Three days later, the closed gates of the capital city were finally opened. Even after the gates were opened, the people of the capital city were still very cautious and would not easily go out on the streets except to buy necessary necessities of life.
At Zhou's house, Zhulan listened to the sound of rain outside and frowned, "They say spring rain is as precious as oil. It has been raining non-stop these past few days."
Xue Han frowned, "This rain makes me feel depressed."
Zhulan nodded. It was a gloomy day and the lighting in the room was not good, which really affected people's mood.
Xue Han put down the melon seeds in her hand and said, "Mom, I heard that the fifth prince's injury has healed."
Zhulan, "I heard that he didn't suffer many kinds of injuries, just a scratch on his arm."
She still remembered the situation on that day. Rumors spread that the Fifth Prince was dying, and there were many jokes. Zhang Yang didn't dare to go to court for the past few days because he was embarrassed.
Xue Han pursed her lips and smiled secretly, "Rong Chuan said that the Fifth Prince hired a lot of imperial doctors at that time."
Zhu Lan also laughed. Everyone knows that Zhang Yang values his life the most. Of course, there are a lot of gossips about the Zhou family. It cannot be concealed that two groups of assassins came into the Zhou family. They have received a lot of condolences in the past few days.
Zhulan thought of this and her face turned pale. "The people in the capital are in a panic. Mrs. Du came to the mansion in person yesterday just to watch the fun. What is she up to?"
She had a bad relationship with Mrs. Du, and she was definitely not there to offer condolences. She was just here to watch the fun. Think about what Mrs. Du said, about how the Zhou family should keep a low profile and not be too arrogant. Wouldn't that make people hate her
Even if she went back, she would still feel uncomfortable.
Xue Han sighed, "When Madam Du becomes the Duke's wife in the future, the good reputation of the Duke's Mansion will be ruined."
She was there yesterday too, and Mrs. Du was so irritating.
Zhulan then felt relieved again, "Huh? She'll have to suffer today."
Xue Han smiled secretly, her mother held a grudge, "Grandma should have met with Mrs. Song by now."
Zhulan also laughed? "Yeah."
At the Ningguo Mansion, the old lady of the Duke and other maids sent Mrs. Song away. The smile on her face disappeared, and the teacup in her hand fell to the ground.
The Duke came in and was startled. "What happened today? Why are you so angry?"
The old Duke's wife glared at her husband. "Isn't it Du who caused this? I thought she went to Zhou's house with sincerity yesterday, but what happened? Did she make Yang angry? Although I don't know what Du said, I can guess from what the old woman said just now. It must not be a good thing."
The old Duke's face was stiff, "What did the old woman say?"
The Duke's wife took a deep breath and said, "What does Yang mean? The Zhou family must keep a low profile in the future and will never cause trouble, so the Zhou family will not accept any invitations in the next one or two months. There are also some words that I will not learn, isn't that enough?"
The old Duke had a gloomy face? Enough? He could also guess what Madam Du had said, "You are stupid."
The Duke's wife had a headache. She was old and not energetic enough. When Mrs. Du came back yesterday, she didn't ask much. To be honest, she was happy that Mrs. Du could go to Zhou's house in person. But she was slapped in the face. "Hey, if we continue to let her go, we don't know who we will offend!"
Especially now that the prince is at the height of his popularity, if he does his job well this time, his position will become more stable, and more invitations will be sent to the Duke's Mansion. She is really afraid that Mrs. Du will go crazy.
The Duke's face darkened. "Let her continue to worship Buddha. Ning Hui has been sick again because of the rain these days. It's a good reason to pray for blessings."
The Duke's wife nodded, her tone somewhat melancholy, "The imperial physician said that he hoped Ning Hui could relax, but how could Ning Hui relax about what happened to Mrs. Du? I'm really afraid that if things continue like this, our son won't live longer than the two of us old men."
The Duke was heartbroken. He had two sons. The death of his eldest son, whom he loved dearly, became an eternal pain in his heart. His youngest son faked his own death, and only his second son stayed with him.
In the Ministry of Revenue, Zhou Shuren rubbed his shoulders and said to Doctor Lei who was reporting: "We have finally counted the antique calligraphy and paintings, and the rest will be disposed of."
Doctor Lei's eyes were all dark. The Ministry of Revenue was really tiring. When he was in the Ministry of Justice before, he had a lot of free time. It was nothing like the Ministry of Revenue, where he had to deal with money every day. After the counting was finished, his tone was also light, "Yes."
Zhou Shuren waited for Doctor Lei to go out, then leaned back in a chair to rest, his mind empty. Most of the Yao clan members who held positions were killed or injured, and there were only a few people left between the ages of 20 and 30. Yao Wenqi was sick, but he didn't know if he was really sick.
The next morning, Zhou Shuren was depressed at the court session. He had to attend the court session for the first time in a new month. Qiu Yan must have done it on purpose. It was the end of the month and he suddenly got sick and took five days of sick leave.
At the morning court session, Zhou Shuren could feel the eyes staring at him, and the corners of his mouth twitched. It seemed as if they really thought he was willing to come. He still wanted to sleep a little longer!
The emperor and the prince arrived soon. After the emperor sat down, he spoke directly, "I am old."
All the ministers in the hall were startled. At this moment, they all looked up at the emperor, waiting for him to say the next sentence: Abdicate
The most nervous ones were the princes. Prince Qi clenched his hands, fearing that his father would say the two words he least wanted to hear.
King Liang's face changed, but he hadn't made his final attempt yet.
The King of Chu was much calmer and looked at his father calmly.
Finally, it was Zhang Yang who turned pale. It was over just as he was arguing
Zhou Shuren became much calmer. The emperor had too many tricks up his sleeve, and now was not the time for him to abdicate.
The emperor saw everyone's reaction and pointed at the prince. "It has been raining for a long time and I am a little tired. The prince will handle the affairs of state on my behalf."
Having said that, the emperor stood up and patted the prince on the shoulder, then left the court with Eunuch Liu and others, not caring at all about the shock in the court.
Zhou Shuren thought silently that the task of clearing the capital was actually a signal that the prince's position was stable. Such an important task actually explained a lot of things.
The Prince of Qi stared at the Crown Prince who was standing in front of the Dragon Throne. As long as the Crown Prince sat down, he would be the Emperor. This position was so close to the Dragon Throne. He sneered at himself in his heart. The Crown Prince's position was stable. He understood it. Not only he understood it, but his younger brothers also understood it. The Emperor his father had never concealed the importance he attached to the Crown Prince.
The King of Qi asked himself that the prince was most like his father, not just because of his father's teachings, but the prince's character was truly like his father.
The King of Chu wanted to laugh, but he couldn't. He didn't even know why he wanted to laugh. It was because his fantasy was shattered. Yes, it was a fantasy, a fantasy he created himself. Why should he fight? Since he was a child, his father only had eyes for the prince. As both were sons, how could he get into his father's eyes if he didn't fight.
He is a prince, and he has the support of his maternal family, which is powerful. Why shouldn't he fight? Even if he doesn't fight, the prince will let him go. No, his maternal family is powerful and will be cleaned up sooner or later, so he must fight. But he didn't expect that it was his father who took action against his maternal family. He was quick, accurate and ruthless, without any feelings of support. When my grandfather died, he only said one sentence: the most ruthless person is the emperor.
Now that his father had personally shattered his fantasy, the King of Chu laughed softly and finally laughed out loud.