Prince Cheng was suddenly imprisoned, and it was discovered that he had hidden banned military items in his mansion. The Ministry of War and the Armament Department were all implicated. Seeing countless people being imprisoned, everyone in the court felt insecure, especially those who had been on good terms with Prince Cheng's mansion in the past. They were even more terrified of the Black Armored Guards who were arresting them in large numbers , for fear of being implicated in Prince Cheng's crime of treason .
When Song Jinxiu learned about this, it was already the next day when he entered the palace to be on duty.
People on the streets were talking about the affairs of Prince Cheng 's mansion. Even the news that Xie Yin was not the biological son of Princess Cheng spread. The discussion about this matter even overshadowed the excitement about Prince Cheng's intention to rebel.
When Song Jinxiu entered the yamen , he saw his colleagues standing in groups of three or five talking about this matter.
"That Princess Cheng is really pitiful. Her husband wants to kill her, and her son is also fake."
"I heard that Prince Cheng had deliberately tried to get close to her, and he had been pretending to be affectionate all these years. Their marriage was known to the whole capital, but now..."
"Who would have thought that King Cheng would be such a person?"
"Yes, it would be fine if other people pretended for a year or two, but he has been pretending for more than ten years. This kind of person is simply terrifying."
Some older people in the crowd could still remember the scene when Prince Cheng proposed to marry the second wife of the Rong family. That caused a sensation in the entire capital.
Everyone knows that Prince Cheng fell in love with the girl from the Rong family at first sight , and he tried every means to marry her before he got his wish. He has cherished her all these years, but who could have thought...
Those people couldn't help but shake their heads.
Someone sighed, "Others are fine, but no one knows whose son Prince Xie is. He has been raised by Princess Cheng all these years . It's lucky that Governor Xiao and his men found out by chance this time, otherwise Princess Cheng would have been kept in the dark until her death."
The people around him snorted disdainfully: "Don't call him Prince Xie. His Majesty has already said that Princess Cheng 's child is the prince. We don't know where this bastard Xie Yin came from. We don't know if he can save his life this time..."
Before he could finish his words, he was suddenly pulled by the person next to him.
The man who spoke was startled , turned around and saw that it was Song Jinxiu , and immediately frowned: "Song Lu Shi, what are you doing? Do you know that scaring others can kill them?"
Song Jinxiu didn't bother to explain, but asked anxiously: "Master He, I just heard you say that Prince Xie is not the child of Princess Cheng ?"
"yes."
Lord He straightened his sleeves and said to Song Jinxiu in a bad tone: "Song Lushi doesn't know yet? This matter has spread all over the capital. I heard that it was said by a personal nanny beside Princess Cheng that someone tampered with Princess Cheng 's child when she gave birth."
"Is there any evidence?"
"How would I know? The Privy Council is still investigating."
Song Jinxiu looked calmly: "Since there is no evidence yet, it means that Xie Yin's background has not been confirmed. If this is false, isn't it unfair for Xie Yin to be criticized like this?"
Those people were just chatting casually, but they had no idea that Song Jinxiu would make a big deal out of it. They all looked unhappy.
"Mr. Song, we were just chatting..."
"Yeah, just a few words."
Song Jinxiu frowned, "You can't just chat about something without evidence. How can you be so sure that he is not the child of Princess Cheng if you haven't found out the truth? Before the truth is found out, it shouldn't be spread all over the capital. Besides, how can you make such a royal secret known to others?"
Those people felt ashamed to be taught a lesson by a junior like Song Jinxiu .
Lord He who spoke earlier was about to speak with a serious look in his eyes, but at this moment, a voice came from outside.
"Oh, all the adults are here."
Song Jinxiu turned around and saw Fu Laiqing walking towards him in an official robe.
Fu Laiqing stepped in through the door and said with a smile, "Just now I heard someone scolding the gentlemen from a distance. I thought it was Xu Langling, but it turned out to be Song Lushi."
"What's going on? Song Lushi got promoted. Is he taking over Xu Langling's job?"
