On the tenth day of April, there was a grand court meeting.
Zhu Bowen rode his horse on the way to court, looking more serious than ever. He had not slept all night because of the words Zhi'er had someone convey to him last night.
Something happened in the palace. This news is too shocking.
"Master Zhu."
Zhu Bowen looked back and saluted, "Duke Anguo."
Because of their previous interactions, and the close relationship between his grandson and Zhu Bowen's granddaughter, Duke Anguo did not treat him as an outsider. He approached and whispered, "I heard that the eldest girl is back."
"Yes, he came back. He said he was so tired that he fell asleep before he could finish his words."
Thinking of the rumors spread by those who had ulterior motives, Duke Anguo could only shake his head and sigh, "Everyone who knows knows what happened. You should try to enlighten her. Most people will remember her well."
"Although she will feel bad, she will not change her principles because of those rumors." Otherwise, she would not have passed on the message to him yesterday. Zhu Bowen looked back unintentionally, leaned close to the Duke of Anguo and said in a low voice: "The emperor has not shown up for a few days. Yesterday, the Sixth Prince came with silver to ask for an audience but did not see him, and no instructions came down."
Duke Anguo frowned, "No one to see, no words to say?"
"Yes, I think the situation is not right. If the emperor still does not show up at the court meeting today, you can ask a few people to come and argue with me about the whereabouts of the silver. It doesn't matter if it's a bit intense. In the end, ask the emperor to make the decision and see if he will show up."
Duke Anguo's heart skipped a beat. "You are suspicious... But maybe he is recuperating. After all, his body..."
"Yesterday, the Sixth Prince and the Seventh Constellation tried their best to find someone, but they were not able to see him. The Seventh Constellation also did not allow him to enter the palace."
"You didn't even see Nanasuji?"
"yes."
Duke Anguo realized the seriousness of the matter. Who are the Seven Stars? They have the power to report directly. Even the government office is located in the palace. If even they can't see anyone...
The two looked at each other, and Duke Anguo nodded in agreement.
At the hour of Mao, the palace gate slowly opened. Zhu Bowen and Duke Anguo exchanged glances, both of them feeling heavy in their hearts.
Entering the Hall of Supreme Harmony, all civil and military officials were arranged according to their ranks. The emperor had not arrived yet, and the ministers were talking in low voices. The most talked about topic was whether the emperor would attend court today.
After waiting for a while, there was finally movement. Just as Zhu Bowen was delighted and prepared to kneel down and shout "Long live the emperor", he caught a glimpse of the eunuch Chang who usually followed the emperor.
"The emperor has ordered that all the ministers hold court on their own and submit their results in a memorial."
Xiao Liu clenched his fists. He subconsciously glanced at his third and fourth brothers, and saw that they were both frowning. He thought about it and finally did not go forward to inquire. He did not trust these two brothers.
At this time, everyone's eyes fell on the most senior Dukes Dingguo and Luguo. Duke Dingguo coughed lightly and said, "If you have anything to report, please speak up and we will discuss it first."
"yes."
Someone mentioned two things to start a discussion. After almost no debate, Zhu Bowen stood up and said, "What I want to talk about is the silver that Qi Su Si brought back from Jinyang yesterday. The emperor had previously ordered that the army's food supply should not be delayed, and the national treasury is already under great pressure. This silver should belong to the national treasury no matter what."
"Minister Zhu is wrong." Minister of Works He Lianjie stood out, "The Emperor has already ordered me to prepare for the construction of the canal and promised that the money would be transferred to the Ministry of Works. With what Lord Zhu said, will my Ministry of Works move forward or not?"
Minister of War Chen Yuanqing also stood up and said, "The Chaoli tribe is now coming aggressively. The emperor once summoned me alone and ordered me to make a new batch of knives for the soldiers. This is also a costly matter. If this matter is delayed, who will be responsible?"
"… "
Many people coveted this money, even those who had not been informed by the Duke of Anguo before all jumped out to want to get a piece of the pie, but after much arguing, the Ministry of Revenue finally became more legitimate.
At this time, someone said, "I think we should arrest Hua Zhi first. She is the daughter of a criminal, but she interfered in Jinyang's affairs. Who gave her the power?"
The noisy hall fell silent for a moment. Zhu Bowen looked at the man who had spoken coldly and said, "May I ask, Lord Liu, what consequences did my granddaughter cause by intervening in this matter?"
"No matter what the consequences are, Hua Zhi's transgression is a fact."
"Oh? According to what Lord Liu meant, my granddaughter should have stood aside and watched, allowing Jinyang to fall into chaos, allowing Jinyang's money to flow out, and allowing the people to live in fear all day long?"
Lord Liu could not respond to this, and only said: "Jinyang has its own officials, and they will take care of it."
"When has Jinyang ever lacked officials? But the Chaoli clan has used it as their base camp in recent years, occupying the city's wealth for their own use. Jinyang has almost become a gambling city. You have all been in the officialdom for many years. Do you dare to say that the officials in Jinyang are innocent? Let me ask you one thing. If you were in Jinyang, would you do better than Hua Zhi? Would you be more courageous than her to be so daring? If she didn't care and Jinyang was in chaos, would you say that she was guilty of not doing what she could do? Lord Liu, where were you when she was fighting with the Chaoli people? Where were you when she was planning for Jinyang all night long? You want to ask her about her crime without saying anything. What crime did she commit? Where do you put her hard work? Where do you put her loyalty to Daqing?"
The anger that had been accumulated for several days was vented with these questions. Zhu Bowen did not give up and continued, "Hua Zhi is not qualified to attend the court. Even if you say she is wrong a thousand times, she has no place to refute. But Lord Liu, don't you feel guilty? Your granddaughter enjoys wealth and splendor in the prosperous capital. She never leaves the house, has a group of servants, and has everything she wants. But my granddaughter has to withstand the fists of the beautiful woman in the outside world. Who is she protecting? Does she not know how to live a good life and must suffer that? Even if the Hua family collapses, my Zhu family is still there. My Zhu family can still let her have a group of servants and have everything she wants!"
"I can do that, too." Another voice rang out. It was Xiao Liu. He raised his chin slightly, proud and angry at the same time. "That's my master. I can also make her have a group of servants and give her everything she wants!"
Yes, everyone just remembered at this moment that Hua Zhi was the teacher to whom the Sixth Prince had offered tea and worshipped as his disciple. The person Lord Liu was attacking at this moment was the prince's teacher, and she could no longer be considered a pure commoner.
Everyone present knew the right and wrong of the matter. If you really want to talk about it, not only was she not wrong, she was even meritorious. Only people with a different stance could forcibly pin the blame on Hua Zhi.
Lord Liu glanced at the Fourth Prince and wanted to back out but had no way out, so he could only continue to argue: "But it is also true that Hua Zhi violated Daqing Law!"
Zhu Bowen shook his sleeves and said, "If that's the case, then please let the emperor make the decision. Do you have anything else to discuss?"
Some shook their heads, while others remained silent. Zhu Bowen lifted his skirt and knelt toward the north. "Please tell Eunuch Chang that this old minister wishes to see the emperor."
The Minister of Industry and the Minister of War also knelt on the ground and said, "Please tell Eunuch Chang that we wish to see the Emperor."