After dealing with the Duke's matter, the court officials dared not speak anymore. The emperor knew that the suppression over the past three days had made everyone trembling with fear, like frightened birds.
Let the little ancestor have a rest tomorrow, and wait until Prince Duan’s armory is confiscated before we do anything else.
After the court was dismissed, Chu Zhinan was called by the emperor to the imperial study.
Chu Xiaoxiao was eating snacks, which were fed by the emperor himself. Her little mouth was bulging with food, just like a squirrel chewing pine nuts.
She has big watery eyes and she smiles when she sees him, and her smile can melt people's hearts.
"Your Highness!"
"No need to be polite!" The emperor looked at Chu Zhinan, "There is a manor outside the Chengguo Mansion, and it is said to be haunted all year round."
Chu Xiaoxiao, who was eating, was suddenly stunned and turned to look at the emperor.
[What do you want to do? Want my father to help you search Prince Duan's armory? ]
Chu Zhinan: “…”
The manor outside Chengguogong is the armory of Prince Duan? It must be confiscated and cannot be let go.
"Your Majesty wants me to go... catch ghosts?"
The emperor laughed and said, "According to reports, the haunted manor is just a trick. In fact, there are many weapons under the manor. The Duke of the Protectorate will take people to confiscate them all. This matter should not be publicized. The smaller the noise, the better."
Chu Zhinan understood what he meant: "I'll take note of it and do it immediately."
"Very good!" The emperor carried Chu Xiaoxiao over and handed her to Chu Zhinan. "Xiaoxiao has been tired these days. Let her rest at home for a few days. If I miss her, I will send the prince to pick her up."
Chu Xiaoxiao, who was held in Chu Zhinan's arms, breathed a sigh of relief.
[Oh! Finally I don't have to go to court. I must sleep until the sun sets tomorrow.]
The emperor was extremely ashamed and ordered Eunuch Yuanbao to take out the package he had prepared and give it to Chu Zhinan.
"This is my reward to Xiaoxiao. Go back and take good care of her." This is his little ancestor, he can't treat her badly.
"Thank you, Your Majesty!"
Chu Zhinan bowed to express his gratitude, then carried his daughter out of the imperial study and walked towards the gate of the palace.
He met many ministers on the way, and each of them tried to get close to him.
"Duke Protector of the Country! Why does your baby always come to court? Whenever she comes, the court becomes restless. Is there some explanation?"
"Yes! What's the explanation? Why did they raid the residence of General Liu on the first day? On the second day did the Emperor reprimand Grand Tutor Yuan? And on the third day did they raid the residence of Duke Cheng?"
"Your daughter is so weird, isn't she a jinx?"
Chu Xiaoxiao was furious. She put her hands on her hips and glared at the person who spoke.
[You are the jinx, and so are your whole family. Your father was a jinx, and had an affair with his adopted daughter, giving birth to your brother. Even if your mother got angry and killed the adopted daughter, the existence of your brother is evidence of their former escapades.]
Chu Zhinan's face darkened: "Prince Qing, please be careful with your words!"
Prince Qing is the current emperor's cousin. He relies on his status as a royal family member to make a lot of noise every day, but he actually has no ability. I didn't expect his father to have an affair with his adopted daughter and even gave birth to his younger brother. It's really disgusting.
"What? Did I get it right? Lord Protector of the Country! What do you want me to be careful about?"
Chu Zhinan looked at him and asked, "If my daughter is a jinx, why does the emperor hold her in his arms when he goes to court? Does Prince Qing mean that the emperor can't tell good from bad? He holds a jinx in his arms?"
When these words were spoken, Prince Qing shuddered with fear. At this critical juncture, he could not let the emperor notice him, otherwise the affairs of his family would be exposed sooner or later.
Before he could think of a reply, Chu Zhinan leaned close to his ear and said, "I heard that Prince Qing's brother was born from the old prince and his adopted daughter. If this scandal is made public, what will the emperor do?"
Prince Qing turned his head and looked at Chu Zhinan with fear. His lower lip kept trembling and his upper and lower teeth kept making a "click-click" sound.
My brother's background is the top secret in the mansion. I didn't expect that the Duke of Protectorate knew it. If the emperor knew it, it would be a serious crime of deceiving the emperor.
My younger brother was registered under his mother's name, and it was said that he was born to a concubine in the mansion. Who would have thought that he was actually the son of my father and my eldest sister?
The eldest sister was the daughter of my father's good friend. She came to the mansion for foster care at the age of twelve. At the age of sixteen, she had an affair with my father and gave birth to my younger brother. My mother was so angry that she manipulated her during the birth. The eldest sister died, but my younger brother stayed.
It happened that a concubine in the mansion was about to give birth at that time. The fetus was in an abnormal position and both of them died. So the emperor announced to the public that the younger brother was born by that concubine.
Even my younger brother himself didn't know about this. It has been more than 20 years and even he was about to forget about it, but the Duke of Protectorate knew about it.
He was very curious, how did the Protector of the Country know about this? All the old people in the mansion who knew about this matter were cleared out, so where did he get the information from?
He pursed his lips tightly to prevent his teeth from making that unpleasant sound, otherwise it would seem that he was guilty.
I originally wanted to ridicule Chu Zhinan, but I didn't expect that my family's past would be exposed by him. I wanted to ask but didn't dare to, which was really upsetting.
After weighing the pros and cons, Prince Qing deliberately joked with Chu Zhinan: "You are joking, Duke Huguo. There is no such thing in Prince Qing's Mansion. Where did you hear it from?"
[Nonsense, how could there be none? Your father still has your elder sister's belongings. You are not a good person either. Your elder sister is beautiful and you once coveted her, but it was a pity that you acted too late.]
Chu Zhinan glanced at Prince Qing meaningfully and said, "Let's be frank. Prince Qing was also fond of that adopted daughter, right? Unfortunately, he wasn't as quick as your father."
After saying this, he ignored the stunned King Qing and walked away with Chu Xiaoxiao in his arms.
When several ministers behind him saw him leaving, they hurried over and were shocked to see Prince Qing’s pale face.
"Your Majesty! What's wrong with you? Why do you look so grim for no reason?"
"What did the Duke of the Protectorate say to the prince?"
"Have you found out anything? Where did the emperor get the information? What should we do if this continues?"
"What else can I do? Go home and check yourself!"
Prince Qing looked as if his soul had been sucked out of him. He stared at Chu Zhinan's back in a daze for a long time.
He had never told anyone about his ignorant thoughts during his youth. Why did Chu Zhinan know everything?
Could he be the one who provided information to the emperor?
Chu Zhinan: “…”
You guessed wrong, this duke doesn't have that ability.
"Your Highness! What's wrong with you? Speak! What did the Duke of Protectorate say?"
Prince Qing came back to his senses and looked at the anxious faces around him with a lonely expression: "Everyone should respect the Duke of the Protectorate in the future and try not to upset him. I think he is most likely the person who provided the information behind the emperor."
After hearing this, everyone looked at each other in disbelief.
"What? It's him?"
"The Emperor entrusted such an important matter to the Duke of Protectorate? No wonder I heard that the Emperor has been visiting the Duke of Protectorate's mansion recently."
"The Duke of Protectorate has always been a royalist, so it is reasonable for the emperor to rely on him."
"But the Protector of the Country is a military man. When did he start collecting information?"
"Now it's clear. No wonder the emperor wanted to carry the daughter of the Duke of Protectorate to court. He was afraid that we didn't know who provided the information, so he was giving us a hint!"
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