Chapter 324
Chapter 324
Hearing this, Li Tianyou frowned deeply. He had always been one to dote on children.
Moreover, this child had just saved his daughter.
"Those things left in Prince An's Manor—surely no one would dare touch them. If you are truly short on silver, I can give you some. You won't even need to write an IOU, alright?" Li Tianyou felt that if he really went to Prince An's Manor like this, wouldn't it be too much like acting as a thief?
If he were caught, he wouldn't be the only one losing face; it would also ruin his daughter's future reputation in Prince An's Manor. He couldn't let that happen.
This was absolutely something he could not do.
"I don't want yours. Good Grandfather, please just help me go. There really are things there that are incredibly important to me," Xu Qingshi pleaded, tugging at Li Tianyou's hand affectionately.
He silently repeated to himself that the silver truly was important to him; he wasn't lying.
"How about I cover for you, and you go back?" Li Tianyou suggested after some thought. He still couldn't bring himself to sneak into his future son-in-law's home to steal things.
"Grandfather, tell me, if I go and my father catches me, what then?" Xu Qingshi said, looking troubled.
If he could, he would have loved to go back and get it himself. But now, whenever he thought about how his father didn't want him anymore, he had no desire to return to Prince An's Manor.
"If he catches you, what would he do?" Li Tianyou asked, somewhat puzzled.
"He would definitely tie me up and send me back to the Zhou family. I accidentally burned down their courtyard, Grandfather. The Zhou family definitely won't let me off. You don't know, but when I went to the Zhou residence, they weren't even willing to give me a bite to eat." As Xu Qingshi spoke, his tears began to fall endlessly.
Xu Qingshi wiped the black soot from his face onto his clothes. Fortunately, Li Tianyou had already changed out of his official robes and was now dressed in peasant attire.
However, upon hearing that the Zhou family had actually denied Xu Qingshi food, Li Tianyou's heart ached uncontrollably.
"That Zhou family is simply going too far," Li Tianyou said with a frown.
"Grandfather, I really don't want to go to the Zhou family anymore. Those people simply don't treat me like a human being," Xu Qingshi cried out to Li Tianyou again.
"Right, you cannot go to the Zhou family." Thinking of what the Zhou family was like, Li Tianyou also grew anxious.
"But we can't just let my father have those things for nothing, right?" Xu Qingshi looked at Li Tianyou, seemingly certain that Li Tianyou would help him.
After all, every time he saw his father meet with Lord Li, his father was always somewhat restrained and cautious.
And every time Lord Li saw his father, he looked at him with utter disdain.
"Qingshi, you are right. We cannot let your father off so easily," Li Tianyou nodded affirmatively.
"So, Grandfather, have you agreed to go to Prince An's Manor for me?" Xu Qingshi asked excitedly.
"That won't do. How about we go together?" Li Tianyou thought about it and was unwilling to go alone.
Xu Qingshi looked at Li Tianyou with a grieved expression. He had thought that Li Tianyou would definitely just help him.
But thinking of the silver he had hidden, he could only grit his teeth. He had to go back and get it himself.
"Then we'll go together, but I need to change my clothes too," Xu Qingshi said, looking down at his own attire.
"Actually, I think looking like a little dirty cat right now, no one at Prince An's Manor would even recognize you," Li Tianyou observed Xu Qingshi's filthy state, figuring that the people at the manor wouldn't recognize this boy as the Heir of Prince An.
"Then let's go right now." Xu Qingshi thought about it and agreed that Li Tianyou's words made a lot of sense.
He couldn't wait another moment.
The Zhou Residence
Zhu Jingchen looked down at Zhou Zhonghe, then glanced over at Xu Heming.
"Zhou Zhonghe, you have failed to teach your children properly and your household is in disharmony. How can you be expected to manage the affairs of the court?" Zhu Jingchen said unhurriedly.
"Your Majesty, this subject is guilty!" Cold sweat poured down Zhou Zhonghe's back.
"You are indeed guilty." Zhu Jingchen looked toward Xu Heming, as if asking him how the Zhou family should be punished.
If Xu Heming was willing to plead for mercy on behalf of the Zhou family, he was still willing to let them off the hook.
Xu Heming, however, looked at Zhou Zhonghe without the slightest intention of pleading for the Zhou family.
"Prince An, I beg you, for the sake of Yuxin, please plead for the Zhou family!" Zhou Zhonghe had also noticed that the Emperor's glance toward Prince An was asking for his opinion. If Prince An was willing to speak up for them, he would surely survive this ordeal.
"Plead for you for the sake of Yuxin?" Xu Heming looked at Zhou Zhonghe with sarcasm.
"Did your Zhou family, for the sake of Yuxin, properly treat Qingshi well? How cruel is your Zhou family's heart, to grudge even a mouthful of food for Qingshi!" When Xu Heming spoke of this, he gritted his teeth in sheer hatred.
His son, whom he couldn't bear to see suffer the slightest grievance, was treated so outrageously by this Zhou family.
Zhou Zhonghe was momentarily left speechless.
In this matter, they were indeed in the wrong.
But he had no way to reverse the situation now.
Now, all he could hope for was that the Emperor would show mercy to the Zhou family and give them a lighter punishment.
"Your Highness, it was the women in the household who acted improperly," Zhou Zhonghe said after a moment of silence, having no other choice.
At this point, he no longer held any extravagant hopes that the Emperor would spare the Zhou family. After all, Madam Wu had not only offended the Third Prince but had also cursed the Emperor. It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say this crime warranted the execution of their entire nine familial lines.
"Since Lord Zhou also feels he is guilty, then the death penalty can be waived, but punishment is unavoidable." Zhu Jingchen looked at the members of the Zhou family kneeling below.
He lightly opened his imperial mouth.
This mansion of the Zhou family was originally bestowed by the late Emperor.
Who would have thought that the prosperity of the Zhou family would only last a few short decades.
"Zhou Zhonghe, you have been lax in managing your household, indulging your wife and daughters in injuring others without cause and insulting the royal family. By law, you should be executed! However, considering your many years of effort for the imperial court—having toiled hard even if lacking great merit—effective immediately, you are stripped of your official post and banished back to your hometown. The descendants of the Zhou family shall be barred from the imperial examinations for three generations. This Zhou family mansion was originally bestowed by the late Emperor; you have five days to move out!"
As Zhu Jingchen's words fell, Zhou Zhonghe slumped to the ground. Was their Zhou family being driven out of the capital?
Back to their hometown... His father had desperately clawed his way from Beiyang to the capital, and now, it had taken them only a single day to fall from the capital back to Beiyang.
"Zhou Zhonghe, aren't you going to quickly thank His Majesty for his grace?" Eunuch Wu looked at Zhou Zhonghe and said in dissatisfaction.
"Thank you, Your Majesty, for your profound grace!" Zhou Zhonghe kowtowed in gratitude to Zhu Jingchen with tears in his eyes.
He knew that the Emperor had already shown exceptional leniency.
However, with the Zhou descendants barred from the imperial examinations for three generations, his grandsons would hardly ever have a chance to make a name for themselves in the future.
Zhou Yuying looked at the Emperor in disbelief. Sending the Zhou family back to their hometown, that poor countryside?
She did not want to go back.
"Father, I don't want to go back to Beiyang," Zhou Yuying cried, pulling at the hem of Zhou Zhonghe's clothes and begging.
"Stop this nonsense, the Emperor is still here!" Zhou Zhonghe reprimanded with a slight frown, feeling that this youngest daughter was truly clueless about the situation.