The subtle fragrance of cotton needles

Chapter 207

"After days of investigation, the Dali Temple finally found the whereabouts of the Fallen King's Seal." The Dali Temple Minister had been prepared long ago. "The Fallen King's Seal was hidden by one of His Royal Highness the Fallen King's subordinates in a stronghold outside the city. When I sent someone to go there, he was caught. That's how the Fallen King's Seal didn't fall into the hands of someone with ulterior motives."

"What the Dali Temple Minister means is that the seal of the prince was stolen premeditatedly?" Mo Cheng narrowed his eyes slightly, "In other words, there is a spy in the palace of the prince?"

"Your Majesty, a quarter of an hour after I led my men to investigate, someone came to take over."

Mo Yuyang had been observing Mo Cheng's reaction, but his own expression was indifferent.

Mo Cheng's expression became somewhat unfathomable after hearing the statement of the Dali Temple Minister. He did not look angry, nor surprised.

"Your Majesty, I think, as the Dali Temple Minister said, the theft of Prince Luo's seal was caused by a spy in Prince Luo's mansion, and it is not entirely the fault of His Royal Highness Prince Luo." Tu Song walked out with a sweat on his face.

"Prince Luo's improper custody is also a crime!" Before Mo Cheng could speak, Xu Zhongshi stood up and snorted coldly, "Right Prime Minister, please don't show partiality just because His Highness Prince Luo is your niece's future husband! This is a matter of life and death for the country, and the Right Prime Minister must put state affairs first!"

Tu Song said unyieldingly, "So Prime Minister Zhao Zuo means that he is not going to investigate the person behind the scenes?"

"His Royal Highness Prince Luo is indeed guilty of improper custody, but the person who stole the Prince Luo's seal is even more heinous. Does the Left Prime Minister intend to help his nephew drag His Royal Highness Prince Luo into trouble first?"

Since Xu Zhongshi said that Tu Song is biased, don’t blame Tu Song for saying that Xu Zhongshi is biased!

"What does the Right Prime Minister mean? Does the Right Prime Minister mean that this was done by His Royal Highness Prince Yuan? Is there any evidence?" Xu Zhongshi said evasively.

Tu Song sneered: "Evidence? The Left Prime Minister wants evidence now? He wants to put His Royal Highness Prince Luo to death just for the crime of improper storage. Does the Left Prime Minister have absolute evidence against His Royal Highness Prince Luo?"

The person who benefited the most from this incident was Prince Yuan. It was impossible to say that Tu Song had no doubts at all!

"Left Prime Minister, please don't deviate from the question of this old minister. The Left Prime Minister insists on talking about the matter of King Luo in a roundabout way. Isn't he trying to protect the person behind the scenes?"

Tu Song is also an old man who has been working in the court for decades, and his game with Xu Zhongshi is not a one-day thing. How could he not be clear about Xu Zhongshi's attitude?

Xu Zhongshi was not in a hurry either. Mo Cheng would not let Prince Luo go anyway. "Right Prime Minister, you are wrong. The person behind the scenes must be investigated, but the most urgent matters are the flood in Jiangnan and the Heavenly Sacrifice Ceremony. Prince Luo made a mistake at this time, so of course he should be punished. Can he be let off so easily? Princes who break the law are guilty of the same crime as common people. Doesn't the Right Prime Minister understand such a simple truth?"

"If Your Majesty lets Prince Luo off lightly in this matter, there is no guarantee that the people below will not follow suit. After all, Prince Luo did not receive a severe punishment for such a serious mistake." Xu Zhongshi slowly exaggerated the matter.

Tu Song did not look anxious. After all, whoever loses his composure first will lose. "What the Left Prime Minister said did not force the Emperor to let His Royal Highness Prince Luo go. I was just stating some of my thoughts. After all, if the person behind the scenes is not caught, the power of dispatching the Ministry of Revenue will be coveted no matter who holds it."

"Instead of doing that, why not first catch the person behind the scenes? That way, we can eliminate all worries. Then we can discuss how His Royal Highness Prince Luo should deal with the matter. Isn't that more prudent?"

