In the upper room.

Qu Changqing escorted Chu Pei from the Ministry of Justice prison to the palace. At this time, Chu Pei was kneeling on his knees in the upper room, while Emperor Yu Gan was patiently looking at the memorials and family files sorted out by Qu Changqing and Han Che.

After the sound of Emperor Yu Gan flipping through the clan files was heard in the upper room, there was no more sound. The place seemed unusually quiet, yet there was a suffocating dead silence.

"Chu Pei, tell me, what crimes have you committed?" A whole hour passed, and Emperor Yugan closed the last volume of the ancestral file, placed it on the dragon table, and looked calmly at Chu Pei who was kneeling in front of him.

"Your Majesty, I know that I have not fulfilled my supervisory responsibilities. Such mistakes have occurred within my jurisdiction. I ask Your Majesty to punish me." Chu Pei was an extremely shrewd and careful person. As soon as he opened his mouth, he attributed all his faults to dereliction of duty. Even if Emperor Yu Gan wanted to punish him, I am afraid he would not be too harsh.

After hearing Chu Pei's apology, Emperor Yugan's calm eyes flashed with murderous intent. A crime of dereliction of duty? This is not a crime that can be sentenced severely. It seems that Chu Pei is also a cunning old man.

Lifting the memorial on the dragon table with his slender fingers, Emperor Yugan half-closed his eyes and asked in a very low voice, "Is it just a dereliction of duty? Chu Pei, you really gave me a difficult problem."

Upon hearing this, Chu Pei was stunned for a moment, his face facing the ground, and his brows frowned for no reason. He knew that Emperor Yu Gan must have doubts in his heart, and was afraid that he would not give him a light sentence.

"The Xie family is a relative of the Chu family. How could you not know what the Xie family has done? If you didn't know, it would not just be a fault of negligence. The ancestor of the emperor appointed you as a frontier official because he trusted your Chu family, and that's why he handed over such an important town as Youzhou to you to manage. But you used the convenience of your position to seek personal gain for your family, and now you are concealing it. Don't you know that this is a crime of deceiving the emperor?" Throwing the memorial in his hand at Chu Pei, Emperor Yugan raised his voice slightly, his face solemn and angry. It must have been because he was angry at Chu Pei's nonchalant apology just now.

The memorial hit Chu Pei's shoulder and then fell to the ground, making a sound of flipping papers.

Chu Pei glanced at the memorial in front of him, then lowered his head again. He did not speak rashly when Emperor Yugan was furious, so as not to anger him further.

"Qu Changqing, you personally handled this case. Tell me, how should I punish Chu Pei?" Seeing everyone was speechless, Emperor Yugan calmed his fury and spoke again after calming down. This time, however, he directed the question to Qu Changqing, who stood quietly by his side. His stern eyes fixed on him, demanding an answer.

Qu Changqing understood the Emperor Yugan's intention in questioning him. He looked at the silent Chu Pei with calm eyes before stepping forward and bowing, saying, "Your Majesty, the head of the Xie family has pleaded guilty, and the Xie clan has received the punishment they deserve. Although Chu Pei is responsible for negligence, he has made considerable contributions and efforts in managing Youzhou over the years. Moreover, under Chu Pei's jurisdiction, Youzhou and Nanxun have lived in peace for many years. Your Majesty, I ask that you, in consideration of Chu Pei's good governance, grant him a light punishment."

After hearing Qu Changqing's reply, the upper room fell silent.

Qu Changqing knew that Emperor Yugan was staring at him with angry eyes, and he must be very dissatisfied with his words of pleading for Chu Pei.

"So, you think I should not punish Chu Pei, but reward him?" A clear voice came out from Emperor Yugan's mouth. He half-closed his eyes at this time, and beams of cold light shot out of his eyes and shone on Qu Changqing. He slowly examined Qu Changqing, as if he wanted to see through Qu Changqing.

"I dare not!" Qu Changqing immediately knelt, but his voice was filled with tenacity and unyielding spirit. He said calmly, "Your Majesty, please calm down. I have absolutely no such intention. The Ministry of Justice has always been clear about rewards and punishments when handling cases. Right is right, and wrong is wrong. However, right and wrong often offset each other, and can offset some crimes. Although Chu Pei didn't immediately understand the Xie family's affairs, he has been in Youzhou for many years and has made great contributions to the country and the stability of the southern part of Western Chu. I hope Your Majesty will consider Chu Pei's hard work and be lenient with him."

