The entire hall was filled with the voices of Cai's faction members, which also meant that as long as they entered the court, no one could compete with Cai Jing.
Zhu Lian could not argue with Cai's followers, so she could only resist with silence.
But the more silent she becomes, the more she becomes known as "arrogant".
Zhu Lian, who originally planned to buy time for Zhao Huan, was cornered by the Cai faction members in a blink of an eye.
At the critical moment, it was the person who hated Zhao Huan the most in the entire Song Dynasty who stood up.
Zhou Pu's sonorous and powerful voice almost drowned out the voices of Cai's party members.
"The princess could have not entered the palace, but she still came to the palace to see her. This is enough to show her sincerity. How come it turned out to be arrogance in your mouth?"
"Moreover, what kind of skills do all the ministers have when they join forces to bully a prostitute?"
"Does it mean that whoever has the loudest voice in this court is justified?"
Although Zhou Pu strictly enforced the "daily ginseng" for Zhao Huan, he had no hostility towards Zhao Huan and only enforced the law impartially.
And as a doctor in the Ministry of Etiquette, he would never stand idly by while watching the princess being bullied.
Zhu Lian was naturally grateful for Zhou Pu's righteous speech, but it was obvious that Zhou Pu's voice was not loud enough to have a substantial impact on the court.
The members of the Cai faction are not surprised. After all, Zhou Pu has always been ignorant of current affairs and is the kind of stupid young man who makes even His Majesty get involved.
Although they find Zhou Pu annoying, no one wants to tangle with this guy, so they can just ignore him.
Cai Tiao snorted lightly, ignored Zhou Pu at all, and continued to attack Zhu Lian.
"You have no joke, and the country has no trivial matters. Since King Ding cannot fulfill his contract, and the princess is so arrogant, I beg your majesty to directly punish her and punish her severely!"
The surrounding Cai faction members all agreed.
"I second the proposal!"
"I also second the proposal!"
Zhao Ji had already made up his mind. After all, killing Gao Tuoshan within a month was not an exaggeration at all.
If Zhao Huan could accomplish such a feat, it would definitely be inspiring, and it would be a good thing for the Song Dynasty.
On the other hand, if Zhao Huan cannot fulfill the contract, it may not be a bad thing!
Not only will Zhao Huan be completely reduced to a puppet, but the prestige he has accumulated among the people will also be in vain.
Anyway, the victorious army has already been exhausted by the street fighting. When the time comes, they only need to send troops to take over Yizhou to reap the benefits.
This calculation is naturally indispensable to Cai Jing's contribution.
Zhao Ji deliberately pretended to look at Cai Jing: "I wonder how the minister thinks this matter should be handled?"
Cai Jing smiled knowingly, stepped forward, and bowed his hands: "Your Majesty, I believe that state affairs are not a trivial matter. If I blindly appease King Ding because he is the eldest son of the emperor, I am afraid it will be difficult to convince the public."
"In order to avoid criticism from the world, everything should be handled in accordance with the regulations."
"The emperor's eldest son should be deprived of his royal title, removed from all official positions, and demoted to a marquis. In addition, Zheng Qingyun should also be sentenced to death."
Zhao Ji and Cai Jing had already been angry with each other, so they naturally accepted Cai Jing's suggestions.
"Then follow the Prime Minister's advice and act in accordance with the regulations!"
Just when Zhao Ji was about to give the order, Cai Jing suddenly added: "Your Majesty, please arrest Zheng Qingyun before issuing the order."
As soon as these words came out, Zhu Lian's heart suddenly rose to his throat.
Cai Jing saw Zhu Lian's reaction and couldn't help but sneer in his heart.
Although Zhu Lian was smart, he was still too young. Zhu Lian transferred Zheng Qingyun to Kaifeng Mansion, thinking that he was perfect, but he didn't know that he was under the supervision of Cai Jing.
Now Cai Jing only needs to find Zheng Qingyun. He can not only accuse Zhu Lian of "harboring criminals", but also kill Zhao Shiyan and recapture Kaifeng Mansion, killing two birds with one stone!
Zhu Lian naturally understood Cai Jing's sinister intentions and immediately pleaded with Zhao Ji: "Your Majesty, please be merciful and forgive Zheng Qingyun, even if you are thinking of the father-son relationship with the prince."
These words played into Cai Jing's heart.
However, Cai Jing has never liked to do things personally. Even when it comes to suppressing political opponents, he is more accustomed to hiding behind the scenes.
Cai Tiao naturally understood his father's intentions, and immediately shouted to Zhu Lian: "Isn't the court a place for friendship?"
"I see that you are clearly encouraging His Majesty in public and bending the law for personal gain!"
"His heart must be punished!"
Zhu Lian knew that Cai Xi would not let her go, but as long as she could save Zheng Qingyun, it was enough. Since she came to the palace, she had no intention of escaping unscathed.
But the next moment, Zhu Lian became disheartened.
Zhao Ji also had an unkind look in his eyes and scolded him coldly: "Zhu Lian! You really disappoint me."
Cai Tiao took the opportunity to add fuel to the fire: "Your Majesty, I saw with my own eyes that Princess Ding sent the prisoner Zheng Qingyun to Kaifeng Mansion."
"Who in Bianjing doesn't know that Kaifeng Prefecture Yin has a close relationship with Prince Ding? Princess Ding's move was clearly to deliberately hide the suspect, causing the Song Dynasty to disregard the laws of the Song Dynasty, deceive the emperor, bend the law for personal gain, and commit treason!"
"I believe that Princess Ding should be deposed and sentenced to death to serve as a warning to others!"
Cai Tiao's evil side was clearly revealed, so it would be extremely difficult to execute Zhao Huan, but it would be very easy to get rid of Zhu Lian, his virtuous wife.
As long as Zhu Lian dies, Zhao Huan will lose his biggest arm. By then, the Zhu family will also part ways with Zhao Huan. Wouldn't it be settled once and for all?
Although Zhao Ji liked Zhu Lian very much, there was nothing unacceptable about sacrificing Zhu Lian for the sake of posthumous reputation and more importantly, to consolidate the throne.
"Bold Zhu Lian, knowing clearly that I have made a bet with Zhao Huan, you still dare to transfer the suspect privately. It is simply a double crime and cannot be forgiven!"
"Come here, take Zhu Lian to the Yushitai and interrogate him severely!"
Zhu Lian's face turned pale for an instant. Apart from being interested in fame and power, the majesty in front of him no longer cared about blood ties.
At this point, Zhu Lian had no choice but to accept his fate.
but……
It's not necessarily a bad thing that she can walk ahead of her husband. At least she can go to Naihe Bridge in advance to wait for her husband.
Just when the Wudesi guards stepped forward and were about to capture Zhu Lian directly, the young eunuch's cry suddenly came from outside the palace.
"Your Majesty, King Ding has come to the palace to pay an audience."
What?!
Zhao Ji was stunned and subconsciously looked at Cai Jing.
Cai Jing also frowned. He thought Zhao Huan had accepted his fate, but he didn't expect that this guy would dare to show up?
No problem! Anyway, the three hundred elite soldiers Zhao Huan borrowed from Zhu Xiaosun have not left the city yet.
Even if Zhao Huan had extraordinary abilities, he would never be able to capture the heads of enemy generals from thousands of miles away. Even if Zhao Huan came, he would just throw himself into a trap.
Cai Jing's mood instantly calmed down, and he sneered faintly: "Since King Ding is here, please let your Majesty and King Ding deal with it together."
All the members of the Cai faction echoed with a grim smile. In their opinion, Zhao Huan was finished. No matter how eloquent and eloquent he was, he was just struggling to his death.