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After hearing what Zhao Junchen said, not only Aunt Xiang was stunned, but Su Xiuning was also stunned.
They didn't expect that Zhao Junchen would have such an awareness and speak out so frankly.
Then, both of them looked at Zhao Junchen blankly, waiting for Zhao Junchen to continue talking.
Zhao Junchen did not lie. He has done too many things along the way to this day. He has done a lot of things that have benefited the country and the people, and he has also done a lot of things that have harmed the country and the people. His merits and demerits are by no means "loyalty to good and evil". The four words “treacherous” can be easily judged. Although Zhao Junchen has been trying his best to reverse the direction of his destiny, as the saying goes, “do your best to obey fate”, Zhao Junchen is not too sure of what the final result will be. Therefore, Zhao Junchen had already prepared for the worst—and even if the worst ending came, Zhao Junchen would not be too unjust.
But Su Xiuning could only be regarded as a friend, and it was far from being a heart-to-heart. Zhao Junchen did not need to explain his thoughts to her in detail.
Therefore, although Su Xiuning was waiting for Zhao Junchen to continue talking, Zhao Junchen skipped the topic. Instead, he returned to his seat and sat down, and asked Su Xiuning: "I guess, Miss Su, what will you do today?" You came to Zhao Mansion to seek help from me, is it actually because of your father’s idea?”
Seeing Zhao Junchen suddenly change the subject, Su Xiuning was stunned again.
Because Zhao Junchen didn't play by the rules, Su Xiuning had lost her previous impulse and returned to her usual soft temper. After hearing Zhao Junchen's inquiry, she hesitated slightly, but still nodded in recognition.
Zhao Junchen also nodded and said: "Let me tell you, your behavior just now was not like your usual character. It was obviously inspired and pressured, so you had no choice but to do it. Unfortunately, this is not your nature. You forgot your disguise as soon as I flirted with you... But that's not a bad thing. You are just a girl. You have never experienced the ups and downs of the world, but you don't have to let yourself bear too many things, let alone just for the slim hope. Just sacrifice everything you have, everyone's abilities have their limits, your father's matter has long been a foregone conclusion, and forcing a reversal is never a good thing, both for others and for yourself."
Su Xiuning couldn't understand what Zhao Junchen meant, and couldn't help but look confused.
But at this moment, Aunt Xiang, who had always been low-key and silent, finally couldn't help but interrupt after seeing Su Xiuning like this.
Aunt Xiang walked to Su Xiuning's side, saluted Zhao Junchen and said, "Daughter Xiang Zhi, pay your respects to Mr. Zhao."
Seeing Aunt Xiang's sudden words, Zhao Junchen was slightly startled and asked: "Are you...?"
Su Xiuning quickly introduced: "This is my aunt Xiang Zhi."
However, Aunt Xiang shook her head and said, "It's just Su Changzhen's outer room and cannot be put on the stage."
Zhao Junchen nodded slightly and motioned for Aunt Xiang to continue.
Aunt Xiang said slowly: "Actually, Su Changzhen never expected Mr. Zhao to save him. He just hoped that Mr. Zhao would take care of Xiuning's face and rescue the Su family members in the future. Now Su Changzhen has committed a serious crime. , I am afraid that the death penalty is unavoidable. Su Changzhen has long accepted his fate and does not dare to expect that he can escape the crime. However, the Su family members are innocent, but they must also be implicated. Not only must they be sent to a remote place, but they must also be demoted. It is really too tragic to become a pariah and never get ahead in life from now on..."
Speaking of this, Aunt Xiang glanced at Su Xiuning, a sigh flashed in her eyes, and continued: "However, Xiuning and Su Changzhen have a deep love between father and daughter after all. After meeting Mr. Zhao, she actually forgot Her original purpose was to directly plead with Mr. Zhao to rescue her father, but she went too far. After being rejected by Mr. Zhao, she lost her mind for a while and even said some unintelligible words... Xiuning's character is too meek. I have never known how to reject others, and I have put myself under too much pressure. Now I have reached my limit, and I can’t help but feel a little out of control. I hope you, Mr. Zhao, will not blame her."
A flash of surprise flashed in Zhao Junchen's eyes, and he said: "I see... With Su Changzhen's knowledge, he should have guessed that I would not rescue him no matter what, but it turned out to be Miss Su's impromptu idea... However, Xiang Auntie, you made a mistake in saying something. The Su family members have been living well and enjoying a comfortable life all these years, all because of Su Changzhen's corruption and bribery. Moreover, there are many people in the Su family who rely on Su Changzhen's name to do evil. Therefore, it is a bit far-fetched to say that the Su family members are innocent."
