Chapter 52
The people from the Zhou Mansion who wanted to go out and pass on information were all tied up by Concubine Liu under the command of a few guards.
Now that her intelligence has doubled, as soon as the Zhou Mansion's servants' eyes wandered, she knew what they were up to.
"Let's go!"
After Concubine Liu had dealt with the affairs of the Zhou Mansion, she had someone summon the people from the Capital Official, then she hugged her daughter Chu Chu and got back into the carriage.
Holding the whip, Consort Min helped Min Rou onto the carriage, then let out an "Ah!"
She seemed to have just woken up from a dream, and as soon as she got on the carriage, she threw the whip away. "What am I holding this thing for, Amitabha."
Concubine Liu: "..."
Her mouth twitched, and she quietly watched Consort Min's performance.
[Haha, Aunt Min, if you could act a little more convincing~] Chu Chu couldn't help but giggle.
Consort Min blushed, "Ahem, Sister Concubine Liu, Sister Min Rou, you must remember, it wasn't me who disciplined people in the room just now."
"It was Concubine Liu who rushed in first and rescued the little girl. Ah, how could I possibly run that fast? I'm a person who eats vegetarian food and recites sutras every day..."
Concubine Liu didn't know what to say.
Consort Min didn't want the credit, she was just so dedicated to maintaining her image of a pious Buddhist.
Min Rou even had a smile on her face.
The doctor came and said the little girl was fine, so she wasn't as anxious and worried anymore.
And with Concubine Liu and Consort Min here, she now feels very at ease.
"Thank you, ladies."
Consort Min waved her hand, acting as if it had nothing to do with her.
Concubine Liu patted Min Rou, "What are you being so formal with me for? I'm counting on you to supervise the progress of the winter clothes."
As they rode in the carriage, many common people who wanted to see the excitement also followed behind.
At that moment, there were countless people riding donkeys, running behind the carriage, or renting ox carts.
[Wow, there are so many people here to watch the show. No matter what, everyone loves to gossip.] Chu Chu looked out the window with great interest.
[Especially when it comes to exposing a scumbag's true colors, it's going to be truly thrilling~]
Hearing her daughter's thoughts, Concubine Liu felt like laughing a little.
But when she saw the downcast face of Min Rou and the pretend-reading of the sutras by Consort Min, she forcibly suppressed it.
Smelling the milky scent of her daughter, Concubine Liu suddenly had a revelation the next moment, and immediately ordered the little servant Luo outside.
"Go invite the Minister of Justice's wife."
"Have her secretly follow our carriage to Lan Shan Temple."
Her daughter had reminded her.
Everyone loves to gossip and watch the drama of exposing a scumbag's true colors.
How could they miss the other protagonist in the adultery story, the family of the Minister of Justice's daughter?
*
In the outskirts of the capital, in the farmland.
In the autumn and winter, the farmstead needs to take care of the winter wheat, and during the slight farming downtime, they also need to prune the fruit trees, and the slightly larger households even have beans in the greenhouse to tend to.
Emperor Xiao Yunzhou, when he arrived at the place, immediately had the Grand Secretariat and the Six Ministries follow him and get busy.
These high officials, who usually don't do farm work but mostly desk work, suddenly found it a bit hard to catch up.
After working for more than a few hours, their backs and waists were aching, and they took the opportunity to drink water and slack off.
There were also those who stood together, pretending to work, and started to slack off and chat.
At this moment, Minister of Justice Fang Shu was standing with the imperial censor Hong Xing, who had persuaded Lao Laoye a few days ago.
"Old Fang, your precious daughter is also of marriageable age now, have you arranged a betrothal yet?" Hong Xing asked with a smile.
"How about I act as a matchmaker? Do you know Thousand Troops Commander Chen Wangwu of Shanhai Pass? He's a young and talented man!"
Minister Fang was quite tempted when he heard this.
His daughter was still unmarried, but she had very high requirements, and she didn't like the literati and officials' sons in the capital.
Hong Xing recommended Chen Wangwu, whose father was a general.
Minister Fang found it quite appealing.
Hong Xing raised his index finger, giving a "one" sign, "The Chen family is also supported by this one."
Minister Fang was startled.
The Shanhai Pass general was also part of the Empress's faction, supporting the Eldest Prince?
He was immediately both tempted and hesitant, "Mr. Hong, I need to discuss my daughter's marriage with my wife."
If he marries into the Chen family, it means he, the Minister of Justice, will also be aligned with the Empress and the Eldest Prince.
"Heh, that's right, a lifelong commitment needs to be carefully considered," Hong Xing said with a forced smile.
"Old Fang, you were a Zhuangyuan (champion) in the imperial examinations, you must have read a lot of history books, and you should know how many times the Emperor did not favor the eldest or the firstborn."
Minister Fang's expression changed slightly.
"While the Heir Apparent's decree is still hidden behind the plaque in the Qianqing Palace, we still have a chance to do some maneuvering and help the one above."
"If we wait any longer, everything will be gone." Hong Xing smiled and walked away with a hoe.
Minister Fang's face could not help but show some wavering.
*
In the Mansion of the Minister of Justice.
The Minister's wife was just seeing off the matchmaker, Lady Hong.
What she said was exactly the same as what Hong Xing said.
"The Chen family is backed by the Eldest Prince."
Lady Hong hinted, then left with a smile.
"Opportunities like this are getting fewer and fewer now."
"The Luo family of the Fifth Prince doesn't have any young talents for you to marry into."
The Minister's wife was perplexed.
She didn't want her daughter to be involved in the princes' struggle for the throne, but what they said was the truth.
The current Emperor is devoted to cultivation, and he most likely won't have any more new princes.
Among the existing princes, the Empress's faction is the strongest, with the Eldest Prince being upright and competent, having the potential to be a new Emperor.
In comparison, the Fifth Prince's Luo family is isolated in the court, without any support.
After considering, the Minister's wife first excluded the Luo family and the Fifth Prince.
Their family would rather not take a side, and they can't side with the Luo family and the Fifth Prince. Otherwise, if the Fifth Prince loses, the small-minded Empress will definitely not let their family off the hook after the Eldest Prince ascends the throne!
"Sigh," the Minister's wife was a bit hesitant. After seeing the person off, she went to the room of the family's old matriarch. "Mother, I'm really at a loss."
"My idea is that our daughter still can't marry into the Empress's faction."
"But secretly, we can provide more support to the Empress. What do you think, Mother?"
This was essentially siding with the Empress covertly!
The old matriarch nodded approvingly, "You've thought it through well."
"I won't hide from you, the Empress's father, Lord Tong, has helped your father a lot. If it weren't for the old Lord Tong, he might have only been a second-rank imperial scholar, not a Zhuangyuan."
The Minister's wife was shocked, there was such a story.
"The Eldest Prince's maternal clan, the Tong family, has considerable power, with both civil and military officials supporting them. As long as the Emperor turns a blind eye, the Luo family and the Fifth Prince won't be able to match the Tong family..."
The old matriarch lowered her voice, but halfway through, they heard a servant rushing in from outside.
"Madam, old mistress, something has happened!"
"A little eunuch from Concubine Liu's side came and said that the Zhou family's young master, a married man, is seducing our unmarried daughter for a secret rendezvous in the temple today! They told you to hurry!"
"What!?" The Minister's wife and the old matriarch were stunned and stood up.
"Which Zhou family? Concubine Liu is talking nonsense!"
"Ah, it's that official Zhou Wu'xin who memorialized the Emperor to establish the Eldest Prince!"
The Minister's wife and the old matriarch exchanged a shocked look, both surprised and angry.
It was the Zhou family, who were part of the Empress's faction!