Great, it's just a lackey, we're saved!

Chapter 220 Your acting is terrible, Lord Wang!

Zhou Wei said she had a memorial to present, and everyone in the hall had different thoughts.

Those who sided with the eldest princess all appeared calm and collected, as if they had been waiting for a long time.

Wang Shu, who was unaware of the details, was filled with trepidation and anxiety.

Although the Crown Prince was very wary of Zhou Wei and the Eldest Princess, Mei Xingyue was dead and Xuan Su had recognized her as her master. Even if Zhou Wei and Jiang Yueli had any tricks up their sleeves, could they really turn the world upside down?

Therefore, his expression only froze for a moment before returning to normal.

Following Zhou Wei's words, he said, "Yes, Imperial Noble Consort, shall we let this matter rest? After all, the auspicious beast has already recognized me as its master."

As the Crown Prince spoke, he rubbed A Bao's ear, demonstrating his closeness to A Bao to the assembled officials.

Ah Bao kept spitting air from his mouth, he was extremely impatient!

Ah Bao hated the prince's kneading.

What kind of class are you? Daring to touch my head?

However, when it glanced at Zhou Wei with its small eyes, it immediately received a warning look.

Ah Bao Bear's face fell. Fine, for the sake of little Zhou Wei, this bear will endure a little longer.

However, I swear, if this brat touches me again, I will slap him away, regardless of whether Zhou Wei agrees or not.

Fortunately, after A Bao made up his mind, the prince also lowered his hand and stopped bothering it.

Ah Bao couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief.

Bai Xiaoxiao had been observing the Princess's reaction. When she saw that the Princess finally moved a step after Zhou Wei stepped forward, Bai Xiaoxiao understood that the master and servant were about to make their move.

"I am currently in a state of great turmoil, and I still have some questions about the matter of deposing the crown prince and the astrological interpretations..."

Upon hearing this, the Crown Prince immediately tried to force him, but was interrupted by Bai Xiaoxiao.

"Therefore, I need some time to think it over carefully. Since General Zhou has submitted a memorial, I will listen to it and also think about the theory of celestial phenomena."

Zhou Wei didn't give the Crown Prince a chance, and bowed to report: "Your Highness, I impeach Wang Shu, the Prefect of the Capital, for dereliction of duty. For the sake of political achievements, he disregarded the grievances of the people under his jurisdiction and attempted to use his power to oppress the people in order to settle the matter."

Wang Shu was shocked upon hearing this and almost collapsed to his knees.

The words kept echoing in my mind: How could this happen?

Didn't Tan Lin say that the eldest princess wanted to use him? Why would he let his confidante Zhou Wei impeach him?

Could it be that Tan Lin made a mistake in judgment?

Thinking of this, Wang Shu felt a chill run down his spine and inwardly groaned.

Tan Lin has ruined me!

Just now, the auspicious beast recognized the crown prince as its master, and Wang Shu, with his neck stiffened, did not kowtow to the crown prince, which probably already aroused the crown prince's jealousy.

He thought he could turn the tables on the eldest princess, but unexpectedly, the eldest princess's people also came forward to impeach him.

He schemed and plotted, but ended up pleasing neither side.

Wang Shu was in so much pain that she wished she could faint right then and there!

Just as he was in a state of confusion, pondering how to deal with Zhou Wei's impeachment, Chen Wenyu, who usually didn't like to meddle in other people's affairs, stepped forward.

"Your Highness, Lord Wang has served as the Prefect for many years and has always been loyal to his duties without ever being negligent."

"Even though the capital was hit by a snow disaster, Lord Wang overcame all difficulties and did his best to ensure that the channels of communication between the capital and the various prefectures were open."

"I believe that Lord Wang is not one to oppress the people. May I ask Commander Zhou, is there some misunderstanding here?"

Chen Wenyu's intervention quickly calmed Wang Shu down.

My heart, which had almost given up, is now alive again!

Others may not know Chen Wenyu's attitude towards the Princess, but Wang Shu does.

The Prefect of the Capital was in charge of all matters, large and small, in the capital, and the grand ceremony for literary traditions was also held at the Temple of Agriculture.

The scene of Chen Wenyu sincerely bowing to the Princess was reported to Wang Shu by the people from the government office who returned.

Wang Shu had served as the Prefect of the Capital for many years and had long since learned to do more and talk less. Even if he knew something, he would not tell others casually.

Seeing Chen Wenyu step forward and join forces with Zhou Wei, Wang Shu immediately realized that this was probably the signal Tan Lin had mentioned.

He quickly composed himself and followed Chen Wenyu's words, saying, "Yes, Your Highness, I have served as the Prefect of the Capital for many years. Even if I have not made any great contributions, I have certainly worked hard. If Commander Zhou cannot produce any evidence to support his slander against me, I will not accept it!"

