"Father, this matter was fabricated by Prince Ning. Please..."
Bang!
Emperor Kaiyao picked up the inkstone and threw it at King Zhao.
Prince Zhao groaned. He was not as experienced as Prince Ning in dodging inkstones hitting his head. He was hit directly by the inkstone and his forehead was bleeding.
The blood mixed with ink looked black and red, and it was really messy.
Emperor Kaiyao showed no pity at all. He pointed at King Zhao and angrily shouted, "Are you a beast?"
King Zhao's face turned pale, cold sweat broke out, his back was soaked, and he knelt on the ground and couldn't get up.
"Go back to the palace and reflect on your actions. Without my permission, you are not allowed to leave the palace. Otherwise, I will make you pay."
After Emperor Kaiyao finished scolding King Zhao, he turned around and left.
The morning court ended hastily.
Civil and military officials were worried about various things and left one after another, trying to find ways to deal with the situation.
So as to avoid being implicated in this major case.
Some people are already discussing whether this is the year of Tai Sui.
Since the first month of the lunar year, there has been no peace and accidents have happened one after another.
Prince Consort Chen was beheaded and thrown into the market, the Crown Prince was poisoned, and now there is the case of the Minister of the Treasury, the Copper Minister, trafficking in silver. All of them are major cases that could result in lives being lost.
This year is destined to be turbulent, and this spring is destined to be filled with blood.
Prince Ning came to Prince Zhao and asked, "Brother, do you need a hand?"
King Zhao was filled with anger, "Brother, what a good plan!"
Prince Ning laughed heartily, appearing quite arrogant and proud. "It's just so-so. I hope I didn't disappoint you."
"Brother Wang, you are so capable that I have to admit defeat."
King Zhao got up from the ground. He had calmed down now.
Prince Ning laughed heartily and said, "I'm so sorry I didn't let you see my joke. How about I treat you to a drink? Oh, you've been ordered back to your residence and confined to your room. It seems we can only drink together next time."
The muscles on King Zhao's face twitched and his fists clenched.
He lowered his voice and said, "It's too early to judge the outcome before the end. Don't forget, His Royal Highness the Crown Prince is still firmly seated."
Prince Ning laughed. "You're right. It's too early to tell who will win now. So, let's just wait and see."
"We'll see!"
King Zhao left angrily.
A hint of sarcasm flashed in Prince Ning's eyes.
He walked towards His Royal Highness the Crown Prince, who was sitting in the corner and had not spoken a word all morning.
"Brother Prince, are you okay?"
The prince looked up, with beads of cold sweat on his forehead.
"Why is Prince sweating? It's not hot today!" Prince Ning looked very surprised.
The prince stood up from his seat and said calmly, "My father is angry, and my heart trembles."
Prince Ning smiled, "The fact that the Minister of the Imperial Household is selling silver has nothing to do with the Crown Prince. Why should the Crown Prince be so nervous? As the saying goes, if you have done nothing wrong, you don't fear ghosts knocking at your door. Unless the Crown Prince has something to hide."
His Royal Highness the Crown Prince bowed his head slightly, "Prince Ning, please be careful with your words. I have something else to do, so I will leave first."
Prince Ning did not insist. He watched His Royal Highness the Crown Prince leave in a hurry, with the corners of his mouth curled up.
He walked out of the hall with a proud look on his face, but he didn't expect that Minister Li was standing under the eaves.
Hearing the noise, Minister Li turned around and looked at Prince Ning, "This humble official greets His Majesty."
"No need for formalities. Minister Li is not busy with government affairs and is staying here. Could it be that he is waiting for me?" King Ning's face was serious.
He could make fun of King Zhao and make sarcastic remarks about the crown prince.
But he did not dare to look down on Li Shizhong in the slightest.
Just because one year after Empress Ruizhen Cui passed away, Minister Li still sat firmly in his position and thrived in the court, which shows how capable he was.
Minister Li was only one step away from Prince Ning.
Both of them looked at the palace gate in front of them, and watched the officials leaving the palace gate one after another.
Minister Li asked in a voice only the two of them could hear, "What does the prince want?"
Prince Ning sneered, "I want to stir up trouble in this pond myself. What do you think, Lord Li?"
