"Why is Your Highness here today?" Inside the Ministry of Justice's lobby, Qu Changqing and Han Che were sorting through the final files, discussing Chu Pei's case and the final verdict. Both were furrowed in their brows, hesitant about the verdict on this thorny figure. Unexpectedly, during their discussion, Chu Feiyang walked in, led by a yamen runner.
The two men immediately stood up and saluted, but Chu Feiyang smiled nonchalantly and said, "No need to be so polite. We are all officials in the same court, so there is no need to be so formal."
After he finished speaking, Chu Feiyang lifted his robe and sat down on a chair not far away, without disturbing the two people's work.
"Your Highness, do you have anything to tell me?" Qu Changqing asked first, but he knew in his heart that Chu Feiyang would not appear in the Ministry of Justice for no reason. At such a sensitive moment, an ordinary person would have avoided him as much as possible, especially with Han Che watching here. However, Chu Feiyang did the opposite, so he must have his own plans.
Chu Feiyang looked at the two people not far away with a smile in his eyes, and said elegantly, "The emperor has already said in the court today that he can only extend the time for a few days. Chu Pei is my father after all. I hope that Prime Minister Han and Lord Qu can be flexible and allow me to meet my father."
After he finished speaking, Chu Feiyang stopped talking, picked up the teacup on the coffee table, took a sip, and waited for their response.
Qu Changqing naturally had no objection, but the key still depended on Han Che.
"This is human nature. Laws are nothing more than human nature. Your Highness can naturally meet with Lord Chu." How alert is Han Che?
The Chu and Qu families are married, and Qu Changqing was once Chu Feiyang's subordinate and is still loyal to Chu Feiyang. If Chu Feiyang wants to see Chu Pei, how could Qu Changqing say "no"?
He asked this just to test his attitude.
"Thank you very much, Minister Han and Lord Qu." Chu Feiyang put down the teacup in his hand, stood up, and walked towards the prison with his long legs.
"Your Highness, please come this way." The jailer recognized the most powerful Prince Chu and immediately stepped forward, fawning over Chu Feiyang. Bending over, he led Chu Feiyang to Chu Pei's cell. Looking at Chu Pei, who was now lying on the bed with his back to the cell door, the jailer spoke gently and cautiously, "Sir Chu, Prince Chu is here to see you."
After he finished speaking, the jailer took out the key from his waist, opened the cell door swiftly, and said to Chu Feiyang with a flattering smile: "Your Highness, please let me know if you need anything."
Chu Feiyang took a step forward. After hearing the jailer's words, he looked down at the jailer in front of him who was laughing extremely exaggeratedly. Chu Feiyang curled his lips into a smile, nodded and praised: "Thank you for your trouble."
"No way, this is what I should do." Seeing that the dignified King Chu actually spoke to him, the jailer wanted to flatter him again, but after meeting Chu Feiyang's pair of dark and cold jade eyes, he withdrew his gaze with a trembling heart and quickly left the cell.
"Hmph, the King of Chu is really popular. From the emperor to the jailer, everyone wants to curry favor with him. I just don't know why the King of Chu thought of visiting me in this prison?" Chu Pei heard the noise, sat up from the bed, looked at Chu Feiyang with a sneer on his face, and his eyes contained not the affection between father and son, but a bit of jealousy.
Chu Feiyang walked into the cell and scanned the surroundings before looking at Chu Pei. Seeing that Chu Pei looked fine and hadn't suffered much from being imprisoned, he slowly spoke, "The Emperor has urged Minister Han and Lord Qu to investigate Lord Chu's case in the near future. I wonder what kind of verdict Lord Chu will hear when he kneels in the Golden Throne Hall one day."
Chu Pei originally thought that Chu Feiyang was here to mock him, but he didn't expect that the other party would send him such a message, which made Chu Pei frown slightly.
Emperor Yugan will judge him soon, but he doesn't know how the emperor will deal with Qingyang, Xie and others.
Although Chu Feiyang is his biological son, there is a deep gap between father and son. Would he be so kind as to tell him this?
Thinking of this, Chu Pei raised his eyes to look at Chu Feiyang, only to see him staring at him with a faint smile. This immediately made Chu Pei put away all the worry on his face and sneered, "Why, the King of Chu seems very happy and proud to have pushed his own father to the court for trial."
