Cheng Xun's frank speech successfully shocked everyone present.
The courtiers who wanted Emperor Liang to convict Cheng Xun were all shocked at this moment.
If Cheng Xun insists that this matter has nothing to do with him, Emperor Liang may only fine him a salary at most, and there will be no other punishments!
But if he takes the initiative to plead guilty to Emperor Liang, then Emperor Liang will not punish him, and he may not be able to stop it.
Although these people are afraid of Cheng Xun, they still have to say a word of dissatisfaction when faced with Cheng Xun's words and deeds!
Looking at the extremely determined Cheng Xun, Emperor Liang thought for a moment, and finally said: "The Prime Minister can only be regarded as jointly responsible for this matter."
"But in order to sound the alarm to everyone present, I have decided to fine the Prime Minister three months' salary and shut up for three days to reflect on his past, as a warning to others!"
As soon as these words came out, Cheng Xun actually kowtowed to Emperor Liang and thanked him.
"Wei Chen, take the order!"
…
After going to court, Zhou Nan was walking out of the palace, but was stopped by Song Liang who suddenly appeared.
"Master Zhou is in such a hurry, where are you going?"
Zhou Nan was startled and stopped when he saw that the person coming was Song Liang.
"Your Highness, I am about to leave the palace."
The smile on Song Liang's face was a little strange.
"Wang Shilu and his grandson have just spoken, hoping that my father will severely punish Cheng Xun."
"Why didn't you say a word?"
"If you open your mouth, maybe my father can punish you more severely!"
Zhou Nan was speechless. It turned out that Song Liang stopped him because of this matter!
"Your Highness, in fact, Wei Chen deliberately kept silent just now."
"Just think, if several academicians speak out about this matter at the same time, it will definitely arouse His Majesty's suspicion."
"If Wei Chen is right, this matter must not be over yet at this stage, right?"
"All this is just the beginning!"
"Wouldn't it be a pity if you used your humble ministers in advance from the beginning, and then no one could use them, which would arouse His Majesty's suspicion?"
Song Liang actually had no intention of blaming Zhou Nan for this matter. Seeing that Zhou Nan analyzed it so thoroughly, he showed a slightly satisfied smile.
"Since Mr. Zhou has thought about everything in advance, I can rest assured."
"Go!"
After hearing this, Zhou Nan bowed to Song Liang and hurried out of the palace.
After returning to his mansion, he did not rest immediately. Instead, he put on a very inconspicuous cloth and walked out of the mansion along with the carriage that the servants in the mansion were out shopping for.
The carriage creaked and creaked all the way to the Prime Minister's Mansion in the west of the city.
At this moment, the door of the Prime Minister's Mansion is closed. It is obvious that the Prime Minister has locked himself in the Mansion and plans to quietly think about his mistakes behind closed doors.
Zhou Nan looked around and saw no one was around, so he stepped forward and knocked on the door of the Prime Minister's Mansion.
"Dong dong dong, dong dong dong..."
Soon, a boy came to answer the door.
"My master has refused to see guests for the past three days, so please come back!"
Upon hearing that Zhou Nan came specifically to visit the Prime Minister, the servant immediately refused.
Zhou Nan quickly stopped him and said, "Wait a minute!"
"I came here specifically to deliver something to the Prime Minister on the order of Prince Rong!"
"Before Prince Rong left Beijing, he gave various instructions to his subordinates."
"You must hand this thing over to the Prime Minister personally. If not, it will definitely lead to disaster!"
Having said this, Zhou Nan looked around nervously again.
"I don't know if there is anyone watching in secret. If there is, the situation will definitely be unfavorable to the Prime Minister."
"Can you let me enter the house first and then make a long-term plan?"
Seeing the anxious look on Zhou Nan's face, the young man knew that this was not a major event that he could easily delay.
"You come in first, I will report to the Prime Minister right away!"
The boy welcomed Zhou Nan into the room, and then ran into the yard.
Soon, he turned back here again.
"The Prime Minister invites you to the study for a chat, please come with me!"
Zhou Nan followed the boy all the way to the study room of the Prime Minister's Mansion.
Cheng Xun was sitting in his study practicing calligraphy. He was slightly startled when he saw that the person coming was Zhou Nan.
"Who are you……"
"The newly promoted bachelor of Wenyuan Pavilion, Master Zhou Nanzhou?"
Zhou Nan raised his hand and said, "That's right!"
"Before His Highness left the capital, he told the official that if today's situation occurs, the official must personally present this object to the Lord."
With that said, Zhou Nan took out a few letters from his arms and handed them into Cheng Xun's hands.
Cheng Xun was a little surprised: "Has His Highness already anticipated today's situation?"
Zhou Nan nodded: "This is complicated, so I'll keep it short."
"Having the Prime Minister grounded by His Majesty is not the real purpose of the Third Prince."
"During this period, the Third Prince will find the construction team that is repairing the Gongyuan in Huizhou and force them to admit that you, your lord, have enriched your own pockets and swallowed the funds secretly."
"If this is the case, Your Majesty will investigate this matter strictly and will definitely put you in jail for the time being!"
"At that time, the Third Prince will unite with Wenyuan Pavilion to impeach you in front of His Majesty."
"In the end, before the review results come out, you may no longer be the prime minister of Daliang!"
When Cheng Xun heard this, he immediately frowned tightly.
"I had already expected that what happened today happened suddenly and was definitely not unfounded."
"It turns out that what His Highness had guessed earlier was correct. The Third Prince really planned to target me while His Highness was out!"
"Yes," Zhou Nan sighed, "But don't worry, Prime Minister, His Highness has already sent people to Huizhou and brought everyone from the construction team to the capital."
"The Third Prince sent people to look for him this time, but I'm afraid he'll only be in vain!"
"This matter ends here at best and will not have any further impact on you."
Cheng Xun felt very emotional: "His Royal Highness is still thoughtful, and I, Cheng, admire it in my heart!"
"His Highness has long advised me that it is not a good thing to be too upright."
“I didn’t really realize the disadvantages of doing this until today!”
"It's just that Mr. Cheng is used to being upright in his life, and he really can't do those things of flattering people and trying to make ends meet..."
Having said this, Cheng Xun sighed slightly.
Looking at Cheng Xun's disappointed look, Zhou Nan comforted him: "But the official saw the prime minister's clear conscience, and he yearned for it in his heart."
"The one who is wrong is not the Prime Minister, but those who care about human life and disregard the king's law!"
"And His Highness has left a very important thing, which must be left to you, sir!"
Cheng Xun was a little surprised: "Does His Highness have any more instructions?"
"Is it something related to Gongyuan?"
Zhou Nan smiled and shook his head, then smiled mysteriously and pointed at the pile of letters he had just brought.
"The matters entrusted to you by His Highness are contained in these letters."
"After you read the letter, everything will become clear!"
