The low-key prince summons trainees from the Imperial Household Department at the start of the game.

When news of the first round of interrogation by the three judicial authorities reached the Fourth Prince's residence, Zhou Bin was sitting in his study pruning potted plants with a pair of silver scissors.

He cut very slowly, each cut landing on the most lush part of the branches and leaves. With a snap, an extra branch broke off and fell onto the white cloth laid out on the table.

He gently placed the silver scissors on the table, wiped his fingers with a white cloth, and then read through the trial record copied from the Ministry of Justice from beginning to end.

When I saw the line "All my actions were carried out by the Emperor's orders, but the Emperor's orders cannot be disobeyed, and I dare not speak out," I was deeply moved.

His fingers paused for a long time, then he suddenly laughed.

The laughter was very soft, like the faint sound of a knife blade slicing through silk, but Zhao, who was standing to the side, involuntarily took half a step back.

She's been married to Zhou Bin for so many years, she's all too familiar with that laugh.

Every time he laughs like that, it means someone is about to be in trouble.

"Wang Anshi's chain of evidence is indeed well-deserved: the seals at the scene of the ship hijacking in Runzhou, the account books in Liu Heng's water fortress, and the will of the Assistant Magistrate of Jiangning Prefecture."

"Three lines are strung together, one link after another, each link bypassing me, yet each link points back to me."

Zhou Bin placed the court transcript on the table, leaned back in her chair, and slowly tapped her fingers on the armrest. The rhythm was not fast, but steady and powerful. "This game of chess was indeed played beautifully."

"Instead of impeaching me directly, they have wiped out everyone around me."

"Once the crimes of the Textile Bureau and Jiangning Prefecture are cleared, I will be like a bare tree, falling over with a gust of wind without them even lifting a finger."

"Your Highness, we cannot sit idly by and wait to die!" Zhao's voice became a little shrill.

"Who said I'm going to sit here and wait to die?" Zhou Bin raised his eyes, his gaze as cold as two pieces of iron just pulled from an ice cellar. "They cut off my branches and leaves, and I'll cut off their hands."

"As for Imperial Censor Qian, have him submit a memorial to the court tomorrow morning impeaching Wang Anshi on charges of 'framing someone for personal reasons, overstepping his authority, and fabricating evidence.'"

"Doesn't he claim to be upright and honest? I'm going to throw this dirty water on his head."

As he spoke, he picked up a pre-written impeachment memorial from the table and handed it to Zhao.

Tell her to deliver it to Imperial Censor Qian's residence tonight, and make sure it's presented at the morning court session tomorrow.

After receiving the memorial, Zhao asked the physician Sun if he wanted to join in as well.

Zhou Bin nodded slightly and said that Sun Langzhong of the Ministry of Personnel's Performance Evaluation Department and Qian Yushi were born in the same year.

He was instructed to cooperate with Imperial Censor Qian's impeachment efforts by spreading rumors in the Performance Evaluation Office that Wang Anshi was "overstepping his authority and seeking fame and fortune" in the Censorate.

Investigating people is the responsibility of the Censorate, while the Performance Evaluation Department is in charge of evaluating and promoting officials. Whoever has a bad reputation will not be promoted.

He also specifically instructed that someone be sent to investigate Wang Anshi's family background.

Investigate his parents, wife, children, relatives, fellow villagers, and classmates; investigate whether he has ever accepted money from anyone.

Investigate whether he has engaged in prostitution, gambling, or alcoholism; even if he hasn't, fabricate such activities.

He didn't believe that someone who had taught poor students in a village school for several years could be very clean.

Even if it's truly clean, you have to make it appear unclean.

Zhao wrote everything down and then turned to make the arrangements.

After she left, Zhou Bin sat alone in the study and read the court transcript again.

……

The Fourth Prince's counterattack began.

The Wangjiazhuang case happened three years ago.

When Wang Anshi was teaching at a private school in Wangjiazhuang, he stood up for several tenant farmers whose land had been seized by landlords, thus offending the local gentry.

The local gentryman's surname was Li, and he was a distant relative of Vice Minister Li of the Ministry of Justice.

The case was eventually dropped, but the Li family still harbors resentment to this day.

This old incident isn't a big deal, but if someone with ulterior motives were to dig it up and impeach him for "moral failings and seeking revenge," it would certainly cause him some trouble.

He circled Li Shilang's name on a note and sent someone to the Ministry of Justice to tell Li Shilang to thoroughly investigate Wang Anshi's past misdeeds.

