"He still has the nerve to come?" Chu Guannan said angrily.
"Announce." The emperor raised his hand helplessly.
The Zongzheng Cheng, who was already half white-haired and over sixty years old, was still very agile. He hurried in with his head lowered, called out "Your Majesty", and knelt on the ground. "Your Majesty, I am sorry that I have failed to educate my son..."
The Minister of the Imperial Clan lay on the ground in grief, repenting with tears streaming down his face. "I am an old minister, and I have a son in my old age. He is so arrogant and lawless that he actually killed someone in public and murdered the Grand Historian chosen by Your Majesty. This rebellious son deserves to be executed!"
Zong Zhengcheng wiped his tears and seemed to have hardened his heart.
Chu Guannan and the prince looked at each other, and both of their faces showed: Retreat to advance?
The emperor sighed helplessly, "That's a bit too much. It's just a fight between children. Since no one was killed..."
"Your Majesty!" Zong Zhengcheng interrupted the emperor, his red eyes filled with determination. "This old minister has figured it out. I simply cannot afford to support such a rebellious son. Now that he's injured, I'll let him fend for himself."
The emperor looked surprised.
Chu Guannanhe frowned. What does this old man mean?
"At my age, I might die any day. Chu Zhiyou, this kid, doesn't know how to restrain himself. He will cause disaster sooner or later. If he is lucky enough to survive this time, I will confine him to my home and bury him with me when I die. If he dies now, I will have no complaints."
Zong Zhengcheng's shoulders slumped, his expression sincere and heartfelt.
"He's a royal child after all." The emperor sighed and stood up, helping Zong Zhengcheng up. His expression turned grim. "Are you doing this to force me to punish the third child?"
"This old minister has absolutely no such intention." Zong Zhengcheng shook his head in fear. "What this old minister said before is absolutely true. Chu Zhiyou has done everything that he deserves. This old minister is willing to make it known publicly and will never implicate the King of Yan."
"I am upright and honest." Chu Guannan said bluntly.
The Crown Prince also stepped forward and said, "Father, since the Minister of the Imperial Clan is so sincere, you should take it as your duty. Qingwu's life is not in danger, but the woman must have been frightened after falling into the water. If Wang Shuying hadn't intervened, her reputation might have been damaged. Where would I, the Crown Prince, put my dignity in the future?"
"Your Highness is absolutely right." Zong Zhengcheng turned his head to look at the Crown Prince, quickly lowered his head, and bent down respectfully.
Chu Guannan did not miss the fleeting mockery from Zong Zhengcheng.
But what was he mocking?
In front of the emperor, the Minister of Imperial Clan Affairs drafted his own punishment for his son and posted it all over the imperial city before sunset.
And at sunset, he went to the Shen family to apologize.
The afterglow of the setting sun covered the sky of Shangjing with a bright red hue.
In front of the general's mansion, Shen Qingfeng's expression changed, "Qingwu fell into the water?"
"It's because I didn't teach my son well—"
Zong Zhengcheng bent down to apologize, looking lonely and tired.
At this moment, he looked like an elderly father who came to apologize on behalf of his son who had caused trouble.
Although it was late, there were many people watching the show around. Shen Qingfeng suddenly felt like he was being roasted on a fire.
If Zong Zhengcheng, a man of such status, refuses to give in to such a sincere apology, how will the Shen family survive in Kyoto in the future?
But if they were to let them off so lightly, with Zhao Qiuyi having been bullied before, would the people in Kyoto think that the Shen family was easy to bully?
For the first time, he felt the dire situation in Kyoto.
"Sir, we already know the sincerity of your apology. There is no need to be so cruel and act as if our Shen family is aggressive."
"After all, it was your son who first harmed my little sister. You should apologize, and my Shen family deserves it."
"But as far as I know, my little sister saved your son at the hunting ground not long ago. Your son's behavior is really chilling."
Shen Qingtang walked out slowly, looked at Zong Zhengcheng at the bottom of the stairs, and stood in front of everyone with a clear voice and neither humble nor arrogant.
Her demeanor surpassed that of many noble ladies in the capital, and amazed everyone who came with Zong Zhengcheng to watch the show.
The girl from the Shen family is so eye-catching.
"Minister Zong Zheng, if my little sister is fine, you don't need to be so cruel to your son. We can just stop having any contact with each other in the future. But if my little sister is in trouble, my Shen family must ask His Majesty, the Crown Prince, and the people of Kyoto City to take charge for us." Shen Qingtang nodded politely.
The people watching the show nodded one after another, “Yes, we will help Miss Shen get justice.”
"Brother, let's go pick up my younger sister and take her home." Shen Qingtang turned around and looked at the tongue-tied Shen Qingfeng.
Shen Qingfeng was also amazed by his sister. He quickly came back to his senses after hearing her words, "Yes, yes, go pick up Qingwu and take him home."
Then the three brothers and sisters ignored Zong Zhengcheng and got on the horses that the servant had brought from the side door. They jumped up with great agility, which once again made everyone exclaim in surprise.
Looking at the receding figure, Zong Zhengcheng hunched his back and bent deeply, with a drooping expression showing undisguised mockery.
…
"How come Shen Qingwu didn't drown?" Zhao Ruyun listened to the noise outside behind the screen wall, and asked her maid to find out carefully. In the end, she was so angry that she gritted her teeth.
"Miss, be careful with your words." The maidservant reminded helplessly in a low voice, "Miss Qingwu is different now. She didn't retaliate against you. You'd better find a way to make peace with her. Otherwise, if she turns against you, it will be troublesome."
Zhao Ruyun looked at her maid with a sinister gaze.
The maid quickly stepped back and knelt down, "Miss, this servant is doing this for your own good."
"Shut up!" Zhao Ruyun shouted coldly, "If I can't marry the prince, I'd rather die!"
Then Zhao Ruyun turned around and left angrily.
…
The Shen brothers and sisters knocked on the mountain gate. It was already completely dark, and Wei Yue personally led people to greet them.
She looked at Shen Qingtang twice more.
Shen Qingtang stepped forward, "Mrs. Zhou, we are here to take my younger sister home."
Wei Yue glanced at the three of them, stepped forward to apologize and expressed his guilt, then said:
"You three came in such a hurry that we didn't even have a carriage ready. It's already late, and I'm afraid there might be more trouble if we try to arrange a carriage in the mountains. Besides, although Qingwu is not seriously injured, he has caught a cold, so traveling at night is not a good idea. It's better to rest for another night and return tomorrow."
The Shen Qingfeng brothers looked at Shen Qingtang. When it came to dealing with people from Kyoto, they trusted Shen Qingtang more.
"Thank you for your concern, Madam. We can discuss it with Qingwu later." Shen Qingtang did not refuse, but did not agree either. She was also annoyed that she had forgotten to prepare the carriage.
…
"Something happened, Chu Zhiyou is dead!" The next day, before dawn, Zhou Silin came knocking on the door.
Shen Qingwu and Shen Qingtang, who slept on the same bed, were both startled awake. They looked at each other and quickly got up to open the door. "How did he die?"
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