Bai Xiaoxiao looked at Zhou Wei: "Zhou Dianjun, do you have any evidence to support your impeachment of Lord Wang for oppressing the people?"

Zhou Wei cupped her hands in greeting: "I naturally have evidence."

As she spoke, she turned to Wang Shu and asked, "May I ask, Lord Wang, where are the people from those villages in the southern suburbs of the capital who joined together to file a complaint with the Jingzhao Prefecture?"

Upon hearing about the village in the southern suburbs of the capital, the Crown Prince's heart tightened, and his face turned somewhat pale.

But she still forced herself to remain calm.

"The people in those villages on the outskirts of the capital were all killed by the beast tide. Even if there were any survivors, they were all burned alive by Zhu Zhen's Imperial Guards. There will be no survivors."

The crown prince pondered the matter repeatedly in his heart, and he was convinced that there would be no problem on his side.

'The people from these villages came to the capital to file a complaint; perhaps it wasn't because of the beast tide?'

The crown prince tried to comfort himself, but Wang Shu's next words shattered his illusions.

"Your Highness, it is true that villagers from several villages in the southern suburbs of the capital came to the Jingzhao Prefecture to file a complaint, but I believe that what they said is nonsense, so I did not accept it."

Bai Xiaoxiao asked, "What are these people complaining about?"

"The villagers said that several villages in the southern suburbs of the capital were attacked by beast tides one after another, resulting in heavy casualties. However, this was not a natural disaster, but more of a man-made disaster. It was actually caused by evil people leading the beast tides into the villages."

"Although the villagers brought the dead beasts with them, I believe that the so-called beast tide is nothing more than wild animals in the mountains coming down to find food because they are hungry due to the heavy snow blocking the mountain pass."

"Unexpectedly, we stumbled into a village, causing panic among the villagers and leading them to believe it was a beast tide. As for the claim that a villain led the beast tide, that's even more impossible!"

Bai Xiaoxiao asked curiously, "Why is it impossible?"

“Your Highness, think about it. The wild beasts that the villagers carried to Jingzhao Prefecture were all tigers and brown bears. If these wild beasts formed a beast tide…” Wang Shu’s face showed an exaggerated look of shock, “How terrible would that beast tide be? Who could remain unscathed in such a beast tide, let alone deliberately instigate it?”

"Could this person be courting death? To risk his life to harm the people in several villages in the southern suburbs? He's probably not a bad person, but a fool."

Wang Shu's twisted logic is utter nonsense!

Even courtiers who were on good terms with him couldn't help but frown, wondering if Wang Shu had gone mad.

How dare they use such incoherent arguments as a defense in the imperial court?

After hearing Wang Shu's words, the Crown Prince's heart, which had calmed down, began to pound violently again.

He was so excited that he almost couldn't hide the joy on his face!

He never expected that Wang Shu, the Prefect of Jingzhao, would be so stupid!

However, this is good. With Wang Shu, that fool, acting as a shield, he can extricate himself from the situation.

After all, no one had ever witnessed him encounter the beast tide. Even the few survivors in Wangjia Village were silenced by him.

Before the beast tide began, the Crown Prince had already left with Yuanxing and Jiang Nianxing.

Even the Crown Prince didn't know how the Eldest Princess and the generals escaped from the beast tide.

Since he doesn't know the other party, the other party naturally doesn't know him either.

Everyone was completely in the dark; who dared to be certain that the beast tide was related to him, the crown prince?

The prince was making his plans perfectly, but unexpectedly, Qian Tao stepped forward at this moment.

"Your Highness, Lord Wang is mistaken. The beast tide did indeed occur, and I and the other generals experienced it firsthand."

“Even when the beast tide occurred, the Eldest Princess, Zhou Dianjun, and the Third Prince were all present. If it weren’t for the Eldest Princess and Zhou Dianjun’s decisive action and superb archery skills, we would have died from the beast tide long ago.”

Qian Tao's words caused an uproar.

The civil servants were clearly hearing about this for the first time, and some of the clever ones immediately connected it to the story published in the Women's Daily.

In an instant, those with keen minds realized that a new round of political turmoil was about to begin!

Just by looking at the person who stepped forward to speak, it's clear that this matter was spearheaded by Princess Jiang Yueli.

But what is the eldest princess's purpose?

Most people were still a bit confused and didn't quite understand it.

Wang Shu, who had just been swearing there was no beast tide, suddenly clutched his chest and cried out in anguish.

"Oh dear, General Qian! Why didn't you tell me about such a big thing?"

"I was misled into thinking the beast tide was just the villagers' imagination. It seems I wronged them. I am guilty!"

Seeing Wang Shu pounding his chest and stamping his feet, looking utterly remorseful, Zhou Wei almost couldn't help but burst out laughing.

Nobody told her that Wang Shu's acting was so bad?

Your crying was so fake, Lord Wang!