"Your Majesty." The Dali Temple official handed the case file to Liu Zhongbao and bowed to Emperor Longfeng on the throne: "All the relatives' contacts, comings and goings of the people involved in the Royal Horse Farm case are recorded here."
"Thank you for your help, my dear minister." Emperor Longfeng took the case file from Liu Zhongbao and opened the first page, which recorded in detail the names of all the people involved. Behind the list was who these people had contact with, their daily habits, and even details such as what they liked to eat and which day they spent more money than usual.
There is a conspicuous red dot under the list of each suspicious person.
In order to find out all this, the Dali Temple hadn't had a good night's sleep for a long time. However, after finding out all the contacts, they were so scared that they couldn't sleep. Because all kinds of evidence and every little thing pointed to the harem.
What's even more frightening is that these pieces of evidence are intertwined and come from more than one source, but everyone's goal is to kill or cripple the King.
The Dali Temple officials lowered their heads and dared not speak.
The time and frequency of Prince Chen's visits to the Royal Stables are irregular. Some of these spies with suspicious identities were planted there seven or eight years ago. How old was Prince Chen at that time?
Perhaps, this is not just a conspiracy against Prince Chen. These princes have become each other's prey, and Prince Chen is the fattest and most hated sheep.
No one spoke in the hall. Emperor Longfeng looked very seriously, not missing any name or word.
Each of these people wanted to kill his son.
More than ten years ago, when he was imprisoned in the palace, Du Qing was bullied. Now he is the emperor, sitting on the vast territory, how can he still be bullied? !
"All criminals involved in this case will be sentenced to death immediately." Emperor Longfeng picked up the red pen and circled the names one by one. "As for those in the harem who were involved in this matter... you will continue to investigate for me. No matter who they are, I will not let them go."
"Your Majesty!" The Dali Temple official was shocked: "Your Majesty lives in seclusion in the deep palace. If we continue to investigate..."
The royal family's secrets throughout the ages are as numerous as the fish and shrimps in the moat. He was afraid that if he continued to investigate, it would involve the biological mothers of the princes and princesses. If the news got out, wouldn't it undermine the dignity of the royal family?
"Someone wants to kill my son. As an emperor, should I keep silent about it?" Emperor Longfeng threw the file on the table. "My dear minister, you are a detective like a god. I believe you can find out the truth."
"Your Majesty." The Dali Temple official was bitter in his heart, and he bowed and said, "Please rest assured, Your Majesty, I will investigate the case in a low profile and not arouse the suspicion of the ladies, but..." He raised his head and glanced at Liu Zhongbao: "It's just that as an outsider, I am not suitable to walk around in the harem. There are some things that I still need the help of Eunuch Liu."
Emperor Longfeng nodded.
Liu Zhongbao bowed to the marble official and said, "Master Luo, please rest assured that I will assist you in investigating the case with all my heart."
"Thank you, Mr. Liu."
"Lord Luo is too polite. You and I are just trying to share His Majesty's worries."
Liu Zhongbao lowered his head to look at the seemingly calm emperor, and saw that the hand holding the red brush had been so tense that the knuckles had turned white. He knew that the emperor was already furious at this moment.
At this moment, if anyone dares to offend His Majesty again...
"Your Majesty, His Royal Highness Prince Chen requests an audience."
Emperor Longfeng put down his pen and spoke slowly: "Announce."
"Father." Prince Chen strode into the inner hall and knelt down in front of Emperor Longfeng on the throne. "Father, I have been bullied. You must take charge of this for me."
Lord Luo from the Dali Temple turned his head and looked at him. In the entire capital, who dared to bully Prince Chen?
"Liu Zhongbao, help him up quickly." Emperor Longfeng stood up, and the rage he had suppressed burst out instantly: "Who dares to disrespect my son?!"
Lord Luo from the Dali Temple was stunned by His Majesty's reaction. Shouldn't he first ask about the cause and effect of such a matter?
Since your majesty ascended the throne, he has been diligent in government, loving the people, and being benevolent and virtuous. Under your governance, the people live and work in peace and contentment, with enough food and clothing. He does not like to enjoy himself, nor is he a violent and murderous person. Even after ascending the throne, he has never collected beautiful women from the people to serve in the palace. He can almost be called a rare wise monarch.
Why is it almost? Because he favored Concubine Su and the Prince of Chen, who was born to Concubine Su. Fortunately, Concubine Su had a bad relationship with her mother's family and was unwilling to promote her mother's family, otherwise it might have led to the tragedy of foreign relatives' monopoly of power like in the previous dynasty.
