Chapter 85: Reprimand
Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios
Su Wen came to the front hall and saw Su Changqing seated quietly.
“Father, why are you looking for me?”
Su Changqing smiled and said, “Why? Can’t I come and see my own son?”
Su Wen laughed dryly in response.
Su Changqing’s expression gradually turned serious as he said, “The rumors have already spread. The Eldest and Second are currently having a wait-and-see attitude, but you don’t have much time. You must take down that woman before the two of them discover the problem. Once the Secret Shadow Guard is established, the situation in the court will once again be in turmoil. Although my position is stable, my authority in certain matters may not be comparable to the Secret Shadow Guard.”
Su Wen asked curiously, “Who is the commander of the Secret Shadow Guards?”
Su Changqing shook his head and said, “I don’t know who it is exactly, but according to my deduction, it might be Si Tu.”
“Situ? Only a surname and no name?”
“Surnamed Si, named Tu!” Su Changqing said with a distant gaze, “I haven’t seen this guy for almost 20 years.”
Su Wen frowned. “What’s so special about this person?”
Su Changqing smiled. “He should be a Heaven Rank expert by now, right?”
“Huh?”
Looking at Su Wen’s surprised face, Su Changqing started talking about Si Tu’s background. “Thirty years ago, Si Tu was His Majesty’s personal bodyguard and was one of His Majesty’s most trusted people. However, in an accident that year, he lost a leg to protect His Majesty.
At that time, His Majesty had yet to ascend the throne. For him, His Majesty knelt at the entrance of the previous emperor for three days and three nights without eating or drinking. The previous emperor was kind and made an exception to send him to the Martial Pavilion in the palace!”
“In the early years, he could still be seen occasionally, but after that, all traces of him disappeared.”
“Initially, I thought that he was already dead. However, a few days ago, His Majesty unintentionally mentioned that this fellow’s cultivation had broken through and should be coming out soon. Combined with the reconstruction of the Secret Shadow Guard, I’m guessing that this person should be the commander of the Secret Shadow Guards.”
At this point, Su Changqing sighed and said, “The Secret Shadow Guard is a way for His Majesty to purge the government officials, deter the ministers of the court, and gather power.
Even if it was me, His Majesty would not allow me to interfere. The person in charge of the Secret Shadow Guard must be someone that His Majesty trusts absolutely. It’s also best if they don’t have any friendship with the court officials, lest they do things unfairly. This Si Tu is just right.”
“Furthermore, in Si Tu’s position, mere money and bribes would not be able to move his heart. It would also ensure the reliability of the Secret Shadow Guards. If it were someone else, they might end up like the current Royal Censor.”
When Su Wen heard this, he smiled bitterly. “Then how is your relationship with him?”
“It’s still passable.”
“He won’t investigate you, will he? Everyone knows about the news that you’ve been receiving a lot of gifts recently!”
Su Changqing was however confident, “His Majesty won’t let him investigate me.”
Su Wen touched his chin and said with a smile, “Father, speaking of this, have you gained a lot these two days?”
“Not too bad a haul.” Su Changqing looked at Su Wen and asked curiously, “What do you want?”
“Since we’re meeting… share half?”
“Scram!”
“This is… my home!”
Su Changqing couldn’t be bothered with him and instructed, “Hurry up and make the best use of your time. The Third Prince is a stubborn donkey. Tomorrow, there will be someone playing out in the imperial court. We will use His Majesty’s hands to suppress him a bit more.”
Su Wen was overjoyed.
On the morning of the second day, someone presented a memorial to the Zhou Emperor.
“Recently, the Third Prince has been going to Cloud Gazing Tower every day and has been staying there for half a day. It is unbecoming of the royal family to hang out with a showgirl. Please reprimand him, Your Majesty!”
Emperor Zhou immediately summoned the Third Prince!
In the end, the eunuch who was responsible for sending the decree found the Third Prince at the Cloud Gazing Tower.
By the time he arrived, two hours had passed.
Emperor Zhou looked at the Third Prince and asked coldly, “Why are you going to Cloud Gazing Tower everyday?”
