Inside the Zheng Palace, Zhou Shuren's legs were numb from standing. He didn't calculate how long he had been standing. From the corner of his eye he saw sweat on Lord Wang's forehead. Lord Wang had never suffered much, and he was about to be unable to bear it. He looked at the standing prince, who hadn't moved at all.
Zhou Shuren was very impressed, it was all the result of practice.
Finally, Zhou Shuren looked at the Fifth Prince who was lowering his head. There were already traces of sweat on the floor tiles. His legs must have lost all feeling as he was kneeling on the cold tiles!
No matter how brave Zhou Shuren was, he didn't have the guts to peek at the emperor's expression at this moment. He really wanted to go back and have a rest. Jinyan had already returned home, so the charcoal fire must be ready, and there was hot water. He really wanted to take a hot bath.
The emperor put down the brush in his hand, then covered the written paper, moved his arm, and glanced around the palace, "Jinzhou prefect Zhou Shuren has made great contributions in this case, and he is rewarded with 1,000 taels of gold, four Jinzhou shops, and some antiques."
He could be considered to have made a fortune as Zhou Shuren made a great contribution in this case. He still remembered that Zhou Shuren hired the desperado with his own money and should be rewarded for his meritorious service.
Zhou Shuren smiled, and his mind was calculating very loudly. By this calculation, he had made a lot of money this time, and the shops in Jinzhou were very valuable!
Zhou Shuren knelt down neatly, "Thank you, Your Majesty."
"No need to be polite. I will remember all your contributions, Lord Zhou."
Zhou Shuren quickly expressed his loyalty, "I will definitely live up to the emperor's grace."
The emperor felt better and said to Lord Wang, "You have also made contributions. I will give you a thousand taels of silver and some antiques."
Lord Wang's legs were clearly weak, but he knelt down in excitement to express his gratitude, "Thank you, Your Majesty."
"Get up."
The emperor looked at the fifth brother who was about to fall to the ground. This chess piece still had great use. His eyes were grim. However, the death penalty could be avoided, but the living crime could not be escaped. The second brother was responsible for the subsequent interrogation. The fifth brother had no time to think about it. He said lightly: "Don't kneel. I believe that those who are innocent will be cleared."
Zhang Jinghong climbed up twice before he could feel his legs. He lowered his head, feeling guilty, and said, "Thank you, father, for trusting me."
The prince was playing with the ring in his hand. He was not in a hurry to get involved. No, he was also a good hunter. He would remember to return it little by little when the time came.
The emperor glanced at the third and fourth sons, the two who were the best at judging people, and said, "It's getting late. I won't keep you here. Go back!"
There was joy in Zhou Shuren's eyes. He could finally go back and rest.
Zhang Jinghong knew that his father was angry with him and would not see him in the near future, so he had to bite the bullet and say, "Father, the Lin family is already guilty, has the engagement between Miss Lin and my son been annulled?"
The emperor was silent for a moment. "My royal family is not a treacherous family. Since Miss Lin has entered your house, she is yours."
Zhang Jinghong's pupils constricted. He didn't dare to believe what he heard and cold sweat broke out. The daughter of a guilty minister was the principal wife. Didn't this tell the whole court that his father didn't like him
The third prince and the fourth prince looked very happy!
The emperor paused and continued, "However, the daughter of a guilty minister cannot be the principal wife, so she can be a concubine. Fifth brother, your luck has not been very good recently. I think you need to have a good time. So, seven days later will be a good day, and you can welcome Miss Lin into your family."
Zhou Shuren lowered his head. He even wanted to cover his chest. It would have been fine if he was just breathing heavily, but you had already chosen the day. The emperor was as cruel as ever.
Zhang Jinghong's chest churned, and he tasted a sweet and fishy taste in his mouth. He was so angry that he wanted to spit out blood, but he had to swallow it back, "Thank you, father."
The third prince was trembling in his heart. His father was so scary. It was painful to be stabbed by a soft knife. He even felt a little sympathy for the fifth prince.
The Fourth Prince's mouth twitched. He didn't want to go to the palace to see his father again for the next month.
The emperor retracted his gaze and asked, "Why, are you still waiting for me to personally escort you out?"
The third prince said quickly: "My son, I'm leaving."
Zhou Shuren, "I will take my leave."
After a while, they all escaped swiftly. The Third Prince left the government hall and wiped the sweat from his forehead. Looking at the Fifth Prince who was about to fall, he felt that his methods were no match for his father's. He shook his head and said, "Fourth Prince, let's go together?"
The Fourth Prince pursed his lips. The damn Third Prince couldn't stand seeing him getting close to Lord Zhou. He wanted to get more information. He said unwillingly, "Third Brother, please."
Zhou Shuren pulled Lord Wang and said, "I am old and my legs are not good. I have to walk slowly."
Lord Wang glanced at the two princes in front of him and said, "You are indeed old. You have to admit your age."
The two princes in front rolled their eyes and said, "Bah, just say you should avoid them."
However, the two princes looked at each other and realized that they had miscalculated. Lord Zhou was the leader of this operation, which showed how much trust his father had in Lord Zhou.
The third prince touched his chin and felt sad. Lord Zhou's legitimate daughter was engaged. Then he felt upset again. Even if she was not engaged, according to the degree of partiality of his father, she should be betrothed to the prince.
The fourth prince thought that he could go to Zhou's house to deliver the invitation. It was a rare occasion for Lord Zhou to come back, so he still had to eat.
After leaving the palace, Zhou Shuren and Lord Wang separated and got on the carriage. Zhou Shuren looked back at the Fifth Prince, who looked not well. The Fifth Prince had amazing willpower. He clearly could not hold on any longer, but he did not fall down in the palace. The carriage started moving, and he heard the eunuch's call behind him. It turned out that he had fainted.
Zhou Shuren leaned against the cushion, feeling sympathetic? No, this was the royal family, and since they had started fighting, they had to be prepared to fail. He did not think that he had done less because he was young, the fifth prince was a wolf, not a sheep, and a wolf would always be a wolf, even if he was in a weak position now, he would still be a meat eater.
Zhou Shuren returned to West City, the mansion bestowed upon him by the emperor. It was a large courtyard with three entrances and several small courtyards within it, all elegantly renovated, with many plum blossoms in the courtyard.
Sure enough, the more the emperor kept things in his hands, the better the things were. No wonder he was reluctant to give them to him directly. It was a good deal.
There were a total of eight servants in the yard, two guards, two gatekeepers, and four maids. Zhou Shuren asked Shen Xing to make arrangements. After taking a hot bath, the eunuch who was to deliver the reward arrived.
The eunuch was not very old, but Zhou Shuren was familiar with him. He was the eunuch in the Zheng Palace, so he should be rewarded generously.
The young eunuch took the reward and smiled, "Thank you, sir. I will go back and report now."
Zhou Shuren, "Go slowly, sir."
The young eunuch said politely, "Sir, please stay."
The eunuchs know best who the emperor's favorite is, and Lord Zhou is generous, so they like him very much.
Zhou Shuren and others left. The two boxes of gold did not shock him much. He paid more attention to the antiques. Oh my, the emperor was really generous. He gave him half a box of porcelain antiques and half a box of calligraphy and paintings.
It's a pity that these things can't be sold. What attracted his attention most was a box of books. Zhou Shuren's eyes lit up and he picked up a book excitedly. The joy in his eyes disappeared. He thought they were all rare ancient books and he could start with new paper. But when he opened them, his face changed again and again. They were all copied and none of them were authentic. What a stingy person!