When I think about it this way, apart from the fact that Concubine Su had a bad relationship with the civil officials and was favored by His Majesty, Prince Chen had a bad temper, had more ways to deal with people, and was a bit arrogant and domineering, it seemed...how come this mother and son have never done anything big that would arouse the anger of both humans and gods?
At least he didn't kill people for a disagreement. Whoever offended him would be killed...
Lord Luo shook his head. This is the bad thing about reading too much and knowing too much: you will unconsciously compare yourself with others.
The deeds recorded in the previous dynasty were so brutal that it is easy to feel satisfied with the events of the current dynasty.
"Lord Luo, I will take you out." Liu Zhongbao walked up to Lord Luo and led him out of the outer hall.
Lord Luo came to his senses, tactfully bowed to the Emperor and Prince Chen, and followed Liu Zhongbao out. When he reached the door, he heard Prince Chen whispering about how arrogant someone was and how he didn't apologize to him for doing something wrong.
Hearing Prince Chen's complaints, Lord Luo couldn't help but feel curious. Who on earth was so bold as to dare to touch the mold of this prince?
After walking out of the palace gate, Lord Luo saw Prince Qi walking towards him in a hurry, so he turned to Liu Zhongbao and said, "Eunuch Liu, please stay."
"Master Luo, take care." Liu Zhongbao also saw the King of Qi. He shook the whisk in his hand and nodded slightly to Master Luo: "Please pay attention to the steps below."
"Thank you, eunuch." Lord Luo walked past King Qi and bowed to him.
The Prince of Qi stopped and returned a half-salute, then hurried to Liu Zhongbao and said, "Eunuch Liu, I have something I want to see my father. Please pass it on for me."
Liu Zhongbao smiled and bowed: "Your Highness, please wait for a moment. His Majesty has some things to deal with at the moment."
Upon hearing that Liu Zhongbao refused to pass on the message for King Qi, Lord Luo quickened his pace and dared not listen any further.
There was a faint sound of talking coming from the half-open palace door. Prince Qi knew that it was Yun Duqing inside. He nodded gracefully: "I understand. Thank you, eunuch."
He stood aside, his posture as graceful as a pine tree, and he said, "Then I will wait here for my father to summon me."
Liu Zhongbao smiled and bowed to King Qi.
"Father, do you think this Pingyuan Marquis's Mansion is evil?" Prince Chen drank the tea brought by the palace servants. "A few months ago, the little brat from the Zheng family said in the palace that my mother was a demon concubine. My mother is tolerant by nature and didn't bother with the child. I didn't expect that their whole family is so arrogant and rude."
"Father, I am your son. They look down on me, which means they look down on you." After drinking half a cup of tea, Prince Chen was no longer thirsty. "In fact, if they slander me a few times, it's fine. I have done more than one ridiculous thing anyway. But the Ming family is full of loyal officials. We can't let them suffer such an injustice just because their daughter wants to marry me."
"The Zheng family has been in the position of marquis for three generations. I have been too lenient to them." Emperor Longfeng lowered his eyelids. He was angry to begin with, and when he heard that Marquis Pingyuan was so arrogant, he became even angrier. "Come here, summon the officials of the Ministry of Rites to the palace. I want to draft an edict."
Ming Jingzhou was summoned into the palace and saw Prince Qi standing outside the main gate of the Taiyang Palace. He didn't know how long he had been standing there.
"Lord Ming, you are finally here. His Majesty is waiting for you." Liu Zhongbao greeted Ming Jingzhou with a smile: "Lord Ming, please follow me."
Prince Qi licked the corners of his dry lips and looked up to see that the door to the main hall had opened but not closed.
The father's voice came from inside the palace.
"Pass on my decree. Pingyuan Marquis Mansion is lax in discipline and disregards the royal family. His title is reduced to earldom. From now on, all the courtyards and utensils that violate the rules will be sealed off without delay."
The cold wind blew away the dead leaves from the treetops. King Qi looked down at the dead leaves falling into the grass, his eyelids trembling slightly.
His wedding with Sun Caiyao was imminent, but first Concubine Yang died of illness, and Qin Tianjian was unwilling to change the auspicious time. Now even his foreign family was demoted. If this matter got out, his other brothers and sisters would laugh at him.
We are both the emperor's sons, so why doesn't the emperor give him any face at all, and even refuses to allow him to have a dignified wedding?
Ming Jingzhou took the imperial edict with the imperial seal and glanced at Prince Chen who was sitting on a chair eating snacks.
Sensing Ming Jingzhou's gaze, Prince Chen nodded and looked down to see if there was any scum on his body. Now, whenever Ming Jingzhou looked at him, he would subconsciously think that the other party wanted him to copy something again.
