Chapter 813 The Color of the Crown
Although her sight could not penetrate the thick door curtain, Concubine Wu could not help but look towards the study again and again.
The pineapple-like buttocks seemed to be bitten by something, rolling back and forth on the soft cushion, leaving one eye-catching arc after another.
"elder sister."
After a while, she finally couldn't stand the loneliness anymore, so she turned around and asked Princess Niu who was sitting with her eyes closed: "Do you think that little bitch did this?"
Princess Niu, however, seemed to have turned a deaf ear to him and had no intention of responding at all.
Concubine Wu curled her lips secretly. If it were a few years ago, she might have made some sarcastic remarks.
But now her favor is declining, and the people of Liudu are pressing her step by step. Even her position as the crown prince does not seem to be very secure. Instead, Princess Niu has become her natural ally. It is not good for her to be the enemy of Princess Niu everywhere as she did when she was young.
Therefore, Concubine Wu had no choice but to suppress her annoyance and pour herself a cup of tea.
As she was sipping her drink with her head down, a maid suddenly rushed in, shouting in surprise or joy: "Madam, Madam! Liu Duren just ran away in dishevelled clothes, as if... as if he had just been molested by someone!"
Phew~
Wu Fei sprayed herself all over, then suddenly jumped up from the soft couch: "Really?"
"I saw with my own eyes that she had half of her shoulder exposed and burst out crying!"
Upon hearing this, Concubine Wu ignored her wet bosom and carefully traced the outline of her breasts. She rushed to the door in a few steps and was about to go out to see what was going on.
When she was about to reach the door, she suddenly remembered that she was not the one in charge here, so she turned back and said to Princess Niu with hope: "Sister, do you think that little bitch was questioned about something, so..."
She definitely didn't believe that she ran away crying because she was molested - no matter how lustful a man was, how could he dare to molest the prince's favorite concubine in public?
Princess Niu also knew that there must be something fishy going on, but her mind was not actually on the case, so even though she had doubts, she was not as excited as Princess Wu.
So he just opened his eyes and said calmly: "Whatever happens, the prince will make the final decision."
…
King Zhongxin's "fair judgment" was soon presented to everyone - as to whether it was fair or not, that was a matter of opinion.
It is said that when he learned that Sun Shaozong had dared to flirt with his concubine in the palace, he was furious - this is questionable, because since his weight exceeded 300 kilograms, no one in the palace had seen the prince jump up - and he even shouted that he wanted to capture Sun Shaozong to vent his anger.
It is said that it was only after the Chief Secretary Hu Tai persuaded him that he changed his mind, but he drove the audacious Sun Shaozong out of the palace together with the officials from the Dali Temple.
Of course, this is just the official statement. There are many different versions of the discussion behind the scenes.
"Have you heard? That Liu Du was angry that the princess had lost his face, so he pretended to be teased by Lord Sun, so that the prince would hold a grudge against the princess!"
"But I heard that she took the initiative to undress because she saw that Mr. Sun was so burly..."
"Bah, are you stupid? Hu Changshi was just outside the door at the time. How dare she seduce a wild man?"
"We may as well be prepared for Lord Sun to be so daring and lustful. I've heard that Lord Sun fathered several illegitimate children when he was suppressing the rebellion in Huguang!"
"No, I heard that the barbarians were afraid of being killed by him, so every barbarian girl he slept with claimed to be pregnant with his child..."
There were many different rumors, but it was a foregone conclusion that Sun Shaozong was driven out of the palace by King Zhongxin because of Liu Duren.
As for the theft of the Night Pearl, it seemed that it was temporarily handed over to the guards of the palace.
All they could do was to detain those who had gone out in the morning in the woodshed and torture them repeatedly.
…
In an alley two streets away from the palace.
Sun Shaozong sat alone on the shaft of the cart, with a look of helplessness on his face.
His helplessness was not because he was "driven" out of the palace. In fact, this was something he and Hu Tai had discussed in advance, in order to lure the snake out of its hole.
But Sun Shaozong didn't expect that Liu Duren was so bold that he tore off half of his clothes in front of him, as if intending to tease him.
Looking at that hungry and seductive look, the color of the crown on King Zhongxin's head will probably have to be changed sooner or later.
"grown ups."
At this time, Huang Bin quietly entered the alley and bowed to report: "According to your instructions, I have already arranged personnel around the palace."
"Um."
