Princess Yongjia had a good idea, Shen Zhixiu had indeed been prepared.
That day, Su Yuanzhou heard about the Li family's conspiracy, and although he didn't explain it in detail in just a few words, Shen Zhixiu had still made thorough preparations, which came in handy today.
Shen Zhixiu once again said to Emperor Xuande: "If Your Majesty does not believe me, you can just arrest me first and wait for the Duke of Wei to return to the capital to question me."
In fact, at this point, Shen Zhixiu was still a little scared.
If Su Yuanzhou hadn't gotten a glimpse of the situation by chance that day, Su Qingyu might have been targeted when she entered the palace today.
Because Su Qingyu had cursed the Great Zhou and Empress Chenfei before, if the emperor heard that he had close contacts with Miaojiang, he might convict him in a fit of rage.
Although this matter can be explained clearly when the Duke of Wei returns to the capital, the emperor's mind is unpredictable. Perhaps before he can wait for the Duke of Wei to return to the capital, the emperor will have already determined his guilt.
Emperor Xuande was reading a letter written by Duke Weiguo, which explained in detail the interactions between Shen Zhixiu and Zhai Fang, the leader of the Jiuli tribe.
Duke Weiguo also specifically mentioned the Miao border defense map, and said frankly that if there was no Shen Zhixiu, there would be no current situation of war in Qianzhou.
At the end of the letter, the Duke of Wei proposed that if the battle in Qianzhou was a great victory, he would also commend Lord Shen for the credit.
Putting down the letter, Emperor Xuande said, "This matter has been made clear. It was all a misunderstanding. No one is allowed to spread this matter or discuss it further."
Censor Chen didn't expect that Shen Zhixiu was well prepared and easily resolved the dilemma.
After the emperor made the final decision, he stopped harping on the matter.
He immediately continued in a cold voice: "Sir Shen, how do you explain Mr. Zhou's identity?"
"I have verified that Mr. Zhou is the son of the former Qianzhou Governor, An Jia. Is this true?"
Shen Zhixiu nodded, "This is indeed true."
Censor Chen continued to ask, "Then, Lord Shen, have you ever considered that he is the descendant of a criminal and should be executed according to the law?"
"Not only did Lord Shen not report this to the court, he also allowed him to stay in the capital for such a long time and even took His Majesty's pulse several times. Does Lord Shen really care about the safety of the emperor?"
Shen Zhixiu raised his eyebrows and said, "I guarantee with my own life that Mr. Zhou will not do anything illegal."
Censor Chen laughed sarcastically, "Sir Shen, even ten of your lives are not as important as the emperor's safety."
"You guarantee? If something really happens, will your guarantee be useful?"
Shen Zhixiu turned to Emperor Xuande and said, "Your Majesty, I will give you an explanation regarding Mr. Zhou's matter. However, I believe that this matter is not appropriate to be discussed in the Hall of Supreme Harmony."
Seeing Shen Zhixiu repeating the same rhetoric, Censor Chen sneered, "Sir Shen, Mr. Zhou's matter doesn't involve state affairs. Is there anything you can't say?"
Shen Zhixiu ignored Censor Chen and instead looked towards Emperor Xuande. He said solemnly, "Your Majesty, please believe me. Mr. Zhou's affairs are truly not suitable to be discussed in the Hall of Supreme Harmony."
Emperor Xuande looked at Shen Zhixiu inquiringly, unsure of his intentions. But knowing Shen Zhixiu well, he knew there must be a reason for his words.
Moreover, he was just a doctor. If there was really a hidden secret, he could show leniency.
But he wanted to let it go easily, but the others refused.
The Crown Prince turned his head and said thoughtfully, "Father, Censor Chen impeached Lord Shen for shielding a criminal. If he doesn't make it clear in public, I'm afraid he won't be able to convince the public."
Princess Yongjia also spoke up, "Royal brother, His Royal Highness the Crown Prince is right. Since it was Censor Chen who impeached him publicly, Lord Shen should have explained it clearly."
Shen Zhixiu looked calm. It didn't matter whether he said it or not, it wouldn't embarrass him.
He refused to tell the truth only because he took Mr. Zhou's feelings into consideration.
Emperor Xuande looked at Shen Zhixiu again, "Mr. Shen, do you still insist on speaking to me in private?"
For some reason, Emperor Xuande always felt that it was better to discuss this matter in private.
Just as Shen Zhixiu was about to speak, a young eunuch suddenly came in from outside, walked up to Hu Lu and whispered a few words.
After hearing this, Hu Lu sent the eunuch away and said to Emperor Xuande, "Your Majesty, Mr. Zhou is at the palace gate right now. He said he has something important to discuss with you."
Emperor Xuande was stunned and said, "Call him in."
He added, "Since Mr. Zhou is here, let's wait until he comes to the palace before discussing this matter."
Upon hearing this, Shen Zhixiu stepped aside, a hint of surprise flashing across his drooping eyes.
Not long after, Mr. Zhou came in wearing a blue cloth robe.
He first saluted the emperor, then looked at Shen Zhixiu and nodded slightly.
Shen Zhixiu understood what Mr. Zhou meant.
He said, "Since everyone wants to know why I am protecting Mr. Zhou, then let me explain it to you in public."
"Censor Chen asked me why I put His Majesty in danger. It was because I firmly believed that Mr. Zhou would not harm His Majesty."
"Of course, this involves Mr. Zhou's background."
Emperor Xuande looked at Shen Zhixiu suspiciously, "Mr. Zhou's background? What's going on?"
Shen Zhixiu looked at Mr. Zhou again and confirmed that Mr. Zhou agreed to tell the truth before he spoke.
"Your Majesty, Mr. Zhou is actually a member of the royal family. I didn't mention it before because Mr. Zhou didn't want to talk about it."
"Besides, this matter is not a glorious one. I kept it to myself out of consideration for the royal family's reputation."
Emperor Xuande was stunned. No wonder Shen Zhixiu was hesitant. Shouldn't something like this be kept secret?
Throughout the dynasties, it was common for the royal family to recover their bloodline that had been lost among the people. However, without exception, these were all confirmed privately and not spread to others.
This is the first time that such a quarrel has happened in front of all the civil and military officials, as well as the ladies of the imperial court and the imperial household.
Emperor Xuande glared at Censor Chen fiercely. He used to think that Censor Chen had some talent, but today he saw that he was just a facade.
Censor Chen only impeached Shen Zhixiu for two things, one involving border military secrets and the other involving royal secrets.
How could this Censor Chen be impeaching Shen Zhixiu? He was clearly here to cause him trouble.
Sensing the emperor's displeased gaze, Censor Chen's heart sank. He had completely lost the emperor's favor.
Things have come to this point, there is no need to hide it anymore.
Emperor Xuande asked, "Is Mr. Zhou a member of the royal family? Then what is his identity? Is there any solid evidence?"
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