Ask the Nine Ministers

Chapter 157 Confrontation
The journey back to the city seemed particularly long.

Xue Sui and the Luo family mother and daughter still went through Dongsheng Street.

Guo Yunrong was leaning against the carriage window, her eyes were red, her cuffs were wrinkled from being rubbed by her. She didn't notice that Madam Luo's silk handkerchief was wet and her pearl hairpin was crooked.

Xue Sui's carriage was behind, and he opened the curtain to look outside.

In the twilight, the aroma of roasted chestnuts wafted through Dongsheng Street. The street was busy with traffic. A group of people gathered in front of the notice board, reading the notice that Jingzhao Prefecture had just posted.

"Catch the assassins of Xizi."

The crowd of onlookers blocked half of the street, making it impossible to move forward. At the street entrance, armored imperial guards were walking back and forth, checking for suspicious people, especially merchants from foreign countries such as Xizi, Dongyi, and Nanzhao. When they saw them, they would inevitably come forward to check their passports and documents.

The imperial guards' massive action caused a lot of discussion among the people.

"Something big has happened in the capital again."

In the tea stall, several people were whispering with their heads down.

"The Yongfeng Warehouse was damaged, and I heard that 200,000 shi of grain in Xintun was burned. Minister Luo of the Ministry of Revenue was suspected of dereliction of duty and was detained by His Royal Highness the Crown Prince in the Ministry of Justice..."

"Minister Luo? That's incredible."

Luo Huan was a person in the capital who made the common people tremble with fear when he took a breath. He was arrested just like that. Such a sudden change made people shocked, but also gave rise to a sense of gloating.

Who doesn’t like to see jokes?

"This prince's methods are more ruthless than those of Prince Duan. Prince Duan has been in charge of government for so long, and I have never heard of any high-ranking official being killed by him. When this prince takes action, he is really swift and decisive, and kills many people..."

"readily!"

"Prince Duan is kindhearted. This murderous person is definitely not a blessing to the people..."

"Brother, be careful with your words, be careful with your words."

A few people laughed it off and didn't discuss the matter any further.

A few merchants who were drinking tea and listening to the noise nearby put down their teacups silently and asked the waiter to settle the bill.

Xue Sui looked at the market for a long while, then slowly withdrew his hand from the curtain. There was a ripple in his eyes, and if you looked closely, you could see a smile at the corner of his lips.

Until the carriage stopped at the gate of Duke Zheng's mansion.

The doorman came to greet her, and Mrs. Luo wiped her tears and went forward to say goodbye.

"Princess, Madam Ping'an, I have some urgent family matters to deal with, so I will not accompany you any longer. We will meet again another day."

Xue Yuechen: "Madam Luo, please go and do your work. There is no need to be polite."

Xue Sui also said: "Don't worry, the more you wait, the more anxious you can't be..."

Madam Luo nodded and walked hurriedly into the mansion, anxiety written all over her face.

Guo Yunrong lifted her apricot-red skirt and saluted them while biting her lower lip. Her expression looked as if she had also cried.

One was the man she just fell in love with, and the other was her grandfather. Add to that the tears of her mother, Mrs. Luo, and the girl's heart was broken.
-
After returning to Prince Duan's Mansion, Xue Yuechen asked Feicui to send someone back to her parents' home to inform Old Madam Cui that the Eighth Girl's marriage had been arranged at Puji Temple. She then started preparing food and invited Xue Sui to have dinner with them.

Xue Sui naturally followed her advice. Even though he knew that she sent someone to report the news in order to win credit, he did not expose her and acted nonchalant.

Seeing her so open-minded and not fighting or competing, Xue Yuechen's resentment towards her dissipated a little...

Especially when she thought about it carefully, her life became much easier after Xue Liu entered the mansion.

In the past, the concubines in the mansion were constantly competing for favor, and Yuan Qingzhu made things difficult for her everywhere. Xue Liu helped her get rid of this major worry, and the remaining concubine Zhang and other concubines also became much more obedient...

What's more, the prince never stayed anywhere else except at her Muyue Residence, which can be said to have given her enough face as the queen, and all of this was thanks to Xue Liu.

The more she thought about it, the more she felt that what Mrs. Luo said made sense. It was a blessing to have sisters supporting each other.

"Sixth sister, the chef who's cooking today was specially found by the prince from Jiangnan. He used to be the chef of the largest Xiangfu Restaurant in Jinling City. He's an expert at cooking Huaiyang cuisine. Come and try it. Is it to your liking?"

There was a smile in her eyes, visibly bright.

Xue Sui raised the corner of his mouth slightly, "Thank you for your concern, elder sister. Even if it's just plain food, I'm satisfied. It's fine anyway..."

