Zhou Shuren felt a little sore in the waist. He rubbed it and thought silently that after this was over, he would definitely exercise again. His body was about to fall apart. Fortunately, he didn't get carsick and didn't want to vomit.
Another half hour passed and Zhou Shuren stopped sitting and lay down in the carriage. In modern times, forty-something is not considered old, but in ancient times, haha. He couldn't help but touch his hair, which had turned white. He felt sad and didn't know how long he could live!
There was no one following in the Fifth Prince's carriage. The driver was someone from the government office. Only the Fifth Prince, Zhang Jinghong, was in the carriage. Zhang Jinghong calculated the distance. The closer he got to the capital, the more panicked he became.
If he hadn't used a substitute this time, he would have been seriously injured. He received news that more than one group of people wanted to kill him, so he clenched his hands. It must be some good brothers, but he didn't know who they were. Thinking of the prince, he sneered in his heart, wondering if the prince had taken action.
Zhang Jinghong let go of his hand and clenched the sword again with one hand, hoping that his guess was correct and Zhou Shuren could really protect him.
Half an hour later, the second prince to the fourth prince arrived at the palace gate. The crown prince was waiting at the palace gate. After his younger brothers got off the carriage, he turned around and left first.
The second prince followed closely behind, his eyes fixed on the crown prince's back. He really wanted to get past him.
The third prince followed slowly, he was so hungry, his heart was in his throat the whole time, and he was busy dealing with orders, so he didn't eat a single bite. Of course he was also afraid that his father would find out that he had time for dinner, so in the end he could only starve himself.
The third prince regretted it very much. If he had known earlier, he would not have wasted time following the crown prince.
The fourth prince gritted his teeth. What a good opportunity, woohoo, it’s gone just like that.
After the prince walked for a while, his stomach felt much better, because he was a little full from eating too much the night before. Today's duck is delicious, and he can have another one tomorrow. Yes, the soup is also good, and it warms his body.
In the main hall, the prince came in with a few annoying younger brothers. His father had just finished dinner. The prince took a closer look and saw that today's dinner was exceptionally sumptuous. You know, his father was usually very frugal. He seemed to hear the sound of saliva.
After rinsing his mouth, the emperor said to Eunuch Liu, "I have rewarded you. Now you can all leave."
Eunuch Liu thanked him and quickly led his men out.
From the second prince to the fourth prince, "..."
They think their father did it on purpose!
Nearly another hour later, Zhou Shuren and his party finally arrived at the gate of the capital city. Zhou Shuren felt relieved. Oh, he had a very high status in the emperor's heart. He really had some little surprises. He felt that it was all thanks to him that Zhang Jinghong, the fake prince, could return unscathed.
Ever since he guessed that Zhang Jinghong was fake, based on his understanding of the emperor, he didn't care as long as the bait didn't die.
The fifth prince lifted the carriage curtain with mixed feelings. According to his analysis, he was the one pushed out by his father to serve as a sword for the crown prince. Now the last fantasy in his heart was gone. If his father wanted to protect him, his substitute would not be seriously injured. Just look at Lord Zhou and you will know. His father was protecting Lord Zhou. With this realization, Zhang Jinghong lowered the curtain and sneered.
Zhou Shuren felt the murderous gaze and stroked his beard. The Fifth Prince was also a smart man. He felt that he would be blamed and this time he would definitely be on the Fifth Prince's blacklist.
Zhou Shuren also lowered the curtain and pondered, wondering whether he should trick the Fifth Prince. Then he gave up. The Fifth Prince no longer needed him to trick him, as he had been on the Emperor's blacklist for a long time. It was a pity, but he could still trick him a bit.
There was someone waiting at the city gate. Zhou Shuren had sent someone to deliver a letter to the capital long ago. Zhou Shuren arrived at the palace gate smoothly. Lord Wei waited for Zhou Shuren to dismount and said, "Sir."
Lord Zhou greeted him, "Lord Wei, you have worked hard."
