My father Zhao Kuangyin

North of the Wende Hall, beyond the imperial corridor, lies the Chuigong Hall.

To Zhao Dezhao's surprise, it wasn't that the Emperor wasn't in the palace, but that Empress Song was sitting idly by, leisurely tidying up her desk.

Wang Ji'en was waiting at the palace gate. When he saw his appearance, he was horrified and was about to stop him, but Zhao Dezhao gave him a silent glance, leaving him speechless.

And so he climbed the steps one by one and waited outside the door.

Song glanced outside but couldn't see clearly. She moved closer and, when she caught a glimpse of the faint bloodstains and head, she was suddenly terrified, her body trembling uncontrollably.

When she recovered, she staggered back several steps until she saw Zhao Dezhao waiting motionless at the door. Only then could she catch her breath and ask.

"What... what's wrong with Rixin?"

"I want to let Mother know that I was escorting Ma Shi, the Right Remonstrance Official, to the palace to see Father and plead my case. On the way, a bandit shot me with a bow drawn from a hundred paces away... and the Remonstrance Official met his demise."

"And what about this...?"

"Ma Shiyi's blood."

Song glanced at him a few times, her expression shifting from surprise to astonishment.

The blood was nowhere to be wiped away, and the arrow was nowhere to be seen either. Who was this person trying to impress?

"My husband is watching the wheat harvest at Yujin Garden; I will send someone to fetch him immediately..."

Without time to think further, Song used this as an excuse to quickly withdraw from Chuigong.

At that very moment, even without her prompting, Zhao Kuangyin, who was enjoying the harvest in the golden wheat field, couldn't help but pause upon hearing this news.

"How is Rixin doing?"

"Erlang is alright, Your Majesty can rest assured." Feng Bing, the Imperial Censor in the Palace, replied, "Commander Mi is on duty at the Right Wing today. Upon hearing the sound, he will lead the Imperial Guard to clear the streets and search for the culprit."

"Remember his merits on my behalf."

"Here you are."

Upon hearing the news, the officials around him were not much better off. Some immediately requested that Kaifeng be sealed off in order to arrest the assassin, while others reported to the Court of Judicial Review and the Ministry of Justice, ordering them to be severely interrogated.

Some suggested asking Minister Zhao to intervene...

The officials have all agreed.

Ma Shi was Zhao Pu's subordinate. Regardless of their relationship or whether he was corrupt or not, his violent death in the street has had a devastating impact that cannot be described in words.

The imperial family's dignity has been humiliated; this matter has been completely exposed and can no longer be concealed.

In this way, Li Shouxin did not commit suicide?

If it was not suicide but homicide, then who could have done it?

Could it be Prime Minister Zhao himself?

Was it to silence them?

Is it because Ma Shi died that no one could point him out?

The bold idea was repeatedly tested and woven in the minds of the ministers, and they were almost at the point of reaching a consensus.

However, the emperor did not think that way.

Zhao Kuangyin not only summoned Zhao Pu, but also Zhao Guangyi, the Prefect of Feng.

Kaifeng Prefecture also had the responsibility of maintaining order within and outside the city walls; from an official perspective, this was not a hidden meaning.

But anyone with a modicum of shrewdness knows that although Prime Minister Zhao is somewhat domineering and arrogant, he would not dare to do such a "shocking" thing.

Firstly, Zhao Pu was not meticulous enough; most of his cronies were civil servants and subordinate officials.

To avoid suspicion, there were no warriors openly present, let alone such skilled archers and assassins.

Secondly, this gentleman is quite mature in macro-level planning and his strategies are not bad. However, the current situation is too turbulent, so his approach has changed. He would rather do nothing than make a mistake.

Shooting someone dead in the street with a powerful bow—Zhao Pu may have had such a brave general under his command, but it was far too obvious and the implication too deliberate, making it hard not to speculate.

Upon hearing the news outside the field, Feng Bing hurriedly went into the field again.

"Your Majesty!"

"What happened now?"

"Second...Second Brother is waiting at the emperor's residence, saying he wishes to see him!"

Is Nisshin actually in trouble or not?

"Erlang is not injured, but... his mind may have been frightened and he is somewhat mentally unstable."

Upon hearing this, Zhao Kuangyin immediately became anxious.

"How did it malfunction?"

"Erlang was covered in blood, but he didn't change his clothes... He took Ma Shi's head and stepped into the Chuigong position. The civil and military officials on duty dared not stop him when they saw his demeanor. Only... only the Right Remonstrance Official Jia Huangzhong questioned him a few times, but still could not stop him."

Upon hearing this, Zhao Kuangyin was not flustered at all; instead, he gave a nonchalant comment.

"That's improper."

No one knows a son better than his father. Zhao Kuangyin didn't even need to meet him to know that the boy was secretly overjoyed, so he took the opportunity to say something about it.

