The prefect wished he could hide under the table so no one could see him.
The sudden sound really startled him.
I reflexively jumped up and slammed into the table with a 'bang'.
"Ouch!" followed.
By the time he finally got up, a large bump had swelled up on his forehead.
Xunmi's lips twitched. This look is really quite good. Is this the recent trend? Everyone's pale-faced.
The person on the ground was one, Guan Shengqing sitting on the stool was one, and even this newly emerged prefect was one.
"Your Highness, this...this..." the prefect began, somewhat trembling.
He kept complaining in his heart, "What kind of mess is this? He's just a nobody, how did he manage to attract such a big shot?"
Yesterday, an imperial edict was indeed issued from the palace, bestowing upon Xunmi the title of Princess, but some officials, being perfunctory, paid no attention to it at all.
This explains why the prefect was bribed with just 10,000 taels of gold.
Zongzheng Mufeng threw a cold glare at him: "What do you mean 'what'? It's so obvious, are you deaf?"
"Or are you blind? Didn't you see that the Princess has condescended to speak to you?"
Damn it, this fat, big-eared thing is ugly. I wonder if it will offend the eyes of a beautiful woman.
If Xunmi and the Prefect knew what the man was thinking, they would probably roll their eyes and vomit blood.
We're doing serious business, how did we end up talking about all this nonsense?
"Yes, yes, Your Highness, is there anything I can help you with?"
He wiped the cold sweat from his forehead, trembling, and spoke in a fawning tone.
He displayed his spinelessness and fickleness to the fullest, as if he wasn't the one who wanted to arrest her before.
"Oh, it's nothing really, it's just that this young master has already finished speaking."
"I would like to ask Your Excellency to give this princess justice." She waved her hand casually, with a faint smile on her face that made her instantly likable.
"Your Highness, please rest assured, I will certainly not let such a villain who framed Your Highness get away with it."
As long as no trouble comes to him, he's fine with whatever he does. He wants to live a few more years and make more money in his old age.
Li Zhu was completely bewildered: "My lord, I have been wronged."
"I beg Your Honor to investigate and do justice for me!"
Guan Shengqing's expression grew increasingly grim; the situation was on the verge of exploding.
"You're innocent! You're innocent my foot! You just said you've seen the princess's true face."
"Yet you don't recognize the princess standing in front of you, and you still dare to say that the princess stole your jade pendant."
"This is utterly absurd. Tell me, who ordered you to do this?"
The prefect slammed his gavel down hard, trying his best to maintain an angry demeanor. His eyes were wide open, his official hat was askew, and his official robes were wrinkled, making him look quite comical.
Li Zhu was completely stunned, staring in horror at the beautiful woman leaning against the desk with a beaming smile, his mind a complete mess.
"You fooled me, framed the princess, and disturbed the prince. Come here, give me thirty lashes and then throw me into jail."
The prefect showed no mercy; he had no interest in the ten thousand taels of gold now.
The most urgent task is to get rid of this big Buddha statue as soon as possible and appease him.
Don't let yourself get caught up in it; that would be a real regret.
"No, sir, spare me! I know I was wrong."
"My lord, please spare me!" Li Zhu was terrified. Thirty strokes of the cane would kill him.
After realizing that pleading with the prefect was useless, he crawled on his knees to Guan Shengqing's feet.
"Young Master Guan, please save me, I'm because..." "Ah." Before he could finish speaking, he was kicked away.
The kick to his most vulnerable spot left Li Zhu lying on the ground in excruciating pain.
Xunmi and the others silently looked away, thinking to themselves.
This person is really unlucky, they were so 'lucky' to be kicked... Sure enough, bad people will get their comeuppance.
Guan Shengqing was in a hurry and didn't pay attention. By the time he realized what was happening, his outstretched foot had frozen.
His facial expression changed repeatedly before he quickly turned his head away to hide his embarrassment.
"Your Highness, now that the matter is clear, could you please spare this young master for my sake?"
"It seems he just didn't think things through for a moment, which is why he did something wrong."
Li Zhu couldn't stay, but he had to appease the people first.
If we bring them out, that would be bad.
Zongzheng Mufeng lightly waved his folding fan: "What are you? Do I have to give you face?"
"How dare you be so arrogant? Even your father has to bow and kneel before me with utmost respect."
Zongzheng Mufeng looked down on the so-called number one talent in other people's eyes, thinking he was just a hypocrite.
Even with the best disguise, those eyes still betrayed a deep-seated arrogance and haughtiness.
Ha...something like this really thinks it's someone important.
Guan Shengqing's hands were bulging with veins, and although he was filled with resentment and anxiety, he forced a smile onto his face.
"Your Highness, you are the master, while my father and I are merely His Majesty's servants."
"It is only right for a servant to kneel and bow to his master, but Your Highness should also know that even a rabbit can bite when cornered."
"It's hard to guarantee that one day those oppressed lackeys won't retaliate. Why not be kind to others and leave yourself a way out?"
Everyone was stunned by what he said.
They all looked at Guan Shengqing as if he were an idiot.
This person must be out of their mind to dare say such outrageous things.
What does it mean to bite someone? What does it mean to retaliate? Is this an implication that you are going to rebel?
The prefect was nearly scared out of his wits. All he wanted was ten thousand taels of gold, how did he end up with such a...
Heavens above! He will never do such a thing again out of greed. Please don't implicate him.
Zongzheng Mufeng was so angry he laughed. He tapped his folding fan on the table, one tap after another in a very rhythmic manner.
But it was like the tolling of a death knell, drawing ever closer, preparing to strike at the appointed time.
"I really didn't know that the son of Minister Guan of the Ministry of Rites had rebellious intentions."
"Does Lord Guan also have it? Your Majesty's eyesight is really bad."
"An Yi, go tell my brother the Emperor. Remember, not a single word should be missed." An Yi accepted the order and left.
"Although the prefect is confused today and hastily opened court without conducting a thorough investigation."
"It has indeed brought about a disaster, so the merits and demerits can be considered equal. When we arrive before the Emperor, I will report the truth to my brother."
Is it because he hasn't appeared in court for a while that these people think he's easy to bully?
Those who dared to scheme against him should be replaced and purged.
Compared to the Prefect's relief, Guan Shengqing's face was full of anger.
That's clearly not what he meant. How could Prince An frame him so arbitrarily?
"Prince An, I respect you as a prince, so please do not go too far."