Minister Li had a blank expression on his face. "If Your Majesty really wants to stir up trouble, I can lend a hand."
Prince Ning was surprised, but he didn't even look at Minister Li. His eyes were still fixed on the palace gate in the distance.
He said, "Master Li, please don't joke. This king doesn't like such jokes."
Minister Li smiled and said, "Your Highness, are you afraid? Are you afraid that I am the Crown Prince's spy and will harm you?"
"Will you not harm the king?"
"I never harm anyone."
Prince Ning laughed heartily, saying that this was more like what a three-year-old child would hear.
Never harmed anyone? Countless people died because of Minister Li.
When Queen Cui Ruizhen was still alive, Minister Li was the sharpest knife in the Queen's hand, and he could kill anyone he pointed at.
Even Fang Shaojian was suppressed by Li Shizhong.
"What I did in the past was not what I wanted. I hope Your Highness will understand."
"Don't! I'm not familiar with Lord Li, so there's no question of sympathy or inconsideration. If you have any purpose, please tell me directly. I'm all ears."
Minister Li narrowed his eyes. "Your Highness may not trust me now, but I believe that in the future, Your Highness will definitely trust my sincerity. Farewell!"
Prince Ning frowned and watched Minister Li leave.
This Minister Li, who is young and holds a high position, suddenly comes to show his goodwill to him. What does this mean?
Could it be the prince's instruction?
Or maybe the East Palace is planning something bad again.
King Ning snorted coldly. No matter how many swords and sabers there were, he would remain motionless and see what he would do.
…
His Royal Highness the Crown Prince hurried back to the Bowang Garden of the Eastern Palace and first drank a large glass of water.
He was panic-stricken and sweating profusely.
He gritted his teeth and asked the eunuch beside him, "Where is the Crown Princess?"
"The queen should be in the bedroom right now."
His Royal Highness the Crown Prince hurried to the bedroom and drove all the palace servants out.
Crown Princess Sun saw this and was shocked. "What's wrong with His Highness? Has something happened?"
There were only the couple in the bedroom, and all the palace servants had been driven out.
His Royal Highness the Crown Prince stepped forward and grasped Crown Princess Sun's shoulders with both hands, "Where is Young Supervisor Fang? Hand him over."
Crown Princess Sun frowned, looking confused. "What are you talking about, Your Highness? What about Fang Shaojian? Isn't he dead?"
"Don't try to deceive me. Do you really think I know nothing? I'm just pretending not to know. Where's Young Supervisor Fang? Send him out to see me."
Seeing the Crown Prince's panicked look, the Crown Princess asked softly, "Your Highness, please tell me first, what happened that caused you to be so flustered?"
His Royal Highness the Crown Prince said sternly, "Prince Ning is accusing Wen Guangren, the Copper Minister of the Ministry of Finance, of trafficking in silver. You know Wen Guangren, right? He is ostensibly Prince Zhao's man, but in reality he is a spy planted in the Ministry of Finance by my mother.
"Lord Wen has been taking care of all the expenses of the Eastern Palace over the years. Now he has been imprisoned. If anything happens, Junior Supervisor Fang knows the most about this matter. You should quickly call him out."
Crown Princess Sun's expression changed slightly. "Wen Guangren was actually arranged by the Queen Mother for Your Highness. How could I not know about this?"
His Royal Highness's face turned pale. "This matter is a secret, how can I casually announce it?"
Crown Princess Sun gnashed her teeth, "Young Supervisor Fang has misled me. Your Highness, this is not the place to talk. I will take you to see Young Supervisor Fang right now."
Crown Princess Sun was extremely angry.
Last night, she asked Fang Shaojian how to deal with the matter of Prince Ning, but Fang Shaojian said casually that it was nothing.
This lowly slave had indeed forgotten his own identity and dared to deceive her.
Wen Guangren is such an important person, but Fang Shaojian didn't reveal a single word about him for such a long time.
The Crown Princess led the Crown Prince to the humble room.
The moment Fang Shaojian saw the Crown Prince, he wasn't surprised at all. It was as if he had anticipated this day.
He stood up and bowed, "This old servant pays homage to His Highness."
"No need to be polite!"
His Royal Highness the Crown Prince looked pale and weak.