Hearing what Zhao Junchen said, Su Xiuning and Aunt Xiang were both shocked.
Could it be that Zhao Junchen was not even willing to rescue the Su family members?
However, Zhao Junchen changed the topic and said: "Of course, just because of this, it would be a bit excessive to let the Su family become untouchables from generation to generation and never have a bright future. For the sake of Miss Su, wait until After this storm has passed, I will find a way to restore the freedom of the Su family members, so that they will not be forced to join the frontier and become untouchables."
Seeing Zhao Junchen's assurance, Su Xiuning and Aunt Xiang were immediately overjoyed and quickly saluted Zhao Junchen to express their thanks.
Especially Su Xiuning, after a lot of ups and downs in her mood, now she saw that Zhao Junchen was so friendly to her and didn't ask for anything from her, but was still willing to try his best to help her. Her mood was even more complicated, and she unknowingly felt... Two lines of clear tears streaked down his cheeks.
After Su Xiuning and Aunt Xiang thanked her excitedly, Zhao Junchen turned to Su Xiuning and said: "In the future, I will arrange for you to find a house to live in, and I will also say hello to Su at the prison of the Ministry of Punishment. The girl can enter the cell to visit... Before the trial of the three divisions ends, Miss Su will just spend more time with your father."
Hearing what Zhao Junchen said, Su Xiuning quickly understood what Zhao Junchen meant, and her delicate body trembled slightly again.
After the joint trial of the three divisions, Su Changzhen must be sentenced to death. Zhao Junchen asked Su Xiuning to spend the last period of time with Su Changzhen as much as possible to fulfill the filial piety of his children.
As a result, Su Xiuning's joy suddenly disappeared, but her mood was still calm. She just nodded and said softly: "Xiuning, thank you, Mr. Zhao, for your support."
After taking a deep look at Su Xiuning, Zhao Junchen sighed softly in his heart, stood up and said: "The house should be found within today. Before that, you can stay in Zhao's house for a meal. If you find the house After that, someone will naturally take you there, but now that I am busy with court affairs, I won’t spend much time with Miss Su.”
After saying that, Zhao Junchen planned to leave the side hall.
According to Zhao Junchen's opinion, the fate between him and Su Xiuning has come to an end.
Su Xiuning doesn't have too many ambitions, and she's not a stalker. Now that Zhao Junchen has solved her appeal, perhaps today will be the last time the two of them meet.
Seeing that Zhao Junchen was about to leave, Su Xiuning obviously thought of the same thing, and for some reason she felt a little disappointed in her heart.
Then, Su Xiuning knelt down and saluted Zhao Junchen again, and said softly: "Xiu Ning said a lot of excessive things just now, and now I just feel guilty. I hope Mr. Zhao... don't take it to heart."
Zhao Junchen stopped, waved his hand to Su Xiuning, and said, "It's okay, it's not that excessive."
After saying that, Zhao Junchen left the side hall, leaving only Su Xiuning and Aunt Xiang.
After seeing Zhao Junchen leave, Su Xiuning felt even more confused.
Before that, she thought that she was about to become Zhao Junchen's concubine, and she would have to live with humiliation for the rest of her life.
Now, Zhao Junchen did not show any thoughts of taking her as his concubine. Instead, he straightforwardly agreed to her request. Su Xiuning seemed to have escaped the tragic fate he expected, but he also lost his goal and direction in his future life. Even more at a loss.
Moreover, Zhao Junchen's indifferent performance also made Su Xiuning feel a little disappointed. The moment Zhao Junchen walked out of the side hall, Su Xiuning even felt that something was missing deep in her heart.
While Su Xiuning was at a loss, Aunt Xiang sighed: "This Master Zhao, everyone says he is a greedy and corrupt official, but judging from his behavior today, he does not covet your beauty Ning'er at all. , you are willing to help just because of the past friendship between you, and you have your own bottom line in every action, but you are more upright than most people in this world!"
Hearing Aunt Xiang's sigh and recalling every detail of her relationship with Zhao Junchen, Su Xiuning said softly: "He was not as unbearable as the world said..."
Just when Zhao Junchen and Su Xiuning met, Wang Baoren was summoned by Emperor Deqing and entered the imperial study room with the seventh prince Zhu Hejian to meet the emperor.