Qu Changqing's words were very well-chosen. First of all, he did not mention the Chu family. After all, Emperor Yu Gan was already wary of the Chu family. If he used the Chu family as a shield and said that the Chu family had made great contributions to the country, it would probably cause a backlash from Emperor Yu Gan.

Secondly, he avoided the important issues and talked about the Ministry of Justice's usual way of judging cases, so that Emperor Yu Gan would understand that rewards and punishments must be clear. Those who do the right thing should be rewarded, and those who do the wrong thing should be punished. The final result is that the two offset each other.

It has to be said that since taking up the position of Minister of Justice, Qu Changqing has made considerable progress. His reaction and eloquence have both improved significantly. Even Emperor Yu Gan was surprised at Qu Changqing's progress when he heard this.

Before Emperor Yugan could speak, Qu Changqing continued, "Chu Pei's injury this time was also due to General Hu Wei's recklessness. Your Majesty, please be lenient with Chu Pei's sentence for the sake of his unprovoked misfortune."

Upon hearing this, Emperor Yugan suddenly sneered, and the cold sneer spread throughout the entire upper room, causing the palace servants serving in the hall to lower their heads and dare not speak at this time.

"I know that you are good friends with the Princess of Chu, and you are also an old subordinate of the King of Chu, but Qu Shang, public is public and private is private. As the Minister of Justice, if you cannot distinguish between public and private, I am afraid it will be difficult to convince the people. It is precisely because Lu Xin took the initiative to use force against Nanxun, causing Chu Pei to suffer physical pain, that I turned a blind eye to the fact that the King of Chu executed Lu Xin first and reported later and left Lu Xin in Nanxun, and did not pursue the matter too much. But at this time, I am interrogating Chu Pei's case. I hope that you, my dear Qu, can put aside your personal feelings and face this matter squarely, and do not let blood ties confuse your judgment. I don't want my Minister of Justice to be so confused, otherwise I would not have promoted you to this position." Unexpectedly, after Emperor Yugan laughed, he did not get angry again. Instead, he talked to Qu Changqing earnestly, hoping that he could recognize the mistake he had made.

Listening to Emperor Yugan's teachings, Qu Changqing frowned slightly. He knew that the emperor's tone was gentle, but the meaning implied in his words was extremely sharp.

If he followed Emperor Yugan's words and demanded that Chu Pei be severely punished, it would be an obvious admission that he was guilty, and his previous words would be suspected of shielding Chu Pei.

If he continued to plead for Chu Pei, it could only be said that he was stubborn and ignorant, and was even defying the emperor's authority, not even taking the emperor's will into consideration and acting on his own.

It can only be said that Emperor Yugan's words were extremely clever, blocking any way for Qu Changqing to speak.

When Emperor Yugan saw that Qu Changqing had stopped talking, he knew that although Qu Changqing looked dull, he was actually an extremely sensitive person. He must have understood the true meaning of his words and wisely kept silent. He then turned his attention to Chu Pei and slowly said, "Chu Pei, I also know that you have been in Youzhou for many years, and your talents have not been fully utilized. You must be feeling dissatisfied."

"I dare not have such a rebellious thought, Your Majesty, please understand! I have received the grace of Your Majesty, how could I have such a damnable thought? What's more, my father always taught me to be loyal to Your Majesty and Western Chu. I dare not have such a thought, Your Majesty, please understand!" Chu Pei immediately knelt on the ground, loudly appealed for justice, and cleverly brought up Chu Nanshan, asking Emperor Yugan to weigh the severity of the matter.

Chu Pei is different from Qu Changqing. When he brought up Chu Nanshan, it would not arouse other thoughts of Emperor Yugan. Instead, it would make Emperor Yugan understand that without Chu Nanshan, not to mention Emperor Yugan, even his ancestors would not be able to sit on the Nine Dragon Throne.

However, after the Jiang family conquered the world, they exiled Chu Nanshan's only son to the frontier. Although it sounded good to be a high-ranking official in the frontier, it actually separated Chu Nanshan and his son from each other by thousands of miles and they could only see each other for decades. Such imperial grace was truly higher than the sky and deeper than the sea, which made people feel chilled and terrified.

