Chapter 76

Chapter 76

However, upon hearing this, Peng Boshan felt conflicted. He stepped forward with a troubled expression and said, "Well... Your Majesty, perhaps it would be better to lock up Dong Wenjin somewhere else? We have to cram in a lot of inmates every day. One or two days might be manageable, but over time, I’m afraid there won’t be enough space!"

While it might be possible to squeeze out one more cell, he didn’t want to be caught between Dong Lide and Prince Zhao. What if Dong Lide demanded better treatment for his son, while Prince Zhao ordered no special favors? Wouldn’t that put him in a difficult position?

Moreover, he really didn’t want to deal with such a rich kid—they were always troublesome and rarely appreciative. It would be better to push Dong Wenjin to another facility, so whatever happened wouldn’t be his problem.

Emperor Qianyou thought for a moment. Peng Boshan’s prison indeed held many inmates, and with such a mixed crowd, keeping Dong Wenjin there longer could stir up trouble.

So he turned to Cao Jie, "Then, Beloved Minister Cao, how about detaining Dong Wenjin in the Ministry of Justice?"

Cao Jie was also reluctant to take Dong Wenjin into the Ministry of Justice. Once he was detained there, if Dong Lide started making demands, would he have to comply?

But since Emperor Qianyou had spoken, he had no choice but to agree, "Yes, Your Majesty."

Meng Shuping immediately grew excited, "Heh heh, he walked right into this mess. That Dong fellow never expected his son would one day end up in my clutches! Just wait—I’ll make him beg for mercy!"

Emperor Qianyou: "..." Was Meng Shuping really planning to do something?

Dong Lide’s heart tightened, and he quickly said, "Your Majesty, Meng Shuping has a grudge against my son. If my son is placed under his supervision, wouldn’t that give him a chance to take revenge using his position?"

Peng Boshan immediately refuted him, "Lord Dong, you worry too much. Vice Director Meng is not the type to seek personal vengeance."

Meng Shuping chimed in, "Exactly! Does he think everyone is as twisted as he is? He’s reacting so quickly—has he done this kind of thing before?"

Dong Lide was furious. What did Peng Boshan know? He had heard Meng Shuping’s inner thoughts about tormenting his son—how could that be false?

He snorted coldly, "That’s not necessarily true. I don’t believe anyone would pass up such an opportunity for revenge!"

However, his words provoked strong dissatisfaction from Cao Jie and others. "What does Lord Dong mean by that? Are you suggesting that we would also seek personal revenge in our official duties?"

"Lord Dong, just because you use your position for personal stuff doesn’t mean others are the same. How can you maliciously speculate about others?"

"His Majesty appointed us to serve the court, not to satisfy personal desires. Lord Dong, you’re confusing public and private interests!"

The Minister of Justice Lu looked at Dong Lide with displeasure, "Lord Dong, you speak so confidently—have you done such things often yourself?"

Meng Shuping laughed inwardly, "Exactly! A dirty mind sees dirt everywhere! I suggest investigating this Dong fellow thoroughly—he might have many shady dealings behind his back!"

Peng Boshan was also very dissatisfied with Dong Lide, "Lord Dong, you’re not suspecting me of mistreating your son, are you?"

He turned to Emperor Qianyou with a pitiful expression, "Your Majesty! I think it’s best to transfer Dong Wenjin to the Ministry of Justice as soon as possible. Otherwise, if he gets so much as a scratch, I won’t be able to clear my name."

Minister of Justice Cao Jie quickly added, "Your Majesty, that won’t do! If something happens to Dong Wenjin in our ministry, won’t we be blamed for it? To protect Vice Director Meng’s reputation, please find another place to detain Dong Wenjin!"

Dong Lide panicked and hurriedly said, "Your Majesty, please understand! I didn’t mean it that way. It was just a slip of the tongue. It’s just that Meng Shuping has been relentlessly targeting me, so I can’t help but suspect him."

Meng Shuping sneered, "A slip of the tongue? If he hadn’t thought it, how could it slip out? Clearly, he’s done this kind of thing often! Investigate him! We must investigate him!"

Emperor Qianyou: "..."

He hadn’t expected detaining someone to cause so many problems. He glared at Dong Lide in annoyance—always causing trouble!

But the issue of where to detain Dong Wenjin still needed to be resolved, so he turned to the Minister of Justice, "Beloved Minister Lu..."

The Minister of Justice quickly refused, "Your Majesty, the Imperial Clan Court only holds serious and important criminals. Young Master Dong doesn’t qualify to be detained there. Moreover, I’m afraid if something happens to him, I won’t be able to take responsibility!"

Meng Shuping couldn’t help but laugh, "Wow, I’ve never seen someone so universally rejected by prisons! Did Young Master Dong commit some great evil in a past life? No, no—he’s been plenty wicked in this life too, haha!"

Emperor Qianyou gave Meng Shuping an annoyed look. Did this kid have the nerve to laugh? If it weren’t for Meng Shuping, would he be in such a difficult position? Look, even his ministers were daring to refuse him now.

He turned to Jiang Cihe, "Is there space in the Military Hall Department?"

Surely there would be no problem detaining him there, right?

But no sooner had he thought this than he heard Meng Shuping’s inner voice, "Great, great! Detaining him in the Military Hall Department is a good idea too. Given my relationship with the prince, I can easily persuade him to give Dong Wenjin a hard time. It’s a sure thing!"

Emperor Qianyou and Cao Jie: "..."

Why was he involved everywhere? They were just detaining one person, yet they had to worry about this kid causing trouble. Wasn’t this ridiculous?

