Chapter 264: Sacrifice The Pawn To Save The King

Minister of Personnel Shi Yan was still pondering Prince Fengming.

“Heh heh…” Zhou Chang couldn’t help but sneer, and Shi Yan was still stuck in inertial thinking, thinking that she was going to seize the position of Left Vice Minister of Revenue by threats and enticements.

She simply stood up, turned around and went outside, leaving the last two sentences: “It’s getting late, it’s almost noon, This King wants to go back to the Prince’s Mansion to rest earlier, and will enter the palace tomorrow to say the words that I just said to Official Shi again to His Majesty. Official Shi, also take advantage of the remaining day to think about how to report back.”

Shi Yan was shocked and stood up, “Prince Yi, please wait, then why did Prince Yi come here today to speak to this official in this manner?”

Zhou Chang glanced at the sky outside and did not directly answer: “Oh, right, I forgot to tell Official Shi when I came in, Minister of Dali Temple Chu Liang also came with This King, in the carriage behind. The Court of Censors is a mere formality, whose duty to supervise officials of the Imperial Court has fallen on, I believe Official Shi knows more than This King.”

In order to quickly resolve the matter, this morning, Zhou Chang first made an appointment with Zheng Tu, and then went to Dali Temple to summon Minister of Dali Temple Chu Liang.

Shi Yan’s narrow eyes and thin lips began to tremble: “Prince Yi, Prince Yi…”

“As This King said, this Golden Pixiu is material evidence, and the person who sent the Golden Pixiu is also in the carriage outside, naturally a witness. Although the two Vice Ministers didn’t send Official Shi a Golden Pixiu, and perhaps not even gold and silver jewelry, as long as Dali Temple is willing to investigate, it can always be found.” Zhou Chang only carried the brocade box of the Golden Pixiu and walked out.

“Prince Yi, please wait…” Shi Yan quickly stopped her, “What exactly does Prince Yi want?”

“What do you want?” Zhou Chang stopped and turned around, “Official Shi, are you trying to protect your two subordinates, or are you going to get yourself involved, isn’t it a difficult choice? The Ministry of Personnel sells official titles, and it is known to all. You are the main official of the Ministry of Personnel, and you can still get away with it. This King came here today to persuade Official Shi to abandon the vehicle to protect the marshal, but Official Shi doesn’t seem to appreciate it.”

“Abandon the vehicle to protect the marshal?” Shi Yan was suddenly awakened.

“If after tomorrow’s morning audience, This King doesn’t hear Official Shi impeaching the two subordinates for selling official titles, then those things that Official Shi did yourself will not be hidden.” After Zhou Chang finished speaking, she left directly.

“Prince Yi…” Shi Yan was stunned for a moment and quickly chased after her, “Prince Yi, wait…”

Zhou Chang, accompanied by the skinny monkey who was guarding the door, strode out of the Ministry of Personnel’s Government Office.

Minister of Dali Temple Chu Liang was waiting at the Main Gate with four constables.

Minister of Dali Temple Chu Liang, around fifty years old, his figure was a little out of shape due to being overweight, but fortunately, he was well-groomed, with feathered eyebrows and elephant eyes, and he was naturally relaxed.

When Zhou Chang came out, Chu Liang stopped yawning, which he had only started, and came up to pay respects: “Prince Yi, this official has been waiting for the time of an incense stick, after all…”

Halfway through speaking, Shi Yan chased out from inside, and indeed saw Minister of Dali Temple Chu Liang standing at the doorway with four constables, and he also paused.

“The person who is accusing has come out,” Zhou Chang glanced at Shi Yan out of the corner of his eye, and then stuffed the brocade box in his arms into Chu Liang’s arms, “Take this, and the material evidence is also there.”

Chu Liang stared blankly and received it: “What is inside?”

Before coming, Zhou Chang had already told Chu Liang the general situation.

Unfortunately, Chu Liang had always been someone who liked things to be easy.

“A pie falls from the sky, and you are not willing to open your mouth?” Zhou Chang was furious at the time.

