Zheng Zhongguang froze in place as he watched Xiao Zimu's leaving figure.
What did His Highness Seventh Prince say just now
He wants to sign this lotus painting
This painting was actually made by him
Zheng Zhongguang's shoulders were slumped and his figure was shabby.
His old feelings of resentment and jealousy lingered around him, mocking him for being ridiculous.
It turns out that even if identity is put aside.
They have always been different from each other.
After Xiao Zimu left the study, Xin Ya and Yin Guangbo heard that His Highness had asked Fu Cheng for questioning, so they came out of the side hall and waited at the door.
Seeing His Highness coming out at this time, the two of them greeted him.
"Xin Ya, follow that Fu Ya and see who he will associate with." Xiao Zimu ordered Xin Ya, then turned to look at Yin Guangbo and said, "Go to the Fu Ya and bring some officers and soldiers to guard him. Here, Zheng Zhongguang is mainly under house arrest."
Yin Guangbo said yes and hurried to the government office.
Xiao Zimu left the mansion and walked alone on the deserted streets.
The bright moon is as clear as water.
Everything under the shadow of the moon has a kind of dusty loneliness.
There were scattered lights on the street, which reflected on Xiao Zimu's gentle face.
At this time, he was still wearing a tattered short brown shirt, looking at the mountains in the distance. Under the reflection of the mountain moon, his black eyebrows were picturesque.
Xiao Zimu paused and thought for a while, then quickened his pace and walked towards the inn.
The night was already deep, and by the time Xiao Zimu returned to the inn, the waiters on duty had already fallen asleep on the table.
He knocked on the door for a long time before the waiter woke up from his dream, opened his sleepy eyes, and opened the door for him impatiently.
"Is there anything to eat?" Xiao Zimu remembered at this moment that he had not eaten yet and was already hungry.
"We only have cakes at this time, twelve for each, do you want it?" The waiter glanced at him and replied impatiently.
"Forget it." Xiao Zimu gave a wry smile. He might as well go back and eat some dry food, at least there would be dried meat.
"It's so pretentious when you don't have money." The waiter muttered, turned around, found a comfortable position and continued to lie down.
Xiao Zimu looked at his unscrupulous sleeping face, shook his head slightly, and walked towards his room.
After entering the house, he took out the meat cakes and meat jerky from the package, ate them together, and found pen, ink, paper and inkstone from the luggage. After finishing the cake, he wiped his hands with a towel and then ate. I wrote a letter to Xia Chu by faint candlelight.
The candle wick was beating loudly, just like his mood was fluctuating at the moment.
Xia Chu's previous letter did not tell him that Zheng Zhongguang, the Yin of Guwan Prefecture, was his cousin.
The things Xia Chu asked him to do seemed to be related to the famine, but in fact they had nothing to do with it.
He instinctively didn't believe it. Xia Chu asked him to come to Guwan specially, but he knew nothing about it.
If Xia Chu knew about this matter but didn't tell him specifically, then there was only one possibility. Xia Chu felt that this matter was not important, or that this matter was a trigger.
He chose to believe Zheng Zhongguang not because Zheng Zhongguang was his cousin.
But Mao Xianchun's words seemed smooth, but in fact they were full of loopholes.
Mao Xianchun was calm and composed after entering the study. When he saw Xiao Zimu, he knelt down to him and called his highness.
The etiquette was calm and sophisticated, not like a government official at all. After learning that such a big thing happened today, he was called over for questioning at short notice, so he should be coherent.
Although Mao Xianchun deliberately pretended to know nothing at first and said "Ah", but then he recited his words, which aroused Xiao Zimu's suspicion even more.
If, as he said, it was Zheng Zhongguang who colluded with government officials and businessmen to drive up food prices, even those who intended to go to Beijing to report were killed.
He even used himself as his support.
So according to Mao Xianchun's description, Zheng Zhongguang should be a ruthless, cold-blooded, scheming person who preys on the common people and is extravagantly dissolute.
Since he is such a person, why do he still pretend to know nothing and even summoned Mao Xianchun to see him to expose himself.
Unless they had prepared a confession early in the morning and Mao Xianchun was here to help him exonerate himself.
Of course, that's what he thought at first.
However, the result was unexpected.
How could a person who was supposed to be so scheming and ruthless easily allow someone like Mao Xianchun to bite him back so completely
The strangest thing is that Mao Xianchun knew that they were cousins.
Now that we know that the place where Xiao Zimu summoned him was the study and not the court.
Mao Xianchun can sit in the position of Fu Cheng now, he must have this simple vision.
Since Xiao Zimu met in the study, there was still room for maneuver in the matter, not to mention that they were actually related by blood.
When Mao Xianchun came in, Xiao Zimu's attitude towards Zheng Zhongguang was not too strong, and he even let Zheng Zhongguang sit on the chair.
If it was really Zheng Zhongguang who did it, since he dared to hand over such a big matter as setting high grain prices to Mao Xianchun, and even gave him something as important as pricing discounts for safekeeping, then he must have trusted Mao Xianchun.
The so-called trust is either sincerity for sincerity, or it is a matter of manipulation.
If it was because of the sincerity of the first point, then Mao Xianchun had no reason to bite back.
If it was because of the second argument, why did Mao Xianchun conclude that Zheng Zhongguang was definitely doomed. How to ensure that Zheng Zhongguang will not drag him into the water before he finishes playing.
Mao Xianchun was too decisive, after he knew that they were related by blood.
He didn't show the slightest hesitation. Every word he said was pushing Zheng Zhongguang towards the end of the road.
He even handled this situation with ease.
It seems that it has been planned and rehearsed.
On the other hand, looking at Zheng Zhongguang, from the initial confusion, to the surprise during the confrontation, to the anger when he was finally accused.
Between the two of them, Xiao Zimu finally chose to believe his own judgment and sided with Zheng Zhongguang, preparing to investigate Mao Xianchun.
He didn't hesitate.
So, after all, I still had a hand.
He ordered Yin Guangbo to go to the government office to find officials to place Zheng Zhongguang under house arrest.
If it finally comes out that Zheng Zhongguang really had no knowledge and was just corrupt and accepting bribes, he can still be protected.
If he mistrusted the person, Zheng Zhongguang had been detained anyway, and even if the news reached his father, he would not be implicated.
However, it was not until the moment he went out that he looked at Zheng Zhongguang.
He felt that he must have made the right bet.
Xiao Zimu wrote a letter about the current situation, then went out and called "Bian Zhao" softly.
Bian Zhao fell in response, saluted respectfully, and called "Your Highness."
After receiving the letter, he immediately disappeared.
He is the secret guard arranged by Xia Chu to deliver news to Xiao Zimu.
He didn't take action in that scene in the afternoon because Xiao Zimu once told him that the emperor sent hidden guards to protect him secretly. He didn't have to show his face at all times except when Xiao Zimu called him.
Therefore, he spent the afternoon hiding in the tree and watching.
Until I saw the four hidden guards falling down.
He breathed a sigh of relief.
(End of chapter)