My father, during the Jiajing era, ensured that every household was clean and tidy.

Chapter 2 Who Made the Knife?

"Your Highness, someone is blocking your way!"

"Oh?" As he asked, Zhu Zaizhen also glanced around. The once bustling and noisy Chang'an Avenue was now empty around him.

People peered out from afar, while the guards nearby were on high alert. A group of people did indeed stand in front of the carriage, but they didn't look like assassins. They were men and women, young and old, and they were all kneeling.

Despite the guards' shouts and attempts to block the view, one could faintly hear someone crying.

Upon seeing this.

Zhu Zaizhen breathed a sigh of relief, silently put down his slender sword, stepped out of the carriage, and glanced at the guards. "Don't disturb the people. Ask the people who stopped the carriage what they want."

The guard in charge of the escort, realizing he had overreacted and startled the prince, dared not say a word and quickly went to carry out the order. After returning, he reported back:

"Your Highness, they are crying out for justice."

"Calling for justice? If you have a grievance, you can go to the various levels of government to file a complaint. Why are you blocking my carriage?"

"I asked, and they said..."

"explain!"

"Yes, they said that it was useless to look elsewhere, and they could only beg the prince for mercy. The leader of this group claimed to be Yang Yingwei, the eldest son of Yang Jisheng, the Assistant Director of the Military Selection Department of the Ministry of War."

Zhu Zaizhen frowned and remained silent. He had just left the palace yesterday and knew little about matters outside the palace. He searched through his memories of his past life but could not recall anything about Yang Yingwei.

After thinking for a moment, just as he was about to have the other party come forward for questioning, a group of people rushed up from the end of the long street. The people in the lead sedan chair got off before the bearers had even come to a complete stop, and shouted at the same time:

"How dare you!"

"Are you all trying to rebel by obstructing Prince Jing's carriage?! Quickly summon the Five Cities Military Command!"

The man was around thirty years old, dressed as a scholar. He ran and shouted, looking anxious. Zhu Zaizhen recognized him; he was Wu Yingfeng, a lecturer in the Prince Jing's mansion and also his teacher, a secretary in the Imperial Secretariat.

"Get out of the way! I need to see the Prince!"

"Huff!" Wu Yingfeng pushed past the guards, panting, "Your Highness, we...we must go quickly!"

"Teacher, please don't be anxious," Zhu Zaizhen reassured him. Once he had calmed down and looked ahead, he frowned and asked, "What is the reason for this?"

"Exactly!"

Wu Yingfeng said anxiously, "I rushed here as soon as I heard about the Yang family's movements. Your Highness, you must not get entangled with them!"

"Yang Jisheng has been sentenced to death by hanging with reprieve for impeaching Grand Secretary Yan. The Yang family's grievances are right here, but Yang Jisheng is a student of Xu Jie, Grand Secretary Xu!"

"The teacher means..."

Wu Yingfeng lowered her voice, "Yang Jisheng has Xu Jie and Prince Yu behind him, and Grand Secretary Yan has a prince behind him!"

"This impeachment."

"It's just a power struggle for the throne!"

"Xu Jie had repeatedly suggested that Prince Yu be given a formal title, but the Emperor had rejected the suggestion. However, he was clearly not giving up. The prince had just gotten married when someone impeached Grand Secretary Yan, and the prince had just left the palace when someone came to stop the Emperor and cry out for justice. What a coincidence!"

Wu Yingfeng's face was solemn, even showing signs of anger. "He wants to embarrass the Prince, to damage the Prince's reputation in public by using Yang Jisheng's experience!"

"Grand Secretary Xu is in such a hurry!"

"Excellent tactic!"

"Your Highness, we can't let the Yang family hold us back. We need to get the Five Cities Garrison to intervene..."

Wu Yingfeng continued speaking, but Zhu Zaizhen stopped listening. He stood on the carriage, gazing into the distance. He saw crowds of people gathered all around the street, and the cries of injustice continued to echo in his ears.

Strange glances and whispers all pressed down on Zhu Zaizhen, but he remained surprisingly calm.

There was not a trace of irritation.