"Master Fang, I'm glad to see you at last. Prince Ning has accused Wen Guangren, the Minister of the Imperial Household, of silver trafficking. Your Excellency Wen has been imprisoned. What should we do about this? Did the Queen Mother give you any instructions before she passed away?"
Fang Shaojian said "oh", obviously he had expected this.
He said, "Your Highness, please take a seat. Lord Wen has been imprisoned. The only thing we need to worry about is whether he will betray the Eastern Palace."
"Will he?" His Royal Highness the Crown Prince asked nervously.
Fang Shaojian bowed and said, "Your Highness, rest assured. Lord Wen has no chance of betraying the Crown Prince. If the case gets to Prince Zhao, it will be impossible to investigate further."
Crown Princess Sun demanded, "How do you know? Can you guarantee it? If Wen Guangren can't bear the torture and tries to implicate the Crown Prince, will you be responsible?"
Fang Shaojian said expressionlessly, "Your Highness, Your Majesty, please rest assured. Lord Wen has no chance of getting involved with the Eastern Palace. By tonight at the latest, Lord Wen will be dead."
"How could this be?" His Royal Highness the Crown Prince was surprised and confused.
Crown Princess Sun narrowed her eyes and stared at Fang Shaojian suspiciously.
Fang Shaojian whispered, "Before the Empress passed away, she had already made the corresponding arrangements. Wen Guangren was in her favor, so he knew what to do."
"At this point, Young Master Fang, are you still unwilling to tell the truth? Did the Queen Mother arrange someone in the imperial prison?" asked the Crown Princess Sun.
Fang Shaojian only said, "I don't know the specific circumstances. I only know that Her Majesty had long anticipated that Lord Wen might become a burden to the Eastern Palace, so she made arrangements early on."
Upon hearing this, His Royal Highness the Crown Prince was visibly relieved.
"My Queen Mother has made all the arrangements. Since she has already made the arrangements, then I will also do the same."
His Royal Highness felt relieved and said to Junior Eunuch Fang, "I cannot stay here for long. Junior Eunuch Fang, if you need anything, please let the Princess know."
"This old servant respectfully sends His Highness off."
His Royal Highness the Crown Prince left in a hurry.
Bang!
Crown Princess Sun slammed the door shut, "Master Fang, how many things are you hiding from me?"
Fang Shaojian smiled indifferently, "Why is the Queen angry?"
"You know the answer but you still ask."
"Everything we do is for the good of Her Majesty. Imagine if Her Majesty knew about Wen Guangren's affairs, how could she remain indifferent? If Her Majesty took any action, it would surely be noticed. Prince Ning wouldn't have had to be so roundabout at the court this morning. He could have easily used the connection between Her Majesty and Lord Wen to overthrow the Eastern Palace."
Crown Princess Sun frowned and did not believe what Fang Shaojian said.
Fang Shaojian lowered his eyes and smiled, then continued, "Does your Majesty know why Prince Ning did not rashly associate himself with the Eastern Palace in the court?
Because he just suspected that Wen Guangren had a relationship with the Eastern Palace, but he couldn't find any evidence.
So he could only bring down Wen Guangren and Prince Zhao first, and hope that the Jinwu Guards could use severe torture to force Wen Guangren to reveal his connection with the Eastern Palace.
Ever since Prince Ning switched the silver, his goal has always been the Eastern Palace, not Prince Zhao. He is already desperate and wants to force the Emperor to depose His Royal Highness the Crown Prince.
Crown Princess Sun's brows were furrowed. "Does Prince Ning have such a wise strategy?"
Fang Shaojian sneered, "Prince Ning's wicked deeds were merely a cover-up. Your Majesty, please do not be deceived by his appearance. Among all the princes and nobles, in my opinion, Prince Ning is the most vicious and the most shameless. Prince Zhao is still too concerned about his reputation, so he loses to Prince Ning."
Crown Princess Sun sneered, "According to what you said, are you hiding the truth for my own good and for the benefit of the Eastern Palace?"
Fang Shaojian bowed slightly. "Of course. My family has been deeply beholden to Empress Cui Ruizhen and has vowed to protect everyone in the Eastern Palace. For over a year now, my family has not dared to slack off for a single day."
Crown Princess Sun smiled coldly, "Besides Wen Guangren, is there anything else that I don't know?"
