Chapter 270 I'm Going to the Ministry of Justice!

Qin stamped her foot anxiously: "But if it weren't for the painting, the young master wouldn't be like this. He would definitely continue solving the case. It was the painting that attracted the young master's attention!"

Shen Wantang was still intently studying the ledgers, and casually replied, "Really? Does the young master enjoy solving cases so much?"

"Yes! The young master finally found a proper thing to do that he enjoys, and now Huayi has ruined it all! If the princess finds out, she'll skin Huayi alive!"

Shen Wantang couldn't help but laugh. She shook her head, finished reading the last page of the ledger, closed it, and handed it to Du Juan.

"If Mother knew, she would probably just laugh it off and wouldn't punish Huayi."

"Huh? That's impossible!"

Qin Xin said indignantly, "The young master finally let go of Consort Chu and was willing to go out and do a proper job. The princess has been very happy these past few days! Now the young master has been lured back by Hua Yi. How is she any different from Consort Chu? The princess will definitely be very angry and think that Hua Yi is hindering the young master's future!"

Shen Wantang calmly replied, "No, Mother doesn't really care whether the young master becomes an official or not. The young master was born into the Ning Prince's Mansion, where he is born into wealth and privilege, and he doesn't need to work hard. As long as the young master doesn't bring any disreputable people into the mansion, Mother will let him do as he pleases."

Qin Xin didn't believe it: "This servant thinks the Crown Princess must have guessed wrong this time. You just wait and see. If the Princess finds out tomorrow that the Crown Prince didn't go to the Dali Temple to perform his duties because of Hua Yi, she will definitely punish Hua Yi as a warning to others!"

However, the next day, when Qin Xin accompanied Shen Wantang to pay her respects to the princess, she was dumbfounded.

"Yuan'er hasn't gotten up yet? What time is it? Why is he still sleeping? Isn't he going to the Dali Temple today?"

Granny Quan replied, "This old servant asked Moji, and he said that the young master said the snow is too heavy and he will not go."

"Is that all there is to it?"

"Furthermore, the young master has been having a great time playing with Huayi these past two days, and he might want to play again today."

Princess Ning was stunned for a moment, then sighed: "I thought he had made progress, but it turns out he hasn't. Just a few days ago, he was out early and back late investigating the case, vowing to help General Xin find the murderer. He was so busy and dedicated. But after only a few days, he's already tired and started throwing himself at women again."

Shen Wantang knew her mother-in-law's thoughts; no one loved her son more than she did.

She smiled and said, "Mother, with the snow falling so heavily, it's not very convenient for the young master to go and solve cases. He can go after the snow stops. There are quite a few cases in the capital. The young master will be busy solving cases in the future, so it won't hurt for him to rest for a couple of days."

Princess Ning hadn't intended to blame her son too much. After all, she knew her son well; he wasn't cut out to be an official. Moreover, even the prince knew his son's unreliable nature, otherwise he wouldn't have only asked the emperor for a minor official position.

Hearing her daughter-in-law speak up for her son, she felt very comforted and took the opportunity to say, "Fine, it's freezing cold. Dali Temple is drafty and has no underfloor heating. Yuan'er might get cold. If he doesn't want to go, he doesn't have to go. Dali Temple won't miss him."

“Mother is right.”

"Tang'er, you don't know, Yuan'er was weak when he was little. In previous years, he liked to stay in the warmest place at this time."

Shen Wantang had no idea about this. On the contrary, she thought Xiao Qingyuan was exceptionally healthy and resilient. He had even gone out to find Chu Yanluo while running a high fever, but after taking some medicine and sleeping, he was back to his energetic self.

She asked with some curiosity, "Was the young prince weak when he was young? I really didn't notice. He looks tall and strong now, with long legs and a good physique."

Speaking of this, Princess Ning said with some pride, "Of course, it's all thanks to my careful care. He was very sick when he was young, and I spent a lot of effort inviting countless imperial physicians to help him recover his health little by little."

Shen Wantang nodded, then said in realization, "I see!"

She said that Princess Ning loved her son the most. She had given so much to her child but never asked for anything in return. Most of the time, she let her child do whatever he liked.

The only thing she has ever opposed is her son marrying Chu Yanluo as his legal wife.

No, she initially agreed, but later she discovered that Chu Yanluo was pregnant with an illegitimate child, which made her furious and she refused to agree to her son marrying her no matter what.

Shen Wantang had lost count of how many times she had envied Xiao Qingyuan and Xiao Qingxi. They were truly blessed to be born into the same family as the Princess Ning, possessing a noble status and selfless maternal love. From the moment they were born, they had already surpassed the vast majority of people.

As they were talking, a maidservant came in and said, "Your Highness, the Prince has gotten up."

"You're up?"

Princess Ning laughed: "I thought he was going to sleep until noon, but I didn't expect him to get up so early. This child is sensible after all, and he doesn't sleep in anymore."

The maid lowered her head. "How can it be early? It's already past 7:45 AM. The only person still awake in the Prince Ning's mansion is the young master."

The maidservant inwardly grumbled, but outwardly she respectfully relayed the message: "Your Highness, the young master says he no longer wants to serve at the Dali Temple. He wants to become the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Justice and asks you to tell the prince."

"What?!"

Princess Ning's smile froze on her face: "Does he think the Court of Judicial Review and the Ministry of Justice are run by our Ning Prince's Mansion? That he can just go whenever he wants and not go whenever he wants?! Even the Crown Prince wouldn't dare to speak so arrogantly, going wherever he pleases! I think he's confused and starting to talk nonsense!"

"Your Highness is not confused from sleep. You heard that Second Young Master Gu went to the Ministry of Justice to get involved in the Xin family's case and said that the case would be solved within three days, so Your Highness went to the Ministry of Justice."

Princess Ning's head throbbed with pain: "That good-for-nothing! He can't stand even a word of praise from me! Just because the Gu family boy went to the Ministry of Justice, does he have to go to the Ministry of Justice too? If he goes to the underworld, does he have to go with him?!"

The little maid dared not respond to these words; she could only lower her head and listen to the reprimand.

“Go tell that scoundrel that only the Court of Judicial Review can send him. If he doesn’t want to go, he can stay in the Prince’s Mansion and not go anywhere else! The Ministry of Justice, the Vice Minister? With his meager abilities, is he even qualified to be the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Justice?”

As soon as she finished speaking, the curtain was lifted, and Xiao Qingyuan walked in.

"Mother, I must go to the Ministry of Justice this time! I absolutely cannot lose to Gu Qianhan! I must solve the case before him!"

Princess Ning felt a wave of dizziness. Her foolish son actually wanted to beat Gu Qianhan?

It's not that she's trying to boost others' morale and diminish her own; it's just that Gu Qianhan has been a genius since childhood. He could read the Four Books and Five Classics at the age of three, and by the age of five, he was already the world's number one child prodigy!

What was her son doing at that moment? He was taking a nap at the Imperial College!