My father Zhao Kuangyin

The next day, when the sun was high in the sky, Zhao Erlang finally awoke from his lingering intimacy.

As soon as he stood up, two white pythons coiled around him and shoved him for a while before he finally sat up and called to the concubines serving him.

"What time is it?"

"1:15 AM (巳时一刻)"

As he dressed, Zhao Dezhao, his mind elsewhere, asked again, "Did anyone from the Prime Minister's residence come by earlier?"

Wang Yuehua shook her head, looking puzzled.

On a dark night, how could anyone be summoning people to get up and discuss matters in the middle of the morning?

In other words, the two kings did not know the whole story and could not sense the sense of embarrassment in his heart.

Bringing Lei Youlin back was only the first step; his lawsuit was in the hands of the Kaifeng Prefecture, and there was always the possibility of them launching an attack.

His good third uncle knew it was the day after his nephew's wedding, so he probably wouldn't dare to be too ostentatious and suddenly submitted a memorial.

Of course, we cannot have too high expectations of Emperor Taizong's character, but we must also make the necessary preparations and responses.

Just as he was lost in thought, Lady Wang, who was half-hiding her pipa on the couch, began to murmur. A short while later, she also got up.

Seeing that Zhao Dezhao was neatly dressed and ready to leave, Wang Zhaoyun frowned and asked, "Where is my husband going?"

"I need to discuss this with my husband."

"What are we discussing?"

"You know," Zhao Dezhao turned back and sat down on the edge of the couch, saying, "The evidence of the crimes committed by the Prime Minister's officials is all in your hands, Uncle. There is no need for the Kaifeng Prefecture to intervene in this matter; we can still file a lawsuit through someone else."

The couple, who were initially drowsy amidst the mess, unexpectedly became more and more energetic as they started talking.

However, this so-called spirit is more about worry.

As the saying goes, "Husbands and wives are like birds in the same forest; when disaster strikes, they fly away separately." This saying only applies to later generations.

Even ordinary families fleeing famine would find it difficult to move an inch without the help of male members of the household.

Not to mention the King of Zhao and his companion, who were already in close proximity.

Arranged marriages are about choosing sides, not about passing on superior bloodlines. The era of the Nine-Rank System and the Five Surnames and Seven Noble Families has long passed... Well, it hasn't passed that mountain either, since Lady Wang is from the Wang family of Taiyuan.

"Doesn't my husband feel tired?"

Upon hearing this, Zhao Dezhao smiled slightly and blurted out, "Four northern expeditions and three southern campaigns, how could I not be exhausted?"

Lady Wang was too naive and couldn't understand the hidden meaning in her words.

But judging from Zhao Dezhao's expression, Madam Wang understood, and a blush rose to her cheeks, making her very flushed.

A moment later, she scolded him.

"What kind of time is this? Stop telling jokes."

A joke? A case of crossing the river and then burning the bridge?

"What I mean is, is it worth it for my husband to go to such lengths to take the blame for Prime Minister Zhao?"

Zhao Dezhao's expression changed, and he fell silent.

"There's no question of whether it's worth it or not."

"Last night my husband said that we could start our own household, so why should I keep clinging to him?"

Zhao Dezhao hesitated for a moment, then said, "It is possible to appoint another, but my lady must know that Xue was appointed by my father to restrain Zhao. He is old and has no desire to take the position. Liu has already retired. After much thought, we can only look for a suitable candidate outside the central government."

At this point, Zhao Dezhao gave Lady Wang a flirtatious look, which she couldn't resist. She replied seriously, "Father is truly powerless. If we want to secure a position, we can only rely on you, my husband, to become the Crown Prince."

It's not that the king and queen sincerely refused, but exchanging the prime minister wasn't so easy.

Even if the emperor intends to dismiss the prime minister now, it will take at least a month to clean up the mess, transfer power, and purge his cronies and traitors.

If the old party isn't removed and new people are put in charge, what's the difference between that and being sidelined?

Wang Laotou's recent years of slacking off and lying low are basically no different from that of a newcomer. Promoting him would be better than appointing Prime Minister Shen Yilun or those veterans with outstanding achievements.

"Now, let's talk about Lord Lü Yuqing, and then about Prime Minister Shen and Prime Minister Xue. The only one who really wants to compete is Prime Minister Shen." Lady Wang said slowly, "Prime Minister Shen is a man of strong character. If my husband thinks he's not good enough, there are still Lord Shi, Lord Wang, and the rest of the group."

Zhao Dezhao was slightly taken aback and asked, "These military merits, can they enter the central government and become prime ministers?"

"Why not?"

"Let me think about it some more."

"What's there to think about? Minister Zhao has many misdeeds and is hated by all the officials. If my husband hangs on this tree, he won't be sheltered from the wind and rain, and will only attract thunder from the heavens..."

After several attempts to persuade him, Zhao Dezhao was still pondering the matter, and it wasn't until a quarter of an hour later that he finally rode out with a heavy expression.

………………

Xiangfu.

Lei Youlin went outside from the side room and saw the light again after half a day.

Under the watchful eyes of servants and attendants, he was nervously led to the back courtyard.

At this moment, almost all of Wang Dong's close associates were present.

Hu Zan, Liu Wei, Li Kedu, and Zhao Fu, who resigned due to illness.

At this moment when all the wise men had gathered, Wang Dongshuai, who had been biding his time for many days, suddenly made his move, pointing his brows furrowed in anger.

"I remember our shared experience of taking the exams together! For the past three years, I've helped and supported you, even entrusting my family business to you! You treacherous wretch!"

"It's a pity that your father didn't want to be ruthless! He gave you a chance to pass the imperial examination and become a meritorious citizen! Is this how you repay kindness with enmity?! Are you even a human being?!"

"Your Highness..."

Lei Youlin, feeling uneasy, could only lower his head and endure the scolding and scorn of the crowd.