Zhao Shu stopped Fei Chi and said to Fei Peng, "What's your purpose in telling me all this?"

"I implore the princess to do justice for my brother and give him justice!" Fei Peng's idea was simple. He thought that since she was a princess, she must be able to see the emperor. As long as the princess spoke to the emperor, his brother would be saved.

Zhao Shu chuckled lightly, "Why should I help you?"

Fei Peng was stunned. He knelt on the ground, not knowing what to say. These words had dealt him a heavy blow. If he had any hope just now, he had fallen into an abyss, and everything was now dark.

My heart is dead. Yes, we're not related, why should they help me?

Fei Chi was furious, his face flushed red. He grabbed his younger brother and said, "A man without backbone cannot stand firm. A true man stands tall and upright! Get up!"

When a person falls into despair, integrity and face become unimportant. Fei Peng's thoughts were simple; he only wanted the court to punish the wicked and restore justice for his brother.

Struggling and twisting, unwilling to get up, he knelt even further forward and kowtowed repeatedly, pleading, "Please, Your Highness, help my humble brother! I am willing to serve Your Highness like an ox or a horse to repay you! Please, Your Highness, help my humble brother!"

He kowtowed repeatedly, pounding his head, and kept repeating the same phrase.

"Get up. Your brother's affairs are none of your concern. As the saying goes, the eldest brother is like a father; it should be your brother who worries about you." Without waiting for Fei Peng's consent or refusal, she directly ordered Uncle Fu, "Uncle Fu, take him away."

Fei Peng ran out of words in just a few sentences and could only keep begging for help. When people are in despair, their thinking becomes so simple.

Zhao Shu told him to go downstairs with Uncle Fu, but he just stood there stunned. Uncle Fu clicked his tongue in exasperation and went to pull him up himself.

He only realized what was happening when Uncle Fu's hand touched his clothes. He struggled to break free from Uncle Fu's grasp, hid behind Fei Chi like a frightened bird, and begged for mercy: "Please forgive me, Princess, please forgive me, I will never talk nonsense again."

"How can you be so ignorant, young man? The princess tells you to leave, so leave. What are you shouting about?" Uncle Fu was extremely disappointed in Fei Peng. At first, he thought the two children were handsome and polite, and he even wanted to find an opportunity to promote them. He never expected them to be so useless.

Fei Chi was older and more meticulous. During his time in exile, he had also learned to read people's expressions and demeanor. He could not see the greed and incompetence of those corrupt officials in Zhao Shu's eyes.

Moreover, the brothers no longer have anything worth others coveting.

He patted his younger brother on the shoulder, "Go on, you forgot? It was Uncle Fu who gave us the food. He wouldn't harm us."

Zhao Shu frowned. This idea that "as long as there's food, you're my mother" is not good.

Fei Peng hesitated, looking back and forth between his brother and Uncle Fu, before finally looking at Zhao Shu. Zhao Shu gave him a big smile, and seeing the kind smile from his hostess, he finally felt relieved.

"Come with me." Uncle Fu bowed and led her away.

After the two left, Zhao Shu looked directly at Fei Chi and said, "First, tell me why you fought."

Fei Chi's expression changed, and his chest heaved violently. Clearly, he felt that Zhao Shu was deliberately picking a fight. Otherwise, why would she ask him instead of someone else, especially since he wasn't the one who would intervene?

"What? Do you feel insulted? Scholars don't even dare to speak?" Zhao Shu stood in the sun, and Xiao Guozi offered to hold an umbrella for her, but she refused.

The reason was that everyone in the stadium was under the scorching sun, and they were all wearing thick armor.

Fei Chi shuddered and said in a stiff voice, "They're the ones who always cause trouble. They put chili powder in our undergarments, broke our weapons, and so on."

At this point, he glanced at Wei Tingsi, hesitated for a moment, and then said defiantly, "They are in cahoots with Lord Wei to isolate the newcomers!"

Zhao Shu smiled. Scholars should act like scholars and have integrity. It doesn't mean they should be so pedantic as to rather starve than accept charity, but they should dare to speak the truth and take responsibility for their actions.

She turned to Wei Tingsi and asked, the two of them exchanging a smile, "Lord Wei, is what he said true?"

As soon as the words left his mouth, Fei Chi's ashen face did not escape Zhao Shu's eyes. However, Zhao Shu's words made his eyes light up again, and a glimmer of hope appeared in them.

Wei Tingsi said, "That is indeed the case. If the princess does not believe me, I can show her the money and silk that my brothers gave me. Oh, and by the way, there is also a Duan inkstone."

Zhao Shu couldn't help but laugh. The guards who had been beaten were also dumbfounded. They knew that Wei Tingsi was ruthless and had a bad temper, but this time they had no choice but to resort to this tactic. After Wei Tingsi accepted the gift, they were secretly pleased. It seemed that this Lord Wei was nothing special, just with a bad reputation.

Unexpectedly, this guy was waiting for them here.

"Oh, I had no idea that the mere garrison soldiers were so wealthy. It is beneath you all to serve as garrison soldiers in my humble palace. Little Zhu, please escort them out."

She pointed at the men who had been beaten and gave them stern orders.

The soldiers, already bruised and battered, were about to be driven out, so they ignored the pain and kowtowed repeatedly, begging for mercy.

Someone shouted, "Princess, this servant did not bribe Lord Wei! Princess, please investigate thoroughly!"

"Yes, Your Highness, this servant did not bribe Lord Wei. Please, Your Highness, investigate thoroughly and do not send us away."

Zhao Shu sneered, "You must be very clever to have such wealthy friends. Since you can share joys and sorrows and beatings together, they will naturally not be stingy in helping you. Giving you a piece of ink casually will allow you to live a life of comfort for a long time. I suppose this kind of life is much more comfortable than being a soldier in the Prince's mansion. Drag them out!"

Xiao Zhu Zi was one of the two eunuchs carefully selected by the Empress Dowager to serve Zhao Shu. His skills were beyond question, and he quickly beat her up again.

"Hey guys, give us a hand and throw these guys out." He waved his hand, and the new recruits who had been beating people immediately stepped in to help.

Before long, everyone had been cleared out.

Zhao Shu turned and bowed to Wei Tingsi, as a sign of respect for the court official and gratitude for his trouble in handling the affairs of the Prince's residence. "Please continue to take care of things, Lord Wei."

"Of course." Wei Tingsi returned the greeting. She was already used to Zhao Shu's courteous manners. Compared to other members of the royal family, she was much more polite and had none of the spoiled, willful, or arrogant behavior she displayed.

Zhao Shu smiled, "I'm sorry to have troubled you these past few days. I had a sudden idea yesterday, and I wonder if you would like to hear it?"

Wei Tingsi's eyes lit up. He had been waiting for Zhao Shu to have more ideas, but he didn't expect them to come so quickly.

He extended his hand in a gesture of invitation, saying, "Please, Princess."

Zhao Shu smiled and prepared to leave with Wei Tingsi. Before leaving, she glanced at Fei Chi and said, "You should come with me too."

Fei Chi could hardly believe his ears. Wei Tingsi had already given him a huge shock. In his mind, the eldest daughter of the Qingzhou prefect was nothing compared to the princess. The eldest daughter of the Qingzhou prefect was a vulgar shrew in front of Zhao Shu, and was not even one ten-thousandth as gentle as Zhao Shu.

Once people's hearts are skewed, there's no limit to how far they can go.

Just now, Zhao Shu had calmly and smilingly chased away several soldiers who had been beaten black and blue.