After Zhao confessed, both Zhou Gu and Su Xingze were taken aback.
Zhou Gu immediately asked, "Are you sure?"
Zhao, with his pale face, affirmed with a nod, "I’m sure, otherwise how dare I mention Princess Zhenmin? In this Capital City, who dares to speak lightly of Princess Zhenmin? Even if you gave me a hundred guts, I wouldn’t dare!"
Princess Zhenmin, who had rendered great service to Daliang, was a taboo to the Imperial Court. No one dared to discuss her publicly from the late reign of the previous emperor to the current sovereign.
After all, that period in history was a shameful time when the Imperial Court of Daliang was incompetently defeated by Dawei.
Zhou Gu immediately made a decision, "Ziye, take them away. Find a courtyard, arrange some people, and guard them strictly."
Zhao’s face changed dramatically, "Spare me, Young Master Zhou!"
"Don’t worry, I won’t kill you. But you are very important, as well as your son. Both of you must stay in the Duke Residence," Zhou Gu added, "If you don’t want to lose your lives by leaving, better stay put in the Duke Residence."
Zhao was not a fool and stopped making a fuss once he heard this.
Zhao Fei turned pale and dared not make any noise either.
So, Ziye took the two of them and locked them in a courtyard, with one-third of the Residence’s soldiers guarding them.
Zhou Gu turned to Su Xingze and said, "Brother Su, let’s go see Grandfather."
Su Xingze nodded.
The two of them left Zhou Gu’s courtyard together.
Not far from there, the housekeeper came with a few people. The one in front was none other than He Zheng, the head of the Imperial Guard.
Zhou Gu stopped, "Commander He?"
He Zheng bowed, "Lord Thursday, I am here by the Emperor’s orders to assist you in thoroughly investigating today’s incident involving Zhao’s storytelling at Yipinxiang."
Zhou Gu was surprised, "The Emperor asked you to assist me?"
He Zheng nodded, "Indeed."
Zhou Gu looked him up and down and smiled, "I’ve finished my investigation. I was going to tell my grandfather and then see the Emperor. It’s unfortunate that Commander He has come in vain."
When He Zheng heard this, he asked, "So, you’re saying, Lord Thursday, that you don’t need my assistance?"
"Of course I need it. Commander He, please wait. After I have seen my grandfather, I will go with you to see the Emperor." Zhou Gu instructed the housekeeper in his usual demeanor, "Uncle Chen, please take Commander He and the others to the front hall for tea."
Upon saying this, he left directly with Su Xingze.
He Zheng was left standing there. He couldn’t chase after Zhou Gu and had no choice but to obey Zhou Gu’s instructions and go for tea escorted by Uncle Chen.
Zhou Gu and Su Xingze arrived at the study and after seeing the old Duke, Zhou Gu said with a somber face, "Grandfather, the investigation results are out."
"So soon?" The old Duke was surprised. It had been less than half an hour since the interrogation had begun.
Zhou Gu nodded, showed the portrait that Zhao had drawn, and recited Zhao’s confession.
Upon hearing this, the old Duke frowned immediately, "So it was someone from the Imperial Guard. The Imperial Guard is directly under the Emperor’s command."
Zhou Gu said, "The Emperor has just sent He Zheng with a team, saying they will assist me in investigating this matter." He frowned, "Grandfather, do you think this could be the Emperor’s doing?"
"No." The old Duke shook his head with certainty, "I hadn’t told you before, but after the Grand Court meeting, the Emperor detained me and pressed me about Su Rong’s identity. I told him then. The Emperor was raised by Princess Zhenmin. She is older than him, and since childhood, she has been coaxing him and teaching him to read and write. Their relationship is deep. You see how kindly he treats his younger sister Qingping these years, right? But if Zhenmin were alive, he would treat Zhenmin even better than Qingping, though they are cousins, they might as well be from the same mother. Now that he knows Su Rong’s identity, he won’t broadcast this for the sake of Zhenmin’s affection. This would be detrimental to Su Rong. The Emperor may be a powerful ruler, but he’s not heartless. He wouldn’t strike at Zhenmin’s daughter, at least not as long as it doesn’t involve the collapse of the country. Moreover, if this matter were to spread to the streets, it would not be in the best interest of the stability of Daliang."
Zhou Gu thought for a moment, "You’re right, Grandfather."
Over the years, His Majesty had done much to suppress and become wary of the Crown Prince and the Duke Residence, such that Zhou Gu always harbored doubts about him on matters concerning the monarch.
He asked, "Grandfather, is it possible that someone deliberately left that pair of boots for old Zhao to find? Although the uniform is exclusive to the Imperial Guard, it doesn’t mean it couldn’t be used to scapegoat them."
The old Duke nodded, "That’s possible. It’s right to consider all aspects of a situation."
"What should I do then? Should I go to see His Majesty directly, or should I engage in a roundabout tactic with He Zheng, to probe him?" Zhou Gu asked.
