" The Shen Family? Which Shen Family?"
Xu Zeyuan took the exquisitely crafted invitation and opened it. Seeing the signature at the bottom, he couldn't help but frown. " It's him? He and Sima Bai have had a long - standing feud. What on earth does he want with me?"
" Take this invitation and bring a small gift to decline on my behalf. Say I've caught a chill and can't receive guests... Wait, come back." After throwing the invitation to his servant, Xu Zeyuan remembered his current situation.
Judging from Sima Bai's attitude, he was determined to help Xu Yutang. But Xu Yutang was in Song'er's way and had to die.
After much deliberation, Xu Zeyuan still accepted the invitation, deciding to meet the person the next day before making any further decisions.
Not long after the servant left, he knocked on the door and came back in. " My lord, the guards from the Prime Minister's Mansion have brought young master Chen Liang back. They said you must go there in person before they'll release him."
Xu Zeyuan found it troublesome and let out a soft click of annoyance. But for the sake of Chen Bumian, he reluctantly got up and headed to the front hall.
Chen Liang, tightly held by the guards, struggled desperately when he saw Xu Zeyuan. He twisted his body and shouted, " Grandfather, save me! Xu Yutang was having an affair with a strange man outside. When I caught her, she had me tied up and slandered me for liking men..."
It was almost a foregone conclusion that Xu Yutang would be adopted into the Xu family. According to this relationship, she would soon be the granddaughter of the Prime Minister's Mansion. Seeing Chen Liang speaking rudely about their young lady, the guard immediately broke his wrist.
Xu Zeyuan looked at this scene with dissatisfaction. Chen Liang was the grandson of Chen Bumian, someone he wanted to protect. How dare these mere guards from the Prime Minister's Mansion lay hands on Chen Liang in front of him? They were simply lawless. " Who gave you the audacity..."
" Lord Xu, our master asked me to convey a message to you. Chen Bumian never remarried out of old affection. Due to rumors, he was driven mad by his younger sister. And Chen Liang's branch was adopted by Chen Bumian from his sister." The guard briefly explained the matter. In essence, it meant that Xu Zeyuan thought Chen Liang was Chen Bumian's descendant and wanted him to marry Xu Yutang to have an offspring with the blood of both the Chen and Xu families? He was gravely mistaken. Chen Bumian had remained single for Xu Zeyuan and had been driven mad by someone. Coincidentally, Chen Liang was the descendant of that very person.
Even while speaking, the guard didn't let go of Chen Liang. In fact, because Chen Liang struggled so fiercely, the guard tightened his grip even more.
Xu Zeyuan's eyes turned dark. He stared fixedly at Chen Liang. " Is this true? You're not Bumian's real grandson?"
If Chen Liang could understand the look in Xu Zeyuan's eyes, he should have denied it and insisted that he was Chen Bumian's real grandson to buy himself one last chance at survival. But unfortunately, Chen Liang was a fool.
He said in panic, " Yes, but Chen Bumian was a madman anyway. Who told him to openly say that he liked men? The inn business was already difficult. Because of his bad reputation..."
In his panic, Chen Liang spoke without thinking. Coupled with the sharp pain in his arm, his words became even more unpleasant. Xu Zeyuan's face turned ashen, and his eyes became even more terrifying. He kicked Chen Liang hard in the chest.
Seeing this, the two guards from the Prime Minister's Mansion immediately let go of Chen Liang. " We've delivered the person. Now we'll take our leave."
Chen Liang thought he was saved and didn't even remember the kick from Xu Zeyuan. He covered his chest and with a contorted face, complained to Xu Zeyuan, " These people were sent by Xu Yutang. Xu Yutang is promiscuous. She had an affair with a strange man outside and then splashed the dirty water on me. Grandfather, you must teach Xu Yutang a good lesson..."
" Shut up! I'll only ask you one question. Are you Bumian's real grandson?" Xu Zeyuan squinted his eyes, and a killing intent gradually emerged.
Sensing the danger, Chen Liang didn't hesitate at all and lied without a second thought. " Yes! Of course I am!"
But Xu Zeyuan didn't believe him. Or rather, he preferred to believe what the guard had said. Chen Bumian still loved him, cherished their old affection, and had been waiting for him. And Chen Liang was the descendant of Chen Bumian's sister, the descendant of the person who had driven Chen Bumian mad.
After figuring this out, Xu Zeyuan burst into laughter.
He was happy about Chen Bumian's deep affection for him, and at the same time, he felt lucky that he had almost made a big mistake by marrying Xu Yutang to Chen Liang. If they had really gotten married, how could he have faced Chen Bumian?
