Chapter 547: True Digging Gate
Inside the Zheng Palace, Zhou Shuren's legs were numb from standing. He didn't calculate how long he had been standing. With the corner of his eye he saw sweat on Lord Wang's forehead. Lord Wang had never suffered much, and he could hardly bear it. He looked at the standing prince, without moving from the same position.
Zhou Shuren was very impressed, it was all the result of practice.
Finally, Zhou Shuren looked at the Fifth Prince who was lowering his head. There were already traces of sweat on the floor tiles. His legs must have been numb as he was kneeling on the cold tiles!
No matter how brave Zhou Shuren was, he didn't have the guts to peek at the emperor's expression at this moment. He really wanted to go back and have a rest. Jiyan had already returned home, and the charcoal fire must be lit, and there was hot water. He really wanted to take a hot bath.
The emperor put down the brush in his hand, then covered the written paper, moved his arm, and glanced around the palace. "Jinzhou prefect Zhou Shuren has made great contributions in this case. He is rewarded with 1,000 taels of gold, four Jinzhou shops, and a large number of antiques."
He could be considered to have made a fortune as Zhou Shuren had made a great contribution in this case. He still remembered that Zhou Shuren had hired the desperado with his own money and would reward him for his meritorious service.
Zhou Shuren smiled, and his mind was calculating very quickly. By this calculation, he had earned a lot this time, and the shops in Jinzhou were very valuable!
Zhou Shuren knelt down quickly, "Thank you, Your Majesty."
"No need to be polite. I will remember all your contributions, Lord Zhou."
Zhou Shuren quickly expressed his loyalty, "I will never let the emperor down."
The emperor felt a little better and said to Lord Wang, "You have also made contributions. I will give you 1,000 taels of silver and some antiques."
Lord Wang's legs were clearly weak, but he knelt down in excitement to express his gratitude, "Thank you, Your Majesty."
"Get up."
The emperor looked at the fifth brother who was about to fall to the ground. This chess piece still had great use. His eyes were grim. However, the death penalty could be avoided, but the living crime could not be escaped. The second brother was in charge of the subsequent interrogation. The fifth brother had no time to think about it. He said lightly: "Don't kneel. I believe that those who are innocent will be cleared."
Zhang Jinghong climbed up twice before he could even stand up. His legs were numb. He lowered his head with a guilty conscience and said, "Thank you, father, for trusting me."
The prince was playing with the ring in his hand. He was not in a hurry to touch it. No, he was also a good hunter. He would remember to return it little by little when the time came.
The emperor glanced at the third and fourth sons, the two who were the best at judging and seizing, and said, "It's getting late, I won't keep you here, go back!"
Zhou Shuren's eyes were filled with joy as he could finally go back and rest.
Zhang Jinghong knew that his father was angry with him and would not see him in the near future, so he had to bite the bullet and say, "Father, the Lin family has become a criminal. Is the engagement between Miss Lin and my son invalid?"
The emperor was silent for a moment, "My royal family is not a treacherous family. Since Miss Lin has entered your house, she is yours."
Zhang Jinghong's pupils constricted. He didn't dare to believe what he heard, and cold sweat ran down his face. The daughter of a guilty minister was the principal wife. Didn't this tell the whole court that his father didn't like him?
The third prince and the fourth prince were filled with joy!
The emperor paused and continued, "However, the daughter of a guilty minister cannot be the principal wife. She can be the concubine. Fifth brother, your luck has not been very good recently. I think you need to have a good time. So, seven days from now is a good day. You can welcome Miss Lin into your family."
Zhou Shuren lowered his head. He wanted to cover his chest and breathe heavily. You must have chosen the day long ago. The emperor is as cruel as ever.
Zhang Jinghong's chest churned, and he tasted a sweet and fishy taste in his mouth. He was so angry that he wanted to vomit blood, but he had to swallow it back, "Thank you, father."
The third prince was trembling in his heart. His father was so scary. It was painful when a soft knife stabbed a person. He even felt a little sympathy for the fifth prince.
The Fourth Prince's mouth twitched. He didn't want to go to the palace to see his father again in the next month.
The emperor withdrew his gaze and asked, "Why, are you still waiting for me to personally escort you out?"
The Third Prince said quickly, "My son, I'll take my leave."
Zhou Shuren, "I will take my leave."
After a while, they all fled swiftly. The Third Prince left the government hall and wiped the sweat off his forehead. Looking at the Fifth Prince who was about to fall, he felt that his methods were no match for his father's. He shook his head and said, "Fourth Prince, let's go together?"
The Fourth Prince pursed his lips. The damn Third Prince couldn't stand seeing him getting close to Lord Zhou. He wanted to get more information from him. He said unwillingly, "Third Brother, please."
Zhou Shuren pulled Lord Wang and said, "I am old and my legs are not good. I have to walk slowly."
Lord Wang glanced at the two princes in front of him and said, "They are indeed old. They have to admit their age."
The two princes in front rolled their eyes together and said, "Bah, just say you're going to avoid them."
However, the two princes looked at each other and realized that they had miscalculated. Lord Zhou was the leader of this operation, which showed how much trust their father had in Lord Zhou.
The third prince stroked his chin, feeling sad. Lord Zhou's legitimate daughter was engaged. Then he felt upset again. Even if she was not engaged, given his father's partiality, she would probably be betrothed to the crown prince.
The fourth prince thought that he could go to Zhou's house to deliver the invitation. It was rare for Lord Zhou to come back, so he still had to eat.
After leaving the palace, Zhou Shuren and Lord Wang separated and got on the carriage. Zhou Shuren turned around to look at the Fifth Prince, who had a bad look on his face. The Fifth Prince had amazing willpower. He clearly couldn't hold on any longer, but he didn't fall down in the palace. The carriage started moving, and he heard the eunuch's voice behind him, which showed that he was fainting.
Zhou Shuren leaned against the cushion. Sympathy? No, this was the royal family. Since they had started a fight, they had to be prepared to fail. He did not think that being young meant doing less. The fifth prince was a wolf, not a sheep. A wolf would always be a wolf, even if it was weak now, it was still a carnivore.
Zhou Shuren returned to West City, the mansion bestowed by the emperor. It was a large courtyard with three entrances and several small courtyards inside. It was elegantly renovated and there were many plum blossoms in the courtyards.
Sure enough, the more the emperor kept things in his hands, the better they were. No wonder he was reluctant to give them to him directly at first. What a profit.
There were a total of eight servants in the yard, two guards, two gatekeepers, and four maids. Zhou Shuren asked Shen Xing to make arrangements. After taking a hot bath, the father-in-law who was to deliver the gift arrived.
The eunuch is not very old, but Zhou Shuren is very mature. As the eunuch in the Zheng Palace, he must be given a generous reward.
The young eunuch took the reward and smiled, "Thank you, sir. I will go back and report now."
Zhou Shuren, "Go slowly, father-in-law."
The young eunuch said politely, "Sir, please stay."
Who is the emperor's favorite? These eunuchs know him best, and Lord Zhou is very generous, so he is deeply loved by them.
Zhou Shuren and others left. The two boxes of gold did not have much impact on him. He paid more attention to the antiques. Oh my, the emperor was really generous. He gave him half a box of porcelain antiques and half a box of calligraphy and paintings.
It's a pity that these things cannot be sold. What attracted his attention most was a box of books. Zhou Shuren's eyes lit up and he picked up a book excitedly. The joy in his eyes disappeared. He thought they were all rare ancient books and he could handle new papers. But when he opened them, his face changed again and again. They were all copied and none of them was the original. What a pick!