The two of them were talking and laughing, the atmosphere was harmonious and peaceful.

At this time, the maid from Muyueju came in with small steps and whispered in Xue Yuechen's ear.

"The prince is back. The concierge sent a message saying that he doesn't look very happy..."

Xue Yuechen didn't know what had happened in the palace, so he immediately stood up and took Xue Suiying out.

"Your Highness, thank you for your help. Would you like to have dinner with me?"

Li Huan looked tired. He glanced at her and Xue Sui and nodded softly.

He never came back to talk about what happened in the court, so Xue Yuechen didn't ask anything, but just served him attentively. Li Huan seemed calm, but there were raging waves underneath. Even if there were all kinds of delicacies in front of him, it would be difficult to be moved.

"My Lord, try this."

Xue Yuechen put a shrimp ball into Li Huan's bowl and served the dish gently, carefully and considerately, looking at her husband with eyes full of admiration.

My husband is handsome and tall, with extraordinary temperament...

How perfect would it be if the two of them had a legitimate son?

Li Huan had no idea what she was thinking and looked at her expressionlessly.

"This king does not like to eat shrimp."

Xue Yuechen felt a little disappointed.

The one you loved before, you no longer love him now?
She smiled awkwardly, "It was my negligence..."

Fortunately, Li Huan was not particularly gentle to Xue Liu, and he was not as eager as he was when he asked her to call him "husband" in front of Li Zhao that day. The way he looked at Xue Sui was scrutinizing, deep, and complex.

Three people were having a meal, and two of them were having ulterior motives.

Only Xue Sui had a good appetite and had a full meal.

Putting down her chopsticks, she stood up and said goodbye.

"It's getting late. In order not to disturb my sister and brother-in-law's love, Xue Liu will go back to Tanqiuyuan first..."

The word "brother-in-law" made Xue Yuechen smile, but Li Huan's expression froze inadvertently.

"I'll go with you."

Li Huan put down his chopsticks, stood up without hesitation, and strode ahead.

Xue Yuechen's expression changed slightly. He stared at his back, then looked at Xue Sui who was standing there, and forced himself to maintain a smile. "The prince may have encountered a difficult problem. Sixth sister, please talk to him..."

Xue Sui guessed what Li Huan was thinking and smiled indifferently.

"I think it's about what happened on Dongsheng Street. They want to interrogate me again."

She glanced at Xue Yuechen lightly, shook her head and laughed, "This brother-in-law has never been at ease with me for a single day."

Xue Yuechen also laughed softly, "Maybe things will be different when we have a child."

Xue Sui just smiled and said nothing.

In Xue Yuechen's world, children are everything and a stepping stone to climb to the top of power. But Li Huan doesn't seem to care about this. This is true. The virtuous king has given the emperor a grandson, and the Wei Wang Li Yan also has two sons, but they have not received any preferential treatment...

What Li Huan wants to fight for is not the child.

The fights between royal brothers were far more brutal than those between common people. Common people would at most compete for a piece of land in their family, but royal brothers would fight for power and life and death. They were fighting for their lives. There were too many stories of those who failed to become kings and became bandits in all dynasties...

The two of them walked into Tan Qiu Courtyard one after the other.

Jinshu quickly asked someone to prepare tea to entertain the prince.

Li Huan waved his hand, "Please play a round with me, Ping An."

Xue Sui agreed and told Jin Shu, "Bring the tea to the inner room."

The chessboard and chess pieces were ready, so the two men sat opposite each other and began to play chess.

Xue Sui held the white piece and rubbed it gently. He really liked the soft texture of ivory and jade. He thought twice before taking each step.

"I am not very good at chess, I hope Your Highness will forgive me."

"No need to be formal."

Li Huan dropped a black piece, and it hit the chessboard with a crisp sound.

"The court has been in turmoil recently. The Xizi assassins committed crimes in Dongsheng Street, and the Yongfeng Warehouse burned 200,000 shi of military rations. My father actually allowed the crown prince to detain officials above the third rank without an imperial decree..."

After a pause, he raised his eyebrows and looked at Xue Sui.

"I wonder if Ping An has heard about it..."

"I was at the scene when the Dongsheng Street incident happened," Xue Sui answered truthfully, "I don't know the rest."

Li Huan suddenly leaned over, his dark eyes fixed on her clear pupils.

"Has the matter of the Old Mausoleum Swamp been settled safely?"

Xue Sui said, "To be honest, Your Highness, if you hadn't come today, I would have come to you to report. The antique dealer's surname is Qiu, and he is an old friend of mine. He has already agreed to help..."

Li Huan raised his eyebrows inadvertently: "Recommend the imperial envoy?"