Lord Wei returned the greeting, "It is my duty, Your Excellency is too polite."
The fifth prince also got off the carriage. At this time, the emperor had not confirmed the authenticity, so Zhou Shuren went ahead. Eunuch Liu was waiting at the palace gate. Zhou Shuren was surprised, "Eunuch Liu, it turned out to be you."
Eunuch Liu smiled and said, "It's been a long time since we last saw Lord Zhou. He seems to be a lot younger than the last time I saw him."
Zhou Shuren, “… .”
This sounds familiar. Has it spread to the palace? The emperor is really idle!
Zhang Jinghong stepped forward and said, "Eunuch Liu, how is father these days?"
Eunuch Liu knew everything in his heart, but he had to pretend, "He really looks exactly like the Fifth Prince, but he seems to be fatter than the Fifth Prince."
The Fifth Prince felt guilty and then closed his mouth and refused to speak. He was very scared. His disguise couldn't even fool Lord Zhou, let alone his father. Now that he was back in the capital, he felt at ease and had time to think about the follow-up. He hoped that his guess was correct, but even though the wind was biting cold, he was still sweating all over.
Eunuch Liu retracted his gaze, "Sir Zhou, the Emperor is waiting!"
Zhou Shuren, "Please come in, eunuch."
Eunuch Liu did not dare to keep the emperor waiting, and led the way quickly. Despite his age, his pace was not slow at all.
At least, it was a bit difficult for Zhou Shuren to follow. Zhou Shuren looked at the dark night sky and thought that if he didn't exercise, his body would be ruined.
Soon they arrived at the Zheng Palace, which was brightly lit. After Eunuch Liu reported the situation, Zhou Shuren and Lord Wei went in. The floor tiles were biting in the winter, and Zhou Shuren knelt firmly. After listening to the sound of Lord Wei kneeling, he fell silent. There were people who were stronger than him, and it hurt him just listening to it.
The emperor was used to hearing this, so he said calmly, "Stand up."
Zhou Shuren and Lord Wei, "Thank you, Your Majesty."
Zhou Shuren's knees hurt when he stood up. He glanced at Lord Wei and saw that his movements were still very agile. Zhou Shuren was impressed. It turned out that people who practiced martial arts had strong physiques.
The emperor said to Lord Wei, "You have worked hard on the journey. Go back and rest first."
Lord Wei rarely has the opportunity to see the emperor. It is a great favor for him to see him today. He suppressed his excitement and said, "Yes."
Lord Wei went out, and Eunuch Liu came in with Zhang Jinghong.
Zhou Shuren moved step by step and stood silently opposite the princes, leaving the middle seat empty, which was the best position for watching the show.
Not only was the Fifth Prince stunned, even the Crown Prince and several other princes were stunned.
The emperor suppressed the corner of his mouth. Zhou Shuren's actions just now were really unsightly and it was quite embarrassing!
The prince smiled in his heart. Lord Zhou’s position was good, not worse than his at all.
The second prince had a wooden face. Was this to mean that he was looking for a place to watch the show? Did he understand correctly
The third prince blinked his eyes, and he realized that Lord Zhou was not only a first-rate liar, but also quite interesting.
The fourth prince narrowed his eyes. How come he saw a hint of his father in Lord Zhou!!!
The main hall was eerily quiet. Zhou Shuren stood there expressionlessly. He had really wanted to go back and rest with Lord Wei, but when he saw everyone looking at him, he blinked his eyes. Zhou Shuren looked like, "Don't bother me, I'm just a background board."
There was a smile in the emperor's eyes. It was fun to meet him!
When the fifth prince saw his father looking at him, he finally came back to his senses. He fell to his knees with a plop and started howling, tears streaming down his face. "Father, you have to make the decision for your son. Father, the ones in the mansion are fake, I am the real one. Everything is a conspiracy. They are so bold as to replace the prince. Father, I have finally come back!"