Quick Wear: The Heirless Boss Wants to Get Close to Her Every Day

Chapter 493 The General's Daughter vs. the Deposed Crown Prince with No Heir (30)

In the palace, Zhao Heng's memorial was sent to the Hall of Diligent Governance.

The emperor opened the memorial and read his records of the dike conditions in various counties of Qingzhou Prefecture, the diagnosis and treatment of the epidemic, the investigation and punishment of several corrupt officials in the area, and finally, his decisions on flood control and dike construction. Every word and sentence made the emperor more and more satisfied.

He even lamented that it would have been better if the crown prince hadn't been poisoned back then.

He won't be having a headache about choosing a crown prince right now.

The eunuch Liu, observing the situation, said, "Your Majesty, Prince Su has returned victorious. You should hold a grand celebration banquet for him."

"Your Highness must have lost a lot of weight from working so hard to fight the disaster."

With just a few words, the emperor's fatherly affection for his son was instantly stirred.

"Indeed, I need to think of what reward to give him."

In front of the city gate of Qingzhou Prefecture.

When Zhao Heng returned to Chang'an with his wife, the local people were moved to tears and, supporting the elderly and children, held willow branches to bid them farewell.

Some even offered toasts with tears in their eyes and knelt for a long time without getting up.

Shen Shuyi and Zhao Heng turned around and gestured for them to go home. Years later, the locals built a shrine for Prince Su and his wife in Qingzhou Prefecture, and prayed for their well-being from time to time.

On their way back to Chang'an, the two did not waste any time on the road, but they did not expect to be attacked not long after leaving Qingzhou Prefecture.

The sound of horses' hooves clattered as He Ya and his men formed a protective circle around the carriage.

"Your Highness, we are under enemy attack!"

Arrows rained down from the mountains and forests, but fortunately Zhao Heng was prepared and had brought a large number of men, all of whom were highly skilled.

"Kill!" At the command, Zhao Heng's men swiftly disappeared into the forest.

Zhao Heng shielded Shen Shuyi behind him, saying, "Shuyi, stay here and don't move. I'll go out and help."

He was already highly skilled in martial arts, so going out would give him a better chance of winning than staying in the rear.

Shen Shuyi nodded, "Your Highness, please be careful!"

Those who hid in the woods and fired sneak attacks were quickly killed, and the outcome of the battle was clear.

Zhao Heng, "Leave them alive!"

He wanted the assassin to reveal the mastermind behind it all.

……

Prince Su was assassinated on his way back to Chang'an. When the news reached the court, the emperor was shocked and furious, and ordered the Dali Temple to thoroughly investigate the matter.

The imperial court was shocked. Someone actually dared to murder Prince Su, who had returned after making meritorious contributions. They had no regard for their lives!
As soon as Zhao Heng returned to Chang'an, he handed the assassin over to the Dali Temple. After only one hour of interrogation, the Dali Temple Minister sent the confession to the Qin Zheng Hall to report back.

After the emperor read it, his face turned extremely gloomy.

Sibling feud, a royal scandal.
The Minister of the Court of Judicial Review knelt in the hall, not daring to raise his head, wondering how the emperor would handle the matter.

One was the fourth prince, who was expected to become the crown prince, and the other was Prince Su, who had made meritorious contributions to disaster relief.

Emperor Zhao Yin pinched the bridge of his nose. "Tell the fourth prince to get over here!"

In the Fourth Prince's residence, Zhao Qiyu was in a panic when he heard that Zhao Heng had entered Chang'an City, as he had not received a reply from the assassin.

He paced back and forth in the study. "It's a failure!"

"Not only did Zhao Heng not die, but he also returned to the capital safely!"

The staff members dared not utter a sound. Seeing this, Zhao Qiyu was so angry that he kicked each of them.

"Who on earth gave me such a terrible idea in the first place?!"

"What if things are exposed now?"

"What if Father finds out?" Zhao Qiyu dared not think too much about it. Just then, the eunuch who was delivering the imperial decree arrived.