Emperor Yugan listened to Chu Pei's cry of injustice, a hint of impatience flashed across his eyes, but he still spoke gently, "You don't have to be like this. I know what I'm saying now. If you were a fool, how could you have given birth to a son as brilliant as the King of Chu? I just feel bad. A pillar of your stature should be the backbone of the court, but why don't you strive for progress when the emperor is far away? The Xie family is married to the Chu family, and you are a high-ranking official. How could you not know what the Xie family is doing behind the scenes? Moreover, you are in charge of the seal of Youzhou. The Xie family secretly mined jade, but without your seal in hand, how could they dare to start the work? Chu Pei, ah Chu Pei, you have really disappointed me. I thought that you three had been separated for too long, so I wanted to transfer you back to the capital this year, but I didn't expect you to do such a thing. It really makes me heartbroken!"

With these words, Emperor Yugan had already convicted Chu Pei. However, in the eyes of outsiders, Emperor Yugan had no choice but to do so, as if he was reluctant to part with Chu Pei, a pillar of the court.

"It's all due to the negligence of this guilty minister. Please punish me, Your Majesty!" Chu Pei insisted on taking the blame for his negligence. Although he did not admit the accusation made by Emperor Yu Gan, he took the initiative to apologize, which was considered as a way to give Emperor Yu Gan a way out.

"Your second wife, Mrs. Xie, and the two children she brought with her are all members of the Xie family. Although Mrs. Xie married into the Chu family, she still has the blood of the Xie family flowing in her veins. If she and the two children are not punished, I am afraid it will be difficult to stop the gossips of the world. Chu Pei, for the sake of fairness, I have to impose a heavy sentence!" Emperor Yu Gan sighed slightly, and the gentleness in his tone stopped there.

He sat up straight and nodded to Eunuch Yu beside him. Immediately, Eunuch Yu's sharp voice echoed in the hall, "Summon Xia Ji, the deputy commander of the Imperial Guard, to see you."

A breeze blew by, and Xia Ji strode into the hall, knelt beside Chu Pei, clasped his fists, and kowtowed loudly, "Your humble servant Xia Ji pays homage to the Emperor. Long live the Emperor."

When Emperor Yugan saw Xia Ji coming in, his expression suddenly darkened, and a fierce death emanated from his body. He spoke in a deep voice about the punishment for Chu Pei...

In the cold prime minister's residence.

Xi Lin walked quickly into the garden of Han Xiangfu, scanned the area, found Chu Feiyang, and immediately came to Chu Feiyang's side. He bent down and whispered a few words in Chu Feiyang's ear.

When the people at the main table saw Chu Feiyang's personal guard approach and whisper something to King Chu with a cold expression, they all put down their chopsticks and looked at Chu Feiyang with curiosity. Among them, Hai Chenxi's expression was the most playful. His smiling eyes showed an expression of anticipation, as if he was waiting for Chu Feiyang to change his expression.

Chu Feiyang, however, listened to Xi Lin's report with a smile on his face. He then raised his head again with his expression unchanged. Seeing that everyone at the table was staring at him, he couldn't help but smile and said, "What's wrong with you guys? Why aren't you eating? The vegetarian food at Han Xiangfu is amazing. Don't miss it!"

As he spoke, Chu Feiyang picked up the chopsticks at hand, picked up the vegetarian food in front of him again, and put it into his mouth to taste it carefully.

"I wonder what good news has made the King of Chu so happy that even his appetite has become so good!" Hai Chenxi picked up the teacup in front of him, sipped the sweet tea in it, and asked with a hint of meaning.

Chu Feiyang just smiled without saying a word, his face was full of energy, without any of the frustration and anger that Hai Chenxi expected to see. Instead, he looked more elegant than usual, which attracted many rich daughters to glance at him and blushed to cover their faces with round fans and silk silk.

After swallowing the vegetarian food in his mouth, Chu Feiyang slowly spoke, "This king is always in a good mood. It's like rain after a long drought, meeting an old friend in a foreign land. The wedding night, and the day of passing the imperial examination. Of these four great joys, this king has already achieved two of them. How can I not be happy?"

The smile on Hai Chenxi's face cooled slightly after these words were spoken. Among the people present, Prince Duan, Prince Chen, and Hai Chenxi himself all inherited their family titles, having received their titles thanks to their family's blessing. Chu Feiyang, however, was of an extremely high birth, yet he was the only one present to have taken the imperial examination and achieved top honors. This was truly enviable.

When Chu Feiyang recited these four lines of poetry, Hai Chenxi and King Chen heard it, and it really had a sense of irony in their ears. For a moment, both of them felt that their food had lost its taste and could not be swallowed.

