The crown prince was so frightened that he tried to cover his younger brother's mouth.
Minister Liu, however, only wanted to cover his ears.
There was still a sliver of relief in her heart: Thank goodness, thank goodness, the Second Prince's visits to brothels are not under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Justice, let the Court of Imperial Clan Affairs worry about it.
The most troublesome person is His Majesty the Emperor, Zhao Changheng.
His face turned pale, and he gritted his teeth as he beckoned to the Second Prince: "Come here, tell your father about your visit to the brothel."
Minister Liu is quick-witted.
He will be retiring in a few years and only wants to spend his last days in officialdom peacefully.
At this critical juncture, I don't want to hear any details about the Second Prince visiting brothels.
The vast sea of ​​historical stories tells us that the more you know, the less likely you are to achieve a smooth official career.
Thinking of this, he quickly reached out to stop him.
"Your Majesty, important matters are at hand. Let's hear what the Second Prince has to say about the case first."
As he spoke, he squatted down and cupped his hands in front of the Second Prince, saying, "Please tell me in detail, Your Highness. This old minister is all ears."
The Second Prince Zhao Wenqi pointed to the paper: "Look, this paper is not ordinary paper used for official announcements, but is dyed red with flower petal juice, and is called 'pink paper'."
Minister Liu stroked his beard: "Hmm, paper dyed with flower petal juice is also common. Women in the common folk often make this kind of boudoir paper. In spring, there are peach blossom paper and peony paper; in summer, hibiscus paper and pomegranate paper; in autumn, chrysanthemum paper and paulownia leaf paper; and in winter, plum blossom paper. How can the Second Prince determine that this is a brothel item based on just one piece of paper?"
"Because this paper is not only dyed with flower petals, but also has a fragrance. This fragrance is used in brothels and can't be found anywhere else."
How do you know this is used in brothels?
Zhao Wenqi blinked, staring at Minister Liu in surprise: "Minister Liu, have you gotten so old that you've become so forgetful?"
The forgetful Minister Liu: "...Why does the Second Prince say such a thing?"
"Didn't I just say that I've been to brothels?"
Minister Liu: Second Prince, please stop talking. This old minister does not want to hear it, nor dares to.
Just as he was about to pretend he hadn't heard, he suddenly heard the Second Prince ask again, "I've been there, so of course I know this is the incense used in brothels. What? Minister Liu, haven't you ever been to a brothel?"
Minister Liu was ashamed.
The Great Law prohibits civil and military officials from visiting prostitutes.
However, this restriction does not apply to those without official positions.
Many scholars, before becoming officials, would usually visit brothels to broaden their horizons.
However, Minister Liu's personal circumstances are somewhat special.
He married young, and his wife was fierce and jealous, keeping a close eye on him.
In addition, his father-in-law and mother-in-law's families are very powerful and influential, so he can't afford to offend them.
Moreover, Minister Liu was a prodigy at a young age, achieving fame and officialdom early on, and thus his youthful days of frequenting brothels passed him by very quickly.
After entering officialdom, he worked in the judicial system, and knowingly breaking the law is a serious crime.
Now that he holds a high position, a minister-level figure, and can finally stop fearing the power of his wife and father-in-law, he is too old and no longer has the inclination.
People nearing retirement don't want to cause any trouble, lest they be caught by censors and ruin their reputation in their later years, which would be even more troublesome.
Therefore, he never had the chance to go to a brothel to broaden his horizons.
Just as Minister Liu was about to say, "This old minister is of high moral character," he suddenly realized something was amiss.
He said he was chaste and self-disciplined, which means that the Second Prince, who had been to brothels, was not chaste and self-disciplined.
Isn't this insulting the royal family?
Just as he was pondering how to answer, the Second Prince didn't wait for him and instead swept his attention elsewhere.
"Father, have you ever been to a brothel?"
"..."
"Brother Crown Prince, have you been there?"
"..."
"Then I'm the only one here who's ever been to a brothel! I'm the best!"
Minister Liu wiped his sweat: You're amazing.
With his head buzzing, Zhao Changheng sent Minister Liu back for a second trial.
Two adults shouldn't be able to overturn a case based solely on a child's words; that's outrageous.
However, the clue mentioned by the second prince did serve as a wake-up call for them.
Let's examine this from another perspective.
Send more people to conduct an in-depth investigation into the prisoner's daily routine, the places he frequents, and the people he associates with; perhaps we will make new discoveries.
Minister Liu hurriedly fled.
Inside the imperial study, the second prince was still enthusiastically telling the crown prince about his visits to brothels.
"Before I went to the brothel, my aunt and uncle lied to me, saying that a brothel was just a place to listen to music. Humph, did they think we kids didn't know anything and were so easily fooled? I'm very clever..."
Upon hearing this, Zhao Changheng's heart skipped a beat: "You know that? How did you learn it? Who taught you? Do you believe I'll kill him?"
Crown Prince Zhao Wenyi asked hesitantly, "After you went there, did you understand?"
Zhao Wenqi nodded confidently: "Yes! Brothels are clearly places for drinking and reciting poetry. Everyone drinks and recites poetry at the same time. The best poet gets a reward, and the one who can't recite a poem gets punished."
"Ah, that's good...that's good."
"What's so good about it? Sigh, we have to recite poems in the palace, and we have to recite poems when we go out to play. I hate reciting poems the most, I'm never going again." The second prince said sullenly, "Brother, only someone like you who loves reading would like that kind of place."
Crown Prince: ...
Emperor: ...
Many years later, historical records may state: In the second year of the Zheng Guang era, the second prince's dream of visiting a brothel ended in Jizhou.
However, Zhao Changheng must not easily let this matter go.
He needs to investigate.
After seeing his two sons off, Zhao Changheng immediately gave instructions to the eunuchs.
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