Mo Shaojun was in a very good mood.
He not only wanted the court officials to see the situation clearly, but also the Su family.
A wild prince picked up from who-knows-where could possibly be worthy of being compared to him.
The doors to the Imperial Study were tightly shut.
The young eunuch and the Imperial Guards stood a few steps away.
Mo Shaojun and the Imperial Censor Zhang had no choice but to stand in front of the stone steps and wait.
After standing there for a long time, the chief eunuch finally came out.
"Your Highness, Lord Zhang, His Majesty is deeply grieved by the Empress Dowager's passing. If you have nothing urgent to attend to, please return."
Mo Shaojun frowned and said, "The morning court session is suspended. Unless it is urgent, I will not come from Kunning Palace to disturb my father. Please go and convey the message again, Eunuch."
The chief eunuch hesitated, as if he wanted to say something but then stopped himself.
But Mo Yunzhao's voice came from inside the hall.
"Let them in."
Mo Shaojun immediately brushed aside the chief eunuch and led Zhang Hu in with an imposing air.
A strange, indescribable smell permeated the palace gates.
Even incense can't cover it up.
Zhang Hu glanced in the direction of the inner room with a puzzled look in his eyes.
He was older than Mo Shaojun and had more experience with men and women; the taste was clearly the residue of lovemaking.
Now that the Empress Dowager has passed away, how can the Emperor still have the leisure to favor women?
"Greetings, Father Emperor."
Mo Shaojun's voice pulled him back to reality.
He quickly knelt down on the ground.
"Greetings, Your Majesty."
Mo Yunzhao was unusually not wearing a bright yellow dragon robe, but a black long gown with a loosely tied belt around his waist.
She seemed to have been rejuvenated; her skin became smooth and youthful, and she exuded a captivating allure.
These past two days he's been engrossed in researching what level of intensity would allow for perfect dual cultivation without causing death.
Now he is strong and healthy, and he can party several times a night without feeling tired.
Not to mention his countless children and grandchildren in the future, given his current health, he won't be in a hurry to establish a crown prince or pass on the imperial seal even after several decades.
He no longer had any fear of his current sons.
He sat on the dragon throne and waved his hand lazily.
"Get up. What is it? Speak."
Mo Shaojun immediately glanced at Zhang Hu.
Zhang Huzhi stood up, took out a memorial from his sleeve, and held it high.
"Your Majesty, I have a memorial to present. The evidence is conclusive that Prince Qin Run murdered his classmate, and the impact is egregious. I implore Your Majesty to punish him severely in order to uphold the law of the land."
"Qin Run?"
Mo Yunzhao frowned, and the chief eunuch immediately stepped forward, took the memorial, and respectfully handed it to the table.
The memorial detailed the events of the case and included a copy of the evidence.
Mo Shaojun cupped his hands and said, “Father, this matter concerns the face of the royal family. I believe that the Prefect of the Capital and the Minister of Justice should be summoned to the palace for questioning to avoid wrongly accusing Qin Run.”
Zhang Hu immediately agreed.
"Prince Qin Run should be observing mourning in the palace. Why not summon him for a face-to-face confrontation to avoid misjudgment? If the facts are indeed as they are, we beg Your Majesty to give the people justice."
Mo Yunzhao's mind was in turmoil, all his thoughts were on the charming palace maids on the dragon bed in the inner room.
How could I possibly read any memorials?
He waved his hand impatiently.
"Third son, it's the Empress Dowager's funeral. Instead of keeping vigil, why are you meddling in the affairs of the Ministry of Justice and the Prefect of the Capital?"
Mo Shaojun was startled.
He was even more surprised when he looked up and saw the woman's kiss mark on Mo Yunzhao's collar.
But he didn't dare ask any more questions and quickly lowered his head to explain again.
“It is not that I have overstepped my bounds. The Censorate came to me and explained the matter in detail. I also felt that the priority should be the funeral and that I should postpone the matter for the time being.”
"But the deceased was a student of Yulin Academy. On the day of the Grand Martial Arts Competition, he accused the Imperial Academy of cheating and favoritism before the Emperor. Now he has been killed by Qin Run and died a violent death in a dry well. The deceased's family and everyone from Yulin Academy are indignant and have gathered outside the Imperial Academy to cause trouble. They say that the Emperor's power is greater than the people's will, that the world is unjust, and that the prince committed murder but was protected by the Ministry of Justice and the Prefect of Jingzhao. Now the people's resentment is boiling and has reached a boiling point. If the royal family does not take some measures, it will be difficult to quell the chaos. In that case, it will damage Your Majesty's reputation."
He said this and knelt on the ground again.
Zhang Hu also called for severe punishment.
The next moment, the memorial was thrown back onto the ground.
Mo Yunzhao stood up, his eyes cold and sharp, looking down at the two of them.
"A few disloyal commoners causing trouble can threaten my authority? What use are you, my subjects, then?"
Zhang Hu said urgently, "Your Majesty, the key issue is not the people causing trouble, but that Qin Run's murder is irrefutable. Now that this matter has caused such a great uproar, how can we not take action?"
"Moreover, Prince Qin Run's identity is still under investigation, and now he has committed such a serious crime, endangering the royal family's reputation and damaging the emperor's dignity. We beg the emperor to punish him severely."
He knelt down deeply.
The next moment, a long sword flew over and slit his throat.
Blood spurted out and splashed onto Mo Shaojun's face.
He almost gagged and shouted it out.
Mo Yunzhao casually flicked his sleeves.
"The Empress Dowager's funeral is the most important event at present. Go back and tell the Censorate that anyone who dares to raise objections or stir up rumors will be executed without exception!"
Mo Shaojun's heart pounded wildly.
He never expected that Mo Yunzhao would kill Zhang Hu on the spot.
So brutal.
That's so unreasonable.
This is even more unpredictable and terrifying than Mo Yunhan, that fiend.
He swallowed hard and spoke with difficulty.
"Your subject obeys the decree. However, the conflict between the Imperial Academy and Yulin Academy is escalating. They are all scholars and literati, and their attempts to persuade them have been unsuccessful. Should we send troops to suppress it?"
Mo Yunzhao raised an eyebrow.
He suddenly gave a sinister smile.
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