Chapter 10 The Princess Who Protects Him
After receiving Lou Jin's approval, Ye Xunyang became highly motivated.
He hurriedly said, "Your Highness, please wait here. I'll go and look through some medical books and consult with the imperial physician to come up with a foolproof prescription for you."
After saying that, he turned around and strode away, forgetting to even gently close the door.
The study returned to silence, with only the faint chirping of birds outside the window and the soft rustling of pages in the breeze.
Lou Jin stared at the door that was still swaying slightly, paused for a moment, and then chuckled softly.
The laughter startled Wang Quan, who was guarding outside.
He was almost stunned, completely forgetting to breathe, and glanced incredulously into the room.
Your Highness... Your Highness is laughing so heartily?
Since that incident three years ago, he had become accustomed to the prince's indifference, but had never seen him smile so without any gloom.
Wang Quan's eyes welled up with tears, and he hurriedly lowered his head, his heart filled with indescribable gratitude for the princess.
Lou Jin laughed for a while before slowly stopping.
He raised his hand and gently pressed his stomach, which was a little sore from laughing too hard. After thinking about Ye Xunyang's expression, he realized that something must have happened outside.
He suppressed his smile, regained his usual composure, and said in a deep voice, "Wang Quan."
“Your servant is here.” Wang Quan immediately bowed and entered.
"Let Mushan, who went out with the princess today, come in and give his report."
"yes."
A moment later, the attendant Mu Shan respectfully entered the study and knelt on one knee: "Your Highness."
"Speak, what happened when you left the manor today?" Lou Jin's voice was devoid of emotion, yet it carried an imposing aura.
Mu Shan dared not conceal anything and recounted in detail how he had encountered Zhao Pan and his group at Zuixianlou, how the other party had spoken rudely, and how the princess had refuted him and ultimately stormed off. He did not miss a single word.
Lou Jin listened quietly, his face expressionless, except that the fingers on the armrest of his wheelchair tightened slightly.
When he heard Ye Xunyang say that he would definitely get better, he was quite moved.
When he suddenly fell seriously ill, many people told him that he would definitely get better, but he knew that they were just saying it for show.
But when Ye Xunyang said the same words, he felt that he was being sincere.
After Mu Shan finished speaking, Lou Jin remained silent for a moment before waving his hand and saying, "I understand. Go now. Keep quiet about what happened today."
"Understood!" Mu Shan bowed and withdrew.
Lou Jin was left alone in the study once again.
He turned his wheelchair to face the window, the afterglow of the setting sun outlining his profile in a way that was half bright and half dark.
He didn't care about the mockery from those spoiled brats. He had experienced plenty of open and covert attacks over the years, and this level of idle gossip couldn't hurt him in the slightest.
However, Ye Xunyang's reaction...
Lou Jin tapped the handrail lightly with his fingertips.
His queen was wronged because of him.
This can't be left like this.
"Shanlan," Lou Jin called out softly to the empty study.
A dark figure appeared silently in the corner of the study like a ghost, kneeling on one knee, shrouded in black, with only a pair of emotionless eyes showing.
"master."
Lou Jin did not turn around. His voice was calm and even, but it carried an undeniable chill: "The Vice Minister of War, Zhao Yong, has failed to educate his son properly. His son, Zhao Pan, is unruly and has offended the Princess. The son of the Censor-in-Chief Wang and that Mr. Li also seem to have some unclear accounts in their families."
He paused, then continued, "Before the morning court session tomorrow, let those who need to know know what they need to know. There's no need to cause them serious trouble, just give them some trouble and let their families be in chaos for a few days, so they won't have time to let their sons out spouting nonsense."
"Your subordinate obeys." Shan Lan's voice was cold and crisp.
"Go."
The dark shadow flashed and disappeared as silently as it had appeared.
Lou Jin turned his gaze back to the deepening night outside the window, a faint smile curving his lips again, this time tinged with coldness.
Ye Xunyang wanted to cure him in his own way.
He, in his own way, protected his queen.
That's fair.
As for those clowns... they're just adding a negligible bit of spice to this rather boring life. What he's more interested in now is what kind of success Ye Xunyang's prescription can actually produce.
The following day, in the Golden Palace, all the officials stood solemnly.
The emperor, sitting calmly on the dragon throne, listened as officials from various departments reported on their affairs in turn.
"Your subject has something to report!"
"Speak," the emperor said calmly.
"I impeach Zhao Yong, the Vice Minister of War, for failing to properly manage his family and for allowing his son Zhao Pan to utter wild words in the marketplace and taverns, openly slandering the imperial family and relatives. His words were disrespectful to His Highness Prince Jin and his consort, and even involved cursing the prince."
"This act not only damages the dignity of the imperial court, but is also a grave offense of disrespect! The evidence is conclusive; Your Majesty, please investigate thoroughly!"
As he spoke, the Left Censor-in-Chief took out a memorial from his sleeve and had it presented to the Emperor by an attendant.