Sun Shaozong nodded and instructed Tang Weishan, "Tang Sizheng, remember to send someone to inform the Honglu Temple and the Ministry of Rites and have them spread the word that the Korean envoys are afraid of another storm at sea and are preparing to return home early."
The stage has been set up, wouldn’t it be a waste of time if the protagonist doesn’t come on stage?
Besides, even if Sun Shaozong could wait, Prince Zhongxin might not be able to be patient enough to keep fighting with the villain.
That's why we have to spread the news to force the thief to act as soon as possible.
Tang Weishan responded respectfully, but his face was full of doubts: "Sir, even if that person really wants to frame the Korean delegation, such a blatant approach will probably not have any effect, right?"
This is also what Sun Shaozong can't figure out for the time being.
He had handled a case of theft of new firearms before, so he knew that the Goryeo Kingdom had deployed many assassins in the Zhou Dynasty.
The case ended when the Korean envoy Li Enxian voluntarily handed over the firearms stolen by the spy.
It is understandable that the other dead spies of Goryeo would bear a grudge against Li Enxian, or even want to frame him and force the Kingdom of Korea to become hostile to the Great Zhou.
But given the current situation, how easy would it be to pin the case of the theft of the Night Pearl on Li Enxian?
Or...
What unknown secrets ?
After thinking for a long time without any clue, Sun Shaozong could only suppress these doubts in his heart and waved his hand, saying, "Don't worry about these for now. Just keep a close eye on the palace. After catching the thief, the truth will naturally come out."
As he spoke, he took out his pocket watch to check the time, and then instructed: "I have to go to the Beijing Prince's Mansion for a banquet, so I'll leave this to you first."
Tang Weishan and others responded in unison, and Sun Shaozong then got into the carriage and ordered Zhang Cheng to drive straight to Prince Beijing's Palace.
…
at the same time.
In the flower hall in the inner courtyard of Prince Beijing's mansion, snacks and tea were prepared, as well as singing, dancing and other entertainments. However, Shui Rong, the host, did not show any joy on his face at this time.
This was not because he had discovered that his crown had changed color, but because of the absence of his brother-in-law Wei Rushong.
It turned out that Shui Rong held this banquet not only to improve his relationship with Sun Shaozong, but also to take the opportunity to resolve the grievances between the Sun and Wei families.
Who would have thought that despite repeated reminders, Wei Rushong still did not come to the banquet, and only asked Wei Ruolan to bring an excuse that he was not feeling well.
Shui Rong felt even more unhappy when he thought that ever since his influence declined, his brother-in-law had become more obedient and less responsive to orders.
I couldn't help but complain to Wei Ruolan: "Back then it was just a dispute of pride. Now one is in the Shenji Camp and the other is in the Patrol Camp. There is no conflict of interest between them. Why is my brother so unwise to continue to fight with the Sun family?"
"Especially now that we can see, whether the crown prince ascends the throne or another heir is appointed, the Sun family will be of great use..."
Wei Ruolan had long guessed that the shooting of the Niu family's eldest son was probably related to her eldest brother .
Therefore, he also felt resentful towards Wei Rushong.
Hearing Shui Rong's endless complaints, he hesitated for a moment, then sighed and said, "I think my eldest brother seems to have other ways to get in touch with Rongguo Mansion, so he naturally doesn't want to bow to the Sun family."
Is there any other way to get to Rongguo Mansion?
Shui Rong was stunned when he heard this, and frowned, "If this is really possible, we don't have to rely on others, but I'm afraid that Rongguo Mansion may not be willing to get close to your family right now, right?"
Sun Shaozong had come to the rescue in times of need, and had long been related to the Rongguo Mansion by marriage, so he had the opportunity to have the best of both worlds now.
But the Wei family had previously stood on the side of the prince together with Shui Rong. Although they failed to gain the prince's trust, they had after all pledged their allegiance.
In the current situation of the fight for the throne, it may not be so easy to have a good relationship with the Rongguo Mansion, right?
But after asking a few more questions, Wei Ruolan only vaguely realized Wei Rushong's thoughts, but she was also confused about how he was going to implement it.
So the two of them talked for a few words, but neither of them got to the point.
Shui Rong drank half a cup of tea irritably, then took out his pocket watch and looked at it. He said decisively, "We'll discuss this later. It's more important to deal with Sun Shaozong first. Come on, follow me to visit your sister."
"Going to my sister's place?"
"Your sister told me yesterday that she had several conflicts with Sun Shaozong because of you. Now that Sun Shaozong has helped you and wants to be closer to you in the future, it is reasonable for her to come forward and apologize."
