94Chapter 94 Early Court

"You..." Mu Hanzhang was so angry that he couldn't speak. Even though they were husband and wife, it was too reckless to do this in broad daylight.

Jing Shao loved his shy and annoyed expression. He couldn't help but lean over and kiss his tightly pursed lips. He said in a hoarse voice: "Jun Qing, don't go to court today."

"How can that be? Today is the critical moment." Mu Hanzhang pushed him away and tied the jade belt of his court dress carefully.

Jing Shao crossed his arms and waited for him to tie it leisurely. When he looked at his own prince who suddenly became quiet in confusion, he suddenly picked him up and threw him on the bed.

"Well... what are you doing?" Mu Hanzhang was startled and struggled to get up.

"Jun Qing, I think you have gradually forgotten your duties since you were conferred the title of Marquis." Jing Shao rode on the narrow waist, and the jade belt of the court dress was against his thighs, sending a hint of fresh coolness.

"Stop it, it will be too late." Mu Hanzhang was a little anxious. Today was the critical moment to decide who to send to Huainan, and he had to go to court.

"Look, you really forgot." Jing Shao said angrily, and began to dismantle the gorgeous court clothes. The exquisite clothes were layered, just like a child dismantling a toy, and the more he dismantled, the more excited he became.

"Asshole, no, ah..." Mu Hanzhang struggled to get up, but his strength was too much worse than Jing Shao, and he was quickly suppressed by the brave Prince Cheng.

When entering, Jing Shao said seriously: "Remember, you are the Princess of Cheng first, and the Marquis of Wenyuan second, so satisfying your husband's requirements comes before going to court."

"You... um..." Mu Hanzhang clenched the bed sheet under her.

The fourth prince waited outside Fengyi Palace for a long time. The chief eunuch advised him to go to the side hall to rest, but he insisted on standing outside the door and waiting, and his body was already covered with a lot of dew. I heard that Jing Shao knelt on the jade steps for a day and a night before he went to the army. If I want to lead the army now, I must show my sincerity.

Emperor Hongzheng dressed neatly, and the queen tactfully said that Jing Yu had been waiting outside for a long time.

"Where do you think you are better than Jing Shao?" Emperor Hongzheng glanced at the clothes of the fourth prince that were wet by dew, and a trace of imperceptible coldness appeared in his eyes.

"Third brother is a god in military operations, and I am ashamed of myself." Jing Yu knelt on the ground and said humbly.

"You have some self-knowledge." Emperor Hongzheng snorted.

The fourth prince choked. This was originally a humble statement, but who would have thought that his father would confirm it according to his words. Although he was dissatisfied in his heart, he did not dare to show it. At this moment, it was an opportunity that his mother had fought for him, and he had to give a reason why he had to be the only one. Jing Yu took a deep breath, calmed down and said: "Although I am not as good as my third brother, I will soon become an adult and want to make achievements like my brothers."

"Yes, Your Majesty, experience on the battlefield can only be gained through practice." The Queen followed suit.

"Experience?" Emperor Hongzheng knocked the cup he was using to rinse his mouth on the table fiercely, "What is Jiangnan? Is it for Jingyu to practice?"

"Father, calm down!" The fourth prince kowtowed hurriedly. Knowing that this reason could not convince Emperor Hongzheng, he gritted his teeth and said, "Your son has something to report!"

Emperor Hongzheng motioned him to continue, and the fourth prince told him half-truthfully what he knew about Jing Shao meeting the King of Huainan: "If the third brother really has something to do with the King of Huainan... If I send my brother to go this time, I'm afraid..."

Emperor Hongzheng looked at him quietly for a while: "Did you see them meet with your own eyes?"

"This, when your son took people there, the place was empty," the fourth prince did not have sufficient evidence, everything was Zhao Jiu Lin told him, he didn't dare to say it too firmly, "Your son just got the news."

"Who gave you the news?" Emperor Hongzheng stared at the fourth prince, his eyes became sharp, "I didn't know that there was someone in the court who gave you the news alone without reporting it to me."

"This..." The fourth prince was immediately frightened and broke out in a cold sweat. He was only concerned with discrediting Jing Shao, but he forgot that his father hated the princes colluding with court officials the most. He gritted his teeth and said, "It was Zhao Jiulin, the Minister of Rites. He was born in Jiangnan. When he went to Beijing for the imperial examination, the King of Huainan gave him money to go to Beijing, so he was loyal to the King of Huainan on the surface. Your son just met Zhao Jiulin by chance on the street. He said that he seemed to see the King of Huainan going to Taoyuan in the south of the city, and... and the carriage of the King Cheng's mansion was also there." After saying that, he didn't dare to look up, just staring at the carpet with intricate patterns under his knees.

Emperor Hongzheng remained silent, tapping the table with two fingers, and suddenly swept the cups on the table to the ground: "What's the point of keeping such a traitor!"

Not only the Fourth Prince, but also the Empress Dowager was frightened, half squatting and not daring to speak.

Jing Shao slowed down his movements and said to Duofu, who looked pitiful outside the door: "Go to the palace to report that Marquis Wenyuan is not feeling well today and cannot attend the court."

"No... um..." Before Mu Hanzhang finished speaking, the person on his body looked at him, and deliberately rubbed his sensitive parts fiercely, forcing him to be speechless. He was afraid that the servants outside the door would hear him, so he had to bite his lower lip to stop talking.

Duofu hurriedly responded, quickly drove away the maids who served him with washing and dining, and went to work in a hurry.

The focus of today's morning court is still on the Huainan fiefdom, and there has been a lot of quarrels over who to send.

Jing Chen has been silent all the time, and has not said a word since the beginning. The eldest prince has just recovered, and he still looks a bit sick standing there. Emperor Hongzheng did not seem to have any intention of specifically listening to his two sons. It was not until the court officials who strongly recommended the Fourth Prince gave all the reasons why the Fourth Prince was the only one that he slowly said, "Approved."

The court was silent for a moment before everyone reacted. The fourth prince Jingyu suppressed his joy and bowed respectfully: "I will do my best to conquer Huainan for my father!"

Anyone with a discerning eye could see that the fourth prince was attracted by the flat terrain of Jiangnan, which was easy to attack but difficult to defend, and wanted to earn the title of prince. However, the hard-working and meritorious Cheng Wang was still confined to Cheng Wang Mansion, and the fourth prince took advantage of him for nothing. They couldn't help but feel sympathy. Several court officials who were familiar with Mu Hanzhang wanted to comfort him, but found that Wenyuan Hou was not there for such an important occasion today.

Wenyuan Hou, who was forcibly stripped of his court clothes and could not attend the court by his own prince, unexpectedly avoided the greetings of sympathy or ridicule from everyone.

The fourth prince went to Jiangnan, and the overall situation was settled. The queen finally breathed a sigh of relief and became more friendly to the concubines who she usually disliked. The Fourth Prince was even more high-spirited, actively preparing for the expedition every day, and the Fourth Prince's Mansion was also very lively recently.

In comparison, the Cheng Wang Wenyuan Marquis Mansion was more than a little deserted.