Thinking of this, Xu Zeyuan also remembered Sima Bai's action of stopping him from marrying Xu Yutang to Chen Liang today. Suddenly, it dawned on him. Sima Bai must have known about this a long time ago and was afraid that he would regret it for the rest of his life, so he stopped him.
However, even so, Xu Zeyuan still planned to go to the Zuiyin Tower the next day to meet with the former prime minister.
Sima Bai thought Xu Yusong was useless and was unwilling to help. For the sake of his grandson, Xu Zeyuan had no choice but to " defect" to the other side.
Xu Zeyuan waved his hand and told his servants to drag Chen Liang away. " Drag him to the backyard. Since he likes to talk nonsense, have someone break his leg bones bit by bit with a hammer to teach him a lesson."
Chen Liang's eyes widened. He couldn't understand why he would have his leg bones broken just for talking nonsense. What was the connection between the two?
The servants of the Xu Mansion were more ruthless than the guards from the Prime Minister's Mansion. Seeing that Chen Liang was about to struggle, they directly struck him on the back of his neck and knocked him out.
" Be gentle. Don't kill him," Xu Zeyuan casually instructed.
...
In the Qianqing Palace.
Prime Minister Sima was holding Shen Baozhu's hand with one hand and covering his head with the other. His appearance was a bit comical.
Seeing this, the emperor laughed and said, " It's only been a few hours. How did the prime minister end up like this?"
" Let me tell you something interesting. I've found out who Xu Yutang's grandfather is."
As soon as these words were said, Prime Minister Sima's legs went weak. If it weren't for Shen Baozhu who quickly supported him, he would have fallen to the ground.
The emperor was also startled. Only then did he remember that Prime Minister Sima was old and couldn't stand his teasing like this. Immediately, he bestowed two imperial thrones, one for Shen Baozhu and one for Prime Minister Sima.
Seeing the continuous sweat on Prime Minister Sima's forehead, Shen Baozhu asked with concern, " Lord Prime Minister, are you very hot?"
Prime Minister Sima was preoccupied with how to distance himself from Xu Zeyuan. When asked by Shen Baozhu, he subconsciously shivered.
Sensing Shen Baozhu's concerned look, Prime Minister Sima managed to calm himself down. He forced a smile and said, " It's okay, it's okay. I'm just a bit hot. A bit hot."
The emperor ordered the maids to fan Prime Minister Sima and the eunuchs to bring a basin of ice. Finally, Prime Minister Sima's forehead stopped sweating.
A bit cold, Prime Minister Sima showed a bitter smile and said gratefully, " Thank you, Your Majesty, for your grace."
The emperor casually nodded and then said to Shen Baozhu, " Baozhu, guess how I found out?"
" Baozhu doesn't know. How did Emperor Uncle find the bad guy?" Shen Baozhu looked at the emperor curiously, which made the emperor very happy.
The emperor said mysteriously, " I have to thank the Shen Family for this. Just now, Baozhu's grandfather sent an invitation to an official surnamed Xu. I thought it was too much of a coincidence that he had the same surname as Xu Yutang. So I followed the clues and investigated."
" I found out that Xu Zeyuan, that official surnamed Xu, is also a prefect. He just returned to the capital a few days ago to report on his duties. Combining some details, I'm sure he's Xu Yutang's grandfather."
Shen Baozhu clapped her hands very enthusiastically. " Emperor Uncle is so amazing. You've found the bad guy. So what are we going to do now? Are we going to beat the bad guy?"
The emperor simply explained that this matter needed to be handled gradually. Because he planned to let the Princess Jingning take revenge on the Shen Family. As for Xu Zeyuan, he could be dealt with first. He could be dismissed from his post on some pretext and be made to stay in the capital obediently waiting for the transfer order.
If Shen Baozhu wanted to solve the problem of Xu Zeyuan quickly, the emperor could also directly order an investigation into him. A person who was so cruel to his own granddaughter couldn't be clean - handed.
Thanks to Prime Minister Sima's efforts, Xu Yutang had already negotiated the matter of adoption with the Xu family, and her marriage should also be called off. So Shen Baozhu wasn't in a hurry. She told the emperor to proceed at his own pace.
Prime Minister Sima, who should have reminded the emperor about the reward of the elixir, didn't dare to say a word. He was afraid that the emperor would remember that he had once praised Xu Zeyuan. This would not only affect the emperor's trust in him but also make him lose face!
For the first time, Prime Minister Sima praised his rival in his heart. The Shen Family was really good. This invitation was sent at just the right time!