When Shen Jinghong came out of the Dali Temple, it was already dark. He was walking alone in the courtyard. A hand grabbed his sleeve, pulled him into an empty room, and closed the door.
Shen Jinghong raised his eyebrows, looked at Mu Zhuohua who had a serious face, and smiled: "What are you doing?"
Mu Zhuohua took a step back and looked Shen Jinghong up and down: "I should be the one asking you this question, Lord Shen, what do you want to do? Everyone says that I leaked the secrets of the Ministry of Revenue, colluded with you, and framed Sun Ru. But I have never done this. A few days ago, there were signs that my desk had been moved. It was you who stole the details of the special project for repairing the palace and framed me!"
Shen Jinghong smiled without saying a word, looking down at Mu Zhuohua.
Mu Zhuohua took a deep breath and frowned: "Why? I rejected you that day."
Shen Jinghong said: "The Dali Temple received a secret report and evidence, so it is natural to investigate the case and verify it. Sun Ru's actions are proven guilty. Don't you think that he should not plead guilty? Or are you afraid of being implicated?" Mu
Zhuohua bit his lip, his eyes dim, and swept across the wound on Shen Jinghong's arm: "You are not afraid of death, so why should I be afraid of being implicated? But Lord Shen, you are taking it without asking, what are you afraid of? Are you afraid that I will not agree with your approach?"
Since Shen Jinghong first appeared in front of everyone, he has always been arrogant and unruly, fearless and righteous. Mu Zhuohua has respect for him, but he also feels that something is wrong in his heart. Shen Jinghong is extremely smart, why does he repeatedly put himself in danger? The last time he proposed to abolish the system of imperial favor, although he finally retired bravely, saved his life and won the hearts of the people, but as soon as he was reinstated, he played a bigger game and directly pointed the finger at the Minister of Works. What exactly is his plan?
The closer you get to him, the less clear you can see this person.
"Will you agree?" Shen Jinghong asked with a smile.
Mu Zhuohua stared at Shen Jinghong with a pair of clear and transparent eyes, as if she wanted to see him clearly. After a long time, she smiled: "I understand."
"Huh?" Shen Jinghong raised his eyebrows curiously.
Mu Zhuohua let go of his sleeves and said coldly: "Last year, when the system of imperial favors was abolished, you wanted to drag me into the game. I had a grudge against Zhuang Wenfeng, and you expected that I would not refuse. However, you did not expect that Prince Ding took my memorial and submitted it before me, removing me from the matter. "You did this today for the same motive. I refused to conspire with you before, but you secretly stole the confidential files in my hand, forcing me to stand with you."
Mu Zhuohua took a step back and distanced himself from Shen Jinghong, as if standing farther away would allow him to see him more clearly.
"Do I have a grudge against you?" Mu Zhuohua looked at him in confusion, "Why do you want to harm me?"
Shen Jinghong smiled: "I thought Lord Mu was also a person who was dedicated to the public."
Mu Zhuohua chuckled: "I also thought that Lord Shen was a person who was dedicated to the public. Your advice to abolish the system of imperial favors and expand the number of candidates for the imperial examination is indeed a good idea. You also impeached Sun Ru for dereliction of duty, corruption, and abuse of power for personal gain, which is indeed righteous and impartial. But Lord Shen, others don't know, but I know that it was you who advised His Majesty to let Sun Ru preside over the palace repair!"
Shen Jinghong looked down at Mu Zhuohua's eyes. Her eyes were so bright, as if nothing could be hidden from her eyes.
"Sun Ru asked for this himself." Shen Jinghong corrected Mu Zhuohua with a smile.
"His Majesty's original intention was to let Lord Wen of the Privy Council preside over this matter. If it weren't for you advising His Majesty, His Majesty would never have accepted the coercion of Sun Ru and Zhou Cishan and used this as a deal to let you preside over the performance appraisal of foreign officials." Mu Zhuohua stared at Shen Jinghong aggressively, "His Majesty hates evil and acts uprightly. He will not easily compromise with the aristocratic families. Only you will make such a suggestion to His Majesty. "
Mu Zhuohua remembered that when His Majesty requested to renovate the palace that had caught fire, Zhou and Sun refused in every possible way. His Majesty also asked Liu Yan for help, but before Liu Yan could take action, he entrusted the important task to Sun Ru and appointed Shen Jinghong as the director of the Ministry of Examination. Mu Zhuohua did not notice anything wrong at the time, but now thinking back, he felt suspicious everywhere.