"Lord Chu, why do you have to be like this? I just came to visit you. I wonder if Lord Chu has any words that I need to convey to everyone in the Chu Palace." Apart from the valuable information he just heard from Chu Feiyang, Chu Feiyang actually changed the subject at this time. He looked at Chu Pei with a smile in his eyes, asking for his opinion.
"You don't have to pretend to be sympathetic." But Chu Pei flatly rejected Chu Feiyang's kindness.
During all the days that he was escorted to Beijing, Chu Feiyang had only come in once. Would he be so kind as to pass on a message to Xie and others for him?
What's more, Chu Feiyang not only came to the Ministry of Justice today, but from the sound of his voice, he was going to see the Princess of Chu. What was he hiding in his heart?
These questions instantly flooded Chu Pei's mind, making him stare at Chu Feiyang with a cold gaze, trying to guess something from the other party's words, actions, and facial expressions.
However, Chu Feiyang treated him with a faint smile, his whole body immersed in peace and tranquility, without any emotional fluctuations, which made Chu Pei secretly annoyed, but he was helpless.
"The Ministry of Justice has Qu Changqing in charge and has strict management, so there won't be any prisoners being tortured or killed. The Prince of Chu's Palace is guarded by the Imperial Guards and the Prince's guards, so outsiders naturally can't get close at all. However, if you walk out of the Ministry of Justice and the Prince of Chu's Palace, it's hard to say whether you can save your life." Chu Feiyang naturally saw that Chu Pei had doubted his motives today, but he said this calmly.
It sounded like a very ordinary statement, seemingly stating that the Ministry of Justice and the Prince of Chu's Palace were heavily guarded, but upon closer inspection, the meaning gradually changed. I'm afraid that behind Chu Feiyang's words, there is even more information revealed.
After hearing Chu Feiyang's words, Chu Pei's heart tightened, and a hint of nervousness appeared on his face. He asked with a hint of inquiring tone, "What do you want to say?"
Chu Feiyang just smiled lightly and shook his head, then slowly said, "I just happened to be passing by, so I came to visit my father. It's getting late, and I should leave."
After he finished speaking, Chu Feiyang didn't even look at Chu Pei, turned around and walked towards the prison door.
"Chu Feiyang, have you heard any rumors?" The doubts in his heart finally made Chu Pei ask, and there was a deep vigilance hidden in his eyes as he looked directly at Chu Feiyang.
However, Chu Feiyang heard Chu Pei's question and slowly turned his head. With an unfathomable smile on his face, he asked, "What rumors? What are you worried about, Master Chu?"
Chu Pei then realized that he had been fooled by Chu Feiyang. Anger instantly appeared on his calm face. He walked to the prison door and slammed it shut, driving Chu Feiyang out.
Chu Feiyang didn't care about Chu Pei's mood. His eyes, full of shrewdness, had already shot towards the jailer hiding not far away. With a faint smile on his lips, he walked out of the prison step by step.
"Your Highness." Qu Changqing had been waiting outside the prison for a long time. When he saw Chu Feiyang coming out, he immediately stepped forward to greet him.
"Send someone to keep an eye on the jailer." Chu Feiyang whispered to Qu Changqing, glancing at the jailer who didn't dare to follow him out.
Upon hearing this, Qu Changqing's eyes flashed with sternness. He hadn't expected that even if he was on guard day and night, he couldn't prevent a thief from within. He had thought his overhaul of the Ministry of Justice was showing initial success, that the entire department would be united in their efforts to handle cases fairly, but he hadn't expected there were still corrupt officials lurking within. If such people weren't removed, he was afraid that this unhealthy trend would only grow stronger in the future.
"There's no need to be like this. There are many kinds of people in the world. Even the emperor can't make sure that all the officials in the court are honest. Sometimes, corrupt officials are more useful than honest officials. Okay, you can go back and do your work. I'm leaving." Seeing Qu Changqing lowering his head and looking annoyed, Chu Feiyang said a few words to comfort him, then mounted his horse and galloped towards the long street.
However, Chu Feiyang did not return to Prime Minister Chu's residence immediately. Instead, he made a circle around the capital and headed straight to Prince Chu's residence.
Arriving in front of the Prince of Chu's Mansion, Chu Feiyang dismounted, handed the horse to the steward who came to pay his respects, and walked straight towards the gate of the Prince of Chu's Mansion.