The next morning, Vice Minister Li submitted a memorial impeaching Wang Anshi for "protecting troublemakers, humiliating local gentry, and using his scholar's degree to control the local area" three years earlier in Wangjiazhuang.

Although what was taken out of the folded document was nothing more than old sesame seeds, once the case was filed, the Ministry of Personnel's Performance Evaluation Department would have to suspend Wang Anshi's promotion assessment.

Immediately afterwards, an official from the Ministry of Rites also jumped out to impeach Su Shi, saying that he "formed cliques for personal gain, incited the upright officials, and interfered in politics with his poetry and prose."

The Ministry of Revenue went even further, directly questioning Heshengyuan's accounts and demanding a thorough investigation into whether its banking business involved illegal deposit-taking.

At the same time, Marquis Zhao Xi of Wu'an submitted a memorial to the Ministry of War, stating that the southwestern border was unstable and suggesting that the court send more troops.

Grand Commandant Zhou Jing held onto the document for a long time before handing it over to the Ministry of War's Department of Military Affairs, instructing them to handle it according to standard procedures.

However, he privately told the Second Prince Zhou Xun that Zhao Xi's true intentions were not what they seemed.

The troop reinforcements in the southwest are a pretense; their real intention is to muddy the waters.

When the news reached Zhou Xing's desk, he was practicing calligraphy.

He put down his pen, held the note up to the candle flame and burned it, saying casually, "Fourth Brother is getting anxious."

He walked to the window, opened it, and gazed at the moon in the night sky, which was not yet full. The shadow of the old locust tree swayed gently on the ground in the wind.

He suddenly felt that tonight's moon was very similar to the first night he traveled through time when he was six years old.

It is just like that, not quite complete yet, and just like that, cold and frosty.

Back then he was standing alone by the window, but now there's a whole net behind him.

Afterwards, Zhou Xing wrote a secret letter and sent it to Zhao Gao, and another to Shangguan Jin Hong.

"Have Zhao Gao whisper to the Emperor that the Fourth Prince's residence has been making too much noise these past few days, and even the palace cats know that he's trying to find someone to impeach Wang Anshi."

"Also, have Shangguan Jin Hong seize another batch of cargo ships belonging to the Canal Gang at the dock. Not many, just three to five will do."

"After you've seized the goods, let Qiu Wu spread the word that the workers' association will only seize the goods and not harm anyone. But if they want to take back the goods, let the head of the canal gang come and negotiate in person. Doesn't the Fourth Prince like to muddy the waters? Let him stir up trouble in his own backyard too."

On the morning of the ninth day of the sixth lunar month, memorials impeaching Wang Anshi and Su Shi were indeed submitted at the same time during the morning court session.

Zhou Qian sat on the dragon throne and flipped through both memorials, then gently placed them on the table. He neither approved nor rejected them, but simply said, "I understand."

This "I understand" left all the officials in the court baffled, and also made the people sent by the Fourth Prince feel uneasy.

What exactly does Your Majesty mean?

After the court session ended, Zhou Qian kept Zhao Gao behind and asked him what he thought of the events of the past two days.

Zhao Gao pondered for a moment, holding his whisk, and said, "This servant thinks that the people around the Fourth Prince are too hasty. They are eager to impeach the people who handled the case before the case has even been concluded, as if they have something to hide."

Zhou Qian nodded slightly and then asked him what he thought of Wang Anshi.

Zhao Gao said that Wang Jingli had audited the accounts at the Censorate for several months without making a single mistake. He also heard that when Wang Jingli was teaching in Wangjiazhuang, he had offended the local gentry by standing up for the tenant farmers.

Your Majesty asked whether someone is usable or not. This servant believes that those who are usable are often angular and sharp, while those who are smooth and tactful may be useful, but they cannot be the blade.

Zhou Qian didn't say anything more, but simply told him to go to the Censorate and convey the Emperor's words to Pei Du.

"Continue to investigate what needs to be investigated. Don't be afraid of offending people. Some people are already scared. Let them be scared even more."

Zhao Gao bowed to receive the decree, and as he turned around, he glanced out of the corner of his eye at the empty shadow behind the pillars on the east side of the corridor.

He knew that the Fourth Prince's spy in the palace was standing behind that pillar.

Every word of what was just said will reach the Fourth Prince's ears without a single mistake.

This is exactly the effect he wanted.