"uncle!"
As soon as Chu Xinxin appeared, she threw herself into Qi Yi's arms: "Waaah, I thought I would never see my uncle again in this lifetime."
Chu Xuan smiled, looking like a loving father: "Xin Xin, don't be silly. The prince has found your jade pendant for you. Don't lose it again next time."
Zhou Huaichuan placed the jade pendant into Chu Xinxin's hand: "Miss Chu, return it to its rightful owner."
"Thank you, Your Highness." Chu Xinxin accepted it.
The butler standing nearby said, "Miss, the jade pendant has some dust on it. Let me wipe it for you."
Chu Xuan watched as Chu Xinxin handed the jade pendant to the steward before saying, "It's late and the dew is heavy. Your Highness has important matters to attend to, so I won't see you off."
The Prefect of the Capital quickly came out and said, "This humble official will also take his leave."
Qi Yi wouldn't let him leave: "Lord Guo, what do you say about Prime Minister Chu forcing his way into the Qi residence?"
Chu Xuan: "Lord Qi, it was clearly you who instigated Xin Xin to become estranged from the Chu family and placed her under house arrest. As her father, of course I must bring her back."
"Chu Xuan, don't you want to listen to what you're saying for yourself? You abandoned him in Xuzhou and didn't care about him back then, and now you're putting on an act here. You have ulterior motives!"
Chu Xuan was not to be outdone, and the two started arguing again.
The Prefect of the Capital glanced at the time and inwardly groaned.
Taking advantage of their inattention, Chu Xinxin secretly approached Zhou Huaichuan: "There is a secret passage in the backyard of the Prime Minister's residence, and the other end is at Fengsheng Pawnshop."
Zhou Huaichuan, however, smelled the blood on Chu Xinxin's body.
He gave Yun Zheng a wink, and Yun Zheng understood: "Master, we just received news that the person fled to Fengsheng Street."
"Prime Minister Chu, Lord Qi, I have important matters to attend to and must take my leave." Once Zhou Huaichuan left, Chu Xuan had no mind to care about Qi Yi and Chu Xinxin.
The Prefect of the Capital timely offered a way out: "My lords, the court session is in half an hour. Why don't you go to court first?"
Chu Xuan snorted coldly and went back to change into his court robes, while Qi Yi stormed out as well.
Only after he got into the sedan chair did he realize that he had forgotten to bring his beloved niece.
"My lord, His Highness Prince An has escorted Miss back to her residence."
Qi Yi: ......
......
In a deserted alley in Beijing.
A horse-drawn carriage clattered past.
The moonlight was bright tonight, but through the carriage curtain, Chu Xinxin could only vaguely see Zhou Huaichuan's outline.
My jaw is a little tense.
Chu Xinxin touched Zhou Huaichuan's hand in the dark, placed it on her knee, and clenched it into a fist, which was hard.
"I'm fine. The blood on me is Liu Xin's."
Chu Xinxin tapped the back of his hand with her fingertip: "Did Yun Zheng go to Fengsheng Pawnshop to arrest someone?"
Zhou Huaichuan then spoke: "Both the pawnshop and the Prime Minister's residence have sent people to surround it."
"Aren't you going to take charge? The King of Huainan is a fierce old man."
"We'll send you back first; they can't escape."
"My uncle said you left the city tonight. Aren't the city gates closed at night? How did you get in? Did you even go to the palace to request the Emperor's decree?"
Zhou Huaichuan was still wearing the same clothes he wore that afternoon, and perhaps because of the heavy dew in the suburbs, his shoulders and cuffs were wet.
“Yun Zheng has a token that allows him to freely enter and leave the capital.”
Zhou Huaichuan paused for a moment, then continued, "There is no imperial decree."
Without the Emperor's decree...
"Zhou Huaichuan, you falsely conveyed the imperial edict?!"
Chu Xinxin never expected that Zhou Huaichuan would be such a cautious person...
"If Liu Wei is captured, His Majesty will not blame him."
Zhou Huaichuan explained.
Chu Xinxin pouted and whispered, "Oh, so it's because of Liu Wei. I thought..."
Even though her voice was soft, it was still clearly audible in the cramped carriage.
Zhou Huaichuan's fingers twitched: "No..."
Chu Xinxin: "What?"
