Gu Shouxin suddenly stood up.

He was not qualified to attend court due to his status, but today's events outside were related to him and his daughter, so he was summoned.

He bowed and said, "Your Majesty, I also believe that the Third Prince is right. The country should be governed with benevolence."

Emperor: Gu Er, are you out of your mind?!

The emperor asked expressionlessly, "Oh? How so?"

Gu Shouxin said, “Your Highness Prince Qu possesses a death-exemption token. As far as I know, in every dynasty, a death-exemption token could only protect one person, no matter how heinous the crime! Perhaps the Emperor Taizu, in his wisdom, foresaw this day and bestowed it upon him to protect him.”

The emperor looked at Gu Shouxin, signaling him to continue.

"Prince Qu is a great benefactor in the hearts of the people, holding a high position. He has worked tirelessly for the people, but has failed to properly educate his descendants, for which he feels deep remorse. Now, however, he has a pardon from death. He has a chance to save his descendants and no longer needs to feel guilty. Why doesn't Your Majesty grant Prince Qu's request?"

"The crown prince rebelled, and the eldest grandson is dead. Now only the granddaughter is left, so His Highness Prince Qu doesn't even need to choose. His granddaughter's tragic fate has left His Highness Prince Qu in a daze and filled with worry. But now, with the pardon, His Highness Prince Qu no longer needs to worry so much."

Before the courtiers could even begin to curse, the emperor clapped his hands: "Good! Scholar Gu speaks well! Guards, go and ask, ask Prince Qu who he intends to give the pardon to? Is it to this old man, half-buried in the earth, or to his granddaughter, whose life hasn't even begun yet, and who is filled with worry and guilt? Also, tell the people at the palace gates, let them know that this tyrant is determined to kill, and let them see whether their supposedly virtuous Prince Qu is protecting himself or his descendants, and how genuine his guilt truly is. Hey, tell me, shouldn't the people of Great Zhou be my people? Prince Qu, by interfering and disregarding his own son to protect the people, treating them like his own children, has he been plotting to replace me all along?"

Gu Shouxin: "Possibly!"

The other ministers knelt down, saying, "Your Majesty, we are filled with trepidation!"

The emperor raised an eyebrow. What a boring bunch of old fogies! Gu Er is so much better! Look how pleased I am with that response!

King Qu would find people to incite the people, and the emperor wasn't stupid either; he would do the same.

The people at the palace gate were stunned when they heard the Zhou family farmers talking about the yield per mu of those crops. They were amazed that there could be such food.

The Zhou family said they started planting the year before last, but didn't transport the seeds last year in order to get a larger batch. They transported them this year.

The Gu family, who have made such great contributions, don't seek wealth or status; they just hope everyone in the Great Zhou has enough to eat. The Third Miss Gu even personally went to the fields, and she is sensible and obedient. How could she be so ruthless? Even if she is ruthless, it's because someone attacked her, and she retaliated. Have you forgotten that day? If it weren't for the appearance of Prince Xue, the eldest grandson of the Prince of Qu, along with the people from the Five Cities Garrison, would have almost beaten up all the sisters. Weren't the eldest Miss Gu, the fourth young master Gu, and the fifth Miss Gu all injured?

An insider said that it was Princess Linglan who first tried to disfigure people. If it weren't for Scholar Gu's quick arrival, several beautiful young women would have been disfigured and would never have been able to get married.

Ask yourself honestly, if someone bullies you, wouldn't you fight back?

And then there's Scholar Gu, a minor official in the Hanlin Academy. His wife runs a business in Qingzhou; how much money could she possibly have? After buying a house, where would she find the funds to bribe officials in the imperial prison? This is just people being jealous of Scholar Gu and deliberately trying to ruin his reputation.

Then, ten of the most famous doctors in the capital examined Ye Wei's cause of death and found that he had been burned by a bird and then bitten by a rat in the imperial prison, which led to his death.