Xue Sui pondered for a moment, and said with a serious face: "The imperial envoy is like a dragon that can only be seen from head to tail, and it is not certain that we will see him right away. But if Your Highness has any secret instructions, Mr. Qiu will definitely be able to convey them and act as a matchmaker..."
-
"Girl, the Ministry of Justice's prison is ahead..."

The maid Biyu lifted the curtain and helped Guo Yunrong out of the car.

It was already dark and there was silence all around.

Outside the gate of the Ministry of Justice, several guards wearing long swords and light armor stood on both sides of the gate.

Guo Yunrong clenched his hands several times before he mustered up the courage and stepped forward.

Inadvertently taking a look, she suddenly grabbed Biyu's hand.

"Biyu, is that His Royal Highness the Crown Prince?" Biyu's eyes lit up and she nodded excitedly, "Yes, girl, it's His Royal Highness."

Guo Yunrong lifted her skirt and chased after him, but Li Zhao had already passed the guards and walked in with big strides, leaving only his tall and slender back.

She wanted to go forward and ask, but was stopped by the guards.

"The Ministry of Justice is a restricted area, no one is allowed to enter!"

Guo Yunrong was extremely anxious. "Brother Shouwei, please help me. I just want to see my grandfather, or... ask about his situation. It's getting dark, and he hasn't returned home. The family is very worried. Can you be flexible?"

The guard couldn't recognize her as Miss Guo San, but he could hear the absurdity in her words.

"Little girl, don't be so foolish. Once you enter the prison of the Ministry of Justice, you can't just leave. You will lose a layer of skin even if you don't want to! Go, go, go quickly..."

Guo Yunrong was thin-skinned and did not pursue the issue any further.

She stepped back, but did not leave, but waited anxiously.

Wait until Li Zhao comes out...
-
Deep inside the Ministry of Justice prison.

The oil lamp flickered and crackled.

Xiao Jing lay dishevelled in the cold haystack, counting the scratches on the wall left by his predecessor.

Born into a rich family, he lived a life of luxury and had a smooth career. He had never suffered as much as he had in recent days, and all of this was caused by Li Zhao...

The iron chain of the prison door suddenly rustled.

He looked up and saw Li Zhao's boots had already rolled over the wet ground and stopped in front of the door.

Xiao Jing smiled sadly.

"Your Highness, are you here to deliver your last meal?"

"Consigned to the execution chamber."

Those few emotionless words were brief and powerful, yet they struck Xiao Jing's heart like a heavy hammer.

torture chamber.

This is no ordinary interrogation.

It was torture.

"Your Highness..." His voice trembled as he tried to say something for himself.

Li Zhao had already turned around, his straight back reflected in the dim light, looking extremely cold, just like his frosty face.

There was silence in the torture chamber.

Li Zhao sat upright, and waited until Xiao Jing was brought over and tied to the rack. Then he put down the teacup in his hand and glanced at him coldly.

"I am running out of patience. I will ask you one last time."

"Who delivered those ten barrels of kerosene to Yongfeng Warehouse?"

The torture chamber was filled with a pungent smell of blood, and the torture instruments piled in the corner gave off a cold air.

Li Zhao's voice also seemed to be mixed with the smell of rust.

"How did the Xiao family secretly collude with Xizi by raising assassins? What is your conspiracy?"

Xiao Jing closed his eyes, unable to suppress his body from shaking.

"No. The Xiao family has been passed down for a hundred years and has always upheld loyalty and righteousness..."

Li Zhao snorted coldly, "Minister Xiao is very stubborn."

He picked up the red-hot iron on the fire. The dazzling red light flickered between his eyebrows, making his handsome face look extremely cold.

"For the sake of the Xiao family, I guessed that you could handle this matter. But I don't know if it will take one hour, two hours, one day, two days, or three days?"

Xiao Jing clenched his teeth, and his messy beard trembled slightly.

"Every word I said is true. I fled to Jiangzhou on a grain ship because I didn't want to suffer in Lingnan. I ran away when I had a urinary problem. I got on the Ministry of Revenue's ship just to spend some money. I knew nothing about Luo Huan's affairs. Luo Huan didn't know I was on the ship either..."

Li Zhao shook his head slightly and smiled.

He said the same thing when he brought Luo Huan to the lobby of the Ministry of Justice.

He had already been fined and made to return the stolen money for the bad debt of the Ministry of Revenue and the case had been closed with Prince Duan. He had no idea about the Xiao family's affairs, let alone that Xiao Jing was hiding on the grain ship. Otherwise, he would not have dared to hide the fugitive even if he had the guts...

"It seems that Minister Xiao is still harboring delusions, thinking that he can leave here unscathed if he can withstand the torture. Who are you counting on to save you?"

