The prince is more stable

Chapter 261: Investigating the Censor
After traveling through time for so long, Zhao Xiaoqian never took the initiative to cause trouble, even though with his identity, he clearly had the capital to cause trouble.

In his previous life, he believed in the saying, "There will be retribution for those who are arrogant." No matter how noble your status is, if you go too far and bully too many people, you will eventually get punished.

Bad retribution is fair and does not depend on status or wealth.

Even if the richest man in the country becomes arrogant, he can fall from grace and be condemned by the public.

Therefore, Zhao Xiaoqian has always been introverted. He doesn't bother to care about trivial frictions or disputes and just laughs it off.

This is the state of life that a mature and mentally sound man should have, let alone someone who has lived two lives.

If a person gets hot-blooded and kills his entire family when encountering something, he is a madman, not a normal man.

Zhao Xiaoqian has always been very calm and rarely gets carried away. Whether in his past life or this life, he has been exploring the rules of the world and trying his best to abide by them until his strength allows him to break the old rules and establish new ones.

However, this time, it is no longer a trivial matter, nor is it something that can be laughed off.

To deal with him, he not only submitted a memorial to put pressure on Zhao Xu, but also incited the students of the Imperial College to cause unrest. If they were allowed to cause unrest, the consequences would be extremely serious.

If a conflict breaks out between the imperial guards and students, or even causes bloodshed and casualties, who will take the blame?
Zhao Xiaoqian couldn't help but start to reflect on himself.

He was wondering if he had always been too reserved, giving others the impression that he was weak and vulnerable, so that anyone, Tom, Dick, or Harry would dare to come up and scratch him.

"The one who secretly instigated the students of the Imperial College should be an official, right? Was it an official of the Imperial College or an official in the court?" Zhao Xiaoqian stared at Cai You and asked.

Cai You smiled. "Your Excellency, it's clear that this is an official in the imperial court. This person has secretly bribed several students to stir up trouble in the Imperial College. They think they are doing it in secret, but I am a student of the Imperial College myself. There is nothing I don't know about what goes on there."

"Who did this?"

"The Censor-in-Chief, Zhou Zhi."

Zhao Xiaoqian frowned and muttered, "This name...why does it sound familiar?"

Cai You said, "When the Duke was still fighting for the country in Western Xia, Zhou Zhi impeached him at court, accusing him of allowing his soldiers to plunder and demanding severe punishment. Later, His Royal Highness the King of Chu pushed back."

Zhao Xiaoqian became more and more confused: "Have I ever offended him?"

Then Zhao Xiaoqian remembered something and immediately gave up this stupid question, and asked, "Where did Zhou Zhi come from?"

Seeing that Zhao Xiaoqian had hit the nail on the head, Cai You said, "Although Zhou Zhi is a seventh-rank censor, he has only been in this position for less than a year."

"Last year, Prime Minister Zhang was summoned to the capital and appointed as Prime Minister. He launched a massive purge of the old party within the court. With the old party gone, many positions became vacant, and officials from the new party immediately filled them."

"Zhou Zhi was the governor of Suzhou during the Yuanyou period. He was later exiled for being a member of the New Party. He became an imperial censor last year. He was personally promoted by Prime Minister Zhang. Prime Minister Zhang was very kind to him."

Zhao Xiaoqian understood.

If you put the cause and effect together, doesn't it make sense?

"So, Zhou Zhi wanted to stir up trouble, so he started with me and took credit for it in front of Zhang Dun?"

Cai You laughed and said, "It may not sound nice, but it is true...it is indeed the case."

"The Duke's appointment as Secretary to the Privy Council had nothing to do with Zhou Zhi, but he insisted on taking the lead because the person who really couldn't stand the Duke's position was Minister Zhang. If Zhou Zhi could get rid of the Duke and force the government to revoke the appointment, he would have earned a great deal of credit in front of Minister Zhang."

Zhao Xiaoqian was so angry that he laughed: "In the eyes of others, I have become a soft persimmon. Even a seventh-rank censor dares to try to manipulate me."

Before last year, the King of Chu and his son were indeed soft persimmons.

Although they have a noble status, they have no say in the court. The ancestral rules are very strict. This means that although the royal relatives enjoy wealth and honor, they are just supported by the court. To put it bluntly, the royal relatives are basically parasites of the country.