"While the King of Chu is happy, he must not forget that his biological father is still imprisoned in the prison of the Ministry of Justice. The King of Chu is so happy, but he does not care about the feelings of Lord Chu at all. Isn't it a bit unfilial? Filial piety is the most important virtue. If the King of Chu does not even understand this most basic principle, how can he be above everyone else and become a role model for the people of Western Chu?" Jiang Muchen would naturally not let it go. Seeing Chu Feiyang ridiculing him, he immediately retorted and refused to be outdone.

"The emperor will make the final judgment on my father's affairs. If he is innocent, he will naturally let him go. If he is truly guilty, the emperor will certainly punish him accordingly. This prince naturally respects the facts and the emperor's judgment. Prince Chen is admirable, but he actually allowed Concubine Yuande to disobey his order. Is this the filial piety in your heart, Your Highness? I really can't compliment you!" Chu Feiyang smiled faintly in response, his face radiant with confidence, but the smile in his eyes had already frozen into ice, like an ice blade piercing Prince Chen's heart.

"Chu Feiyang, you..." King Chen slammed his hand on the table, anger appearing on his cold face.

"Seventh brother, King of Chu, today is a good day for Prime Minister Han. Why are you two discussing filial piety? Are you off topic? If so, I'm afraid King of Chu will not be able to pass the exam, and seventh brother will not be able to take on the role of judge for the military exam!" Seeing that Jiang Muchen and Chu Feiyang were about to fight, all the ministers and their female relatives in the garden looked towards the main table, and Prince Duan spoke calmly.

"Hmph!" Jiang Muchen glared at Chu Feiyang fiercely, then turned his gaze to the pavilion in the garden. Seeing the light blue figure in the fluttering pink gauze, he clenched his fists tightly with hatred, and his ambitious eyes were full of repression.

"Haha, Prince Duan is absolutely right! If we always go off topic, I'm afraid we really won't be able to pass the exam!" Compared with Prince Chen's coldness, Chu Feiyang's face was as rosy as a peach, and he was smiling, making people feel like a gentle breeze, amiable and respectable.

Chu Feiyang's gaze also turned to the slender figure sitting in the pavilion. His eyes, which were originally as cold as arrows, had now softened into a warm spring. He looked at Yun Qianmeng's back with a hint of warmth. Seeing that she was in good condition, he withdrew his gaze with relief.

Han Che saw that as soon as Prince Duan opened his mouth, the two princes of the dynasty who held high positions and great power at the same time put down their hostility and made peace. He could not help but turn his head to look at Prince Duan who had been sitting at the table. He saw that his face was always calm, and his eyes were calm, and he looked very calm and unconcerned.

Slowly lowering his eyes, Han Che suddenly understood why Prince Duan had been able to stand firm in the court for so many years. He did not control the financial power of Western Chu, nor did he have a large army at his command, but he was able to gain the respect of Emperor Yugan and the respect of all officials in the court. It was because he had no pursuit of power in his eyes and heart. He was strong without desire, and he also gained the respect of others.

It was no wonder that his words forced the usually heartless King Chen to suppress his anger, and also made the usually unrestrained Chu Feiyang give him some face.

Such a Prince Duan really has some extraordinary abilities.

Everyone in the pavilion heard the sound of King Chen slamming the table. They all turned around to look at the main table, only to see those dazzling men with different expressions on their faces, yet they were sitting at the same table. It was really puzzling.

Qu Feiqing covered her red lips with a round fan and whispered softly in Yun Qianmeng's ear, "Something seems off about the atmosphere at the main table!"

Yun Qianmeng naturally noticed the indifference in Chu Feiyang's eyes towards the housewarming party. Although Chu Feiyang was smiling, Yun Qianmeng always felt that there was a hint of distraction in Chu Feiyang's smile, as if his thoughts were no longer on the party.

Yun Qianmeng subconsciously glanced at everyone in the garden and realized that Qu Changqing hadn't come. Only Chu Feiyang was standing next to his personal guard. "My cousin didn't attend the housewarming party today."

Following Yun Qianmeng's instructions, Qu Feiqing searched the garden for a while, but indeed, she didn't see Qu Changqing. She couldn't help but mutter to herself in surprise, "Eh, yeah, my brother didn't come. Could it be that the Ministry of Justice has something else going on?"

An unintentional remark reminded Yun Qianmeng, and her heart suddenly tightened. Yun Qianmeng looked at Chu Feiyang again. Coincidentally, Chu Feiyang also raised his eyes to look at her at this moment. Their eyes met, and there was inquiry in Yun Qianmeng's eyes, while there was affirmation in Chu Feiyang's eyes.