After their minds were read, the entire court trembled with fear.

Chapter 26 The Emperor's Second Son Forcibly Seizes a Commoner

[Well, ever since people learned that the Dengwen Drum was not just for show, many people have come to petition, so the sound of the drum has been constant these past few days.]

However, many of these matters are not serious; most of the serious matters have been handled by the Ministry of Justice, with a small number falling under the purview of other departments.

But, old emperor, you've given me a task!

The old emperor's eyelids twitched; he had a feeling it wasn't a good thing.

At this moment, Chen Decai entered from outside the hall and whispered in his ear, "Your Majesty, all the officials from the Ministry of Justice are requesting an audience."

"Let him in."

[Hmph, the official is about to come and talk about Prince Duan.]

[This Prince Duan is truly formidable; hopefully, the old emperor won't bend the law for personal gain!]

The ministers present wiped away non-existent cold sweat from their faces.

This means that we will once again have to listen to the old emperor's family affairs "reluctantly".

I'm so sorry.

But then I thought, how can the Emperor's affairs be considered family matters? They are matters of state.

After the Chief Clerk of the Ministry of Justice came in to pay his respects, he hesitated and looked around.

The old emperor blew on his beard in annoyance.

"Just say it."

Anyway, they all know who you're talking about is related to.

Since the old emperor had spoken, the head of the Ministry of Justice no longer hesitated.

"Your Majesty, someone just beat the drum to appeal."

"Oh, I understand."

"It's a woman."

"Yeah, and then what."

"That woman was a businesswoman."

The old emperor's lips twitched violently.

The old emperor has such a good temper; this man speaks so slowly and deliberately.

Shen Zhiyi couldn't hold it in any longer.

The person beating the petition drum was a woman named Yang Hao. She was married to a clothing store owner; the two were of similar age and deeply in love. However, their loving relationship ended a month ago.

[A month ago, when Prince Duan was on his way to visit the Prime Minister, he passed by their cloth shop and happened to see Yang Hao's husband. He was so handsome that he fell in love with him at first sight. So, while others forcibly abduct women, Prince Duan forcibly abducted men!]

Yang Hao's husband refused to submit to her will and is now imprisoned in Prince Duan's mansion. To save her husband, Yang Hao went directly to the Dali Temple to file a complaint, but when the Dali Temple saw that she was suing the Second Prince, they beat her instead, giving her a severe beating.

Yang Hao was unconscious in bed for seven days and seven nights. The first thing he did after getting out of bed was run to see the Dengwen Drum.

In short, to sum it up in one sentence: Prince Duan forcibly abducted a man from the common people!

The old emperor was furious.

The criminal investigation officer was still rambling on and on, but he didn't get to the point.

The old emperor interrupted the other party.

"What's your name?"

I know, I know, this guy's name is Gou Dongxi.

Shen Zhiyi suppressed a laugh, "Hahaha, Gou Dongxi, you bastard!"

"You scoundrel?"

The eyes of the criminal investigators lit up.

The Emperor actually knows his name is Gou Dongxi. Does this mean his career is about to take off and he will be able to make great strides?

The old emperor snorted coldly, and the sound of him setting off to leave was accompanied by a single word—

"derogatory."

The newly appointed Minister of Personnel, looking at the old emperor's retreating figure, shouted, "Your Majesty, what official position should he be demoted to?"

"look by youself."

The newly appointed Minister of Personnel realized that as long as he didn't appear before the old emperor, everything would be fine.

As a result, the criminal investigation department was demoted.

[On the 13th day of the month, the Emperor issued an order demoting the Chief Censor of the Ministry of Justice, the suspected reason being that he spoke like a sloth.]

Zhang Sheren paused in his steps.

The part after "suspicious" could be removed, sis!

At this point, the officials in the Ministry of Justice were all puzzled, but no matter how many doubts they had, they had to bear it.

The newly appointed Minister of Personnel kindly remarked, "Speaking is an art. It doesn't have to be elaborate, but at least don't be so long-winded."

After going around in circles for so long without getting to the point, look at Shen Zhiyi, who quickly explained the whole story.

They also made a summary.

It's a pity the handwriting is a bit off, and the writing style is much worse.

When the group arrived at the Censorate, they saw the kneeling merchant woman, Yang Hao. Before she could explain her grievances, the old emperor took her directly to the Prince Duan's residence.

The Prince Duan's mansion was enormous, with a full five hundred servants, but not a single woman; they were all men.

Although they were all men, they lacked any masculinity.

For a moment, the old emperor thought he had been appointed to the position of prime minister.

He had a chair brought out and sat down in the courtyard, facing Yang Haodao.

"Your man will be here soon. As for my good-for-nothing son, you can take whatever you want. Chen Decai, bring me the bramble."

"Here."

Chen Decai specifically chose the thickest brambles, which were covered in sharp thorns.

Shen Zhiyi's eyelids twitched at the sight.

Wow, you're so talented, are you sure you're not just settling a personal score?

Chen Decai's expression remained unchanged. He didn't care about settling personal scores; he was simply following the emperor's orders.

【!! I knew it! It really was a case of settling a personal score on official business!】

The old emperor looked at Chen Decai with surprise.

How could he not know that there was a personal grudge between the two?

The great scholar had a godson who was incredibly handsome, with rosy lips and white teeth. Prince Duan took a liking to him when he visited the palace once, and so…

The old emperor took the thorny branch fiercely, cursing, "You unfilial son!"

That's incredibly audacious; he even dared to touch the eunuchs around his father.

Chen Decai had prepared himself for a scolding from the old emperor, but he never expected...

Prince Duan, disheveled, was escorted before the crowd by the Dragon Scale Guards.

"Father, what does this mean?"

The old emperor didn't even glance at his son, but turned to Yang Hao and asked, "Will you go first, or shall I?"

Yang Hao was completely bewildered. What was that?

She only wanted to rescue her husband, but she didn't intend to hit the prince herself.

"This, this..." This is too outrageous.

[What's with all this dawdling? This is beating a prince! The emperor's son! Something so many people could only dream of! Most people only dare to do this during rebellions, but you're doing it now! What's there to be afraid of? Charge at him!]

Shen Zhiyi's eyes were burning with desire, wishing she could take Yang Hao's place and go herself.

The old emperor glanced at Shen Zhiyi, knowing that if he really let her have her way, she would back down faster than anyone else.

Wait a minute, Yang Hao actually beat up the emperor's son!

Shen Zhiyi's eyes widened in surprise.

[Holy crap, Yang Hao's son was actually the emperor's son!]

The old emperor and his ministers coughed several times.

My God, His Majesty actually...

Many officials' eyes darted back and forth between the old emperor and Yang Hao.

The old emperor wished he could grab Shen Zhiyi by the shoulders and shake her around on the spot.

This is slander!

He's going to appeal to the imperial court! He's going to appeal to the imperial court!

The old emperor looked closely at Yang Hao's face. He looked to be only in his thirties. Could he really be such a beast?

The thought of the women in his harem made him realize that he really was a beast.

However, Yang Hao swore that this was their first meeting.

Could it be that he got drunk during one of his incognito visits, or perhaps he did it unconsciously...?

The old emperor took a deep breath. If it were true, then the Zhou family was truly despicable.

[Hahaha, old emperor, you have a younger brother now.]

The old emperor: (д) ??