Liu Bian at the start, so you're called Dong Zhuo, right?

"Summon Cao Song, the Grand Minister of Agriculture, to me!"

As soon as Emperor Ling of Han uttered those words, the air in the hall seemed to thin out.

Shortly after, an announcement came from outside the palace:

"Grand Minister of Agriculture Cao Song—I have an audience with you!"

Cao Song entered the palace, dressed in his finest attire, but he walked a step slower than usual.

It wasn't fear, but weighing the pros and cons: if this step was wrong, the Tian Chamber of Commerce, along with the Crown Prince's Palace, would be implicated in the "smuggling of contraband" case.

He prostrated himself and kowtowed:

"Your subject Cao Song pays his respects to Your Majesty."

Emperor Ling of Han didn't even bother to raise his hand; his voice was icy:

"Your Tianshang Guild's travel permit and exit pass are stamped and signed, but the box contains only sulfur, nitrate, petroleum, cloth, and talisman paper."

"Tell me—who gave you the audacity?"

Cao Song's forehead was pressed against the ground:

"I am innocent."

"I dare to guarantee with my life that the articles of association of the Tianshang Association clearly prohibit the sale of sulfur and saltpeter, and there is absolutely no record of such items in the accounts."

Zhao Zhong, who was standing at the back, twitched slightly.

Emperor Ling of Han sneered:

"Absolutely not? Who issued those road signs? Who stamped them?"

Cao Song raised his head, his eyes red, like an honest man driven to desperation:

"Your Majesty, there are copies of the road permit templates and official document formats. I had them verified last night—"

He paused, as if there was something he couldn't say, but in the end he had to say it:

"Those road signs, the paper and watermark match the old system."

"Only one thing—that's not right."

Emperor Ling of Han squinted:

"What's wrong?"

Cao Song whispered:

"According to the regulations, the relevant road signs of the Jizhou patrol must be stamped with an additional small seal for 'joint management and signing,' with fine characters and light ink."

"The joint management stamps on this batch of road signs are too heavy—"

"It's as if someone is eager to make it conspicuous, so that His Majesty can see it."

The hall fell silent.

This sounds like a self-defense, but in reality, it's a deliberate attempt to push the concept of "joint management" directly to the emperor.

Zhao Zhong hurriedly stepped forward:

"Your Majesty! Cao Song is making baseless accusations! The joint management only inspected the goods; it's impossible for them to oversee every single box and every single truck!"

Cao Song acted as if he hadn't heard and continued speaking:

"There is one more thing that I dare not conceal."

"The original copy of this batch of customs documents is not found in the archives of the Tianjin Chamber of Commerce."

"But in the files of the joint administration office, I found a record of 'salt, cloth and miscellaneous goods'."

"Without joint supervision of the file tracing, I wouldn't even know where to begin my investigation."

He kowtowed even more deeply:

"Your Majesty, I am not trying to implicate anyone. I only request that Your Majesty thoroughly investigate the source of the jointly managed documents and signatures."

Zhao Zhong's face turned pale instantly, and he hurriedly stepped forward and kowtowed:

"Your Majesty! This matter has absolutely nothing to do with me!"

"I was with Guo Sheng that day—I was with him the entire time! This is my testimony!"

Zhang Rang kept his eyes down, as if he were detached from the matter.

Emperor Ling's gaze suddenly fell on Zhao Zhong, and his voice grew even colder:

"Guo Sheng?"

"Bring Guo Sheng here."

-

"Emperor Guo Sheng—I have come to see you!"

When Guo Sheng entered the hall, he still had that same smile on his face, a gentle smile, as if he knew nothing.

But as soon as he knelt down, his voice became exceptionally steady:

"Your subject Guo Sheng pays his respects to Your Majesty."

Emperor Ling of Han stared at him:

Zhao Zhong said that he was with you on the day the incident occurred.

Is this true?

Guo Sheng raised his head, not rushing to claim credit or shift blame, but simply nodding honestly:

"Your Majesty, this is indeed true."

Zhao Zhong's eyes lit up, as if he had grasped a lifeline.

Guo Sheng added another sentence, his tone still respectful:

"However—Attendant Zhao and I were together for less than a quarter of an hour."

He came in a hurry, and he left in an even greater hurry.

Zhao Zhong's face froze instantly:

"Guo Sheng! You—"

Guo Sheng acted as if he hadn't heard him and continued speaking, even offering a "defense" for Zhao Zhong:

"Attendant Zhao said: There are urgent matters in Zhangde Hall that I need to go back to handle."

"I dare not stop you."

"But I remember it very clearly: before Zhao Changshi left, his sleeve seemed to be stained with ink, and his thumb pressed against the ring and twirled it once—"

"The movement was as if the ink had just been applied and the inkpad was still wet."

There was a dead silence in the hall.

Cao Song remained motionless on the ground, but a hint of suppressed "finally" lingered at the corner of his mouth.

Zhao Zhong trembled and hurriedly kowtowed:

"Your Majesty! This is all conjecture! My habit of ringing my thumb is simply an old custom—"

Guo Sheng, however, gave a slight bow, his tone increasingly "for Your Majesty's sake":

"Your Majesty, I dare not conclude that Attendant Zhao is guilty."