Xiao Jing lowered his head, "As an official appointed by the court, I indulged my children to act recklessly, and I cannot escape the blame... I am guilty, but my father served the royal family with loyalty. This time he escaped secretly, and my father was not aware of it..."

Li Zhao let out a soft "Oh".

"So Xizi's burning of the granary and murder have nothing to do with Minister Luo?"

He turned slightly, looked at the blazing light on the iron, and smiled coldly.

"If there is one less person to take responsibility, the consequences will have to be borne by the Xiao family alone. Minister Xiao, I wonder if the Xiao family can afford this price?"

Xiao Jing looked at the red-hot iron in his hand, swallowed hard, and his teeth chattered.

"Your Highness, are you going to disregard the laws of the country and forcefully convict the Xiao family?"

Li Zhao laughed softly.

"If you want to think so, it's not a bad idea..."

Xiao Jing's eyes were cloudy with hatred under his messy hair. "The Crown Prince abused his power and framed loyal officials. Isn't he afraid of arousing the anger of the people? Which hole in the Ministry of Revenue's accounts doesn't lead to the Xuanzheng Palace?! Is the Crown Prince deliberately fabricating evidence to take away the emperor on the throne..."

Guan Ya's fist smashed his last few words.

Li Zhao smiled and threw the branding iron back into the blazing furnace, sparks flying everywhere.

"Yuan Cang, you come to judge."

Before he finished speaking, he turned and walked away quickly.

Behind him, the sound of the branding iron burning flesh and the smell of burning instantly filled the cell.
-
Guo Yunrong waited until her legs became weak before she saw the tall and solemn figure coming out of the gate of the Ministry of Justice.

A groom came forward and handed the reins to the prince.

Guo Yunrong could no longer care about anything and rushed forward to block Li Zhao.

"Your Highness, please stay..."

Li Zhao glanced at her and felt that she looked familiar, and frowned slightly.

He didn't say anything, waiting for her to speak.

Guo Yunrong had just thought about what he was going to say when they met countless times in his mind, but when facing Li Zhao, he was so flustered that he couldn't speak clearly and his mind was confused.

In the end, I could only ask with blushing cheeks.

"I want to see my grandfather. I want to know if he is... a good person or not. Is that ok?"

The young lady was wrapped in the night, standing under the light where the summer heat had not yet dissipated. She looked pitiful and charming.

Lai Fu looked at Li Zhao's expression from time to time, thinking that he would soften his heart.

Unexpectedly, before Li Zhao finished listening, he had already stepped into the stirrups with his black boots and stepped up nimbly.

"If you have any grievances, appeal to the Censorate!"

This sentence was like a bottle of ice water, making Guo Yunrong shiver all over.

"Your Highness, my maternal grandfather is an upright man. There is absolutely no possibility that he would collude with foreign nations. Your Highness, please wait..."

Seeing that he ignored her, the girl suddenly raised her voice and started chasing after him.

"Please be merciful and forgive my grandfather. He is old and in poor health. He..."

"How dare you!" Guan Ya shouted harshly, his hand on the sword at his waist, his face full of anger, without any sympathy for the woman.

"The imperial court is enforcing the law, how can we allow women to cause trouble? Why don't you step back!"

The sword made a golden and jade-like sound.

Guo Yunrong looked at Li Zhao riding away on his horse, feeling aggrieved, bowed to Guan Ya, and slowly returned to the carriage.

Biyu supported her and comforted her softly, "Miss, let's go back home. The adults will take care of Mr. Luo's affairs, so don't worry too much."

"I have been naughty since I was young, and I have been causing trouble all the time in the mansion. My mother often sent me back to my grandparents' house. Among so many sisters, my grandparents only favored me. He was so kind, how could he do such a bad thing..."

What Guo Yunrong couldn't figure out, Biyu certainly couldn't figure out even more.

The carriage shuttled slowly through the streets. Guo Yunrong looked at the lights of Shangjing City, and felt dazed, as if he had lost his soul.

It was not until the carriage passed through the streets outside Prince Duan's Mansion that she seemed to have thought of something.

"Stop! Biyu, tell the driver to drive to Prince Duan's mansion."

She wanted to find Xue Sui, the extremely intelligent Mrs. Ping'an.

She believed in her instincts. Xue Sui was not a bad person, and had a reassuring power. Sometimes a look or a word could inexplicably make her feel warm, secure, and at peace.

There was no way to talk to her little sister, so she had to find someone to talk to, otherwise she would not be able to get through the night...

Mrs. Ping'an is the most suitable person.

Unexpectedly, Li Zhao arrived earlier than her.

When she arrived, she had already rushed into Prince Duan's Mansion with a cold look on her face.

"Go and report to Prince Duan, and tell him that the Crown Prince is here to visit."

Two chapters in one!

Xue Sui: So long!
Li Zhao: Yes!