Chapter 223 The Emperor's Decision
Upon hearing this, Zhang Pingping and his companions immediately knelt before the First and Fifth Princes, shouting in unison, "Your Highnesses, please help us!"
The eldest prince and the fifth prince were regretting it deeply at this moment. If they had known earlier, they would have stepped forward and revealed their identities. The current situation was simply like being forced into a situation. They kept wondering what was going on.
The two men then stared at Fan Jingrui fiercely, their eyes full of anger, and their expressions seemed to be silently accusing him: Don’t you take care of your wife?
Seeing this, Fan Jingrui made an innocent gesture of helplessness, with a helpless smile on his face.
The eldest prince: ...
Fifth Prince: ...
Although the two were resentful, they also understood that this was their responsibility as princes.
After feeling angry, he simply suppressed his emotions, took up his position and began the interrogation.
But the more they were interrogated, the deeper the fear in their hearts became.
Among these eighteen people, the industries involved are all-encompassing, not to mention food, clothing, housing and transportation, even important materials such as salt and iron are covered.
If the road ahead had not been blocked today and Minghui had not "taken the risk foolishly", once the conspiracy behind the scenes was accomplished, the Great Zhou would have been plunged into great chaos, with disastrous consequences.
The two men looked at each other, knowing that it was impossible to hide such a big thing from the emperor.
So, that night, a joint letter from the eldest prince and the fifth prince was received in the imperial palace far away in the capital.
But the emperor was not in a good mood.
As he read the contents of the letter, he had never been so deeply aware that the Great Zhou was not as prosperous as he had imagined.
The maggots in the dark had already spread throughout the Great Zhou like a dense spider web.
If he had been more wary of Chu Ci before and had resentments towards the old imperial uncles and old clan leaders, now his heart was filled with gratitude.
Therefore, when the emperor received the news from the secret guard that Chu Ci had deliberately misled the eldest prince and made him think that the exile of the Fan family was just a play to cooperate with him, he was not angry, but felt that this was the best choice.
So that night, the emperor summoned his uncle and the old clan leader.
Of course, such news could not be concealed from the officials in Beijing.
But no matter how hard they tried, they could not get any information at all. This made those who had something to hide even more anxious and uneasy.
Chu Ci and his men reunited with the Purple-Robed Envoy again.
On the surface, the King of Shu doted on his daughter excessively and was dominated by Princess Minghui. He completely ignored the imperial edict and accompanied his daughter on adventures everywhere.
In fact, every place they went to was carefully planned and had a clear purpose.
The first place is the Qian family in Guiyang, where Qian Baobao, the youngest child and whose biological mother was murdered, lives.
And before arriving, the Purple-Robed Envoy had already brought his embroidered uniform to enforce the law. After careful investigation, he found out the specific location of Qian Baobao's murdered mother.
They even sent a letter to Qian Baobao's maternal family, the Niu family, in advance to inform them of the relevant situation.
However, Chu Ci deliberately lagged behind the Niu family.
However, when Chu Ci arrived at the door, what he handed over directly was the business card of the King of Shu.
Even if the head of the Qian family wanted to conceal some things based on the idea that family disgrace should not be made public, how could a mere merchant dare to act rashly in front of the business card of the King of Shu?
After a while, the head of the Qian family hurried over.
His forehead was covered with fine beads of sweat. When he saw Chu Ci and others, he immediately put on a flattering smile. Just as he was about to kneel down to salute, the eldest prince raised his hand to stop him.
The head of the Qian family was indeed a shrewd man. He immediately understood that the King of Shu did not want to reveal his identity, so he quickly bowed and said with great trepidation, "I did not know that you distinguished guests were coming. I hope you will forgive me for not welcoming you in person."
The eldest prince had a cold expression and a sharp gaze. He got straight to the point and said, "The Niu family has arrived, right? Is Qian Dayong in the mansion now?"
Upon hearing this, the Qian family head's heart skipped a beat, and the muscles on his face twitched unconsciously, but he still pretended to be calm and answered carefully, "I'm here, I'm here. I wonder what crime Dayong has committed that has brought you here this time?"
The eldest prince didn't answer. Instead, he narrowed his eyes slightly and asked again, "Is Patriarch Qian sure you want to discuss this here? This prince doesn't mind, but I wonder if the Qian family can afford the consequences of casually discussing important matters outside of the home."
The Qian family head's face twitched again, and more beads of sweat appeared on his forehead. He quickly bowed and said, "I am sorry for the rudeness. Please come in, sir."
The eldest prince's expression then relaxed a little, and he felt a little satisfied. He held his head high and walked into the Qian family's gate.
The fifth prince and Chu Ci followed closely behind.
The head of the Qian family was completely preoccupied with how to deal with the King of Shu. He was confused and overwhelmed.
But even so, when he saw the boy in Chu Ci's arms wearing a weft hat and whose figure could not be seen clearly, the figure of his grandson Qian Baobao flashed through his mind for no reason. However, this thought was fleeting and he had no time to think about it at the moment.
Because of this, he missed a precious opportunity to find out the truth as quickly as possible.
On the other side, the Niu couple, who were staying in the Qian family's living room, felt their hearts skip a beat when they saw the head of the Qian family humbly welcoming Chu Ci and his group.
Master Niu frowned and whispered, "Madam, this situation is not good. Could it be that Yan'er's revenge has failed?"
Mrs. Niu also looked worried. She clutched her handkerchief tightly and shook her head slightly: "I don't know either."
Just when the Niu couple was full of worry.
The eldest prince stood in the front hall, sweeping his gaze over the crowd with dignity, and asked in a deep voice, "Where is Qian Dayong?"
"Yes, yes." The head of the Qian family's voice trembled and his face was pale. What else did he not understand? His Royal Highness the King of Shu was clearly coming for his son.
But even though he knew it clearly, he didn't dare to disobey at all at this moment, and could only push Qian Dayong out tremblingly.
The eldest prince did not rush to take any action, but turned his head to look at the purple-robed envoy not far away, and saw the purple-robed envoy nodded slightly.
The eldest prince then spoke again: "Master Qian, Master Niu, I came here today to ask you to recognize someone. Do you know him?"
As soon as the eldest prince finished speaking, Chu Ci walked steadily to the center of the crowd, holding Qian Baobao. His movements were gentle and careful, and he slowly took off Qian Baobao's cap.
"Baby?" The head of the Qian family, Qian Dayong, and the Niu couple spoke almost at the same time.
It’s just that the four people’s emotions are completely different.
The Qian family head's face was filled with surprise and doubt, his eyes full of confusion and uncertainty;
Qian Dayong's face was filled with fear, and his body began to tremble uncontrollably;
Only the Niu couple had pure joy on their faces, which was a sincere happiness that their grandson was still alive.
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