When he heard that his father was summoning him to the palace, he felt a chill run down his spine.

To protect his own life, the advisor quickly came up with a plan: "Your Highness, you absolutely must not admit it!"

"Just cry. His Majesty is getting old and is easily swayed by emotions. Besides, the Empress is there to support you. Right now, no one is more suitable to be the Crown Prince than you!"

The third prince is dull-witted, and the seventh prince is just a military man. It's a case of choosing the best among the worst. The emperor knows how to choose!
Even if the emperor knew that Zhao Qiyu was the mastermind, he would not kill his own son.

As Zhao Qiyu listened, he felt a little more at ease.

As long as he survives, he still has a chance!
Inside the Hall of Diligent Governance, Zhao Yin's gloomy gaze swept over his son in the hall, and he spoke in a cold voice.

"Fourth brother, the assassin confessed that you plotted to assassinate the boss. Is this true?"

Zhao Qiyu knelt down with a thud, his face flushed as he swore, "Father, I would never do such a thing that violates human ethics. Someone must have deliberately framed me. I beg you, Father, to investigate thoroughly!"

After saying that, he kowtowed heavily, until his head bled.

“Father, you are wronged. Your son admires your elder brother too much to send an assassin to kill him. It must be a frame-up by traitors.”

The emperor looked at his son, at his bleeding head, and his hands unconsciously clenched.

Also present was the late Prime Minister Xiao Zheng, who had been urgently summoned to the palace by the emperor. At first, he didn't know what was going on, but now he understood most of it.

The emperor wanted to spare his son but had no way to back down, so he sent him to act as a peacemaker.
Xiao Zheng stepped forward. "Your Majesty," he said, "I know that the Fourth Prince and Prince Su are brothers and would never do anything to harm a brother. However, since the assassin has implicated the Fourth Prince, I request Your Majesty to thoroughly investigate whether someone under the Fourth Prince acted on his own."

The emperor looked at his son kneeling in the hall, frowned, and finally closed his eyes.

"Guards! Zhao Qiyu has been negligent in his duties and has murdered a meritorious official. Take him back to the palace and confine him there."

The emperor glanced at him, turned and left, his back view appearing much older.

"Father, Father!" Zhao Qiyu crawled a few steps on his knees and watched the emperor leave.

News of the Fourth Prince's imprisonment spread quickly. At that time, Shen Shuyi and Zhao Qiyu returned to the Prince Su's residence. Before entering the palace, Shen Shuyi straightened his collar and said, "Father, you must protect Zhao Qiyu."

Zhao Heng pulled her hand down and held it, "Don't worry, I'll make him lose everything step by step."

"You should rest well at home. Tomorrow you may have to go to the palace for a victory celebration banquet."

"Ah."

After Zhao Heng left, Shen Shuyi went to take a bath, and System 66 couldn't help but remind her.

[Host, Zhao Heng has now rendered another service, and the Emperor has nothing left to reward him with. For Zhao Heng, those rewards are of little use; only the position of Crown Prince matters.]
Shen Shuyi blew on the flower petals in her hand, "Let alone the emperor, even the ministers would not allow Zhao Heng to be the crown prince. After all, they do not know that the poison in Zhao Heng's body has been cured, nor do they know that I am pregnant."

"So, I'm planning to give Zhao Heng a surprise~"

In the palace, the emperor inquired about his son who had been assassinated, and then said that a victory banquet had been prepared, and that he would invite his ministers to the palace the next day to hold a grand celebration.

Looking at his son, who was noticeably tanned from working so hard, Zhao Yin sighed, "Heng'er, you've worked so hard."

"I would be happy to share my father's burdens."

"I've heard that the Princess Consort is a highly skilled physician; she cured the entire epidemic in Qingzhou Prefecture?"

"Yes."

"Very good, you deserve a reward. Tomorrow, bring your wife to the ceremony, and I will bestow further honors upon you!"

"Thank you, Father."

As Zhao Heng walked out of the Hall of Diligent Governance, the gentle expression on his face became somewhat indifferent.

……

(End of this chapter)