Fang Shaojian shook his head slightly, "Your Majesty, please do not ask any more questions. Knowing more is not necessarily a good thing."
"Aren't you afraid that I will turn against you and be ruthless?"
Fang Shaojian smiled calmly, "Our family has long been dead, and every day we live is earned."
He is really stubborn.
Crown Princess Sun suddenly burst into laughter. "Master Fang, please don't misunderstand me. I was just testing you to see how determined you are. I now know that you are truly wholeheartedly concerned about the interests of the Crown Prince."
"Thank you, Your Majesty, for understanding my painstaking efforts."
"Take good care of yourself. I still need to go and see His Highness."
Crown Princess Sun left the humble room and instructed her confidant, "Keep a close eye on Fang Shaojian and don't let him leave the room."
"Yes, sir!"
Inside the humble room, Fang Shaojian smiled contemptuously.
He placed a black piece on the chessboard.
"Most people die from greed, huh..."
His expression was sinister and his eyes were becoming more and more crazy.
A storm is coming.
…
Lord Gu wiped the cold sweat from his forehead and felt extremely relieved.
No one expected that Prince Ning's substitution of silver would involve the Shaofu Tongcheng's silver trafficking.
Fortunately, he did not delve into the matter that day, but listened to Gu Jiu's warning and immediately took his men away from the palace.
At this moment, Lord Gu felt extremely confident: Since I am so wise and powerful, promotion and wealth are just around the corner.
If Gu Jiu knew what Lord Gu was thinking, he would definitely complain harshly.
With Lord Gu's level, he will definitely not survive more than three episodes in the court struggle and will be killed.
Lord Gu had no idea that he wouldn't survive more than three episodes.
He was very proud of himself and finished his official duties for the day early and returned to his mansion.
He called Aunt Tan and Aunt Chun, hugged them left and right, drank and sang, and had a great time.
When Xie found out, she gritted her teeth.
She cursed loudly: "Bitch!"
…
Princess Pei of Prince Ning was still terrified.
"Your Majesty, you are taking too much of a risk. If something were to happen and His Majesty were to punish me, what would you do?"
Prince Ning didn't care and leaned lazily on the back of his chair, "What are you afraid of! I have planned everything out. If I say it's okay, it's okay."
Pei snorted, "Trading official silver for Southwest silver, since there's a 20% profit, why didn't you exchange a little more? The mansion is barely making ends meet."
Prince Ning glared at Pei. "You're short on knowledge. I'm exchanging Guanping silver for Southwest silver. Was it for the 20% profit? If I could exchange 100,000 or 200,000 taels at a time, do you think Wen Guangren is a fool? Would he fall for it? If you don't understand, don't talk nonsense."
Pei was stunned for a moment. "I don't understand the affairs of the court. I said something wrong. Please forgive me, Your Highness. But there is one thing I must say."
Prince Ning said casually: "Tell me, what's the matter?"
Pei said loudly, "The accountant's out of money. By next month, they won't even be able to pay the servants their monthly wages."
Prince Ning frowned, "No money left?"
Pei nodded, "It's true that we have no money left."
Prince Ning scratched his head, "Where is my title and salary?"
"A large part of the prince's salary is in the form of grain and cloth, which cannot be spent as money."
Prince Ning was furious. "I asked you to manage the household, but how did you manage it? I just transferred a few tens of thousands of taels, and the palace is actually out of money? Where did all the money go?"
Pei felt wronged, "Your Highness, don't you know how much the palace's expenses are? No matter how much money you have, it won't last."
Prince Ning bared his teeth. "I have sent a family decree. The chief secretary and the accountant are here to see me. I just can't believe that such a huge palace can't even afford food."
"Your Highness, do you want to check the accounts?" asked Pei.
Prince Ning snorted, "Nonsense! The palace has no money for food. If I don't check the accounts, do you think I can conjure up money by just sitting here with you sighing and groaning? I have to ask the accountant where all that money went. Princess, are you feeling guilty? Did you embezzle money from the treasury?"
Pei's face froze. "Your Highness, please don't accuse me. I haven't touched a single penny of the money in the treasury."
Prince Ning's expression softened a bit. "Since you haven't taken it, I'm relieved."
Pei had a stern face and was full of anger.
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