Chapter 201 I, Song Jinxiu, have a clear conscience
Prince Cheng was suddenly imprisoned, and it was discovered that he had hidden banned items in his mansion. The Ministry of War and the Arsenal were all implicated. Seeing countless people imprisoned one after another, everyone in the court was in danger, especially those who had been on good terms with Prince Cheng's mansion in the past. They were even more terrified of the Black Armored Guards who were arresting them in large numbers, for fear of being implicated in Prince Cheng's crime of treason.
When Song Jinxiu learned about this, it was already the next day when he entered the palace to be on duty.
People on the streets were talking about the affairs of Prince Cheng's Mansion. Even the news that Xie Yin was not the biological son of Princess Cheng spread. The discussion about this matter even overshadowed the excitement of Prince Cheng's intention to rebel.
When Song Jinxiu entered the yamen, he saw his colleagues standing in groups of three or five discussing this matter.
"That Princess Cheng is truly pitiful. Her husband wants to kill her, and her son is fake."
"I heard that Prince Cheng had deliberately planned to get close to her back then, and he had been pretending to be affectionate all these years. Their marriage was known to the whole capital, but now..."
"Who would have thought that King Cheng would be such a person?"
"Yeah, it's okay for other people to pretend for a year or two, but he's been doing it for over ten years. This kind of person is simply terrifying."
Some older people in the crowd could still remember the scene when Prince Cheng proposed to marry the second wife of the Rong family. That caused a sensation in the entire capital.
Everyone knows that Prince Cheng fell in love with the daughter of the Rong family at first sight, and finally got her his wish after much persuasion. He has cherished her for many years, but who could have imagined...
Those people couldn't help but shake their heads.
Someone sighed, "Others are fine, but no one knows whose son that Xie Shizi is. He has been raised by Princess Cheng all these years. It's only thanks to Governor Xiao and his men that they happened to find out this time. Otherwise, Princess Cheng would have been kept in the dark until her death."
The person next to him snorted disdainfully, "Don't call him Prince Xie. His Majesty has already said that Princess Cheng's child is the Crown Prince. We don't know where this bastard Xie Yin came from. We don't even know if he can survive this time..."
Before he could finish his words, he was suddenly pulled by the person next to him.
The man who spoke was startled. He turned around and saw that it was Song Jinxiu. He frowned immediately: "Song Lu Shi, what are you doing? Do you know that scaring others can kill them?"
Song Jinxiu didn't bother to explain, but asked anxiously, "Master He, I just heard you say that Prince Xie is not Princess Cheng's child?"
"yes."
Lord He straightened his sleeves and spoke to Song Jinxiu in a disapproving tone, "Song Lu Shi doesn't know about this yet? This matter has spread all over the capital. I heard that it was a personal nanny of Princess Cheng who said that someone had tampered with Princess Cheng's child when she gave birth."
"Is there any evidence?"
"How would I know? The Privy Council is still investigating."
Song Jinxiu's eyes narrowed. "Since there's no evidence yet, it means Xie Yin's background remains uncertain. If this is false, then isn't it unfair for Xie Yin to be criticized like this?"
Those people were just chatting casually, but they had no idea that Song Jinxiu would make a big deal out of it. They all looked unhappy.
"Mr. Song, we were just chatting..."
"Yeah, just a few words."
Song Jinxiu frowned, "You can't just chat about something you don't have evidence for. How can you be so sure he's not Princess Cheng's child if you haven't investigated it yet? Before the matter is fully investigated, it shouldn't be spread throughout the capital. And how can you all disclose such a royal secret?"
Those people felt ashamed to be taught a lesson by a junior like Song Jinxiu.
Lord He, who spoke earlier, was about to speak again with a serious look in his eyes, but at this moment, a voice came from outside.
"Oh, all the adults are here."
Song Jinxiu turned around and saw Fu Laiqing walking towards him in an official robe.
Fu Laiqing stepped through the door and said with a smile, "Just now, from a distance, I heard someone inside scolding the gentlemen. I thought it was Xu Langling, but it turned out to be Song Lushi."
