Chapter Twenty-Nine: This Is Not a Punishment at All!
Page 1 of 3
By the time they returned to the Great General’s residence, the banquet had already been laid out. Only then did Zhou Hao leisurely ask about the punishment imposed on the Third Prince.
“Speaking of which, His Majesty’s punishment for the Third Prince wasn’t particularly severe. He was merely fined three months’ salary and confined for three months—and even then, he was confined to the Third Prince’s residence rather than sent to the Imperial Clan Court.”
The Great General seized a jar of wine and tipped it straight down his throat, a trace of indignation surfacing in his eyes.
The Emperor of Zhou truly favored the Third Prince above all others.
Forging an imperial edict was, in essence, a grave crime of usurping imperial authority.
If the Third Prince had not been so beloved, and if his mother were not the Empress, then even stripping him of his title as a prince and locking him in the Imperial Clan Court would have been considered a lenient outcome.
Imperial authority was the one thing in the emperor’s hands that could never be profaned.
Unless the emperor were old and infirm, anyone who dared lay hands upon it would most likely be beheaded in public.
When Zhou Hao heard this, however, he merely smiled indifferently before lifting the wine cup beside him.
“Father-in-law, you’ve got that wrong. In truth, being fined three months’ salary and confined for three months doesn’t count as punishment at all.”
At those words, Zhou Hao’s expression darkened.
He had never imagined that the Emperor of Zhou would favor the Third Prince to such an extent. Even now, the Third Prince had suffered no real consequences whatsoever.
What kind of punishment was this?
It was plainly nothing more than a way to silence the ministers.
When Bi Ruxue heard this, she blinked in confusion and looked toward Zhou Hao.
“I thought that was punishment. Is there some other interpretation?”
Zhou Hao gave a cold laugh and glanced at the Great General.
But the Great General had no time to pay attention to him. If he did not seize such a wonderful opportunity, who knew when he would ever have a grandchild?
“Miss Ruxue, there’s something you don’t understand. The Third Prince’s impersonation of an imperial edict was, in essence, no different from treason.”
“And yet His Majesty’s punishment amounted to nothing more than docking his salary and confining him for three months.”
“Docking his salary for three months was merely meant to silence the civil and military officials and put an end to the matter.”
“As for the confinement, His Majesty simply doesn’t want the Third Prince to clash with me again. How is that confinement? It is clearly protection.”
“Even if I wanted to break into the Third Prince’s residence and confront him, the guards would stop me at the gate. By then, even if I wanted to settle the score with him, I wouldn’t be able to find him.”
“It seems His Majesty has truly made a fine calculation.”
His dissatisfaction was only natural.
To the Emperor of Zhou, most of his princes were probably nothing more than continuations of his bloodline.
Only the Third Prince was treated as a true son.
Zhou Hao had spent ten years in the barbarian lands. If he had not caused a commotion in court, he would not even have been able to obtain the rewards he deserved.
Page 1 of 3
Page 2 of 3
Yet after committing such outrageous deeds, the Third Prince had received nothing more than thunder without rain.
How could that not infuriate Zhou Hao?
That said, he understood that being able to achieve this much was already quite good.
At least the Third Prince would not be able to interfere with his plans for the time being.
Bi Ruxue nodded, having understood most of the situation.
The Emperor of Zhou truly was biased toward the Third Prince, while showing no concern whatsoever for her husband.
The rumors had indeed been completely accurate.
With a loud crack, the Great General suddenly slammed his palm onto the table.
No, this would not do. The more he thought about it, the angrier he became. In all his years, he had never been treated this way.
“Tomorrow, I’ll submit a memorial to His Majesty. I’ll say that the Third Prince’s crimes have provoked the wrath of Heaven and the fury of the people. If his punishment isn’t increased, public resentment will boil over throughout the court and among the common people.”
Before the Great General could finish, Zhou Hao stopped him.
“Father-in-law, don’t do that. Even if someone must act, it should be the Chancellor.”
“If the Chancellor refuses to stick his neck out, what reason would you have to do it?”
“You command the military. If you submit a memorial demanding harsher punishment for the Third Prince at a time like this, what will His Majesty think?”
With just a few words, Zhou Hao dispelled the resentment in the Great General’s heart, though the older man was still furious.
The Emperor of Zhou was truly biased.
“My worthy son-in-law, I truly feel indignant on your behalf. What right does that Third Prince have? Is it simply because His Majesty favors him?”
The Great General slammed the wine jar down, displeasure visible in his eyes.
If Zhou Hao had not been placed side by side with the Third Prince, the Great General might have thought the matter was not particularly serious.
But now…
The Emperor of Zhou was truly shameless.
“Father-in-law, there’s no need to worry so much. Besides, it isn’t as though we gained nothing from this. The Third Prince has been confined, and the Empress has probably been confined as well. From now on, no one will come and bother me while I handle my affairs.”
“Even if it concerns investigating the assassins, His Majesty probably won’t care about it anymore.”
Of course, the Emperor of Zhou would not dare continue the investigation. What good would it do now?
The moment they investigated, they had uncovered the crime of forging an imperial edict. If they continued investigating, could anything good possibly come of it?
The entire imperial city would be turned upside down.
In any case, Zhou Hao had no desire to investigate further. He felt that there was no need for it at all.
If the Emperor of Zhou did not mention the matter in court tomorrow, Zhou Hao would simply treat it as though the emperor had passed wind.
From then on, he would proceed according to his own plans.
Page 2 of 3
Page 3 of 3
“Master Zhou, what are your plans from here?”
Bi Ruxue set down her bowl and chopsticks and stared intently at Zhou Hao.
This time, she wanted to travel with Zhou Hao and see what he had experienced along the way.
When Zhou Hao heard her question, he was stunned for a moment before smiling.
“What plans could I have? For now, I’ll let Li Tie recover from his illness. The task of recruiting disabled soldiers will be left to him.”
“After Luo Xu finishes gathering the craftsmen in the imperial city, I’ll be able to start making arrangements. As for now…”
“Of course I’m going to get some proper rest. No one can interfere with me for the next few days. If I keep myself wound so tightly, something serious is bound to happen.”
Bi Ruxue nodded, already forming a few plans of her own.
If that was the case, perhaps she should move to the First Prince’s residence in a couple of days.
The Great General turned his head and looked at Zhou Hao.
“In that case, I’ll send a few servants over. Disabled soldiers are useful, but there are always some matters they won’t be able to handle.”
Although the Great General did not say so directly, he had already pointed out the crux of the problem.
The greatest issue was that these soldiers were physically impaired. Their movements might become distorted during training, and the troops they trained would inevitably develop problems as a result.
Zhou Hao understood that the Great General meant well, but he was determined to recruit these disabled soldiers.
The best way to build an army was to have veterans train newcomers.
How long would it take him to find enough veterans? How many years would he need before he could turn them into a proper army?
These disabled soldiers were indeed somewhat lacking, but they were veterans all the same.
There was no better choice for training those raw recruits who knew nothing.
As for the servants the Great General had mentioned…
Zhou Hao was certainly tempted by the idea, but he was too embarrassed to ask the Great General for them directly.
“All right. But I will continue recruiting those disabled soldiers. These men will be extremely useful.”
Hearing this, the Great General’s interest was piqued.
“Then tell me—what use could they possibly be?”
Page 3 of 3