Song Jinxiu's face changed: "Don't talk nonsense, I never scolded them, I just reminded you to be careful with your words and actions."
"Why should we be cautious about what we say or do when everyone outside knows about it? You gentlemen just said a few words casually in the yamen and didn't tell anyone else. What is there to worry about?"
After Fu Laiqing finished speaking, he slapped his forehead and said, "Oh, that's not right. There's also Song Lushi here. You just came out of prison and have seen the emperor before. You still have to be careful."
When those adults remembered how Song Jinxiu got out, their faces changed.
Fu Laiqing still felt it was not enough: "By the way, Mr. Song, I remember that before the incident at Duke Song's Mansion, you were very close to Prince Cheng's Mansion. You, that Prince Xie, and the third son of the Lu family were known as the three heroes of the capital. Didn't you know anything about the incident at Prince Cheng's Mansion in advance?"
"What do you mean?" Song Jinxiu's face suddenly darkened .
Fu Laiqing was not afraid at all, he just smiled and said, "It's nothing, I just think Song Lushi's methods are amazing, the previous Lu family incident was due to your report and exposure, so that Lu Langling was sent to prison, and Lu Zhongshu was confined to the mansion. I heard that the Privy Council also got the clues of the grain case with your information."
"You were able to get information that others couldn't get when you interacted with the Lu family in the past, so you shouldn't get nothing when you interacted with Prince Cheng's mansion. Prince Cheng is recruiting soldiers and stockpiling military equipment in his mansion. Don't you know anything about such a big thing?"
Song Jinxiu's expression was extremely grim: " How could the rebellion committed by Prince Cheng be easily discovered by others?"
"Then what Lu Langling did was also hidden. Didn't Song Lushi know about it?"
"you..."
"Oh, don't be angry, I didn't just say that casually."
Seeing Song Jinxiu's face turn pale, Fu Laiqing shrugged :
"I just have good intentions. I think that Song Lushi was able to escape from prison and return to his post by relying on the case of the imperial grain transport. If he knew something about the affairs of Prince Cheng 's mansion, he might be able to rise to a high position and have a promising future. But if you don't know, then forget it. I just said it casually anyway."
"Mr. Song, I'm a straightforward person, please don't mind it."
But every word Fu Laiqing said hit on his sore spot. Not only did he not mention his ungratefulness, but every word revealed his shamelessness, coldness and heartlessness.
Song Jinxiu was blocked from speaking. He wanted to scold Fu Laiqing, but he apologized swiftly. He seemed to be trembling with anger at Fu Laiqing's nonchalant attitude. He pursed his lips so hard that veins on his forehead popped out.
His expression changed several times, but he did not explode like Fu Laiqing thought. He was silent for a long time before he whispered, "Your Majesty will make his own decision on the Lu family's affairs. If Lord Fu is dissatisfied with my return, you can directly write a letter. You, the censors of the Shangshu Province, also have the right to make direct reports."
He raised his eyes to look at his colleagues and said, "I didn't mean to scold you just now. I was just worried that you might say something disastrous."
"Xie Yin's case has not been fully investigated yet, so it's too early to draw a conclusion now. Even if he is not the biological son of Princess Cheng , he is still the blood of Prince Cheng and a member of the royal family. If he is ridiculed for his different status, it will be a slap in the face of the entire royal family."
"Your Majesty, you hate King Chen now, so you won't care. But if King Chen 's incident is over, and rumors spread outside affect the royal family, then what you said today will cause trouble."
Song Jinxiu lowered his eyes, his thin face was a little pale: "I know you all hate the relationship between me and the Lu family, and you also think that I am fickle and have no friendship, but the Lu family was the one who betrayed me first."
"I was implicated by my biological father and made a mistake. I have no way to defend myself. But if you were in my situation, what would you choose ?"
"I, Song Jinxiu, have a clear conscience."
After he finished speaking, he looked up at Fu Laiqing and turned away. Those in the yamen who had originally had opinions about Song Jinxiu fell silent.