Jiang Cihe chuckled and nodded, "Father, there are a few empty cells left, but the conditions are very poor. As long as Lord Dong’s son doesn’t mind, I can arrange it for him anytime."

Dong Lide’s face darkened. This Meng Shuping was determined to make things difficult for them, wasn’t he? His son was already imprisoned because of this kid—what more did he want?

Though he seethed with hatred for Meng Shuping, he had no time to dwell on it now. The priority was ensuring his son’s safety.

Dong Lide cautiously said to Emperor Qianyou, "Your Majesty, the Military Hall Department also detains important criminals. Wouldn’t it be inappropriate to detain my son there?"

Meng Shuping was exasperated, "He’s going to prison, not staying at an inn. Does he expect comfort? Tsk, tsk, being related to the Emperor sure is something—even in prison, he gets to pick and choose. Does he want to make his cell feel like home?"

Emperor Qianyou was also growing impatient. He had finally found a place to detain Dong Wenjin, and now Dong Lide was complaining? This was prison, not a meal—did the Dong family think they could do whatever they wanted?

He sternly said, "Then where do you want him detained? What? Do you think you’re in charge of court affairs? Should I just let you be the emperor?"

Meng Shuping egged it on, "See? I told you they were arrogant! Look, they even want to dictate to the Emperor. If the Emperor weren’t capable, would they try to seize power through imperial relatives?"

Dong Lide broke out in a cold sweat and hurriedly knocked his head on the ground repeatedly, "Your Majesty, have mercy! I wouldn’t dare!"

Emperor Qianyou lowered his gaze and stared at him for a long time. Only when Dong Lide’s forehead was bruised from kowtowing did he slowly speak, "Enough, rise."

Dong Lide let out a relieved sigh, his heart still pounding. He realized he and Meng Shuping just don't mix. In the past, such a minor issue would have been resolved with a simple plea, and Emperor Qianyou wouldn’t have punished him so severely. This time, not only had he failed to save his son, but he had nearly been implicated himself!

Now he didn’t dare ask Emperor Qianyou where his son would be detained, but Jiang Cihe asked for him, "Father, should Dong Wenjin still be detained in the Military Hall Department?"

Emperor Qianyou thought for a moment and said, "Very well, detain him in the Imperial Clan Court. The fourth and fifth princes are there—let him keep them company!"

Meng Shuping widened his eyes, "Huh? Is he worried his sons are too lonely in prison, so he’s sending them someone to entertain them? You know what? Emperor Qianyou is surprisingly caring!"

Jiang Cihe’s lips twitched—that actually made sense.

Dong Lide was overjoyed and gratefully said, "Thank you, Your Majesty!"

But seeing Dong Lide happy made Meng Shuping very dissatisfied. If it weren’t for this Dong fellow, would he have had to come to the palace despite his injuries?

He immediately whispered to Emperor Qianyou, "Your Majesty, what about investigating his collusion with powerful officials and misuse of public office for private gain?"

"Anyway, I’ve already offended him thoroughly. A little more shouldn’t matter, right? And if he’s tied up with his own troubles, he probably won’t have time to retaliate against me, right?"

Emperor Qianyou: "..."

With that attitude, are you telling me to investigate or not?

He glanced leisurely at Meng Shuping, "Beloved Minister Meng."

Meng Shuping instinctively replied, "Yes."

Emperor Qianyou revealed a sinister smile, enjoying the chaos, "Since this matter was your idea, I’ll put you in charge of looking into it."

Meng Shuping was dumbfounded. "Hah?"

"M-me? I don’t know how to do that! If he wanted me to tattle, I’d be good at that, but investigating something like this—how could I possibly figure it out? Is he deliberately making things difficult for me?"

"Hiss..."

"I get it now!"

"He must have wanted to let Dong off the hook because they’re relatives, but he didn’t expect me to be so clueless and keep pushing for answers. So now he’s trying to teach me a lesson?"

"He should’ve said something earlier! If I’d known he wanted to show favoritism, of course I would’ve saved face for him! He’s the Emperor, after all—did he think I’d be stupid enough to go against him? How can he blame me when he didn’t even say anything?"

Cao Jie and the others sneaked glances at Emperor Qianyou. Could it be that the Emperor really intended to let Dong Lide off? Otherwise, why would he assign such an inexperienced person to investigate this matter?

Could Meng Shuping actually uncover the truth?

Dong Lide had been worried at first, but hearing Meng Shuping’s words, he felt relieved. So the Emperor was still on their side after all!

Emperor Qianyou had been feeling rather pleased with himself—Meng Shuping had caused him so much trouble, wasn’t it only fair to give him some trouble in return?

But his smug expression didn’t last long before Meng Shuping’s words soured his mood again. What did he mean by "he wanted to show favoritism"?

Didn’t this kid Meng Shuping accuse Dong Lide of colluding with important court officials? So having Meng Shuping investigate Dong Lide should be exactly what he wanted—why was he complaining now?

He grumbled irritably, "What’s wrong? Weren’t you the one who said we should investigate? Or were you just all talk?"

Meng Shuping mumbled quietly, "But my injuries haven’t even healed yet!"

"Is he really going to make me investigate while I’m still sick? Does he have to work me this hard?"

Emperor Qianyou said, "No matter. It’s fine to wait until you’ve recovered."

Seeing that Emperor Qianyou was determined to have him handle the investigation, Meng Shuping could only reply resentfully, "As you command, Your Majesty."

"But if I do find something, he can’t say I didn’t respect him!"

Emperor Qianyou: "..."

Let’s see if you can even find anything first!