When the Third Prince saw Emperor Zhou, he was like a mouse seeing a cat. The usual arrogance he had was gone as he knelt on the ground. After a while, he replied, “Lady Yiyi of the Cloud Gazing Tower is extremely beautiful. The first time I saw her, I was extremely fond of her and wanted to bring her into my residence!”
Emperor Zhou was apoplectic with rage!
“I have praised you for your diligence in martial arts in vain! Today, you wasted so much time on a woman! How can you achieve great things like this? You will be grounded for three days! Only when the Yan Country’s diplomatic delegate arrives for the banquet will it then be canceled!”
“Yes!”
The Third Prince had no choice but to bow and accept the order!
After the court session, even when he had entered his royal chambers in the inner palace, the Zhou Emperor’s anger had yet to dissipate.
“The third is a useless piece of trash! She’s just an artisan, if you like her, just send someone to bring her into the residence. How can you let someone send a memorial up to the court? Where should I put my face?”
That’s right. Emperor Zhou was not angry because the Third Prince took a fancy to an artisan, but because the Third Prince had received a complaint sent in by someone in the royal court.
This made the haughty Emperor Zhou feel that he had lost face in front of the ministers.
“Go and check! What’s up with this Yiyi who is selling her artistic talents!”
Under Emperor Zhou’s command, the information was quickly delivered to Emperor Zhou.
Everything that had happened in the past few days was written clearly on it.
The more Emperor Zhou read on, the more he frowned. “Xie Dajia? Is she plotting against my sons?”
“The eldest and the Second have all retreated, but the Third Brother is still involved?”
Emperor Zhou closed the memorial and pondered for a while. Suddenly, he cursed out loud, “Su Changqing, this shameless person. He actually bothered to join in the fight between the younger generation for women?”
The old eunuch whispered, “Should we call Minister Su over?”
Emperor Zhou closed his eyes slightly and gritted his teeth. “Why do we need to call him over? To tell him that I fell for his trap? The third is also a real piece of work. Since you’re not afraid of Su Changqing and have your eyes on that woman, you can just bring her straight into the residence. No matter what happens after that, you at least get to take her first before talking about love with her! Now that he has been grounded for three days, that Su Wen will definitely take advantage of the situation!”
The old eunuch shook his head helplessly. If the Third Prince were to do this and be accused of kidnapping a commoner girl, wouldn’t he as the Emperor have to mete out an even more severe punishment?
“Your Majesty, Prime Minister Su requests an audience!”
The Zhou Emperor narrowed his eyes instantly!
Why was this fellow seeking an audience with him?
He currently had a bellyful of anger!
“Let him in!”
Su Changqing entered and greeted the Emperor. Emperor Zhou gritted his teeth and asked, “Why have you come to see me?”
Su Changqing didn’t seem to notice the abnormality in Emperor Zhou’s emotions. He smiled and said, “Your Majesty, I recently obtained a precious treasure and brought it to you for you to see if it’s authentic!”
Emperor Zhou sneered and said, “What treasure? Can it be that you, Su Changqing, can’t tell if it’s real or fake? Your family’s treasures are not any less than those in my palace.”
“It’s the Gray Cloud Crane Pine Painting from the former dynasty’s Divine Brush Sword Immortal, Xu Maozhi!”
Upon hearing this, Emperor Zhou’s eyes widened.
This treasure had extraordinary origins. Xu Maozhi started out as a famous painter. Later on, he stepped into the path of cultivation and wielded his brush as a sword. Thus, he was given the title of Divine Brush Sword Immortal. In his later years, he started to infuse his sword intent into his paintings, elevating them manifolds.
This Grey Cloud Crane Pine Painting was one of his works!
“Quickly show it to me!”
Su Changqing waved his hand slightly, and two people carried a box into the hall.
He smiled and said, “The sword intent on this thing is too sharp. I have never practiced martial arts, so I can’t touch it. It’s hard to tell if it’s authentic or a fake. Your Majesty, please take a look!”
At this moment, the duo took out the painting scroll and slowly pulled it open.
Su Changqing quickly ran to the old eunuch at the corner of the hall and said with a smile, “Please protect me.”
As soon as he finished speaking, sword intent shot into the sky!”
