The main hall of the imperial city is covered with blue glazed tiles.
Under the sunlight, it appears to the naked eye as a dazzling display of colors.
As the last vestiges of darkness are swallowed by the morning light, it is time for the court officials to arrive at the main hall for court meetings.
Unless there is something important, the time spent in the main hall is not long at all. At most a quarter of an hour or two, the ministers can go home after court, have breakfast, and then go to their posts.
But today is different.
The entire hall was deathly silent, all the court officials prostrated on the ground. Those with less courage were trembling. The princes, except for Jiang Yuanqing who had withdrawn from court due to illness, were also present.
The rest now stand at the head, kneeling on one knee, their expressions varying.
Jiang Mingyun sat on the dragon throne, his imposing aura filling the entire hall. His eyes showed no anger, yet they sent chills down one's spine.
"Imperial Censor Wang, do you know what you're saying?"
These words, spoken lightly, sent a shiver down Wang Shou'an's spine. He nearly dropped the jade tablet in his hand. "Your Majesty, Your Majesty, I dare not lie in any way. The Crown Prince has been allowing his servants to bully the people and cause trouble; every single one of these incidents is recorded in my memorials."
The atmosphere in the hall suddenly became tense, and Wang Shou'an broke out in a cold sweat. His eyes glanced at the Fifth Prince, but after being subtly glared at, he quickly looked away.
Apart from Gu Zhan, no one else noticed this insignificant detail.
The general's eyes flickered slightly, his fingers brushing against the pinky ring. As Xu Nian's abilities grew stronger, the functions of this pinky ring were now fully developed.
It can not only transmit messages, but also record audio.
The little thing lit up briefly in the middle of the hall and then went out, attracting no one's attention at all.
The emperor at the head of the table snorted coldly, "Crown Prince, how do you explain Imperial Censor Wang's words?"
Jiang Yuanling looked bewildered. He had not heard Su Wanting mention anything about any changes in the household in the past few days. "Your Majesty, I know nothing about these things. All the servants in the house are skilled people from the palace. They even return extra vegetables to the kitchen maids when they are given one. I don't believe they would do such a thing."
As a prince, he was raised with strict family discipline.
The rules of the manor were naturally modeled after those of the imperial city, with a strong sense of self-discipline, and the desire to ensure that all citizens knew about the importance of diligence and thrift. Those who were diligent in governing and caring for the people, like the Third Prince who took a different approach, were truly few and far between.
In terms of the Crown Prince, he can be considered the best among them.
Since its establishment outside the city, the Crown Prince's residence has distributed porridge to refugees and homeless people every day at its gate, ensuring they have enough to eat.
It has a very good reputation among the people of Beijing.
Although the emperor was wary of his son, he was quite satisfied with the crown prince's actions. After all, he was his successor, and his accomplishments proved that the emperor had made a good judgment in choosing him.
Now that his most beloved son has been venomous, he is naturally unhappy.
"I have read Imperial Censor Wang's memorial, though you may not know it. But it's hard to guarantee that there aren't some disobedient individuals who do these things behind the emperor's back. The Crown Prince is not often in the palace, so naturally he wouldn't know."
This was to select the crown prince from among them. Everyone in the hall understood and lowered their heads, not daring to object.
Jiang Mingyun's expression softened a bit, and he nodded while stroking his chin. "Liu Qing, this matter is entrusted to you. You must act impartially and not give any special treatment just because she is a servant of the Crown Prince's residence."
Therefore, there's not much more to say about this matter.
After court, Gu Zhan quietly switched the ring recording. Without saying a word to anyone, he strode out of the palace.
Behind him, the Fifth Prince's gaze was deep and unfathomable. He only lingered for a moment before turning away, timidly speaking to his brothers beside him.
"Brother, who do you think did this?"
In the Crown Prince's residence, Jiang Yuanmo sat in a chair, his entire body spread out like a starfish. He stared at the beams in the study, looking rather casual, but not much different from before.
Jiang Yuanling glanced helplessly at her younger brother, feeling that the boy was hiding something important.
But since he didn't say anything, I didn't ask. Flipping through the files on the table, I shook my head slightly. "How could I possibly know? Maybe it's the third brother's doing again. Even a starved camel is bigger than a horse; he's probably just trying to annoy me."
Jiang Yuanmo, however, didn't think so. "Didn't you ever consider that it might be someone else?" He twirled the jade pendant at his waist, his eyes unreadable. "Second Brother could be it, or even Fifth Brother..."
Thinking of his frail and sickly second brother, the Crown Prince chuckled and shook his head.
Jiang Yuanqing is in dire straits himself, and they might have to attend his funeral at any time. They have no time to harm him.
But the fifth one...
He paused for a moment as he picked up his pen, and a drop of ink smeared onto the letter, instantly spreading across a large area.
Helpless, he put down his pen, threw away the things on his desk, and picked up another sheet. "No matter who it is, if they want to bring me down by using the charge of lax management, they will only suffer the consequences in the end."
At that time, in the Fifth Prince's residence.
A similar conversation was also unfolding.
The Fifth Prince, having changed out of his official robes, concealed himself in the darkness, making it impossible for others to see his true face.
He was playing with the thumb ring on his hand, and the person kneeling on one knee below did not dare to get up without being ordered to do so.
"It's just a secret manual, and it's been so long, how come you still couldn't steal it?"
The man in black gritted his teeth, lowering his head even further. "Your Highness, Xu Nian is far too vigilant. No matter how Zhao Jinfeng and the other woman try to seduce her, there's always a maid in the room. Besides... besides..."
"And what else?"
"Furthermore, that woman doesn't know where she hid the thing. I went to the storeroom to check, and I even managed to slip it into the yard when no one was looking. I've never seen anything that looks like a secret manual."
Jiang Yuanche narrowed his eyes; Xu Nian probably didn't know it herself.
But her reputation had already spread, and he knew in Anyang that a powerful sorcerer had come to the capital, capable of fighting evil spirits and subduing demons.
The skill he employed was so formidable that everyone admired him.
If she hadn't already been a county princess, many wealthy governors would probably have spent a fortune to keep her in their mansions.
How could someone like this, without a master or secret manual, become a Taoist master overnight at such a young age?
If I could obtain that secret manual, I would let the masters below gradually learn how to use it.
Then his plan would be much easier.
"It seems I have to go and meet this Princess Fu'an in person."
Achoo!
Xu Nian, who was in the general's mansion, rubbed her nose, wondering why she had felt a chill down her back earlier.
Seeing this, Gu Zhan quickly put down the ring in his hand, "What's wrong? Have you caught a cold?"
The man's worried and anxious look pleased her, and she shook her head, "It's nothing, just a little itchy nose. It's alright, don't worry."
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