tallest building

Chapter 260 A Book
The King of Chu returned home very late that day, arriving at midnight.

Princess Chu hadn't slept; she left the lamp on, waiting for him.

"Why are you back so late today? I heard His Majesty kept you in the palace after the morning court session. What was it for?" Princess Chu asked as she got up and put on her robe.

"You should lie down!" said the King of Chu. "It's because someone impeached me. His Majesty kept the memorial in the palace and summoned me to ask what exactly happened."

"Is it still about Yu Fengshan?" Princess Chu asked worriedly. "Why don't you ask Mr. Hua Ying to take action? Otherwise, things will escalate. Didn't he say he has a lot of dirt on Prince Zhao? Maybe he's just lying to us."

"You! You're all talk and no action," the King of Chu admonished his wife. "If Mr. Hua Ying heard this, he'd never come to visit again."

"I was just anxious," said the Princess Consort of Chu. "What if His Majesty blames me..."

“Don’t worry about things that aren’t your business,” said the King of Chu. “You’ll seem naive and incapable of achieving anything.”

"But..." Princess Chu wanted to say something more, but King Chu had already blown out the lamp. "Go to sleep. We can talk about it when it's light."

The next day at court, King Zhao took the initiative to strike up a conversation with King Chu: "You didn't sleep very well last night, did you? You look quite tired."

The King of Chu chuckled and said, "His Majesty kept me in the palace yesterday, so I did return quite late, but official business was not delayed at all."

"Haha, yes, staying up all night is no big deal, it won't interfere with official business. But if one's personal desires are too strong, it can seriously hinder official duties." King Zhao laughed as well.

Both of them were speaking with hidden meanings, and the ministers waiting to attend court naturally sensed it, but none of them interrupted.

Two ministers from the Ministry of Personnel came out of the court to impeach the Prince of Chu. The impeachment was consistent with the contents of the memorials they had previously submitted to the Emperor.

It seems that yesterday's memorial was a trial balloon, while today's memorial is a public declaration.

The King of Chu was naturally prepared and tried his best to defend himself.

People who were close to him also stood up for him.

After a long period of commotion, the Emperor grew impatient and told everyone to stop.

Then he asked the King of Zhao, "What do you think of this matter?"

King Zhao stepped forward and said, "The matter reported by the two officials of the Ministry of Personnel is difficult to verify at the moment. In my humble opinion, we should have someone investigate it carefully."

"In that case, I'll leave this matter to you." The Emperor directly handed the task over to Prince Zhao. "Investigate it thoroughly and then report back to me. Currently, the heavy snow in Longxi has collapsed houses, and the soldiers guarding the border are also facing the risk of running out of food. This matter is even more urgent, and we need to discuss a solution as soon as possible."

Upon hearing the Emperor's words, the ministers naturally set aside the matter of the Prince of Chu for the time being. After all, there are always priorities, especially matters of state, which cannot be taken lightly.

After the court session, King Zhao smiled at King Chu but said nothing.

The King of Chu knew that he was waiting for him to bow down.

If the emperor sends him to investigate me, isn't that the same as handing my life and death over to him?

But the King of Chu only smiled at the King of Zhao, and then walked out with his head held high.

Seeing his demeanor, everyone assumed he had a clear conscience and was unafraid of investigation. Only King Zhao sneered inwardly, determined to teach him a lesson. King Chu returned home and ordered wine and dishes to be prepared. He and Mr. Hua Ying drank together.

Princess Chu was worried after hearing about what had happened at court, but she didn't want to ask him directly. So she said to the servants, "Make sure the prince doesn't get drunk. If he comes out to relieve himself, ask him what to do about this. At least let Mr. Hua Ying give us some answers."

He's been staying at our residence for a while now, but we've never seen him leave. What should we do?

After some time, a servant returned and reported to Princess Chu: "His Highness said that he trusts those he employs and does not employ those he does not trust. He told you to rest early."

But Princess Zhao had no desire to rest and just sat listlessly in her room.

After a while, he became suspicious again, wondering if Mr. Hua Ying was in cahoots with King Zhao and had deliberately come to his home to lull King Chu into a false sense of security.

Thinking of this, she became even more restless and said to the maidservant serving her, "No, I'll go crazy if this continues. Help me change my clothes, and I'll go ask Mr. Huaying myself."

She arrived at Gongjuzhai, where the King of Chu and Hua Ying were drinking. Just as she was about to knock on the door, the steward rushed over.

Seeing Princess Chu here was a bit of a surprise. She stopped and said, "Two people came through the back door. They said they have important business with Mr. Hua Ying."

The two people who arrived were also dressed for the night and were both from the Sanjing Academy.

Mr. Hua Ying, slightly tipsy, smiled and said, "I humbly request that Your Highness take a seat of honor, would that be so?"

The King of Chu glanced at his queen, somewhat displeased, and repeatedly told her to listen, but she refused.

But since Mr. Hua Ying had spoken, he couldn't say anything more and said with a smile, "Since you have invited me, I will naturally accept your invitation."

Princess Chu didn't care whether King Chu was happy or not; she was determined to find out exactly what to do about this matter today.

"Did you two come all the way from Daishan?" Mr. Huaying asked the two men. "How did things go?"

“We have completely eradicated the gambling den that King Zhao ran there. The account books are here, and the important people have all seen them.” The older of the two men took out an account book from his pocket. “Please take a look.”

Mr. Hua Ying took it, glanced at it briefly, and handed it to the King of Chu: "Your Highness, please take a look. The King of Zhao has set up a secret gambling den nearly a hundred miles from the capital. On the one hand, it provides entertainment for the high-ranking officials and nobles in the capital, and on the other hand, it helps them lend out their ill-gotten gains with interest."

"Oh? Is that so!" The King of Chu took the account book and was so shocked by the amount of money on it that he couldn't close his mouth.

The names on this list include high-ranking officials, hereditary nobles, and many other unexpected names.

"This...this thing is real?" Princess Chu asked in disbelief.

“It’s easy to test whether this is real or fake,” Mr. Hua Ying laughed. “The prince can just tear off a piece from it, wrap some tea leaves in it, and have someone send it to Prince Zhao. If it’s real, he naturally won’t dare to investigate you anymore and will have to cover for you in front of His Majesty. If it’s fake, then I don’t need to say anything more.”

The King of Chu was very pleased to hear this. He looked at it, tore off a not-so-important piece, and casually wrapped some tea leaves in it.

Then he ordered someone to put it in a box and seal it, and said to the steward, "This is something no one else can do, so you go and deliver it yourself! Tell them that this is a rare and fine tea, and that King Zhao must try it."

The butler immediately went out upon hearing this.

It was already very dark outside, and the wind was howling and howling, as if it wanted to tear the sky apart.