"Your humble servant Zhou Wencheng greets Your Highness, the Princess!"
In the main hall of the front courtyard of the Yue Prince's Mansion, Xie Yuan sat in the main seat.
Logically, as a princess, she shouldn't be in the front hall, much less sit in this position.
However, Xie Yuan's status in the Yue Prince's Mansion was not just that of a princess; she was also the "mistress."
After the Prince's Mansion was completed, Helian Jue returned from leading his troops into battle.
When Helian Jue first received his officials in the front hall, he ordered a chair to be added next to his throne.
He personally led Xie Yuan to this seat and invited her to sit down.
Helian Jue didn't say a word more; he demonstrated his respect for Xie Yuan to those around him through his actions.
In the Prince's mansion, he, as the Prince of Yue, was the master, and Xie Yuan was the mistress.
She was just as noble as Helian Jue.
The staff of the Yue Prince's Mansion, from Helian Chen to the newly recruited generals, all witnessed Xie Yuan's contributions to the Yue Prince's Mansion.
They also knew her status in the Yue King's mansion.
Therefore, no one objected to Xie Yuan's "hen crowing at dawn" behavior.
On the contrary, they acknowledged Princess Xie's status as the mistress of the house in their hearts.
As the builder of the Yue King's residence and the recruiter of the royal guards, Xie Yuan was absolutely qualified to sit next to Helian Jue.
Helian Jue's attitude further emphasized this "fact".
With Helian Jue leading his troops out to war, Xie Yuan was left alone in the palace, making her the sole master of the palace.
She could come to the front hall, sit in the main seat, summon all the officials of the Yue King's mansion, and even dispatch troops.
"Zhou Changshi, you may dispense with the formalities!"
Xie Yuan sat high in the main seat, looking down at Zhou Wencheng.
Zhou Wencheng still looked like that lean and refined middle-aged man, only a little older than when he left the capital.
There were already some gray hairs at his temples.
Xie Yuan: ...Ahem, life in the Yue Prince's mansion is indeed not easy for a "traitor" like Zhou Wencheng.
Moreover, Zhou Wencheng's deep worries made him look rather haggard.
As for why Zhou Wencheng was "worried," Xie Yuan knew perfectly well.
Being caught between the King of Yue and the sage, distrusting both sides, would absolutely drive an upright civil official mad.
However, there was nothing he could do. Zhou Wencheng had become the chief secretary of the Prince's Palace and made his final choice (to be loyal to the sage), so he could only accept this outcome.
"Thank you, Your Highness!"
Zhou Wencheng bowed respectfully and expressed his gratitude.
After standing up, he lowered his head and stood respectfully.
He didn't ask, because he knew that Princess Xie must have had some instructions for inviting him.
Ha, I guess something's up again, and they need him, their tool, to "help" them out.
Zhou Wencheng was already very clear about his awkward position.
He also regretted it, feeling that he shouldn't have been "physically in Cao's camp but mentally in Han's".
But he was taught from a young age to be loyal to the emperor and love his country.
Being loyal to the sage is the duty of a subject.
Although the King of Yue was the son of a sage and had once been the crown prince.
But as long as the King of Yue did not sit on that throne, Zhou Wencheng could only choose the sage.
Unfortunately, due to his oversight, he failed to see through Helian Jue's disguise in advance, allowing Helian Jue to successfully develop in Lingnan.
He disrupted the sage's plan and caused the sage to question him.
This was his mistake, and the consequences he suffered were what he deserved.
After months of pain and struggle, Zhou Wencheng gradually came to his senses.
He remains steadfast in his principles and will never change them easily, much less regret them!
Having made up his mind, Zhou Wencheng approached Xie Yuan with extreme caution.
Xie Yuan didn't speak, so he remained silent.
With eyes focused on the nose and the nose focused on the heart, he stood there like a sculpture.
Seeing Zhou Wencheng's appearance, Xie Yuan was not angry.
She curled her lips into a smile and said softly, "Chief Secretary Zhou, I have invited you here because I have a favor to ask."
"I dare not! I am a lowly official with insignificant rank and mediocre abilities. I am not worthy of Your Highness's request!"
Zhou Wencheng quickly bowed, looking "frightened".
He refused to budge an inch from Xie Yuan's "request".
Are you kidding me?
Outsiders may not know how formidable Princess Xie Yuan is, but surely Zhou Wencheng does?
He witnessed firsthand the many deeds of Princess Xie.
In the previous case involving Cui Boyong, Zhou Wencheng also became a witness under Xie Yuan's "scheming".
He did indeed see Cui Boyong instigate the "rioters" and take advantage of the chaos to attack the Yue King's Palace.
Although Zhou Wencheng guessed the whole thing, it was possible that Princess Xie had "used a scheme against Cui Boyong" and used him to kill him.
However, it is true that Cui Boyong maliciously instigated civil unrest and exploited the rioters.
Zhou Wencheng was upright and honest, and he would never engage in deception.
He was once an imperial censor, and the thing he feared most was deceiving the emperor.
Therefore, in his memorial to the emperor, Zhou Wencheng truthfully reported Cui Boyong's crimes.
This is awkward!
The emperor originally wanted to frame Helian Jue for harming an innocent court official. Even if he couldn't actually bring him to justice, he wanted to make him suspected of "treason."
Zhou Wencheng's memorial, however, delivered a resounding slap to the emperor's face—
The King of Yue did not kill innocent people indiscriminately; rather, it was Cui who deserved to die!
Sage: ...Could it be that Zhou Wencheng has been bribed by Helian Jue?
Of course, even the sage himself didn't believe this.
The emperor was still somewhat confident in the officials from humble backgrounds he had selected.
My dear reader, there's more to this chapter! Please click the next page to continue reading—even more exciting content awaits!
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