The next day, Hongzhou, who had not slept all night, got up early and entered the palace without disturbing Wukuzha, who was still resting nearby.

After finishing the morning court session, Hongzhou did not rush back to his residence, but instead went to the Ministry of Revenue.

Even after a night had passed, Hongzhou's heart was still unsettled. Although he had considered that the letter was written by someone with ulterior motives, who wanted to sow discord between him and Hongli.

However, the letter was filled with unwavering conviction. Besides stating that the child was not Geng's, it also revealed that several concubines of higher rank in the harem actually knew about it. They simply wouldn't discuss it, as the Emperor and the Empress Dowager forbade any talk of it.

If the person who wrote this letter was unaware of the facts, it wouldn't have involved so many people in the harem. Furthermore, the Empress Dowager treated him very well on a daily basis. Logically speaking, he was one of Hongli's contenders for the position of Crown Prince, but the Empress Dowager didn't hold much grudge against him.

Thinking of this, Hongzhou felt even more agitated. If he was truly born to the Empress Dowager, why had the Emperor issued a gag order to prevent anyone from mentioning it?

Therefore, Hongzhou did not want to return to his residence yet. He was afraid that seeing Geng would only make him more agitated, so he went directly to the Ministry of Revenue to report for duty.

When it was time to take attendance, Hongzhou was still somewhat absent-minded. The letter he had seen the night before was still lingering in his mind, and he kept thinking about the words in the letter. Therefore, when taking attendance, he also included the officials who had already asked for leave.

This incident made Hongzhou even more agitated. On the one hand, he was angry at himself for losing his composure and neglecting state affairs; on the other hand, he was quite astonished by what he had just said.

He was filled with doubt, but had nowhere to ask anyone, because no one would answer him.

At this moment, while Hongzhou was still thinking about this matter, a eunuch came in to request an audience.

"Greetings, Your Highness. I have been sent by Prince Bao to invite you to the Hall of Mental Cultivation," the eunuch respectfully said to Hongzhou.

"What is it?" Hongzhou asked the eunuch in front of him.

"Your Highness, Prince Bao has some political matters to discuss with you."

Upon hearing the eunuch's words, Hongzhou took a deep breath and said to the eunuch, "I understand. I will prepare myself and then go with you." Then, Hongzhou got up, put aside his doubts, and followed the eunuch to the Hall of Mental Cultivation.

By the time Hongzhou and Hongli finished dealing with the matter, it was already past noon.

Hongli looked outside and saw that the sun was high in the sky. He knew that a long time had passed, so he said to Hongzhou, "It's fortunate that you are here. Seventeenth Uncle had something to do at his residence, so he went back first. If it weren't for you, I don't know how long I would have been busy."

"Your Majesty is too kind. It is my duty to help you with your worries." Then he continued to Hongli, "If there is nothing else, I will take my leave now."

Upon hearing Hongzhou's words, Hongli immediately said, "No rush. It's already past noon. Why don't you stay and have lunch with me?" With that, Hongli waved his hand, signaling the eunuchs waiting nearby to go and serve the meal.

When Hongli was about to send his eunuchs to serve the meal, Hongzhou immediately declined, saying, "Your Majesty, I dare not. This is not in accordance with etiquette. I would rather have the meal at home."

Upon hearing Hongzhou's words, Hongli patted Hongzhou on the shoulder and said with a smile, "We are good brothers, there's no need to stand on ceremony. There's nothing you can't do, so don't worry about it."