At this moment, there were no streets or alleys, no teachers, no constant crying or pointing fingers, only a sentence from the Wanshou Palace: "Whether you fight or not, is it up to you?"

Zhu Zaizhen now truly understands that whether or not to compete is not up to him.

You don't fight.

The other party will not be merciful either.

If you don't fight back, you'll just have to wait to be forced to your feet, to be at their mercy.

This has nothing to do with good or evil, black or white, right or wrong; it's simply a matter of identity. With the title "King Jing" in his name, he himself is a threat, and a threat that's stuck in his eyes and can't be removed...

"Your Highness!"

A low shout snapped Zhu Zaizhen out of his daze. Wu Yingfeng reminded him, "The Five Cities Garrison has arrived. Let's go." As he spoke, he was about to order the guards to clear the way, but Zhu Zaizhen asked blankly, "Why should I leave?"

Wu Yingfeng stamped her feet anxiously, "Your Highness, didn't I already tell you about this? The other party harbors malicious intentions!"

"I heard you."

Zhu Zaizhen withdrew his gaze, only to see the sixteen-year-old boy turn to look at his teacher, asking earnestly and seriously, "Why should I leave?"

"Your Highness?" Wu Yingfeng asked in surprise.

"I won't leave." Zhu Zaizhen revealed a cold, hard smile. He stood on high, his gaze sharp, and looked around before uttering something Wu Yingfeng couldn't understand:

"They all want me to compete..."

"Fine, I'll prove you wrong! I refuse to believe that, now that I'm standing here, what conclusion can't be changed? Who will be the whetstone, and who will be the knife, remains to be seen!"

Wu Yingfeng didn't understand the declaration of a time traveler, but he could understand the posture. He immediately felt uneasy. The prince was young and impetuous, and he was afraid that he was going to do something rash. He suppressed his unease and solemnly bowed to the young man in the carriage: "Your Highness, please don't lose your composure."

Zhu Zaizhen shook his head and said, "Teacher, don't worry, I'm not flustered. I just want to take the initiative."

"Take this?"

"Yes, the other side has already made a move. You can hide for a while, but you can't hide forever. I might as well fight back. I'll trouble you, teacher, to go ahead and give a message to those who are crying out for justice."

"..." Wu Yingfeng hesitated for a moment, but seeing that Prince Jing's words were resolute, he had no choice but to say, "Your Highness, please speak."

"Tell them that I have accepted their grievances and will investigate them immediately. If they are innocent, I will redress their grievances; if they are innocent, I will not let them off lightly!"

"Your Highness!"

Wu Yingfeng was terrified.

Zhu Zaizhen didn't look at him again, but only asked, "Where is Yang Jisheng now?"

Seeing the King's sharp expression, Wu Yingfeng knew that further persuasion would be useless, so he immediately changed his mind and said, "Yang Jisheng was released from the Imperial Prison last month and transferred to the Ministry of Justice. The Minister of Justice, He Ao, is a protégé of Grand Secretary Yan. I will go and make arrangements for him."

"No need, let's go together."

Zhu Zaizhen, who was holding back his anger, was not going to wait a moment longer. As a result, the incident of blocking the emperor's carriage on Chang'an Avenue came abruptly and ended hastily. The Prince of Jing's carriage turned a corner and took the people who were crying out for justice straight to the Ministry of Justice prison.

Far away on the street corner.

The Eastern Depot agents who had been watching this scene closely split into two groups: one went back to report, and the other followed closely behind.

Chang'an Avenue runs east to west across the capital. If you go straight from West Chang'an Avenue and pass Xuanwumen Street, you will find the three judicial offices: the Ministry of Justice, the Court of Judicial Review, and the Censorate.

As Wu Yingfeng said, since the Minister of Justice was a protégé of Yan Song, it was easy for Zhu Zaizhen to get into the Ministry of Justice prison.

In fact.

Besides the Minister of Justice, Wang Xueyi, the Left Vice Minister of Justice, was also related to Yan Song by marriage. The Ministry of Justice was practically a one-man show by the Yan family.

The moment Zhu Zaizhen stepped into the prison, there was no need to inform anyone. The prison warden personally came out to greet him, leading a large group of people to clear the way and leading him straight into the depths of the prison.