flstandardbreds Chapter 230 This move was truly despicable and vile.
Chapter 230 This move was truly despicable and vile.
Su Wan Niang didn't understand why Chu Ruohan would secretly invite those ministers over.
Was it specifically designed to embarrass Gu Chengyan?
Elder brother, sister-in-law, younger brother-in-law, brothers fighting amongst themselves...
Just as she was about to walk over and talk to Chu Ruohan, someone from the palace arrived.
The courtyard fell silent instantly.
Marquis Anyang quickly stepped forward, cupped his hands, and asked, "What brings Steward Ma here? Does His Majesty have any orders?"
Ma Fuhai nodded slightly, his gaze sweeping over the assembled ministers. "By order of His Majesty, all ministers present are requested to enter the palace immediately for an audience with the Emperor, without delay."
These words immediately caused an uproar at the banquet.
The ministers looked at each other, wondering what had happened that made them so eager to enter the palace.
Marquis Anyang asked in a low voice, "Chief Steward Ma, did the Emperor give a reason for summoning us?"
Ma Fuhai remained calm, but shook his head: "You will know when you arrive, sir. This servant dares not presume to discuss state affairs. The Emperor was furious, and the Duke of Wei has already entered the palace."
The ministers looked at each other in bewilderment. The emperor had summoned them to the palace urgently, but Eunuch Ma refused to reveal that something big must have happened, and someone might be in trouble!
"My lords, let's go quickly!"
The ministers left in a hurry, and the banquet at the Marquis of Anyang's residence could not continue...
The noise had mostly subsided. Su Wanniang looked at the scene before her, maintaining a calm demeanor on the surface, but her heart was in turmoil.
She hoped that the Emperor's sudden summons had nothing to do with the Su family or the Marquis's mansion, but why did she feel uneasy?
She turned and glanced around the courtyard. Chu Ruohan and Gu Junze had already left. Weren't they worried about Marquis Anyang at all?
Gu Chengyan seemed to sense something, frowned, and quickly left...
Hongmeng Academy
"What happened?" Chu Ruohan asked, her eyes filled with inquiry.
"The mine has collapsed." Gu Junze said calmly, as if he were just recounting a trivial matter.
Chu Ruohan stared wide-eyed in disbelief, "Are you crazy? How many casualties will this cause?"
Her voice trembled slightly with anger, and her hands unconsciously gripped her sleeves.
Gu Junze pulled her into his arms and sighed, "You really don't trust me that much?"
A hint of hurt flashed in Chu Ruohan's eyes as she looked at him, and she pursed her lips but ultimately remained silent.
Her body tensed slightly, but she didn't break free from his embrace. She was genuinely afraid that Gu Junze would disregard the lives of those miners in his pursuit of revenge.
"Don't worry, no one will get hurt. I already sent my shadow guards in, but the entrance collapsed and they got trapped inside." Gu Junze's voice was gentle as he softly stroked her hair.
Chu Ruohan breathed a sigh of relief, and the tension in her shoulders disappeared. Thankfully, he was still him, the seemingly cold but humane Gu Junze.
"Why is His Majesty in such a hurry to summon everyone to the palace?" Chu Ruohan raised her head slightly, looking at Gu Junze's calm face.
“Prince Yong has sent a secret letter.” A glint flashed in Gu Junze’s eyes, and the corners of his mouth turned up slightly, revealing a meaningful smile.
Three days ago, in a small courtyard on the outskirts of Beijing, Gu Junze sat upright at a table with a stick of incense burning in front of him.
He held a confidential letter in his hand, his eyes deep and thoughtful.
The courtyard gate was gently pushed open, and a man dressed in a blue robe walked in. It was none other than Lin Jingchuan, the young prince of the Yongwang Mansion.
"Your Highness, you have kept us waiting." Lin Jingchuan cupped his hands in greeting, a perfectly timed smile on his face.
Gu Junze glanced at him, gestured for him to sit down, and then handed him the secret letter in his hand. "This contains evidence that the Ministry of Works falsely reported the mineral content. You can take a look."
Lin Jingchuan took the secret letter, opened it immediately, and quickly scanned the paper with his eyes. The more he read, the more serious his expression became.
"I'm curious how the young master obtained this." Lin Jingchuan closed the secret letter and looked directly at Gu Junze.
Gu Junze did not answer. He simply picked up the wine pot from the table, poured two glasses of wine, pushed one of them toward Lin Jingchuan, and picked up the other glass to slowly savor it, seemingly completely unconcerned about Lin Jingchuan's question.
Lin Jingchuan continued, "Why doesn't the Crown Prince just hand it over to the Emperor?"
Gu Junze remained silent, only taking a small sip of wine, which gave Lin Jingchuan a momentary sense of defeat.
He knew that Gu Junze was using him as a pawn and didn't bother to give him an explanation.
Every time he encountered Gu Junze, he was helpless; he was either ignored or led by the nose, a feeling that made him very uncomfortable.
"Is the young master setting a trap for me?" Lin Jingchuan said half-jokingly, but his eyes held a cautious probing look.
Gu Junze then looked up at him and said calmly, "I'm giving you a reward. If you don't want to, I can go to the Duke of Wei." As he spoke, he reached out to take back the secret letter.
Lin Jingchuan quickly put the secret letter into his pocket.
"You did this on purpose, didn't you!" Lin Jingchuan said through gritted teeth, his voice filled with anger.
Knowing full well that the Yongwang Mansion and the Weiguogong Mansion were irreconcilable enemies, they still deliberately provoked him.
This move was truly despicable and vile.
“The information is accurate.” Gu Junze stood up, indicating that the conversation was over, but Lin Jingchuan was unwilling to leave.
"Your Highness, the previous attempts to win him over are still effective," Lin Jingchuan said hurriedly, his eyes filled with hope.
"I'll consider it." Gu Junze's answer was as ambiguous as ever, neither rejecting nor promising.
Chu Ruohan tugged at his sleeve, pulling Gu Junze back to reality.
"Have you made up your mind?"
Gu Junze buried his face in her hair, took a deep breath as if drawing strength from it, and said, "Prince Yong is a royalist; he wouldn't want things to fall into chaos..."
Chu Ruohan looked up and gazed intently into his eyes. "But what about those trapped people?"
"Don't worry, I've made arrangements. Those shadow guards will lead them out through the secret passage. It will only take two hours." Gu Junze looked down at her, his eyes full of tenderness. "You're getting soft-hearted more and more."
"Human life is at stake," Chu Ruohan said softly. "They should be facing off in the palace by now, right?"
Gu Junze nodded. "Prince Yong must have already presented the evidence to the Emperor, and the entire Ministry of Works will conduct a thorough investigation."
As Gu Junze said, the atmosphere in the palace was extremely heavy at this moment.
The emperor sat upright on the dragon throne, his face ashen.
The Minister of Works knelt on the ground, his forehead dripping with cold sweat, with several other key officials of the Ministry of Works kneeling beside him.
Prince Yong stood to one side, his face solemn, holding the secret letter that had already been presented to the emperor.
"I ask you, was the gold content of the mine reported truthfully?" The emperor's voice was not loud, but it carried suppressed anger.
Minister Su touched his forehead to the ground. “Your Majesty, I have always been diligent and conscientious, and there has never been any false reporting.”
"What a fine example of diligence!" The emperor sneered, slamming the secret letter heavily on the table. "What Prince Yong found differs greatly from what the Ministry of Works reported. Tell me, is this mine some kind of sentient being?"