"What do you think?" The old Duke bounced his question back.
Zhou Gu had thought this over on his way here, "I think if His Majesty hadn’t sent anyone, I naturally would have secretively investigated the Imperial Guard. But now that His Majesty directly dispatched an Imperial Guard to assist me in this investigation, he has given me an open path. It’s sensible that I directly proceed towards the palace to meet His Majesty."
The old Duke neither agreed nor disagreed, instead he turned to Su Xingze, "Xingze, what do you think?"
Su Xingze bowed to the old Duke, "Younger one thinks that Zhou Gu is right. If His Majesty means no harm to Xiaoqi, and since he has already intervened in the matter, and it also involves the Imperial Guard directly under His Majesty’s control, the logical approach would be to meet His Majesty." 𝕗𝕣𝐞𝐞𝘄𝐞𝚋𝚗𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗹.𝚌𝕠𝚖
The old Duke acknowledged with a nod, "Good, go ahead, Zhou Gu! Get your evidence, drag along that old Zhao, and confront His Majesty. Express your doubts directly to His Majesty and see how he makes his judgment."
Zhou Gu, having received affirmation, nodded without delay and left the old Duke’s study.
Su Xingze obviously couldn’t accompany Zhou Gu to the palace, as Zhou Gu left, the old Duke retained Su Xingze, closing the door to talk.
Gazing at Su Xingze, he asked directly, "Xingze, I want to ask you about Su Rong and Ye Guixue..." He halted there, believing that Su Xingze would comprehend his intended question.
Su Xingze tensed his lips and replied, "Old Duke, my youngest sister is engaged to the Second Young Master Ye."
The old Duke had anticipated this but confirmation from Su Xingze’s mouth still left him quiet for a while, "What promises did Ye Guixue give her? Is the Ye Xiang Residence supporting her rise to power?"
Su Xingze affirmed with a nod, "The Second Young Master Ye has given a Tiger Talisman representing a hundred thousand soldiers and horses as a betrothal gift for my younger sister. Ye Xiang Residence is supporting her. Lord Guixue, in the future, will be her king consort."
The old Duke inhaled sharply, "A Tiger Talisman representing a hundred thousand soldiers and horses? Did the Nanchu King plan this long ago?"
Su Xingze nodded, and as expected from the old Duke, he had guessed it through mere words, "Apparently, five years ago, the Nanchu King knew about my youngest sister’s existence. He has been waiting patiently since then, that was also the year he chose Ye Guixue, to groom him as a king consort."
The old Duke was immediately annoyed, "At that time, Su Rong was engaged to Zhou Gu."
Su Xingze fell silent.
After the old Duke vented his anger, he had a sudden realization, despite being far away, the Nanchu King must have estimated the situation of Daliang’s court quite clearly, he might have guessed that Su Rong and Zhou Gu were surely going to call off their engagement.
He stayed silent for a moment, his beard shaking, he said irritably, "Chu Rong is too cunning, or else he wouldn’t have taken advantage of the situation years ago to snatch Princess Zhenmin into his embrace. Later on, it led her to fall for him, even after faking her death, she couldn’t unite with Xie Yuan."
Infuriated, he cursed, "The one who gained most in the world was him."
Su Xingze listened to the old Duke venting his anger at the Nanchu King, he remained silent, letting him clear his resentment.
After venting for a while, the old Duke said to Su Xingze, "That lass, Su Rong, is capable of bearing great responsibilities. She is better than Zhou Gu, not swept up in the matters of the heart. From her perspective, her decisions are right."
Su Xingze didn’t comment on how Zhou Gu was, moreover, he was at a loss to answer the praise for Su Rong.
The old Duke sighed deeply, "A little girl educated by Xie Yuan after being subjected to several assassinations and having a strong will, and a young lad who was nurtured by the Duke Residence and Eastern Palace but yet to face hardships. Despite being smarter than ordinary people, he’s still a piece of unpolished jade. A tiny mistake can lead to a great loss, this small gap is his hurdle, if he can’t overcome it..."
He paused, didn’t continue, and said to Su Xingze, "For someone to accomplish great feats, they shouldn’t worry about the losses. With losses come gains. Xingze, please support Zhou Gu more and help him over this hurdle."
Su Xingze nodded in agreement, "Please rest assured, my adored little sister also mentioned this. I’ll do my best."
The old Duke approved with a nod. Hearing that Su Rong had also entrusted this task gave him some relief. He said to Su Xingze, "As you heard earlier, I’ve already informed His Majesty. His Majesty initially wanted to arrange an immediate audience with Su Rong but I persuaded him not to. It’s not the right time yet. Now, with the matter at hand, you could inform her about everything once you return to the Shen Residence. Tell her to remain calm and that she doesn’t need to do anything for now. She just needs to wait."
Su Xingze agreed.
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