But just as he stepped onto the stone steps in front of the Chu Palace, he saw Zhang Lan, the deputy commander of the Imperial Guard, approaching with a long sword in hand. He held the sword across Chu Feiyang's face and said sternly, "Your Highness, the Emperor has instructed that no one is allowed to enter the palace without his written order."
"I'm just here to visit my stepmother and my younger brothers and sisters. Can't Lord Zhang be more flexible?" Chu Feiyang didn't force his way in, nor did he get angry at Zhang Lan's obstruction. He just looked at the huge Prince Chu's Mansion and couldn't go back. Chu Feiyang frowned slightly, with a sigh in his words.
"Your Highness, I'm sorry that I can't let you in. The prisoner here is a wanted criminal of the imperial court. Please don't make things difficult for me." Zhang Lan was firm in his words. Even though Chu Feiyang had softened his tone, he remained calm and refused in an extremely cold and hard tone.
"The Ministry of Justice has not yet sentenced Chu Pei. During the morning court session, both Prime Minister Han and Lord Qu requested the emperor to grant them a few days' grace period. Even the emperor agreed to the two gentlemen's request. How can Lord Zhang say that several people in the palace are wanted criminals of the court? Could it be that you, the deputy commander of the Imperial Guard, have also taken over the affairs of the Ministry of Justice, and want to step in and handle the case on behalf of Qu Shang?" Chu Feiyang snorted coldly, his tone suddenly turned cold, and he questioned Zhang Lan who was standing in front of him with sharp words.
How could Zhang Lan not know that Chu Feiyang was eloquent? Even the emperor was wary of the King of Chu and would think twice before taking any action. Zhang Lan was naturally even more cautious in dealing with the difficult Chu Feiyang.
"Why do you say that, Your Highness? Aren't you framing me? I was only following orders. Before leaving the palace, the Emperor did instruct me not to let anyone into the Prince of Chu's Mansion. I hope Your Highness can sympathize with me and not make things difficult for me. If Your Highness really has an urgent matter, you might as well go to the palace and ask for the Emperor's handwritten letter or imperial decree, and I will let you go immediately." Emperor Yu Gan separated Chu Pei's family and did not allow anyone to visit Xie and others in the Prince of Chu's Mansion in order to prevent the Chu family from colluding with each other. Now, if he lets the Prince of Chu into the Prince of Chu's Mansion without authorization, he will be accused of disobeying the Emperor's order.
Zhang Lan clearly remembered that not long ago, Concubine Yuande disobeyed the imperial order in order to allow Prince Chen to marry a wife, and now she is still suffering in the imperial mausoleum.
Zhang Lan naturally would not think that his status was more noble than that of Concubine Yuande. If he disobeyed the imperial order in the slightest, his entire family would suffer.
"Then you should look at this sign carefully. If the sign bestowed by our ancestor Emperor doesn't work, then I will go to the palace to ask for permission." Little did they know that Chu Feiyang actually took out from his sleeve the only remaining sign in the world bestowed upon the Chu family by their ancestor Emperor Jiang Sujun.
This waist badge could allow anyone to enter the Chu Palace, let alone the Imperial Palace, without anyone daring to stop them. However, Chu Nanshan was known for his low profile, and the opportunities to use the waist badge were few and far between.
"Your humble servant pays homage to the late emperor." Zhang Lan's expression suddenly changed, and he immediately saluted and shouted to the badge in front of him.
"Master Zhang, may I come in?" Chu Feiyang asked with a sneer after putting away his badge.
"Of course you can, Your Highness! Open the door!" Zhang Lan stood up again and ordered the guards to open the gate of Prince Chu's Mansion in a cold voice. He followed Chu Feiyang closely and stepped into the opposite gate of Prince Chu's Mansion.
However, Zhang Lan's hands behind his back were gesturing to his subordinates behind him.
The guard immediately left the Prince of Chu's mansion, took his horse and headed towards the palace.
"What does Chu Qingyang do on a daily basis?" Xie and Chu Jie are both women, so Chu Feiyang naturally cannot have too much contact with them, so he asked about Chu Qingyang's recent situation.
"You usually stay in the room to practice calligraphy. Is Your Highness going to the room?" It sounded like a question, but Zhang Lan followed Chu Feiyang and used his body to block Chu Feiyang's other way, leaving only the way to the room.
Chu Feiyang smiled lightly, and a cold light flashed in his smiling eyes, then disappeared in his eyes. Following Zhang Lan's arrangement, he walked towards the room.
