After several days of traveling through wind and rain, Zhui Feng and his companions finally returned to the capital. Without even taking a break, they went straight to the Jingzhao Prefecture to see Prefect Li Wan.
Tie Zhu grew up in Geshan Village. Even after he grew up, he only went to Kaifeng Prefecture once or twice. When he arrived in the capital, he was overwhelmed by the prosperity of the city and was intimidated by the grandeur of the Jingzhao Prefecture government office.
Upon arriving at the gate of the Jingzhao Prefecture government office, Zhuifeng handed a token to the guard and said, "Please give this token to Lord Li and tell him we want to see him."
"Someone is requesting an audience with you, sir, and has brought a token." The guard handed the token to the clerk, who then passed it on to Li Wan.
Li Wan looked closely and recognized the token as belonging to the palace. He said, "Let them in."
Zhui Feng brought Tie Zhu to Li Wan and told her about their identities.
Tie Zhu knelt on the ground, while Li Wan, the prefect of Jingzhao Prefecture, sat in a chair and asked, "What is your name?"
Tie Zhu replied, "I am Tie Zhu, a lowly man."
"Tiezhu, tell me everything you know."
Tie Zhu nodded and told Li Wan everything his father had told him.
After hearing this, Li Wan's face immediately fell, becoming tense as if coated with paste. He couldn't help but fall into deep thought. If this matter were to come to light, given the Emperor's temperament, the Second Prince would likely be in grave danger this time. In the future, there would be one less competitor for the position of Crown Prince, making the situation much clearer.
The capital is about to be hit by a storm.
His head was about to explode from thinking so much. He wanted to have some peace and quiet, but he just couldn't calm down.
His mind felt like it was spinning with seventy or eighty wheels.
He stood up from the chair and paced back and forth, head down and hands behind his back.
It was his advisor who woke him up, and Li Wan decided that the most urgent thing was to go to the palace to meet the emperor.
He said to Zhuifeng, "I would like to trouble you to wait here for me to enter the palace to meet the Emperor before I decide how to deal with this person. Until then, I hope you will keep an eye on him for me."
Zhui Feng nodded and said, "This is my duty."
Li Wan instructed his servants to drive the carriage, and he hurriedly went to the palace.
Upon arriving at the palace and meeting the Emperor, Li Wan knelt on the ground and reported to the Emperor what Tie Zhu had said, as well as the matters the Emperor had asked him to investigate over the past few days.
After he finished speaking, he waited patiently for the emperor's reaction, whether it would be shock or rage. He was filled with anxiety.
After waiting for a long time, Li Wan seemed to hear a sigh, followed by the Emperor's voice from above, his emotions unclear.
"Go back and keep an eye on those two. Another person will arrive in a couple of days, and you'll need to handle that case."
Li Wan knew that the Emperor had mentioned two people, Ruan Dafeng and Tiezhu, but he had no idea who the other person was.
Li Wan rose to take his leave.
After Li Wan left, the Emperor slumped back in his chair as if all his strength had been drained. He was extremely disappointed in Hongshi, never expecting that he would collude with others to harm so many people and deceive him. However, the Emperor was helpless. Hongshi was, after all, his own son. No matter what, as a father, he did not want to punish him. But as the Emperor, he had no choice but to do so. He had to uphold the dignity of the Emperor and give an explanation to the people. He could not lose the hearts and support of the people.
The Fourth Prince sighed deeply again. As an emperor, he couldn't be like an ordinary family with loving fathers and filial sons; emperors were always lonely.
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