What the clan members fear most is being involved in the disputes in the court. Any small disturbance may become a mountain that crushes them.

However, this year is different from last year. Zhao Xiaoqian is no longer the introverted and lonely Prince of Chu.

Using last year's thinking to run this year's Anle County Duke, it can only be said that Zhou Zhi is blinding his mind.

"Since you want to take credit for it by me, why not let me take action first?" Zhao Xiaoqian muttered to himself as he stared at a blooming peach blossom outside the house.

The air in the room suddenly became chilly and the temperature dropped a few degrees.

Cai You felt a chill on the back of his neck. Looking at Zhao Xiaoqian's calm expression, he didn't know why he felt a fear from the bottom of his heart.

Zhao Xiaoqian was usually too gentle and had a nonchalant attitude towards people and things. Cai You rarely saw him excited or angry.

At this moment, Zhao Xiaoqian's expression was still calm, but Cai You felt a chill. The thunder hidden under the calm appearance was already flashing and roaring.

"What is the Duke's plan to do next?"

"It's nothing special. Qingming Festival is approaching, so I'm going to kill a censor to offer sacrifice to the heavens. Festivals should be celebrated in a festive atmosphere."

…………

The Imperial City Office suddenly became busy.

They received the transfer order from Zhao Xiaoqian, and all the members of the Imperial City Administration in Bianjing returned to their base. Then, they wore uniform armor and held spears, and lined up in front of the Imperial City Administration office.

Zhao Xiaoqian rarely put on his official uniform, stood in front of the stone steps of the government office, and looked around at the hundreds of elite soldiers from the Imperial City Administration in front of him.

Wei Jie stood behind Zhao Xiaoqian's shoulder, his expression calm and his eyes sharp as lightning.

Everyone looked at Zhao Xiaoqian quietly, waiting for his next order.

After a long pause, Zhao Xiaoqian slowly said, "After investigation, it was found that the Supervisory Censor Zhou Zhi secretly formed a clique, colluded with and incited the students of the Imperial College, intending to manipulate public opinion and defy the will of the Emperor. He is suspected of treason."

"The Imperial City Division is responsible for investigating and arresting lawbreakers. The crimes committed by the Zhou family are unpardonable. This case does not need to go through Kaifeng Prefecture, the Ministry of Justice, or the Dali Temple. It will be handled by the Imperial City Division on a special case basis."

Wei Jie stepped forward and said, "My Lord, I have already found out that Zhou Zhi is currently having a banquet at the residence of Xing Shu, the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Justice."

Zhao Xiaoqian raised his lips. "Xing Shu? Okay, that's exactly what we should do. Let the Imperial City Division arrest him in front of Xing Shu. If Xing Shu dares to obstruct, he will be treated as an accomplice and arrested together."

Turning around and looking at the hundreds of elite soldiers of the Imperial City Division, Zhao Xiaoqian did not make any grand speeches or engage in any inspiring mobilization. He just waved to everyone lightly.

An officer immediately raised his right arm and shouted, "Go, arrest him!"

Hundreds of sharp warriors responded, lined up and set off in a murderous manner.

Wei Jie stood behind Zhao Xiaoqian, opened his eyes wide in surprise, and then quickly regained his composure.

Zhao Xiaoqian defined Zhou Zhi's character with just one sentence.

Since the matter involves treason, the Imperial City Division does not need to go through the Ministry of Justice and the Dali Temple and can make the decision on its own.

Wei Jie couldn't help but feel ridiculous in his heart. A mere seventh-rank censor actually dared to provoke the Duke of the County. Did he really think that in the Song Dynasty, "literati and officials were not subject to punishment"?
That is a treatment that only the big guys are qualified to enjoy. Who do you think you are, Zhou Zhi?

The Imperial City Administration has put on such a grand display today, which shows that they respect Zhou Zhi.

There is almost no need to guess what happened to Zhou Zhi.

He is doomed to die, and his reputation will be ruined before he dies. Liu Dan from Bingjingwu is feeling very frustrated, and now, another job has come to him.

Zhao Xiaoqian stood outside the government office, looking at the empty space in front of it. He suddenly said, "Wei Jie, in the name of the Imperial City Administration, send a letter to the Imperial College's chief academic officer, requesting him to strictly control the students and not indulge them. Otherwise, the Imperial City Administration will prosecute them regardless of their background."

(End of this chapter)