Zhou Huaichuan said nothing more.
When the carriage returned to the Qi residence, Haitang was already waiting at the door. She quickly took a cloak and draped it over Chu Xinxin's shoulders, saying, "Miss, it's so cold outside, please put this on."
The gates of the Qi residence were brightly lit, and Chu Xinxin turned around to glance at Zhou Huaichuan.
Zhou Huaichuan was dressed even less than her, and his fingertips had turned red from the cold since he returned from the outskirts of Beijing.
Chu Xinxin handed the hot water bottle that Yun Gui had given her to Zhou Huaichuan.
Zhou Huaichuan wanted to refuse, but Chu Xinxin, taking advantage of the fact that no one else could see, grabbed Zhou Huaichuan's hand, stood on tiptoe, and leaned close to him: "Zhou Huaichuan, I heard what you said."
......
early morning.
On the Golden Palace.
First, the censor impeached Chu Xuan, saying that he had no respect for the law and had forced his way into the Qi residence with his private guards.
Chu Xuan then admitted that he was indeed wrong, but he only resorted to this tactic because Qi Yi refused to let his daughter return home for so long.
Emperor Zhou then acted as a peacemaker, punishing each party by deducting two months' salary and letting the matter drop.
The morning court session was about to end when Prince An arrived with the Imperial Guards as his supervisor.
"Your Majesty, early this morning, a death row inmate escaped from the imperial prison. During the search and pursuit by the Imperial Guards, they discovered that Liu Wei, the Prince of Huainan, was at the Fengsheng Pawnshop in the capital, along with his son Liu Xin. I dare not make a decision, so I have come to ask Your Majesty for instructions."
This caused a huge stir.
A prince entering the capital without an imperial edict is considered treason.
A glint flashed in Emperor Zhou's eyes: "How could the Prince of Huainan, who lives in the southern barbarians, possibly appear in the capital?"
Zhou Huaichuan bowed and said, "Your Majesty, I have also investigated and confirmed that those people are indeed the Prince of Huainan and his heir, Liu Xin."
This matter was of great importance. After the court session, Emperor Zhou summoned several trusted confidants to the imperial study to discuss the matter.
Zhou Huaichuan is certainly not included in this category.
Because of his relationship with the King of Huainan, Chu Xuan also had to stand outside the door and wait.
"Prince An, you have quite the methods," Chu Xuan said with a forced smile.
Only he and a few trusted confidants knew about his secret passage; no one expected Zhou Huaichuan to be so resourceful.
"Not as good as the Prime Minister of Chu, who put righteousness before family ties," Zhou Huaichuan replied indifferently.
No sooner had Zhou Huaichuan left than Chu Xuan ordered the secret passage to be filled in.
He had absolutely no intention of informing the King of Huainan.
Zhou Huaichuan was right after all; Chu Xuan had long since become unwilling to serve the King of Huainan.
Chu Xuan gave a cold smile and did not reply.
Emperor Zhou quickly summoned them inside.
“Prince An, although you have made meritorious contributions to the Imperial Guards, you have falsely conveyed the imperial edict. Considering your many meritorious services to the Great Zhou, I hereby punish you by sending you back to your residence to face the wall for three months. The Imperial Guards and city defenses will be temporarily handed over to Zhou Xian.”
Zhou Xian, the name of the second prince.
After punishing the King of Huainan, Emperor Zhou did not say how he would deal with him, but simply waved for him to take his leave.
Before leaving, Zhou Huaichuan overheard Emperor Zhou asking Chu Xuan if he knew about the Prince of Huainan's trip to the capital.
Zhou Huaichuan glanced back at the chief eunuch beside Emperor Zhou, and only after receiving a response did he step through the door and leave.
He walked very slowly and encountered the Empress on his way out of the palace.
The Empress had no sons, only a daughter, and she never treated the princes kindly.
"I heard you've angered your father again?" The Empress, seated in her palanquin, didn't need Zhou Huaichuan's reply and directly ordered, "Then kneel here for three hours to repent."
Along this road, officials, palace maids, eunuchs, and guards came and went, but only Zhou Huaichuan was kneeling.
Even when it rained, no one came to hold an umbrella for us.
Zhou Huaichuan developed a fever before he could finish kneeling.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com