The yamen runner also had a look of horror on his face, as if to say, "I'm really not dreaming," "There's someone claiming to be the fifth prince outside the government office who wants to see you, my Lord."
Come to think of it, didn’t the Fifth Prince return to the capital? At first, the yamen runners didn’t know about it, but after the Fifth Prince was brought back to the capital in a high-profile manner, they all knew about it. It had only been a short time since he left, so how could the Fifth Prince appear again? If it weren’t for the jade token in his hand, he would have brought someone in long ago.
Zhou Shuren choked his trachea and finally stopped coughing. His throat and trachea were uncomfortable, but his mind was busy while he was taking a breath. The Fifth Prince was really smart this time. The master behind him was not simple. The safest way was to find him!
Lord Wang was extremely conflicted. Life is full of surprises. "Sir."
Zhou Shuren felt better and cleared his throat. "Please let someone in."
The yamen runner was in a state of confusion. The prefect's tone was like, could this person be real? My God, this is a big deal. "Yes."
After the yamen runners left, Lord Wang asked, "Lord Zhou, what's going on?"
Zhou Shuren spread out his hands. He was good at pretending. "I don't know either. I'll know after I meet the Fifth Prince."
Lord Wang curled his lips in his heart. He would rather believe nonsense than believe Lord Zhou's words.
The bailiff came back soon, following behind the fifth prince Zhang Jinghong. Zhou Shuren looked at the fifth prince's outfit, and he really looked very dishevelled. Zhou Shuren was picky, the fifth prince's outfit was very similar, but eyes couldn't lie, and neither could the body. No matter how good the fifth prince's disguise was, it couldn't change the fact that the fifth prince was in good health, had fair skin, and a face that was a lot fatter than the last time he saw him. It was obvious that he was enjoying a good life.
Zhou Shuren silently gave his evaluation in his heart, saying that his acting skills were too poor and he didn't pay attention to details.
Lord Wang looked up at the ceiling. He didn't want to look at it anymore for fear of laughing out loud.
Zhang Jinghong felt uncomfortable being looked at. He wanted to act more like a real person, but he had good food and good care in the Lin family. He hadn't practiced martial arts for a long time, so he had gained weight and his expression was a little stiff. He had to continue acting. "Sir Zhou, I finally get to see you. I finally got back to Jinzhou. Sir, please take me back to the capital. I want to meet my father and expose the conspiracy."
Zhou Shuren wanted to speak first, but the Fifth Prince beat him to the punch. He swallowed the words silently. He really didn't want to ask whether the Fifth Prince was real or fake, but he still had to ask simply, since he was in front of him, "Do you have any ID?"
Zhang Jinghong hurriedly took out the jade token from his arms, "This is proof. Every prince is born with a jade token. Mine is the real one. I broke it when I was naughty as a child. There are obvious marks. My father and mother are aware of this."
Zhou Shuren rolled his eyes in his heart. Oh, he still has a trick up his sleeve. He took it and looked at it. It was indeed as the Fifth Prince said. There was a crack. "Although I have never seen the injured Fifth Prince, I can't just listen to your one-sided story. It's a pity that Prince Yao has returned to the capital, otherwise I could ask him to come and identify it."
Zhang Jinghong gritted his teeth in his heart. He hated Yao Zheyu so much that he was anxious to return to Beijing. "Sir, please send me back to Beijing in person. I will know the truth immediately when I get to Beijing."
Zhou Shuren raised his eyebrows. They were waiting for him here. The Fifth Prince knew that it was dangerous for him to come to Beijing, so he was asked to escort him to Beijing. In Zhou Shuren's eyes, the Fifth Prince Zhang Jinghong was a huge trouble. If he didn't show up, he would pretend not to know. If he showed up, he would protect Zhang Jinghong's safety no matter what. He was sure that the other princes were hoping that something would happen to Zhang Jinghong in Jinzhou.
Zhou Shuren weighed the pros and cons and discovered with sadness that the longer this big trouble stayed, the more disadvantageous it would be for the Zhou family. Now that the other princes had made peace with him, it didn't mean they didn't want to use the fifth prince to get rid of him.
Zhang Jinghong was nervous. The man in front of him was an old fox. The longer he stayed in Jinzhou and the more he heard, the less willing he was to get along with Zhou Shuren. He always felt like he was being seen through. "Master Zhou."
Zhou Shuren said to the guard outside the door: "Go find Lord Wei and tell him that I have something urgent to see him about."
Lord Wei, the commander of the defense of Jinzhou City, is a reliable man. Zhou Shuren thinks that the more people who return to Beijing, the better. He is not doing this to protect Zhang Jinghong, he is doing it purely for his own safety. Yes, there are also his own guards. Zhou Shuren thought that the emperor must know about the movements of the fifth prince, and hoped that the emperor could pick him up on the way back to Beijing!
After Zhou Shuren made the arrangements, he looked at Zhang Jinghong who was sitting down and was silent for a moment. "This matter is of great importance. I will personally send you back to Beijing. All decisions will be made by the emperor."
If he hadn't been afraid of something going wrong, he wouldn't have gone to the capital in person. To be honest, he didn't want to meet the emperor in person. He felt that communicating with the emperor on paper was fine, as he didn't have to kneel because his knees hurt.
Zhang Jinghong breathed a sigh of relief. As long as Lord Zhou was willing to send him back, he would feel more confident. He was also afraid of death. People only have one life. If it weren't for the substitute, he would be the one seriously injured. However, Zhang Jinghong was entangled, "Lord Zhou, do you have anything to ask?"
Zhou Shuren kept smiling and said, "I am only a fourth-rank official."
The implication is that the official is too low-ranking to be in charge.
The corner of Lord Wang's mouth twitched. Lord, what you are doing is not the work of a fourth-rank official.
Zhou Shuren narrowed his eyes and asked, "Master Zhou, did you catch a cold last night?"
Wang Ju was stunned. "No."
Zhou Shuren said quietly, "If you weren't affected by the wind, why would your mouth keep twitching? Lord Wang, don't hide the fact that you're not feeling well."
Lord Wang, “… .”
He just wanted to change the subject, but there was no need to bully him like this. Wouldn't that make him think of you in his heart
Zhang Jinghong felt very powerless. He wanted to involve Lord Zhou and hope to muddy the waters as much as possible, but he always felt powerless towards Lord Zhou.
Zhou Shuren was satisfied that Zhang Jinghong was silent, so he stood up and called Jinyan, "Tell your family that I will go to Beijing immediately and will not return tonight."
Jinyan was standing outside, but due to years of martial arts training, he had sharp ears and eyes, and he could hear the voices in the house clearly, "Yes."
At the Zhou Mansion, after hearing Jinyan's words, Zhulan had no time to hesitate. She quickly stood up and took Mrs. Song to pack Zhou Shuren's luggage. After confirming that nothing was left out, Zhulan handed the purse prepared for the reward to Jinyan.
Zhulan said, "Of these five purses, the top one contains 100 taels, the remaining four contain 50 taels each, and you can pack the remaining 200 taels of silver notes."
Jinyan put away her purse, carried her luggage and the hot water bottle, etc., "Don't worry, Madam. I will protect you."
Zhulan said gratefully, "Thank you for your trouble."
Zhulan was really grateful. Jinyan's expression told her that if there was really danger, he would protect Zhou Shuren at all costs. She was also grateful from the bottom of her heart.
Jinyan and Mrs. Song looked at each other. These were what they were supposed to do. It was the first time they received thanks. They could tell the difference between true and false.
There was warmth in Mrs. Song's eyes. The Zhou family is very good.