Xu Zhongshi snorted with a faint disdain: "According to what the Right Prime Minister said, His Royal Highness Zhang Luo should be punished?"

"If there is a mistake, there should be punishment. Your Highness Prince Luo did not keep the item properly, so he should be punished." Tu Song was not worried that Xu Zhongshi would use this to kidnap him. If he, Tu Song, was biased, he would have thought of a way to exonerate Mo Yuchen a long time ago.

"With the Right Prime Minister's words, things will become much easier at the Dali Temple." Xu Zhongshi said meaningfully.

Tu Song ignored him.

Xia Zhibai couldn't hold it in any longer and stood up, "What does the Left Prime Minister mean? The Dali Temple is not under the jurisdiction of the Right Prime Minister, and forming a clique for personal gain is a serious crime. Who is the Left Prime Minister trying to lead on purpose?"

Xia Zhibai is a military commander, so it's inevitable that he speaks directly, but this is the truth.

Xu Zhongshi had never been afraid of military generals in the court. After all, no matter how powerful a military general was, he would be controlled by civil officials when he returned to the capital: "General Pu Wei, as the nephew of the right prime minister, you shouldn't interfere in this matter, right? Otherwise, isn't this also forming a clique for personal gain?"

"What does closeness of relationship matter in the court? According to what the Left Prime Minister said, I'm afraid we shouldn't speak for His Royal Highness Prince Yuan, otherwise it will mean that the external relatives are more powerful." Xia Zhibai is not good at verbal disputes in the court, but it doesn't mean that he, Tu Song, is a pushover.

It is nothing for relatives to speak for one in the court, but Xu Zhongshi is the emperor's uncle. The reason why no one calls him that is because this title represents a relative by marriage. Mo Cheng will be wary of him and will not believe it wholeheartedly.

"Right Prime Minister, please be careful with your words!" Tu Song's words obviously hit the nail on the head for Xu Zhongshi.

If Xu Zhongshi had not been worried that the emperor would be wary of them, why would he have been so cautious that he wouldn't even dare to respond when others called him the emperor's uncle?

Otherwise, once the title of the King's Uncle is made known, who would dare to compete with Mo Yuyang?

Tu Song pulled back a point, laughed contemptuously, and apologized repeatedly without any apology: "Don't be angry, Zuo Xiang, it's just a casual exchange of words!"

Tu Song and Xu Zhongshi often acted like this in the court, confronting each other all the time. The court officials were used to it, and Mo Cheng didn't care.

The topic was diverted by the quarrel between the three people, and Mo Cheng finally spoke: "Okay, don't argue about these useless things."

Tu Song had finished speaking, so he naturally left.

Xu Zhongshi continued, "Your Majesty, I think it is important to catch the person behind the scenes, but now that the seal of the king has been recovered, the most urgent task now is to deal with the flood in the south of the Yangtze River and the ceremony of offering sacrifices to the heavens. Your Highness the King of Luo did not keep the keys of the Ministry of Revenue properly, and he should be severely punished!"

Mo Cheng did not answer. Everyone was watching and observing Mo Cheng's reaction.

Li Fu and Li Lang, who were standing below, looked at each other. Li Lang understood and stood up to salute, saying, "Your Majesty, although the matter of His Highness Prince Luo is important, it is not urgent. The envoy of Yuan Kingdom has arrived in the capital and will be received soon. It is better to put His Highness Prince Luo's matter aside for the time being and make a decision after the matter of the envoy of Yuan Kingdom is dealt with."

Li Lang was a leader among the younger generation. When he stood up and spoke, even Xu Zhongshi didn't say anything.

"After all, the envoys from Yuan Kingdom are outsiders. It would be inappropriate if they knew about the internal discord in Darong," Li Lang continued.

Mo Cheng has always valued Li Lang. After hearing what Li Lang said, he nodded in agreement: "Lord Li is right. Although Yuan is a small country, it occupies a corner of the southwest and should not be underestimated."

After Li Lang finished speaking, he stood up and said no more.