Chapter 188: Threatening with Merit
"If you feel wronged, why not ask Elder Zhang to invite the person from Ziyun Villa in the suburbs of Beijing?"
Mr. Gu's face flushed red, and he was obviously very angry. "Let's confront each other in court and see what else you have to say!"
Duke Su glanced at him, forced himself to calm down, and bowed to Zhang Pu, who was sitting at the top of the table. "Lord Zhang, I'm sorry, my father-in-law is a little obsessed with his grandson. I'll ask him to go back now."
"You farted—"
"Hey, Duke Su, wait a minute." Before Old Master Gu could storm off, Elder Zhang slowly stood up and stopped him. "Although Grand Tutor Gu is a bit old, he's still strong. What he said was reasonable, well-reasoned, and measured, unlike the crazy and confused person the Duke described."
Duke Su looked up at him, his eyes darkening a little. "Master Zhang, do you think I need to teach you the truth about why even an honest official can hardly judge family affairs?"
"It used to be a family matter, but now that the old Grand Tutor has sounded the drum for public hearing, it's become difficult to handle." Elder Zhang walked slowly in front of Old Man Gu, blocking Tang Yuan's hateful gaze. "Duke Su should be thankful that it's me standing here today, not the Emperor. If the Emperor were here in person and saw the armor the Grand Tutor was wearing, would you still have a chance to speak?"
Duke Su was stunned for a moment, then looked down and his eyes fell on the blood-stained armor on the old man. His expression suddenly changed, "Father-in-law, you!"
The old immortal took out this silver armor, clearly to threaten Zhang Pu with his merits, and wanted him to beat him to death!
"I will definitely not let you go until I give Grand Tutor Gu an explanation." Zhang Gelao smiled with narrowed eyes, like an old fox. "No one knows better than you how precious the Grand Tutor's position is."
After all, it was with the help of my father-in-law that I climbed to this position.
"You—" Duke Su's face turned ashen, unable to utter a single word in defense. "If something hasn't been done, then it hasn't been done. How can I explain it to him? Besides, which aristocratic family doesn't have some scandal? If every family were to be judged by the Censorate, Lord Zhang would be so busy that he'd be beating his head."
There were quite a few people standing outside the Censorate. When they heard that the old Grand Tutor was suing his son-in-law, they all came over to join in the fun. Among them were some young masters from aristocratic families who had come to watch the show. When they heard this, their faces all changed and they glared at Duke Su.
Xie Suzhou glanced at him indifferently, with a flash of sarcasm in his eyes.
idiot.
He didn't want to believe that his biological father was such a second-rate person.
"Don't worry about that, Duke. The late emperor established the drum for reporting grievances and the Court of Remonstration so that everyone from the powerful to the common people could voice their grievances and prove their innocence." Elder Zhang still looked at him with a smile, his tone gentle, "They say nephews resemble their uncles. Xie Jieyuan's face, which is exactly like General Gu's, is irrefutable proof. If the Duke refuses to acknowledge him and raise his own son, I will have no choice but to rule according to Chu law."
"That's the first point. Secondly, Duke Su secretly kept a mistress and tricked the Grand Tutor's daughter into raising someone else's son for over a decade without her knowing the truth. If this is true, the Duke will be severely punished."
Elder Zhang leaned closer to him and feigned regret, "If it is discovered that the fire eighteen years ago was also related to the Duke, and he is punished for multiple crimes, he will be stripped of his rights and demoted to a commoner."
Duke Su pretended to be calm, looking at him sideways. One could vaguely hear the grinding of his back teeth. "Zhang Pu, have I ever offended you?"
"I wouldn't say I've offended you, but since the Grand Tutor is asking to go to the Censorate, I can't just sit back and watch." Elder Zhang shook his head and sat back at the head of the table. "Someone, go—"
"etc!"
A man's clear voice came from outside the door. Lord Zhang paused and looked up. He saw that the crowd outside had made way for him. The man sat on a wooden chair with wheels and was slowly pushed into the Censorate by a servant.
"Song'er?" Duke Su's expression changed drastically, and he hurriedly went to meet her. "Why are you here?"
Tang Song raised his eyelids, a flicker of emotion in his eyes. "Do you want me to witness my father being slandered to this extent?"
After he finished speaking, he glanced at Old Man Gu beside him, his eyes passing over Xie Suzhou for a moment, "Grandfather, I'm not Mother's biological son, so you've never liked me. From childhood to adulthood, all the gifts I sent to the Gu family were returned. I understand that you hate me, but Father is your son-in-law. Even if you don't like me, you can't throw dirty water on Father!"
With just a few words, he put the blame on the old man.
Xie Suzhou looked up at him, a hint of interest flashing in his eyes, "You are quite eloquent, and you can deflect trouble and confuse people with just one word."
Tang Song looked at him, his gaze settling on his face that bore a striking resemblance to Gu Yunchang. Hiding the jealousy in his eyes, he pulled up a weak smile and said softly, "This must be my brother, right? He really does look a lot like my uncle."
"I have no intention of competing with my brother for the throne. The position of Crown Prince was never mine to begin with. I've been occupying it for eighteen years. Now that my brother has returned, it's time for me to step down."
"Song'er!"
Duke Su's face was gloomy. He wanted to open his mouth to reprimand, but he was shocked by Tang Song's look and could not say anything.
"Father, please don't try to persuade me. I was injured on the battlefield and broke my leg. I can no longer serve my country and am already a useless man." Tang Song forced a smile, his voice a little dull. "Brother, you are handsome and talented, and you even passed the imperial examination. If you continue to take exams in the future, you will definitely have a bright future."
"The throne of the crown prince should belong to my elder brother, both emotionally and logically."
Xie Suzhou pursed his lips and looked at him with interest.
If I didn't know the truth, I would probably be fooled by his acting skills.
"Looking at it this way, the adopted son is pretty miserable. He broke his leg for the country, and now he has to suffer this when he returns home."
"I heard that the prince had already been engaged to the daughter of the Supreme Court Minister. Now that his leg is broken, the marriage is naturally off."
"But he also enjoyed eighteen years of wealth and prosperity, didn't he?"
"Exactly! Isn't the Duke of Su's biological son pitiful? If it weren't for Grand Tutor Gu, would this child still have a chance to recognize his ancestors?"
The people, who were originally on one side, began to quarrel, and everyone thought that everyone was right.
"What a clever way of avoiding the main issue." Xie Suzhou pursed his lips and smiled, his bony fingers tapping the corner of the table. "The battlefield you mentioned was 20,000 elite soldiers against 5,000 scattered soldiers. It was such a simple battle, with so many noble families involved, why did you fall off your horse? I heard you're good at riding and shooting. It was a clear win, so why did you break your leg?"
Tang Song was stunned, "I——"
Xie Suzhou didn't give him a chance to speak, and continued, "Besides, you have no intention of seizing the position of Crown Prince, and I have even less intention of accepting it. If you were to investigate, you would know where I work. And please forgive me for being frank, but I don't value the little power in the hands of Duke Su."
"Shut up!" Duke Su was humiliated in public and flew into a rage. He raised his finger and pointed it in his face, "How dare you!"
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