"This is…"
After saying "handle matters impartially," Wu Yong had already made up his mind that no matter what Jing Zhe said, he would not soften his heart.
So what if Emperor An summoned him? He's just a commoner, he can't possibly bully a court official like him, can he?
Even if the sky falls, there's always someone taller to hold it up!
He, Wu Yong, is not afraid!
But when he saw what Jing Zhe slammed on the table, he was scared!
"This is... a gold medal?"
His voice was trembling.
Jing Zhe sneered, "Prefect Wu has a good eye, he even recognizes the gold medal? I thought Prefect Wu was going to handle the gold medal impartially!"
"..."
Wu Yong wiped the cold sweat from his forehead, realizing he had been careless.
But he never dreamed that an ordinary person from out of town could win a gold medal.
Although Emperor An loved poetry, he had never given anyone a gold medal before. Was his poetry really that good?
"Young Master Kun is joking! How could I not recognize the gold medal bestowed by His Majesty?"
Then, looking at Jing Zhe, she cautiously asked, "I wonder about this gold medal, young master..."
"You want to ask me why I got this gold medal, right?"
Wu Yong nodded like a chick pecking at rice.
"Ha, I won't tell you!"
"..."
Wu Yong almost coughed up a mouthful of blood.
After calming himself down, Wu Yong had already considered all the possibilities in his mind, but he still had no clue.
"Prefect Wu, I doubt you can make the decision on this matter. I think you'd better go and discuss it with someone else as soon as possible!"
Jing Zhe looked at Wu Yong, whose face had turned pale, and said jokingly.
Wu Yong was too nervous at the moment to feel the embarrassment of being exposed, and just kept nodding.
"But, can we still have this banquet? I'm starving."
"Yes, yes!"
After saying that, Wu Yong looked at Wu De and said, "What are you still standing there for? Don't you have any sense? Young Master Kun is hungry, hurry up and prepare some wine and food to serve him."
"oh."
Wu De replied again, sounding aggrieved.
"We've already had the banquet, so it's not unreasonable to ask for another bed, is it? This place is nice, I think I'll be fine sleeping here for the next few days!"
"..."
With no other option, Wu De could only nod again and prepare to go out and ask for instructions. After all, when it came to the gold medal, he didn't dare to make the decision on his own.
With Wu De personally relaying the message, the banquet was served quickly. Watching Jing Zhe eat with gusto, Wu Yong cautiously asked, "Young Master Kun, please continue eating. I'll go out and investigate."
"Go... um... go!"
With a chicken leg stuffed in his mouth, Jing Zhe managed to utter a few words with difficulty. After swallowing, he added, "But I must remind you to investigate quickly. His Majesty is waiting for our strong liquor. If it's delivered late, you can't afford to be angry with him!"
"..."
Wu Yong nodded hurriedly in agreement, but in his heart he had already cursed Jing Zhe countless times before stepping back.
...
The side hall of the Prince of Xiang's residence.
"gold medal?"
Su Xinping asked doubtfully.
"Yes, Your Highness!"
Wu Yong recounted everything he had seen and heard.
After listening, Su Mowu pondered and said, "I almost forgot that Father Emperor highly values strong liquor. The amount of strong liquor that the barbarians bring as tribute each year is limited, and Father Emperor treats it as a treasure. Whoever can please him will be rewarded."
Then, recalling the private audience with Jing Zhe yesterday, he suddenly realized and clapped his hands, saying, "I suppose he told Father Emperor that he could make strong liquor when he entered the palace yesterday. Father Emperor was overjoyed. Such a precious thing would naturally not fall into the hands of others, so he gave him a gold medal, making this strong liquor a royal business?"
The others nodded in agreement, especially Su Xinping, who felt somewhat relieved.
This gold medal was awarded for business purposes, which is much better than it being awarded for his personal gain. If it were awarded for personal gain, it would be wishful thinking to cause him trouble.
"But if he had the gold medal, why didn't he show it earlier? Why did he only show it after being arrested and taken to the yamen?"
Not wanting to see Jing Zhe's smug face, Wu De, who had come to the Prince of Xiang's residence with Wu Yong, suddenly interrupted.
There were four people in the room, including him and his father. The other three ignored him when they heard what he said.
Wasn't he deliberately keeping it hidden to embarrass them?
Even at this point, he still can't see it. Everyone else is pretending to be stupid, but he's the only one who's truly stupid!
"Your Highness, what should we do now?"
Wu Yong ignored him, looking somewhat worried. "He's still in the yamen! Judging from his expression, if the Zhang family isn't unsealed, he'll probably be eating and sleeping there for the next few days!"
The court session will be held early tomorrow morning. What will happen if the common people see this?
"Does he... have such a thick skin?"
Su Mowu had never met Jing Zhe, and he couldn't understand why a scholar whose poetic talent surpassed Song Jimao's and who was summoned to the palace by Emperor An would linger in the yamen and refuse to leave.
Yes, yes!
Seeing an opportunity to complain, Wu De certainly wouldn't hold back.
Su Mowu glanced at Wu De, his brows furrowing slightly.
He hates it when people interrupt him, especially scoundrels who have interrupted him twice already. If he didn't need his father's help right now, he would have told him to get out long ago.
But Su Xinping didn't have as many concerns as him.
He walked up to Wu De and asked in a cold voice, "What did you send me to the Zhang family for?"
"They're going to raid the Zhang family's property!"
"Then who told you to bring that kid to the yamen?"
"this…"
Wu De was speechless for a moment, then his eyes darted around before he said, "Originally, we were just going to seize the Zhang family's property, but who knew that kid would have such a foul mouth—"
"Smack!"
The slaps were loud and particularly jarring in the side hall.
Wu De covered his face, his eyes filled with disbelief and fear.
Still have a foul mouth?
His mouth is indeed—
"Smack!"
Another slap in the face.
"Still cheap?"
"..."
Even if Wu De was stupid, he could tell at this moment that this was a way of calling him a scoundrel!
"I'm not shameless anymore..."
After speaking in a muffled voice, Su Xinping chuckled coldly a few times and didn't make any further moves.
Although he also really wanted to hit Wu De, it was out of a desire to discipline his son. But seeing Wu De being beaten in front of him made Wu Yong feel quite uncomfortable.
"Your Highness, please calm your anger! My son is ignorant. I hope Your Highness and the Crown Prince will forgive him and not blame him any further!"
Su Mowu waved his hand. The Wu family was playing the role of dogs around him, and he would need them for a long time to come, so he couldn't afford to make things awkward. He pretended to blame Su Xinping: "Xinping, even you yourself suffered a loss at the hands of that kid. Wu De is so much younger than you, isn't it normal for him to be deceived by him?"
Su Xinping nodded without saying a word.
At this moment, Wu Yong quickly changed the subject to prevent Su Xinping from getting angry at Su Mowu and blaming them again.
"Your Highness, now that their liquor has become a royal business, wouldn't sealing off the Zhang family's property be falling into that Ah Kun's trap? He hasn't mentioned His Majesty once from beginning to end; he's probably just waiting to see us make a fool of ourselves!"
Su Mowu frowned deeply after hearing this.
————
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