"What's going on? Song Lushi got promoted. Is he taking over Xu Langling's job?"
Song Jinxiu's expression changed. "Don't talk nonsense. I never scolded them. I was just reminding you all to be careful with your words and actions."
"Everyone in the outside world knows about this, so why should we be so cautious? You gentlemen just casually said a few words in the yamen, and you didn't tell anyone else. What is there to worry about?"
After Fu Laiqing finished speaking, he slapped his forehead and said, "Oh, that's not right. There's also Song Lushi. You just came out of prison and have seen the emperor before. You still have to be careful."
When those adults remembered how Song Jinxiu came out, their faces changed.
Fu Laiqing still felt it was not enough: "By the way, Mr. Song, I remember that before the incident at Duke Song's Mansion, you were very close to Prince Cheng's Mansion. You, that Prince Xie, and that Third Young Master of the Lu family were all known as the Three Heroes of the Capital. Didn't you know anything about the incident at Prince Cheng's Mansion in advance?"
"What do you mean?" Song Jinxiu's face suddenly darkened.
Fu Laiqing wasn't afraid at all. He just smiled and said, "It's nothing serious. I just think Song Lushi's methods are amazing. It was thanks to your whistleblowing that we were able to send Lu Langling to jail and confine Lu Zhongshu to his residence. I heard that the Privy Council also got the clues about the grain tax case with your information."
"You were able to get information that others couldn't when you were interacting with the Lu family in the past. So, you shouldn't have gotten nothing when you were interacting with Prince Cheng's palace. Prince Cheng is recruiting soldiers and stockpiling military equipment in his palace. How could you not know anything about such a big thing?"
Song Jinxiu's expression turned extremely grim: "How could Prince Cheng's conspiracy to rebel be easily discovered?"
"Then what Lu Langling did was also kept secret. Didn't Song Lushi know about it?"
"you……"
"Oh, don't be angry, I wasn't just saying it casually."
Seeing Song Jinxiu's face turn pale and blue, Fu Laiqing shrugged:
"I just have good intentions. I think that Song Lushi was able to escape from prison and be reinstated by relying on the grain tax case. If he knew a little more about the affairs of Prince Cheng's Mansion, he might be able to rise to a high position and have a bright future. But if you don't know, then forget it. I was just saying it casually anyway."
"Mr. Song, I'm a straightforward person, please don't mind me."
But every word Fu Laiqing said hit him right in the face. He didn't mention his ingratitude, but every word revealed his shamelessness, coldness and heartlessness.
Song Jinxiu was so blocked that he couldn't say anything. He wanted to scold Fu Laiqing, but he apologized swiftly. He seemed to be trembling with anger at Fu Laiqing's nonchalant attitude. He pursed his lips so hard that the veins on his forehead were exposed.
His expression changed several times, but he didn't explode like Fu Laiqing expected. He was silent for a long while before he whispered, "Your Majesty will make the final decision on the Lu family's affairs. If Lord Fu is dissatisfied with my return, he can directly submit a petition. You, the censors of the Ministry of Shangshu, also have the right to make direct reports."
He looked up at his colleagues and said, "I had no intention of scolding you. I was just worried that you might say something harmful."
"Xie Yin's case has not been fully investigated, so it's too early to draw any conclusions. Even if he's not Princess Cheng's biological son, he's still a descendant of Prince Cheng, a member of the royal family. If his status is different and people talk about him and mock him, it's a slap in the face of the entire royal family."
"Your Majesty, you hate Prince Cheng right now, so you won't care. But if the incident with Prince Cheng is over, and rumors spread outside harm the royal family, then what you said today will cause trouble."
Song Jinxiu lowered his eyes, his thin face pale. "I know you all dislike what happened between me and the Lu family, and you all think I'm fickle and heartless, but the Lu family was the one who betrayed me first."
"I was implicated by my biological father and made a mistake. I have no excuse. But if you were in my situation, what would you do?"
"I, Song Jinxiu, have a clear conscience."
After he finished speaking, he looked up at Fu Laiqing and turned to leave. Those people in the yamen who had originally had opinions about Song Jinxiu fell silent.
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