"The customs documents, road signs, prohibited items inspections, and postal reports of the Jizhou patrol were all under joint management."

"When joint management takes action, there must be a clear bottom line."

"Your Majesty, I request that you investigate two things: first, who was in charge of copying the documents, and second, who took the inkpad on that day."

"If the matter can be found, the innocent will clear themselves; if it cannot be found... then someone is using His Majesty's name for personal gain."

After saying this, Zhao Zhong's face turned as white as paper.

Emperor Ling of Han could no longer contain his anger.

He slowly rose, his gaze sharp as a knife, landing on Zhao Zhong:

"Zhao Zhong".

"I gave you a chance."

Zhao Zhong looked up, his eyes red-rimmed, his voice trembling:

"Your Majesty, I have been wronged—"

Emperor Ling of Han interrupted him directly, his voice tinged with helplessness:

"Fine, I will remember that you have served me for many years."

"Effective immediately—Zhao Zhongzhong is dismissed from his position as Grand Chamberlain and his official seal is revoked."

"All former officials and their records in the government office have been seized and imprisoned, and all jointly managed documents and records of official documents have been thoroughly investigated!"

Zhao Zhong lay sprawled on the ground, as if his bones had been removed, letting out a barely audible sob.

He lost more than just his position.

It's about status, about being "usable" in the emperor's eyes.

-

Even after the court session ended, Emperor Ling of Han was still seething with anger.

Zhang Rang stayed by their side carefully, and no one dared to say a word.

At this moment, Guo Sheng seemed to suddenly remember something and whispered:

"Your Majesty, please calm your anger."

"I have a place... where I can relax and clear my mind."

Emperor Ling of Han squinted:

"where?"

Guo Sheng smiled apologetically:

"Palace Market".

"There are some novel trinkets on the market lately, which I find quite rare. If Your Majesty were to take a look, perhaps it would ease your mind."

Emperor Ling of Han was already irritable, but hearing "novel" piqued his interest:

"Walk."

-

The palace market wasn't crowded, but it was lively.

The vendors bowed respectfully from a distance, their stalls arranged neatly.

As Emperor Ling of Han walked along, his gaze was suddenly drawn to something—

A small "waterwheel," exquisitely crafted from wood, has a bowl of clear water underneath. With a gentle turn of the wheel, the water is lifted up along the narrow channel and flows back into the bowl, circulating endlessly.

Emperor Ling of Han stopped and stared at it for a long time, then, like a child, showed a hint of curiosity:

"What is this?"

Guo Sheng immediately stepped forward, bowed, and smiled:

"Your Majesty, I was just doing this in my spare time, so I learned how to make little gadgets from craftsmen."

"Using the power of water to turn the wheel, the water flows as the wheel turns. It looks simple, but it saves effort."

Emperor Ling of Han reached out and turned the waterwheel, causing it to creak and the waterline to rise slightly.

He smiled.

The moment that laugh came out, the gloomy atmosphere in Zhangde Hall dissipated by more than half.

"You know how to please me."

Guo Sheng quickly kowtowed:

"Your Majesty is busy with countless affairs of state, and it is a blessing for me to occasionally find a moment of pleasure."

Emperor Ling of Han, in a good mood, casually said:

"The position of Grand Chamberlain is vacant anyway, so you can hold it for now."

Guo Sheng's heart skipped a beat, and he immediately prostrated himself on the ground, his voice trembling with unconcealed joy:

"Your Majesty, I thank you for your great kindness! I will do my utmost and dare not fail you!"

Zhang Rang's eyes twitched slightly, but his smile remained unchanged.

-

On the way back, Guo Sheng's heart was still pounding.

Suddenly, the dim light in the Chengde Hall three days ago flashed into his mind.

At that time, the Crown Prince sat at his desk, his tone calm:

"What Zhao Zhong fears is not punishment."

"He was afraid it would be written into the case file."

"You don't need to kill him."

"You just need to make him say 'I am here' in front of the Emperor, and then say 'I am not here' in front of him."

"When people are in a hurry, they will look for witnesses."

"You will be a witness."

"Witnesses only tell the truth—the truth is the most ruthless."

Guo Sheng felt a chill run down his spine when he heard that.

The Crown Prince even wrote down which phrase Zhao Zhong would use to plead for his life.

Even more frightening is-

The "novelties" in the palace market were not made by him.

That was sent secretly by the Crown Prince earlier, who even calculated the location of the stall and the timing of the message.

Guo Sheng lowered his head, but a barely suppressed smile crept onto his lips.

So that's how it all started—

From the very first decree in the Zhangde Hall that "Zhao Zhong shall continue to jointly govern," it was no longer a mere "warning."

It was a platform personally built for Zhao Zhong by the Crown Prince.

The stage is bright and glamorous, but the audience is a pit.

Zhao Zhong was made to walk up by himself, and then he fell down by himself.

Guo Sheng, as instructed by the Crown Prince, simply stood aside and said, "Indeed."

Just this one sentence.

This is what led to these words today—

"The position of Grand Chamberlain is vacant anyway, so you can hold it for now."

Guo Sheng looked up at the sky, having already made up his mind.

I must stand completely on the same side as this Crown Prince.