Shen Jinghong stared at Mu Zhuohua and suddenly laughed, "His Majesty trusts you and tells you everything."
"His Majesty also trusts you and listens to you in everything." Mu Zhuohua said in a deep voice, "His Majesty has only appointed you as the Minister of the Dali Temple for a few days. When did you receive the secret report and when did you start investigating Sun Ru? How could you have found the evidence in just a few days, unless you had planned it in advance." A hint of sharpness flashed in Mu Zhuohua's eyes, "From the day you recommended Sun Ru, it was to bring him down today. You asked me about the cost of repairing the palace last year, and you had ulterior motives! "
Shen Jinghong smiled lightly and clapped his hands, "Lord Mu is indeed very witty, I can't hide it from you."
Mu Zhuohua looked at him in confusion, "Why did you do this? Do you have a grudge against the Sun family?"
"Lord Mu, do you still remember the first time we met in the royal villa, you told me the story of Duke Zheng defeating Duan Yuyan?" Shen Jinghong's voice was low, and his phoenix eyes were shining with meaning, "People in the world make mistakes, I let them go, watch them grow, and then kill them. Do you think I am a good person or a bad person?"
Mu Zhuohua looked at Shen Jinghong's ink-jade eyes, speechless, a strange feeling arose in his heart, as if he had never known the person in front of him.
Shen Jinghong smiled and brushed his sleeves, "Lord Mu, the Sun family is a parasite in the country, I have been fighting against traitors for the country, and I have a clear conscience. If you don't like what I did, you can just break off your friendship with me. "
After Shen Jinghong finished speaking, he opened the door, turned around and walked away.
Mu Zhuohua frowned and looked at his receding back. One of them was inside the house, and the other was outside. She stood in the shadow of the corridor, while he strode in the moonlight. An invisible gap lay between them. Mu Zhuohua vaguely felt that Shen Jinghong had great ambitions, and she knew too little about him.
"Have you seen enough?" A low voice came from the shadows, interrupting Mu Zhuohua's thoughts.
Mu Zhuohua came back to her senses and looked at the man who was slowly walking towards her.
"Liu Yan!" She was startled, and somehow felt a little guilty. She subconsciously wanted to turn around and run away, but as soon as she turned around, she was hooked by the man's waist belt from behind.
Liu Yan pulled the man into his arms, and whispered in her ear: "Not only did you secretly meet with a woman without telling me, but you also secretly met with a man. Don't you think you should give me an explanation?"
Mu Zhuohua's ears turned red, and she said angrily: "Why, are you angry that I bullied Miss Sun? "
Liu Yan laughed and said, "You know that's not what I meant."
Mu Zhuohua snorted coldly, "Then you also know that although I had a private meeting, I didn't have any private feelings."
Liu Yan sighed and hugged her soft waist: "I advised you to stay away from Shen Jinghong."
Mu Zhuohua's face flushed, and she pushed Liu Yan away angrily: "He is safer than you!"
Her eyes were watery, and although she looked angry, she had no deterrent power at all. Instead, she was aggrieved and made people feel sorry for her. She bit her lip, and a trace of shame and anger flashed across her face. She muttered: "I don't have any extra official robes for you to tear..."
Speaking of this, her face was still hot. Originally, she thought that Liu Yan had no experience in that aspect. After all, she came from a family of learning and was familiar with erotic paintings. Unexpectedly, men seemed to be self-taught in this aspect and were gifted. She really couldn't afford to offend him, so she could only hide. But she couldn't hide. Even though Liu Yan was skinny, he was bigger than Mu Zhuohua. How could the doors and windows stop him? He broke into her study at night and promised to accompany her after she finished her work. But halfway through, Liu Yan hugged her from behind and taught her government affairs. She was serious and studious, so she didn't guard against him. Later, she didn't know how, but he stripped her of her official robe and pressed her on the desk to bully her.
Is this called a concubine? This is called entering the house!
