"Student has been disrespectful!"
After bowing again to Wang Xiang, Zhao Zhen turned directly and headed for the front courtyard of the Xuanfushi's office.
"You few, go and invite Counselor Zong here!"
As soon as he arrived in the front courtyard, Zhao Zhen impatiently summoned several passing clerks.
"Yes!"
Seeing Zhao Zhen's furious demeanor, these clerks dared not ask what had happened.
"Your Highness, you sent for me in such a hurry, has something happened?"
Hearing that Zhao Zhen had come to the front courtyard to find him, Zong Ying was also startled.
"I ask you, have there been any letters from Hebei recently?"
At this point, Zhao Zhen had no intention of beating around the bush and asked directly.
"Since the last letter of greeting from Old Xu, there have been no new letters. Why do you ask, Your Highness? Has something happened?"
Hearing his question, Zong Ying's heart skipped a beat. Had something happened in Hebei?
"Are you sure there isn't?"
Zhao Zhen looked at Zong Ying with disbelief.
"Please wait a moment, Your Highness!"
Although he was very sure before, after hearing Zhao Zhen say that, Zong Ying also felt a little uncertain.
"I'll go with you!"
"Then please, Your Highness!"
Although the relationship between the two was unusual, Zhao Zhen didn't know where Zong Ying was going, so he couldn't ask any further. He could only follow Zhao Zhen back to his office.
Although he had been promoted, all of Zhao Zhen's correspondence and private letters were still being handled by Zong Ying.
After returning to the office and sending away the clerks who were waiting on them, Zong Ying took out all the letters received during this period from a secret compartment.
"There are no missing letters..."
After carefully searching three times, Zong Ying directly placed all the received letters in front of Zhao Zhen.
"You take a look at this first!"
After confirming that there were no letters, Zhao Zhen's face turned extremely grim.
Although he didn't know what had happened in Hebei, it made Zhao Zhen feel very uncomfortable that Xu Churen had made such a major decision without consulting him.
Even though Xu Churen was now the Grand Marshal of Daming and concurrently the Pacification Commissioner of the Hebei Circuit, he had the authority to act first and report later on matters concerning Hebei. However, Zhao Zhen was no longer the idle prince he once was.
Power could be intoxicating, and power could give one a sense of control over everything.
Just like Zhao Zhen now, if this were in the past, he would not even have asked, but would have directly trusted Xu Churen's judgment. But now, he could not accept Xu Churen's actions at all.
In fact, if Xu Churen were any closer, he would have already sent someone to hold him accountable.
"This, this... where did Your Highness get this news?"
After reading the letter, Zong Ying asked with disbelief.
"The news came from Master Wang. Given his status, do you think he would lie about something like this?"
As Zhao Zhen spoke, he slammed his fist heavily onto the table in front of him.
"But Old Xu shouldn't do such a thing..."
At this point, Zong Ying was also confused. Xu Churen was experienced and sophisticated. At his age, he certainly understood the rules of officialdom. Why would he do such a thing? It was completely unlike him, and rather...
As he thought of this, Zong Ying's eyes widened. No way!
Impossible!
Impossible!
Soon, he dismissed this terrible thought.
Although this approach was indeed very similar to Han Mo's style, Zong Ying knew in his heart that if Han Mo was behind this matter, it would be a disaster for both Han Mo and Xu Churen.
After all, Zhao Zhen today was not the Zhao Zhen of the past.
In the past, Zhao Zhen had no power or influence and could only rely on them. As long as their actions were beneficial to Zhao Zhen, even if Zhao Zhen was not aware of it beforehand, he would not blame them in the slightest. But now, it was different.
Especially after Wang Xiang arrived, the situation became even more different.
"What are you thinking about?"
Seeing Zong Ying's expression change, Zhao Zhen naturally thought of the crux of the problem.
"This..."
Zong Ying was now in a difficult position. If he revealed this, wouldn't he be causing trouble for Han Mo?
Zhao Zhen had already distanced himself from Han Mo because of Wang Xiang's matter. If this matter was confirmed to be Han Mo's idea, Zhao Zhen's impression of Han Mo would likely be completely changed.
"What is Han Mo doing?"
After a moment of silence, Zhao Zhen finally asked directly.
"Your Highness!"
Zong Ying's expression changed, and he bowed to Zhao Zhen again.
Among those under Zhao Zhen, only he and Han Mo were the closest. Only he had witnessed Han Mo's supernatural abilities several times. If it wasn't the last resort, he absolutely did not want Zhao Zhen to stand against Han Mo.
After all, it was easy to get a thousand soldiers, but difficult to find a general.
If Zhao Zhen harbored suspicion towards someone like Han Mo, Han Mo would likely abandon Zhao Zhen without hesitation.
Given the current situation, if Han Mo joined the Crown Prince or the Prince of Yun's camp, Zhao Zhen would likely be defeated like a mountain collapsing.
"I just want to know, what exactly is going on with this matter!"
After taking a deep breath, Zhao Zhen finally calmed down a bit.
"Your Highness, there are now thirty thousand rebel troops fiercely attacking Mingzhou. Do you intend to chill his heart at this moment?"
Seeing Zhao Zhen's persistence, Zong Ying said with a wry smile again.
"Please trouble you, sir, to send someone to investigate what exactly is going on with this matter!"
As Zhao Zhen spoke, he waved his sleeve and turned to leave without hesitation.
"Your Highness!"
"Your Highness!"
No matter how Zong Ying called out, Zhao Zhen showed no intention of stopping. His decisive demeanor truly chilled Zong Ying's heart...
"Your Highness, Your Highness, you are foolish!"
Only after Zhao Zhen had walked far away did Zong Ying collapse weakly onto the ground.
With things reaching this point, even he didn't know what to do next...