After entering the imperial study, the two of them saluted and greeted Emperor Deqing. Emperor Deqing seemed to be in great spirits. He not only exempted the two of them from the ceremony quickly, but also asked the eunuch of the imperial study to bring a stool to Wang Baoren. sit.
Seeing Emperor Deqing's performance, Wang Baoren was a little flattered, and felt that Emperor Deqing valued him.
After Wang Baoren sat down respectfully, Emperor Deqing's expression became even warmer and he asked with a smile: "Wang Aiqing must have been very hard to get all the way from Yingtian Mansion to the capital, right?"
Wang Baoren stood up and replied: "To answer your Majesty's question, I am still in good health. Although I have been traveling all the way, I don't feel lucky at all. It's just that when I was rushing to the capital, I encountered a fire on the road. All the smugglers responsible for escorting me were all They all perished in the sea of fire, but they failed to live up to His Majesty’s holy hope, so I ask Your Majesty to punish them.”
Emperor Deqing said nonchalantly: "Wang Aiqing can't be blamed for this incident. No one would have thought of encountering a fire. What's more, those smugglers all committed serious crimes. They not only evaded taxes and money, but even conspired to assassinate the imperial envoy. Sooner or later it will be a capital crime, so naturally I will not blame you for this matter."
Seeing that Emperor Deqing was so considerate of him, Wang Baoren was even more happy and quickly thanked Emperor Deqing.
At this moment, the seventh prince Zhu Hejian suddenly interrupted: "I hope my father knows that although Grand Master Wang is already at the age where he knows his destiny, he is still energetic and strong. He actually rode all the way to the capital, and his ministers went to greet him. When I was Grand Master Wang, I was really shocked when I saw this scene."
Emperor Deqing looked at Wang Baoren with great interest and said, "Oh? Wang Aiqing's body is so strong? Can he ride all the way to the capital? It seems that I only let Wang Aiqing serve as the prince's grand master, but it is a bit of a waste. ”
Seeing that Emperor Deqing seemed to intend to further reuse him, Wang Baoren was overjoyed, but his expression was still unfazed, and he replied: "Everything is at your Majesty's discretion, whether your Majesty lets me assist His Highness the Crown Prince, or whether you want me to assist His Highness the Crown Prince. If you are responsible for other things, I will do my duty and serve you wholeheartedly."
Emperor Deqing nodded with satisfaction, and after thinking for a moment, he said: "Speaking of which, I am not very satisfied with the Sanfa Division during this period. Wang Aiqing should have also heard about the assassination of Zhao Junchen, the Secretary of the Ministry of Household Affairs. The impact is extremely bad, and I have repeatedly ordered the Third Law Division to solve the case as soon as possible. However, nearly three months have passed today. The Third Law Division, let alone solving the case, has not found even a single useful clue, but it makes me deeply I feel disappointed... Why not, in addition to assisting the prince in the future, Wang Aiqing will also be responsible for the affairs of the Three Laws Department? The Three Laws Department has not been able to do things well during this period, and it is also because they are not convinced of each other and do not cooperate. They are in need of a highly respected and capable person. The important ministers of the imperial court are under unified management, so that they can work together and communicate with each other. In my opinion, Wang Aiqing is a very good candidate."
As Emperor Deqing finished speaking, Wang Baoren was filled with disbelief.
The Sanfa Division is the collective name of the Metropolitan Procuratorate, the Criminal Department, and the Dali Temple. They are all yamen with real power. If Wang Baoren had the power of these three yamen, he would immediately be able to gain power and influence that was no less than that of the ministers of the cabinet!
For a moment, Wang Baoren felt that happiness came too suddenly and could no longer contain the joy in his heart. He quickly assured Emperor Deqing: "Don't worry, Your Majesty. I will do my best and never let Your Majesty down."
Emperor Deqing nodded with a smile and said: "I am well aware of Wang Aiqing's ability. I am relieved that you will take charge of the Three Laws Division... However, the top priority is the assassination of Zhao Junchen. If you can solve the case as soon as possible, I will give you It gives me face, showing that I know how to employ people... At that time, even if I reuse you more, no one can find fault. Speaking of which, there are already six assistant ministers in the cabinet. Even if I add one more person, there will be no problem. It’s not a bad idea either…”
Hearing what Emperor Deqing said, Wang Baoren was overjoyed and once again assured Emperor Deqing.
However, while Wang Baoren was pleasantly surprised, he overlooked that there are never any good things in this world that come from heaven for no reason!
Emperor Deqing suddenly showed such kindness to him, and it may not be as simple as just wanting to reuse him!
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