Upon hearing this, the entire court was shocked. Many people secretly glanced at General Ye Qing, who stood at the front of the military officers' line, and at Zhao Yong, whose face turned deathly pale in the civil officers' line.
Zhao Yong knelt down with a thud, cold sweat pouring down his face: "Your Majesty! I...I have failed in my duty to educate my son, and deserve to die! But my son is young and impetuous, and perhaps he only spoke carelessly after drinking. He had absolutely no intention of disrespecting the royal family, Your Majesty!"
He was both shocked and frightened. Yesterday, his son only mentioned that he had met Ye Xunyang at Zuixianlou and that his words were somewhat offensive. At the time, he thought that it would be easier to control Ye Xunyang since he had become a princess, so he did not investigate further. Who knew that overnight, the Censorate would find a handle on him and report it directly to the Emperor!
Before the emperor could speak, another imperial censor stepped forward.
"Your Majesty, I recently reviewed old files and discovered that there seem to be some discrepancies in the accounts of Zhao Yong, the Vice Minister of War, in a case involving the procurement of military equipment three years ago. Although the case has been closed, there are still some doubts. I humbly request Your Majesty to allow a reinvestigation!"
Immediately, calls for impeachment arose one after another, with clear targets: those related to the Drunken Immortal Pavilion incident yesterday and their families.
Although each event may not seem earth-shattering on its own, when they are put together, especially when they are thrown out one after another during this solemn and respectful morning court session, the effect is nothing short of thunderous.
Zhao Yong was ashen-faced and collapsed to the ground.
He understood that this was no coincidence; someone was trying to frame him. Wang Jijiu and Li Yuanwailang were also sweating profusely, feeling extremely distressed, and wishing they could go back immediately and break their unfilial son's legs!
General Ye Qing remained expressionless throughout, as if none of this concerned him, but his clenched fists and slightly trembling beard revealed his inner turmoil.
Although he was furious that those spoiled brats had insulted his son and the prince, he was also shocked by how quickly the counterattack had come.
Who was behind this?
King of Ashes?
Or was the Emperor using this to give a warning to certain people?
The emperor on the dragon throne cast a deep gaze over Zhao Yong, who was kneeling below, and the officials who had stepped forward to impeach him, his face revealing neither joy nor anger.
He remained silent for a moment, and the entire Golden Palace was so quiet you could hear a pin drop.
"Zhao Yong." The emperor finally spoke, his voice calm yet carrying an undeniable authority.
"Your subject... Your subject is here!" Zhao Yong's voice trembled.
"You have failed to properly educate your son, allowing him to speak recklessly and disgrace the royal family. Do you know your crime?"
"Your subject knows his crime! Your subject deserves to die ten thousand times!" Zhao Yong kowtowed repeatedly.
"Considering your years of diligence, your death sentence is waived. Effective immediately, you are dismissed from your post as Vice Minister of War and demoted to Assistant Minister, pending probation within the ministry. Your salary is deducted for one year. Your son, Zhao Pan, is to be severely punished with thirty strokes of the cane and confined to his residence for one year to reflect on his mistakes! If he commits any further misconduct, he will be punished for both crimes!"
"Thank you... thank you for your great kindness!" Zhao Yong was in tears. This was already an extraordinary act of mercy. Although he lost his real power as Vice Minister, at least he kept his official position and his life.
"Wang, the Imperial Academy Master, and Li, the Assistant Minister, are hereby fined six months' salary. They are to strictly discipline their children. If any further trouble is caused, they will not be spared!"
"Your Majesty, we accept your decree and thank you!" Wang and Li hurriedly stepped forward and knelt to express their gratitude. A great weight was lifted from their hearts, but they were also filled with lingering fear.
"As for the old case of arms procurement..." The Emperor turned his gaze to the Censor of the Ministry of Revenue, "order the Censorate to work with the Ministry of Revenue and the Ministry of War to re-examine the case. If there are indeed problems, they shall be dealt with according to the law!"
"Your Majesty, we obey!" the relevant officials replied in unison.
When the court session ended, everyone in the court understood that even though King Jin was bedridden, he was by no means someone who could be easily provoked. They did not expect that after three years, King Jin's methods were still ruthless, and he brought down three families without even showing his face.
And that newly crowned queen seems to be King Jin's favorite; we should treat her with more respect in the future.
When the news reached the Jinwang Mansion, Ye Xunyang was in the small kitchen, discussing with the mansion's physician several medical books with a furrowed brow, trying to understand the medicinal properties of the herbs and how to combine them to both nourish the body and not harm Lou Jin's vital energy.
After hearing what happened at the morning court session from the servant, he was completely stunned.
"Zhao Yong was dismissed? Zhao Pan was flogged and confined to his quarters?" Ye Xunyang blinked, somewhat incredulous.
He had planned to get revenge with his fists later, but he never expected... retribution to come so quickly.
He subconsciously looked in the direction of Lou Jin's study.
Did he do it?
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