The next day, Guo Juli asked why the collar of her official robe was torn. She racked her brains to make up a story that she didn't believe. Seeing Guo Juli's half-believing and half-doubting look, she was afraid that she didn't believe it either. Physically and mentally traumatized, and humiliated, she wanted to ignore him for a few days, but was caught again.
Liu Yan rubbed her cheek with amusement: "Don't be angry, I promise I won't tear your clothes next time."
Mu Zhuohua slapped his hand away and said unhappily: "It's not just about clothes..."
Mu Zhuohua was angry, but she didn't know that Liu Yan also liked her angry look, because her angry and blushing face was a scenery that only he could have the honor to see.
"I want to tell you something serious." Mu Zhuohua pulled Liu Yan's sleeve and lowered his voice, "I'm always worried about what Shen Jinghong is going to do."
Liu Yan smiled slightly, covered the back of her hand, and nodded casually: "Except for you, I have never trusted anyone."
"I'm serious!" Seeing his look, Mu Zhuohua couldn't help but increase his tone angrily, "I always feel that he is too radical and very inappropriate."
Liu Yan smiled and said, "What he does is beneficial to the country and the people, and it's okay for me to help him."
On the surface, it is indeed the case. Shen Jinghong held the banner of justice, and anyone who said he was wrong was a traitor, a corrupt official, and a treacherous minister. He did what was just, but he used dishonest means. Mu Zhuohua was not a pedantic person. She could understand Shen Jinghong's means, but she could not understand why he would risk his life. A gentleman does not stand under a dangerous wall. With his intelligence, why would he do this?
"During the Lantern Festival, he asked me to reveal the secrets of the Ministry of Revenue to him, but I didn't agree." Mu Zhuohua frowned and said worriedly, "I have other ideas about saving the Mu family. I planned to wait until the Mu family was in dire straits, and then persuade my father to turn the Mu family into a government-run business. In this way, I can be loyal to His Majesty, and I can also preserve the Mu family and compete with the aristocratic families. If it were normal, my father would definitely not agree. Only when the disaster of confiscation of the family is imminent, he would be likely to agree. I think Shen Jinghong's excuse to save the Mu family, and his real intention is just to deal with the Sun family."
Liu Yan was leisurely and smiled lightly: "The Sun family has fallen into the hands of the Dali Temple, and
it is destined to suffer this disaster." "The centipede is dead but not stiff, the Sun family is not so easy to deal with." Mu Zhuohua always has a worry in her heart, but she can't tell what she is worried about. Perhaps it is because she doesn't understand Shen Jinghong and can't control the situation that she doesn't feel safe at all.
Liu Yan put his arm around her shoulders and chuckled: "What are you worried about? I'm here."
After two days, Mu Zhuohua knew what she was worried about.
The case of Sun Ru is not the end, but just the beginning.
In the morning court, Shen Jinghong submitted his confession and evidence to the Dali Temple. Sun Ru bit out that the Zhou family was involved in the corruption case. He admitted that Tianxinghao resold the golden nanmu at a premium of several times and made huge profits, but he would rather die than admit that the golden nanmu turned into yellow heart nanmu. Finally, he couldn't help it and bit out that it was the Zhou
family who misappropriated the golden nanmu. Shen Jinghong said loudly in Fenghua Hall: "Golden nanmu is the wood for the emperor. It cannot be used without permission. In serious cases, it will be punished for treason. The Zhou family dared to misappropriate the golden nanmu, and their hearts are worthy of death and unforgivable!"
There are many people from the Zhou family in the court. The highest-ranking ones are Zhou Cishan, the Minister of Revenue, and Zhou Kui, the commander of the Palace Front Department. Zhou Cishan turned pale after hearing what Shen Jinghong said. Zhou Kui was a military general, so he spoke even more aggressively, cursing, "Bullshit! When did our Zhou family use golden nanmu?"
Zhou Cishan knelt on the ground, "Your Majesty, the Zhou family is loyal and faithful, and the heaven and earth can bear witness to it. We have no intention of being disloyal! This matter must have been framed by someone!"
The Zhou family members cried out in injustice, and Liu Chen looked at the kneeling man with a heavy look.
The words of the Queen Mother sounded vaguely in his ears again.
——Your Majesty can sit on this seat, which is inseparable from the support of the ministers in the court. Although the Prince of State is your Majesty's uncle, he has selfish motives and has no respect for your Majesty. The Zhou family is the real loyal minister. Your Majesty must distinguish right from wrong and not be deceived by villains!