Of course, everyone's joys and sorrows are different.

This matter involves two people: his good husband Zhao Pu and his good third brother Zhao Guangyi.

Both the palm and the back of the hand are flesh, making it extremely difficult to choose.

How could you be so foolish?

Zhao Kuangyin sighed, left Yichun Courtyard, and returned home in the imperial carriage.

………………

The Hall of Hanging Arches.

The first person to arrive at the scene of the "crime" in a state of great fear was Zhao Xiangong. However, upon seeing Zhao Dezhao's appearance, he was not particularly afraid.

This was not because Zhao Pu was calm, but because there was a much bigger disaster looming over Du Liang, and compared to that, this was nothing.

"Erlang, you must know that this was not my doing..."

"Don't worry, Your Excellency, your father will make the final judgment on right and wrong," Zhao Dezhao reassured him solemnly.

"Ugh."

Zhao Pu sighed, paused, and said, "My lord, the incident happened right here; you must... speak to the Emperor on my behalf."

Before Zhao Dezhao could respond, he approached again, unconcerned about his unsightly demeanor, and whispered.

"If I cannot protect myself this time, the Prefect has governed Kaifeng for many years, and my lord... will be in grave danger."

To be honest, even if Zhao Dezhao were assassinated today, Zhao Pu would not be so flustered and out of control. If he were falsely accused of being the mastermind, he might be spared, but his position as prime minister and wealth would be uncertain.

This kind of table-flipping behavior can't even be considered a political maneuver; it's just the act of a reckless soldier deliberately muddying the waters to make him the target of public criticism.

However, officials are often swayed by their emotions, and when angered, they are truly... well, it's hard to say.

Soon after, Prefect Zhao, whom Zhao Pu now deeply resented, rushed over. Upon arriving, he disregarded Zhao Dezhao's unusual expression and immediately approached him.

Ignoring his own heavy breathing, he placed his large hands on Zhao Dezhao's shoulders and earnestly comforted him.

"Has any of the thieves been injured? Why haven't you summoned the imperial physician?"

Looking at his third uncle's concerned and anxious gaze, if Zhao Dezhao weren't already an outsider, he might actually have been moved by him...

"My nephew is unharmed, and the thief has not been caught. From now on, Uncle, you must be extremely careful when you go out."

Zhao Guangyi, unaware of the hidden meaning, assumed his nephew was worried about his safety and smiled slightly.

"It's alright, it's alright."

Just as the uncle and nephew were catching up, Zhao Pu suddenly became angry and started a fight.

"Is the Prefect trying to put Pu in a deadly predicament?"

Zhao Guangyi remained expressionless at first upon hearing this, but after "reacting," he wore a strange and bewildered expression.

"Why do you say that, sir?"

"Our private squabbles are nothing, but if Alang's life is endangered, how can the Emperor tolerate you?"

"What fighting, what forbearance? Have you lost your mind after taking some elixirs?"

"The prefect dares to do it but not admit it?!"

With things having come to this point, Zhao Pu couldn't care less about anything else; at worst, it was a matter of life and death.

This enormous turban, capable of piercing the heavens, fell down, and regardless of whether it was Zhao Guangyi's doing or not, he naturally dared not admit it.

"Since you say so, sir, then I shall have my say." Zhao Guangyi glared at him and said, "Li Shouxin embezzled timber using rafts, and millions of dollars have disappeared without a trace. Whose intention was this?"

Before Zhao Pu could respond, Zhao Guangyi spoke rapidly.

"As for Li Shouxin's suicide, who was responsible? You want to smear me, but what benefit would I gain? Li Shouxin has nothing to do with me, and Ma Shi has even less to do with me. Why are you in such a hurry, sir?"

After saying this, Zhao Pu was speechless for a moment. In his extreme anger, he did not know how to refute her.

When he asked the fundamental question, Zhao Guangyi knew the answer but did not reply. Instead, he smoothly threw back three questions, each one aimed at piercing the heart of the matter...

As far as the motive is concerned, the power struggle between the two was something that couldn't be discussed openly. Since Zhao Pu brought it up, Zhao Guangyi naturally wouldn't sit idly by, so he simply filled three more buckets with filth and threw it back at them.

Just as the three Zhaos were waiting in front of the palace, and the two Zhaos were chatting away, the Emperor Zhao finally returned from the Yichun Courtyard.

Seeing that the old man, the middle-aged man, and the young man had all fallen silent, each with a different expression, he glanced at them coldly and said irritably.

"Why have you stopped shouting? You're all acting with complete lawlessness in front of the Emperor."

As soon as he finished speaking, Zhao Kuangyin waved his sleeve and walked straight into the hall. When he sat down, he saw that the three Zhao brothers remained unmoved and scolded them again.

"What are you standing there for! Get inside, all of you!"