Chapter 707 A box was really found in Master Qian’s yard!
Gu Junze walked over to her, picked up a jade comb on the dressing table, and helped her tidy up the loose hair on her temples.
"If we don't let them 'search' the things out, how can we bring about the real fun later on?"
Chu Ruohan smiled with satisfaction. She stood up and straightened her sleeves: "That's right. Okay, I won't talk to you anymore. I have to go."
"So urgent?"
"Of course not!" Chu Ruohan glared at him. "The old lady of the Duke of Anguo's mansion is having a birthday banquet today, and all the prominent ladies in the capital are attending. I have to go and see if there are any good girls with gentle character."
As she spoke, her eyes shone with calculation, "Brother Lu is already 25 years old, and he finally came back from Jinguan City. If I don't worry about him, all the good cabbages in the capital will be eaten up by pigs from other families!"
Gu Junze laughed when he saw her comparing himself to yesterday and shook his head.
At this moment, a little maid ran in in a panic, her face pale.
"Duke! Madam! This is bad! The people from the Censorate... really... really found a box in Master Qian's yard!"
The smile on Chu Ruohan's face faded, and she looked at Gu Junze.
When the two men arrived at the side yard, Lord Zhou was directing his men with a rosy face to lift a half-person-high wooden box out from under the pried-open floor.
The box was opened, and the neatly stacked gold bars inside were so dazzling in the morning light that it was hard to open your eyes.
On top of the gold bar, there lay quietly an ancient inkstone wrapped in bright yellow brocade.
Lord Zhou shouted triumphantly, "We've caught the perpetrator red-handed! Come, take all the evidence away and report back to His Majesty!"
It was at this moment that Gu Qingchen rushed over.
She hadn't slept all night, and her eyes were dark blue. When she saw the box of dazzling gold and the familiar ancient inkstone, all the blood in her body seemed to be drained away in an instant.
She staggered, looking at the scene in disbelief.
How could that be?
Really... found it?
She looked sharply at her father, hoping to see a hint of shock or anger on his face.
However, there was no expression on Gu Junze's face.
He just watched the officers calmly as they carried the box out of the yard.
"Dad!" Gu Qingchen's voice was trembling, "Why didn't you stop them! That was a frame-up! It was a trap!"
It seemed as if the whole world was operating according to rules that she could not understand.
And she, like a fool who could only wave her fists, was excluded.
Allen Chu walked to her husband, patted his arm gently, and said softly, "Let's go. It will be too late if we are any later."
Gu Junze nodded, without even looking at his daughter, and left side by side with Chu Ruohan.
At the pilgrimage temple.
Civil and military officials stood on either side, not daring to breathe. In the center of the hall, next to an open wooden box, Qian Zhenyun, dressed in plain clothes, knelt quietly.
Censor Zhou was extremely excited.
"Your Majesty! We've caught the perpetrator red-handed! These are the gold bars seized from the residence of the guilty minister Qian Zhenyun, totaling one thousand taels! Also included is this ancient Songyan inkstone, a rare piece from the previous dynasty!"
He pointed at the "rich businessman" who was kneeling beside him.
"This man is the one who bribed us, and he has confessed everything!"
The "rich businessman" immediately kowtowed, his voice tinged with tears: "Your Majesty, please understand! I...I am forced to pay such a large bribe to Lord Qian because of the business of the Royal Forest Garden!"
"He personally promised that as long as the money is paid, the lease of Linyuan will belong to me!"
Officials from the Third Prince Zhao Chenyu's faction immediately stepped forward to second the motion.
"Your Majesty, please issue an order to have these traitors thrown into the Heavenly Prison and subjected to rigorous interrogation!"
"Your Highness the Crown Prince has neglected his duties by neglecting his personnel. I implore Your Majesty to punish him as well!"
The spearhead is directed at the Eastern Palace.
Crown Prince Zhao Chen'an's face turned pale. He tried to argue several times, but was suppressed by a stern look from Zhao Yunci sitting on the dragon throne.
The wind direction in the court was almost one-sided.
Just when Lord Zhou thought he had won the battle and was about to ask for an imperial decree to convict, Qian Zhenyun, who had been silent all this time, suddenly raised his head.
He did not make any excuses or cry out for injustice, but just looked at the "rich businessman" and calmly asked a question.
"You said this inkstone is an heirloom from your family. Do you know what words are engraved on the bottom of the inkstone?"
The "rich businessman" was obviously stunned, as this was not in the plan.
He rolled his eyes, hesitated for a long time, and answered smartly, "It's engraved...it's the word 'Fu Shou'! Yes, it means longevity and happiness!"
A hint of coldness appeared on Qian Zhenyun's lips.
He kowtowed deeply to the emperor on the dragon throne: "I sincerely ask Your Majesty to examine it in court."
The chief eunuch immediately stepped forward, carefully picked up the ancient inkstone, and turned it over.
The bottom of the inkstone is as smooth as a mirror, without even a scratch, let alone words.
The "rich businessman"'s face instantly lost all color. He knew he had said the wrong thing and immediately changed his words: "I was mistaken! I'm old and my memory is not good!"
“That’s enough!”
Zhao Chenan seized the opportunity, took a step forward, and spoke in a loud voice.
"Father! This person's words are contradictory and confusing. It's clear that he is deliberately slandering the officials of the imperial court!"
Seeing that the situation was not good, Zhao Chenyu's eyes flashed with ruthlessness, and he immediately sacrificed his car to save his king.
He pointed at the "rich businessman" and shouted, "How dare you, a scoundrel! How dare you speak nonsense in the court and frame the prince's companion!"
"Who on earth instructed you to throw dirty water on His Royal Highness the Crown Prince?"
What a good trick to divert trouble away.
Just when he was about to make the whole thing a mess, Crown Prince Zhao Chen'an suddenly laughed.
"Don't worry, third brother."
He looked around, saw the instantly stiffened faces of the Third Prince and his party, and spoke slowly.
"Even if this person is fake, this inkstone is real, right?"
"What a coincidence! I also got an identical inkstone a few days ago. Why don't you bring it over for everyone to compare?"
As soon as he finished speaking, the chief eunuch of the Eastern Palace hurried up to the hall holding a brocade box.
When the brocade box was opened, it revealed another ancient pine smoke inkstone, which was exactly the same as the evidence in both shape and color.
Zhao Chenan's voice was clearly heard in every corner of the hall.
"This is the real product from the previous dynasty."
"As for the one the Censorate found, it was just a fake I ordered someone to make a few days ago when I was bored."
He looked at Zhao Chenyu, whose face was as pale as death, and spoke word by word.
"I didn't expect that it would be taken away by my third brother's people and used as stolen goods."
The whole court was shocked!
From the beginning to the end, this was a trap set by the Crown Prince and Qian Zhenyun! A trap waiting for the Third Prince to fall into!
Zhao Chenyu felt cold all over, as if he had fallen into an ice cave. He opened his mouth but couldn't say a word.
The announcement came from outside the palace, "The former governor of Jinguan City, Gu Lu, is waiting for your orders outside the palace!"
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