fengyuan's eyelids twitched, and he knelt down in front of Emperor Jingming with a thud, begging for mercy for Zhao San. "Your Majesty, your subject has told the truth and is willing to return the official document. Please forgive him this time!"

Emperor Jingming: "Zhao San's crimes are too numerous to count. I am the Emperor of the Great Zhou Dynasty. Do you expect me to protect him?"

"Your subject dares not." Zhao Fengyuan feared that once Zhao San entered the Dali Temple, he would never be able to leave!

At Emperor Jingming's command, the guards outside rushed in, grabbed Zhao San's arms, and dragged him out. To prevent him from shouting and disturbing Emperor Jingming, they thoughtfully gagged him.

Miss Chiu Chiu is so clever; she prepared smelly rags for them in advance, which came in handy.

The rag, which no one knew where Qiuqiu and Princess Funing had gotten it from, reeked of a foul stench that made Zhao San dizzy. This pampered young master, raised in luxury, had never suffered like this before; he was dragged out after only a few struggles.

Zhao Fengyuan wanted to plead for mercy, but when he met Emperor Jingming's merciless eyes, his anger instantly died down, and he resigned himself to his fate and lowered his head.

He'll sacrifice one person to save the whole family, and he'll go and comfort his mother.

"I thank you Lord for your kindness!"

Thanks to Yun Zihan and Zhao San's antics, the previously lost clues have been revived.

The assassin who attacked Qiuqiu and the others was suspicious from the start, but the investigation always pointed to the Gongye clan. They initially thought it was the mentally unstable Gongye clan who had hired a ragtag group, or that Gongye Changfeng wanted to use this opportunity to get Xiao Wu close to the Wenyang Marquis's residence. Now, thinking back, it seems everything was just a convenient excuse; his real target was probably the monkey trainer!

What a coincidence! It's all such a coincidence!

Su Junyao couldn't believe there could be so many coincidences!

"Your Majesty, I implore you to reinvestigate the death of the monkey trainer. I suspect that this matter is inextricably linked to Gongye Changfeng and the people behind him."

"Granted!" Emperor Jingming thought so too. "Guards, summon the Crown Prince."