Liu Chen sneered in his heart. He had his own calculations in his mind about who is a loyal minister and who is a villain.
The Zhou family supported him to take the throne, but it was also for their own interests. What they most wanted to see was a puppet emperor, but he just didn't let them get what they wanted.
These people from aristocratic families are so bold and reckless, and have no respect for their superiors. Have they really forgotten the surname of the world of Chen?
Liu Chen asked coldly: "Has the Dali Temple found the golden nanmu in the Zhou family?"
Shen Jinghong replied: "The Zhou family is a first-class family, and Old Master Zhou is the mother of the Queen Mother. We dare not search without the order."
Liu Chen said: "Pass on my order to thoroughly investigate the Zhou family. If there is any obstruction, kill without mercy!"
For the sake of the Queen Mother, Liu Chen would not put Zhou Kui and Zhou Cishan in prison, but the people below might not.
Shen Jinghong received the order and bowed his head to accept it.
The whole court, civil and military officials, dared not say a word.
Liu Yan looked up at Shen Jinghong and suddenly smiled.
Shen Jinghong was ordered to thoroughly investigate the Zhou family. After all, the Zhou family was more respectable than the Sun family. Shen Jinghong led people to search, and he was still respectful to the head of the Zhou family, but the faces of the Zhou family were really not good.
Zhou Cishan said with a fake smile: "I never thought that in just one year, Lord Shen would soar to the top and become one of the Nine Ministers. It's really amazing."
Shen Jinghong smiled and said, "Lord Zhou, you are too kind. When serving His Majesty, whether you are high or low, what difference does it make? What matters is whether you have the heart or not."
Zhou Cishan's eyes shone, and he lowered his eyes.
Zhou Kui stood in the courtyard and watched the people from the Dali Temple coming in and out of the mansion, and sneered: "It is impossible for our Zhou family to have golden nanmu, Lord Shen, don't waste your efforts."
Shen Jinghong smiled but said nothing.
After a long while, the Dali Temple finally completed a thorough investigation of the Zhou family, and indeed found no trace of golden nanmu. Zhou Kui looked at Shen Jinghong and sneered: "Lord Shen, do you have anything else to say?"
An official from the Dali Temple hurriedly ran in from the outside, holding a few letters in his hand, and handed them to Shen Jinghong mysteriously.
Shen Jinghong opened the letter, glanced at it, his face suddenly darkened, and he said coldly: "Zhou Kui is a traitor, arrest him immediately!"
Zhou Kui's face changed, and several guards approached, but were forced back by him. He stared at Shen Jinghong and gritted his teeth and said: "What nonsense are you talking about!"
Shen Jinghong raised the letter in his hand: "Zhou Kui, this letter is written by Beiliang Wen, and the recipient is Yelu Jing, the third prince of Beiliang. This was searched out from your study. If you have something to say, go to the Tiger Prison of Dali Temple and tell it in detail!"
Zhou Kui's face changed drastically.
Zhou Cishan sneered: "Okay, okay! What golden nanmu, it turns out to be a trick, Lord Shen's trick is waiting for us here!"
Shen Jinghong curled his lips and smiled: "Lord Zhou, there is no evidence that you are related to this matter, but treason is a serious crime that will implicate the entire clan. I hope you take care of yourself. As for the suspect Zhou Kui, if you dare to resist arrest, don't blame us for not taking the lightest approach."
Zhou Kui stared at Shen Jinghong with a gloomy look, ready to go like a lion. Zhou Cishan's hand fell on his shoulder, suppressing his anger. Zhou Cishan said in a deep voice: "Don't fall into his trap. He wants to force you to confirm the crime. Just let him go. I will find a way."
After hearing Zhou Cishan's words, Zhou Kui's face slowly calmed down, but the murderous intent in his eyes became stronger. He walked towards Shen Jinghong step by step. Shen Jinghong's face was calm, and he smiled and looked directly into Zhou Kui's eagle-like eyes.
“We underestimated you.” Zhou Kui could hear the sound of grinding his teeth while speaking, which made people feel cold in their hearts. “Just wait for me!”
The guards pounced on him and locked Zhou Kui with heavy shackles.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
