Even the crown prince is getting a marriage of convenience? Why are you in such a hurry to stop bein

De Shun accepted the order and left.

He waved his whisk, took small steps to stand in front of Xiao Lie, and showed a mixture of concern and surprise.

"Your Highness, instead of properly arranging the spring festival at the Procurement Office, why are you crying and complaining in front of the Imperial Study? Aren't you afraid His Majesty will punish you for dereliction of duty?"

Xiao Lie was filled with grief and indignation. "Father-in-law, you don't know how wronged I feel."

"If I hadn't come today, I would have truly been punished by His Majesty."

De Shun gave a puzzled "Oh," and continued to press, "What do you mean by that?"

Xiao Lie embellished the previous events, adding his own dark imagination, making it absurd and ridiculous, but not funny either.

Most importantly, he had to reveal a message.

He now suspects that Li Rusong has serious problems. He thinks that Li Rusong is a wicked person and that if the emperor doesn't transfer him away, he will immediately pin the blame on him if any problems arise.

De Shun's lips twitched, offering a gentle but persuasive reassurance.

"Your Highness, you must always rely on evidence. You cannot make arbitrary conclusions based on your own opinions and tarnish the reputation of others."

Xiao Lie even pretended to be indignant.

"I can't say anything about what he did. No, if His Majesty doesn't give me an explanation today, then I, Xiao, can only... resign. Anyway, I'm very uneasy working with this kind of person. I wouldn't even know if I was harmed one day. Rather than that, it's better to get out of there as soon as possible."

De Shun's expression changed slightly, and he quickly offered some advice.

"Your Highness, your position was appointed by His Majesty's own decree; you cannot speak nonsense here."

Xiao Lie, however, wore an annoyed expression, as if he had made up his mind.

"How can I talk nonsense? Anyway, I don't feel at ease having this person by my side. Who knows what he's up to? Maybe he's colluding with an enemy country and hates the Xiao family to the bone, so he specifically wants to..."

As he heard him talking more and more absurdly, De Shun's face twitched and he quickly left.

He entered the imperial study and reported back to the emperor.

"Your Majesty, it is extremely improper for Xiao Lie to make such a racket in front of the Imperial Study. If this servant hadn't found an excuse to send him away, he would have continued to stay there. He has no sense of propriety and may have affected Your Majesty's reputation."

A cold glint flashed in the emperor's eyes, and he couldn't help but sneer.

"Ha, he's so loose-lipped now. Will he learn to be more careful with his words after he leaves?"

"Fine, fine, bring him in. I want to see what kind of show he's trying to put on."

De Shun rolled his eyes, thought for a moment, and then obeyed the order to leave and bring the person in.

Upon arriving before the Emperor, Xiao Lie was filled with resentment and poured out his grievances, recounting everything that had happened.

He gritted his teeth and said, "Your Majesty, this man is a menace. I believe he should be hung up and tortured thoroughly."

Hearing Xiao Lie's increasingly outrageous remarks, De Shun coughed and quickly tried to dissuade him.

"Your Highness, Lord Li is an official appointed by the court. Whether he is guilty or not, and what should be done, His Majesty has his own judgment. It is somewhat inappropriate for you to be shouting for violence and confronting the Emperor here."

Xiao Lie was taken aback, then immediately put on a look of fear and changed the subject.

"I am only worried about the spring festival. If such a calamity is left unresolved and the spring festival is delayed... I truly do not know what to do..."

"Since Your Majesty refuses to believe me, why not let me go back and continue being a playboy who thinks of nothing but eating, drinking, and having fun? That would be better than staying here, living in constant fear."

By the end, a hint of resentment had crept in.

The emperor chuckled. "You little rascal, you're not only here for Li Rusong, but also for me?"

"You think I've wronged you by assigning you such a helper? Fine, are you here to complain, or to indirectly criticize me?"

Xiao Lie panicked and immediately lowered his head.

"Your Majesty is of inestimable worth, how could I dare..."

However, the panicked look in his eyes revealed that he wasn't entirely without thoughts.

The emperor was tired of watching him act, and he pondered for a moment.

They felt that Li Rusong was now tainted, which was tantamount to him being tainted, and if Xiao Lie continued to spread this propaganda, things might not go well.

He stopped insisting.

"Fine, since you are unwilling, I will not force you. I will simply recall Li Rusong."

Anyway, there are so many parts to the Spring Festival, there's always something to do.

Upon hearing this, Xiao Lie's eyes darkened.

Ha, this old emperor really is protective of his own people. He said so much, but the emperor acted as if he hadn't heard a thing, brushing it off lightly without saying a word.

However, his goal had been achieved. Xiao Lie did not press the matter further, bowed, and turned to leave.

Upon hearing this news, Li Rusong's face turned ashen, as if he had swallowed ten pounds of bitter herbs. He hadn't accomplished a single thing before being eliminated by Xiao Lie, and now he had to bear this unfounded stigma... This was worse than death for him.

When he encountered his colleagues and noticed their shifty eyes and strange expressions, he wanted to explain, but they would only slightly change their expressions, force a smile, laugh it off, and gloss over the matter.

"Lord Li, you're saying all sorts of things. It's common knowledge in the capital that Young Master Xiao is frivolous and irresponsible. How could we possibly believe that? Lord Li, you're really overthinking it."

"That's right, that's right. We've seen for ourselves what kind of person Lord Li is, what kind of character he is. How could we doubt Lord Li because of a few unfounded accusations?"

"That's right, that's right..."

These colleagues were all very understanding in their words, but after quickly finishing their perfunctory replies, they all ran away faster than the next.

They exchanged knowing glances and winks, clearly having a different opinion on the matter. To insist on arguing further would only make him seem impolite.

Li Rusong could only hold his breath and turn to leave.

After he left, these people finally started talking.

"Ah, anyone with a discerning eye could see that His Majesty has long harbored resentment towards the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion and has been trying to find ways to take action against it. Everyone else is trying to avoid this, but he insisted on getting involved, and now he's gotten himself into trouble. Who can he blame?"

"Exactly, exactly! That's why he's so tough. He dares to get involved in something like this. Who knows what might happen? Maybe His Majesty will change his mind one day and show goodwill to the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion. Wouldn't Li Rusong then become a pawn caught in the middle, pleasing neither side?"

These seasoned veterans all felt a deep sense of empathy when discussing these topics.

They envied the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion and the favor he enjoyed, yet on the other hand, they couldn't help but feel fortunate...

Fortunately, this deadly honor did not fall on their heads.

Otherwise, even if they had ten lives, they couldn't withstand it.

However, it was inappropriate to discuss these kinds of issues any further. These people gave a few perfunctory remarks and then hurriedly left.