Chu Liang asked, “Where is the pie? If this official sees it, it will not be too late to open his mouth.”

Zhou Chang had originally thought that the merit would be given for free, and Chu Liang should be grateful, but he didn’t expect this result, but who made her want to save Wen Qingyan, she could only say things with a loss: “Minister Chu, you don’t want the merit that is delivered to your door, it’s really a unique kind of integrity. Minister Chu, come with This King, and you will naturally see.”

Chu Liang was not interested in the words “merit”, nor did he care, after all, the ancestral blessing was still there, and he didn’t need to. But he was more interested in the three words “delivered to your door”, after all, it would be a turtle egg not to pick up the cheap.

“Prince Yi, let’s talk slowly.” Shi Yan, after all, was getting older, and was panting after a few steps of chasing.

Zhou Chang then turned her head, as if she had just heard Shi Yan’s shout: “Official Shi, is there anything else?”

Shi Yan hadn’t figured out what he was chasing after, and glanced at Zhou Chang, then at Chu Liang, the matter was sudden and involved a significant issue, so he had to think cautiously.

Zhou Chang didn’t have so many thoughts: “Official Shi, This King has given you the opportunity, this matter is not difficult for Official Shi, but for Minister Chu it is a duck at the door, whether it can be eaten or just fly away. It’s all up to Official Shi.”

She wanted to resolve the matter quickly, but in reality, she only had Shen Rui’s hearing, and not much evidence.

Shi Yan was the Minister of Personnel, it was not easy to bring him down, but it was much easier for the Minister of Personnel to bring down the two Vice Ministers below him.

Zhou Chang’s material evidence was limited, so she could only use “borrowing a knife to kill someone”.

And because Prince Fengming had no Background in the Court, he had to use Chu Liang to “borrow strength”.

Shi Yan stared at Chu Liang, dumbfounded.

Chu Liang looked at Shi Yan, but it was already a pie falling from the sky.

His official position as Minister of Dali Temple, although it was due to ancestral blessing, was also prepared to be used for the Support for the Elderly, but after all, there was an examination every three years, and he still had to make some results, otherwise it would be really ugly.

“Oh, right, I almost forgot about a ‘pie’.” After Zhou Chang finished speaking, she turned to Chu Liang, “Minister Chu, there is also a witness, still in This King’s carriage, Minister Chu, send someone to take him back to the Government Office first.”

Chu Liang was about to open the brocade box to take a look at what was inside, and then raised his head.

Zhou Chang had already turned her head to the second carriage and ordered: “Gao Yuan, bring the person down and hand him over to Minister Chu.”

“Yes.” Gao Yuan agreed and jumped down from the carriage.

Turning around, he lifted the carriage compartment curtain and pulled out a “White Flour Bun” who was tied up and blindfolded and gagged.

In the morning, Zheng Tu came to the Prince’s Mansion as agreed, and Zhou Chang directly tricked the person into the carriage, and then he was knocked unconscious by Gao Yuan, who had been waiting in the carriage compartment, and was tied up, with his eyes covered and his mouth gagged.

When Zheng Tu woke up again, he was already lying on the bottom of the carriage compartment, and the carriage was still shaking, not knowing where it was going.

Gao Yuan put the person on the ground, and Zheng Tu was like a steamed bun that had just come out of the pot, and then was poured with cold water, and shriveled.

“Minister Chu, this is Zheng Tu, the Candidate who previously already roughly explained to you about stealing the examination questions and bribing to buy an official position.” Bribing to buy an official position was something Zhou Chang could affirm, as for buying the examination questions, although it was speculation, it was still more or less the same.

Zheng Tu was tied into a zongzi, his mouth was gagged and he couldn’t make a sound, and he didn’t know where he was, but his ears could still hear, and upon hearing this, he “sobbed” and struggled, as if to defend himself.

Chu Liang knew at a glance what kind of person this could be, and there was no need to say more, waved his hand, and let the two constables behind him take him away.

Zheng Tu struggled in vain and was taken away by the two constables.