Who knew that Ming Jingzhou just smiled at him, bowed and walked out.
Seeing this smile, Chen Wang couldn't drink his tea anymore, and he had no appetite for snacks. He was guessing what Ming Jingzhou's ambiguous smile meant.
He didn't study hard before, and now his father found him a father-in-law who doesn't beat or scold him but is very scary. Maybe it's the retribution for his ignorance when he was young.
His mistake was that when he stepped into the Ministry of Rites, he met Ming Xiaozhu and said big words that he shouldn't have said.
Vanity makes men pay a heavy price.
"Ming sir." When the King of Qi saw Ming Jingzhou coming out, he bowed to him and said, "Ming sir, the words and actions of the servants of Pingyuan Marquis's mansion were rude and offended your mansion. I hope you will forgive me."
Ming Jingzhou turned aside to avoid the Prince of Qi's greeting, bowed deeply, and asked with a confused look: "What do you mean by this, Your Majesty? Did the servants of Marquis Pingyuan... no, Earl Pingyuan's mansion say something inappropriate about me?"
King Qi observed the expression on Ming Jingzhou's face. The confusion and puzzlement on his face were natural, and it seemed that he didn't know what had happened.
"These are all misunderstandings that are not worth mentioning." King Qi smiled bitterly, "But I hope that Master Ming will not be offended by the words of these ignorant people after hearing the rumors."
"Your Highness, you are too kind." Ming Jingzhou smiled and bowed to the King of Qi again: "Your Highness is kind-hearted. How could I have any grudge against you because of a small fry?"
"I have an imperial edict to read and dare not delay. I hope Your Highness will forgive me." Ming Jingzhou certainly knew what King Qi wanted to hear, but why should he let him have his way?
It is true that the servant who spread the rumors came from the Zheng family, but who can tell who used such means?
Prince Qi waited for a long time outside Taiyang Palace but was not summoned by His Majesty. In addition, the news that the Zheng family had been demoted soon reached the ears of every concubine in the harem.
However, Concubine Ning was unwilling to believe that His Majesty would be so cruel.
"My son's wedding is approaching. Even if Your Majesty is determined to demote the Zheng family's title, why not wait a little longer, at least until Yanze's wedding is over?" Concubine Ning burst into tears and almost choked.
"Your Majesty, anger is harmful to your health. Please take care of yourself." Bai Shao supported Concubine Ning, patted her back gently, and comforted her: "You are the mother of His Highness. If you have any health problems, people outside will probably laugh at the prince even more..."
"Who dares!" Concubine Ning screamed, "My son is extremely talented, handsome and elegant. Looking at the entire palace, which prince can be compared with Yan Ze?"
"Hongmei." Concubine Ning remembered something, stood up and walked to Hongmei, and slapped her hard: "How do you do things? I asked you to arrange someone to spread the rumors about the Ming family, but you actually asked the servant of the Marquis' Mansion to do it. Did you use your brain before doing anything?"
"Your Highness." Hongmei covered her face with grievance, kneeling in front of Concubine Ning and crying, "Your Highness, please calm down. Please understand that the people I arranged were refugees without household registration, and they didn't have time to take action. I don't understand why the servants in the Marquis' Mansion would do this."
Even if she was stupid, she knew that things had to be done carefully and prudently. How could she possibly arrange for someone from the Marquis' Mansion to do such a thing?
"Does the Marquis' Mansion really hate the Ming family to such an extent?" Concubine Ning believed Hongmei's words. She said with resentment: "Have they ever thought about the consequences of their actions being exposed?!"
"Your Majesty, now that things have come to this, I think our previous plan can no longer be used." Bai Shao gently pinched Concubine Ning's shoulder: "Fortunately, you and His Majesty have had a long-term relationship, and His Majesty did not get angry with you because of the foolish behavior of the Marquis' Mansion. I am worried that if such rumors spread again, His Majesty will think of the Marquis' Mansion again, and then associate it with you and Your Highness..."
Hearing the words "many years of affection", Concubine Ning glanced at the vase on the table and said, "Yan Ze waited outside the Taiyang Palace for a full hour, but was not summoned by His Majesty. He was angry with us because of the Zheng family."
"Your Majesty." Bai Shao said softly, "Don't think too much. His Majesty is just angry for a moment. As long as our Lanxu Palace reduces contact with the Zheng family recently, His Majesty will definitely believe you."
"You're right." Concubine Ning subconsciously resisted the idea of His Majesty getting angry with her because of the Zheng family. After hearing Bai Shao's words, she felt more psychologically comforted: "Hongmei, you immediately withdraw those people you have arranged, and don't let them say bad things about the Zheng family."