Passing by the familiar garden of Prince Chu's Mansion, he saw that the lush green grass had grown a lot taller, and the corridors and pavilions were covered with a thin layer of dust. Even the blue brick floor where he stepped on was covered with many fallen leaves and petals.
The smile in Chu Feiyang's eyes gradually froze as he took in the scenery before him. He coldly asked Zhang Lan, who was standing beside him, "Master Zhang, why don't you ask the servants of the palace to clean up? Are you embarrassed to order the servants of my Chu Palace around? Or are you deliberately degrading my Chu Palace?"
After a cold snort, Chu Feiyang stood still and stopped moving forward, with anger in his cold eyes.
How could Zhang Lan have expected Chu Feiyang to get angry over such a trivial matter? Moreover, Chu Feiyang had been an official in the court for many years and had always greeted people with a smile. He rarely frowned and scolded others, let alone looked so angry as he did now.
For a moment, Zhang Lan's heart tightened, and he was not sure whether the King of Chu was simply angry about this matter or if there was something else going on.
"Your Highness, please calm down. I will order someone to clean it up right away." Lowering his status, Zhang Lan spoke immediately after examining Duodu.
"No need! Although my Chu Palace is not a famous family, it is also a mansion bestowed by our ancestor, the emperor. How can anyone enter and touch it?" With a flick of his sleeves, Chu Feiyang left Zhang Lan, who was confused, and pushed open the door of the room and walked in.
Chu Qingyang was sitting behind the table, copying calligraphy. Seeing Chu Feiyang come in, he calmly put down the brush in his hand and said calmly, "I greet the prince."
Chu Feiyang just nodded lightly, and chose a seat by the window, looking out the window over the window sill. He looked relaxed and contented, but not in the mood to talk to anyone.
This made Chu Qingyang feel a little puzzled. Chu Qingyang had heard everything Chu Feiyang had said when he scolded Zhang Lan outside, but now the other party was sitting quietly in front of him with a relaxed expression, as if the scene just now had not happened. It was really puzzling.
"Your Highness, please have some tea." At this time, the maid from the palace came in with brewed tea, put it on the tea table quietly, and then quietly retreated.
It seems that all this was arranged by Zhang Lan to prevent Chu Feiyang from causing trouble again and reporting it to Emperor Yu Gan. In order to appease an old minister like Chu Nanshan, Emperor Yu Gan would naturally have no choice but to punish him severely.
"Whose calligraphy have you been copying recently, second brother?" Chu Feiyang asked after taking a sip of tea, but his eyes were still on the blue sea and clear sky outside.
"I just found a few calligraphy books to copy in my spare time. I can't compare to the prince who is busy with all kinds of affairs every day and can work hard for the country and share the worries of the emperor." Chu Qingyang put away his pen, ink, paper and inkstone, and answered Chu Feiyang's question wholeheartedly.
He knew Chu Feiyang better than anyone else. If Chu Feiyang hadn't intervened, how could their plan have failed? But this man always had a gentle smile on his face. Under his seemingly harmless expression, he had a hard heart.
Hearing this, Chu Feiyang retracted his gaze, put down the teacup in his hand, lowered his head and smiled lightly, but a glimmer of understanding flashed in his eyes. It seemed that after being under house arrest for so many days, Chu Qingyang still hadn't learned his lesson. How could a person who could be angered by just a few words accomplish anything?
"A lot of things have happened in the capital recently. I'm afraid my father's case is also something that happened in the past few days." After saying this, Chu Feiyang sighed deeply, and there seemed to be some sadness between his brows.
"Your Highness, have you come here today just to discuss this?" Upon hearing Chu Feiyang's words, Chu Qingyang immediately looked up at his elder brother, his eyes filled with unconcealed surprise. Imprisoned in the Chu Palace, he was cut off from information and naturally unaware of the situation outside. However, if his father were to be brought to justice, his future would be completely ruined, something Chu Qingyang least wanted to see.
Why is it that Chu Feiyang can inherit the throne while he has to face a rough life?
Thinking of this, Chu Qingyang clenched his hand that was holding the rice paper into a fist. The fragile rice paper was torn in an instant, but it still couldn't vent the jealousy in Chu Qingyang's heart.
Seeing the embarrassment that Chu Feiyang deliberately put on his face, Chu Qingyang sneered in his heart and asked sarcastically, "Your Highness, you don't think that because of your height and status, you won't be implicated, right?"
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com