Zhao Shu and Sun Yun disguised themselves as attendants and followed Prince Yong from the palace to the temporary residence. The area in front of the residence was already crowded with people. Uncle Fu shouted, "His Highness Prince Yong has arrived!"

As soon as the words were spoken, everyone kowtowed three times and bowed nine times, shouting, "Long live the Prince!"

Prince Yong, accompanied by his principal officials, renowned scholars and Confucianists led by Huo Chengchuo, Zhao Shu, Sun Yun, Fu Bo Moqin, and others, walked slowly down the middle of the alley. Fu Bo stood beside Prince Yong, a step behind. Behind them were palm-leaf fans, brocade banners, and precious umbrellas fluttering in the wind. The sounds of horns and gongs were deafening. The scene was solemn and grand, inspiring awe in all who beheld it.

As Prince Yong walked through the carpeted streets, his steps were steady and his demeanor elegant. His appearance was exceptionally handsome. Occasionally, a bold commoner would steal a glance and be immediately captivated by his spirited and dashing figure, thinking to himself, "Indeed, as the neighbors have said, the prince has a fine demeanor."

The street, though not very long, felt to Zhao Shu as if she had walked a lifetime. She was happy, joyful, and proud. In her previous life, her father was stripped of his title and exiled to the frontier, where he died on the way. But things were different now. Her father was the emperor's younger brother, Prince Yong, who was known to all the people and whose fame was widespread.

Compared to the misfortunes of her previous life, this was much better. She breathed a long sigh of relief, feeling one step closer to victory.

At this moment, she desperately wanted to know what those who bullied, humiliated, and belittled him were thinking, but she had no idea.

However, she knew that some of the ministers who had recommended Prince Yong to tour the country on behalf of the emperor, or those who had not remonstrated with Emperor Mingde against Prince Yong's decision to tour the country on behalf of the emperor, must be filled with regret now.

But so what? They pride themselves on being able to influence the course of history, on being the writers of the state, and on being the pillars of the nation. They would never dare to contradict themselves. Even if they were unwilling, they would grit their teeth and persevere, spreading the good name of Prince Yong throughout the world.

They dared not refute it because they did not want to be tainted, did not want to be called treacherous officials, did not want to be said by future generations to be lacking in integrity, and did not want to be said to be currying favor with the royal family. Therefore, the honorable name of Prince Yong must be well-deserved.

There will certainly be some people with unparalleled integrity who refuse to compromise their principles. Thousands of years later, some people may sing their praises, but who cares about what happens after death? Let them be. As long as they live freely in life, that's enough. Zhao Shu won't care. They will say good things and they will say bad things. Let them say whatever they want.

No matter what it's called, it's nothing more than political needs, family reputation needs, and interests. She doesn't care about politics or family reputation, nor can she control them. All she wants is for her father to live with dignity.

Prince Yong walked to the seat that had been arranged beforehand, flicked his python robe, turned around, and announced, "Announce the imperial edict."

At his command, officials from the Secretariat hurriedly stepped forward and read the imperial edict, which they had read countless times: "By the mandate of Heaven, the Emperor decrees: I have received the mandate of Heaven to rule the six directions. In the thirty-second year of Mingde, the land is at peace and the world is tranquil. However, I often reflect upon myself in light of the wise rulers of the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors of antiquity..."

The lengthy imperial edict took the officials of the Secretariat a full half-hour to read aloud. After listening for a while, Zhao Shu summarized the main points: first, it emphasized the divine right of kings; second, Emperor Mingde took the wise rulers of ancient times as his role model, governed with utmost seriousness and effort, and was a good emperor who was diligent in his duties and loved his people… and it also included a eulogy to Emperor Taizu and Emperor Gaozu…

Most importantly, the phrase "the emperor decreed" means that the imperial edict was written by Emperor Mingde himself, rather than dictated by an official.

By the end, Zhao Shu's knees ached from kneeling. She looked up and saw Huo Baichuan hiding on the second floor of the main building, near the front, where the Crown Prince was also present.

If you weren't paying attention, you wouldn't see them at all; Huo Baichuan deliberately gave himself away to let her see...

Beside the Crown Prince, Li Zhuo glared angrily at Huo Baichuan, secretly anxious, wondering if the prince had received his letter.

Wei Tingsi, whom Li Zhuo was thinking about, was reading a letter when he sneezed.

Zhang Chang and Yan Zelu exchanged a glance and silently withdrew. The adults' faces were as black as the bottom of a pot. If they didn't leave now, when would they?

The two had just left, and before the door was even closed, Wei Tingsi said, "Can anyone tell me what Li Zhuo wrote?"

Zhang Chang and Yan Zelu exchanged a glance, then reluctantly turned back. Yan Zelu, being simple-minded, was not as quick-witted as Zhang Chang. Adhering to the principle of sharing the burden for the master even at the cost of bloodshed and death, he picked up the letter that Wei Tingsi had thrown on the table.

He frowned immediately. The letter was covered with several circles and each word was preceded by a scribble, making it completely incomprehensible, like a book written in the heavens.

Yan Zelu frowned. He was rather simple-minded and not as quick-witted as Zhang Chang. Unable to understand, he simply handed the letter to Zhang Chang and said, "Brother Zhang, please read it to the master."

Zhang Chang looked bitter and resentful. This Li Zhuo was really something. He had made him learn calligraphy long ago, but after all these years, he still hadn't made any progress.

But the adult's face was so dark that he had no doubt what kind of hell awaited him if he said no.

Swallowing hard, Zhang Chang said, "Greetings...Greetings, Your Excellency." At this point, Zhang Chang felt like killing Li Zhuo. "The Princess forbade me to protect her, but ordered me to protect His Highness the Crown Prince."

Yan Zelu, standing nearby, quietly gave him a thumbs-up, inwardly admiring him. "Brother Zhang is indeed more intelligent than me," she thought. "So he's a princess, not a leader; a subordinate, not a henchman; the Crown Prince, not a subordinate of the Crown Prince..."

Zhang Chang glared at him fiercely and continued reading, "Mr. Huo has been disrespectful to the princess and often comes to see her."

Yan Zelu was now completely in awe of Zhang Chang; it turned out to be Mr. Huo, not Mr. Huo.

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