She had arranged for people to spread rumors about Prince Chen in the past, but she had never suffered such a severe loss as this time. The little girl from the Ming family was really born to be her unlucky.
What's even more disgusting is that now she not only cannot ruin her reputation, but also has to find ways to protect it.
It's really unlucky!
After the news of the Zheng family being demoted came out, the entire capital knew that the servants of the Zheng family were so bold that they spoke ill of the royal family in the teahouse and discredited the majesty of the royal family.
However, no one cared about the remarks related to the Ming family.
After everyone lost interest in discussing the affairs of the Zheng family, the wedding of Prince Qi and Miss Sun became the focus of interest for the people of the entire capital.
"When His Royal Highness Prince Huai got married, Princess Huai's dowry was displayed from one end of the street to the other. I wonder how much dowry Princess Qi had?"
"It's definitely not a small number. The Sun family is a big family."
"After Prince Qi's wedding, it will be Prince Chen's turn?"
"Have you...heard of the Overbearing Prince?"
"I've heard that some people say that this overbearing prince is actually the Prince of Chen."
"No wonder the emperor likes this son the most. If I had a son who could fight bandits in the mountains and take exams under a false name, I would wake up laughing even when I am asleep."
Jiuzhu walked silently behind these chatting people, trying her best to look less guilty.
"The story of the overbearing prince is getting more and more outrageous." Zhou Xiao still remembers one day a few years ago when her father came home and talked about the Prince's expression when he made the teacher faint.
Would such a prince pretend to be an ordinary person to take the imperial examination? Even Prince Chen himself would be embarrassed to dream of such a thing.
"Ahem." Jiuzhu turned her head and looked forward: "Sister Zhou, the woman in the spice pavilion seems to be Miss Sun?"
"Her wedding is in two days, and she's still in the mood to buy spices?" Zhou Xiao looked at Sun Caiyao in the spice shop with doubt. Thinking that Jiuzhu and Sun Caiyao would be sisters-in-law in the future, it would not be bad for them to be more familiar with each other, so she pulled her and said, "Let's go in and take a look."
"Miss Zhou." Sun Caiyao picked up the spice box, turned around and saw Zhou Xiao and Jiuzhu, and bowed to them: "County Master Ming."
"Miss Sun." Jiuzhu noticed that Sun Caiyao was looking at her, smiled and returned the greeting, then sneezed several times.
Sun Caiyao closed the spice box in her hand and put it back on the table: "Some people are not used to the smell of spices. The county lord should try not to use incense in the future."
"Thank you, Miss Sun, for your reminder." Jiuzhu covered her mouth and nose with her fingers, sneezed a few times, and hurriedly walked out of the spice cabinet, only then did she feel better.
It turns out that Ming Jiuzhu is not used to the taste of various spices...
Sun Caiyao looked at the various exquisite spice boxes, her mind distracted.
How did Ming Jiuzhu in her dream endure the discomfort of her body and light the deadly incense?
A breeze blew, and the pungent smell of spices once again penetrated Jiuzhu's nose.
"Ah-chu! Ah-chu!"
"Ming Xiaozhu." A cloak was put on her: "Why don't you wear a cloak when you go out?"
"Your Highness." Jiuzhu sneezed twice more, and even tears came out of her eyes: "Why are you here?"
"I was just planning to go to the Ministry of Industry, but I didn't expect you to be here." He looked up at the sky and said with a half-smile, "It looks like tomorrow will be a sunny day."
"Why?" Jiuzhu looked at him with tears in her eyes.
Prince Chen couldn't help himself and reached out to pinch her hair bun. The feeling was still as good as last time. He smiled and took his hand back: "I won't tell you."
"Huff!" At this time, a child sneezed on the side of the road. The elder touched his head and said, "When a dog sneezes, the sky will be clear. The sun will definitely come out tomorrow."
"Your Highness." Jiuzhu slowly raised her head and looked at the Prince who had returned to his horse: "So you were calling me a dog?"
Sun Caiyao just walked to the door when she heard these words.
She frowned and looked at the Prince Chen on horseback. The girl from the Ming family in the dream even spared the Prince Qi for the Prince Chen. The Prince Chen outside the dream actually called her a dog?
Seeing this, Zhou Xiao turned around and gave her a dry smile: "Maybe, this is... a little hobby between the overbearing prince and his fiancée?"
Sun Caiyao frowned even more tightly. What's wrong with Miss Zhou? She seemed very smart in the past, but why is she talking nonsense today?
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