The Right Prime Minister's wife's eyes flickered, "It's, it's not a big deal, just that merchant girl was sold to a brothel."
"Which merchant girl? Why would Yonghe, of all people, sell someone to a brothel out of the blue?" Merchants indeed had low status, but as long as they weren't sold into slavery, they were law-abiding citizens. This was forcing a good woman to become a prostitute.
"With that merchant girl around, Prince Rui would never be able to marry Siyue. Isn't Yonghe doing this for the family? So, my lord, you must save him quickly, otherwise, if Prince Rui resorts to torture, Yonghe, being so frail, might not even survive tonight."
There was too much information, and the Right Prime Minister took a while to comprehend. He asked with a stiff voice, "The merchant girl you mentioned, is she Prince Rui's Consort?"
The Right Prime Minister's wife said indignantly, "She's just a lowly merchant's daughter, why should she be a Consort and block Siyue's path? She deserves it."
"Slap!" The Right Prime Minister, unable to bear it any longer, struck her. "You foolish woman! The Emperor himself hasn't spoken about the imperial family's daughter-in-law, and it's not your place to scorn her!"
In the past, his wife would have fought back after being slapped, but now, with her son in the Dali Temple, she couldn't even feel the pain on her face. She rushed forward and grabbed the Right Prime Minister's leg, "My lord, I'll accept any scolding or beating, but Yonghe, he is my only son."
"Knowing he's your only son, why did you implicate him like this?" The Right Prime Minister kicked her away. Enduring her whimpering sobs, he paced the room for a few rounds. In the end, he couldn't bear it and ordered a carriage to be prepared for the Dali Temple.
Besides Zhao Yonghe, he had two other illegitimate sons.
But only this eldest legitimate son showed any promise. He couldn't bear to see him ruined like this, so he naturally wouldn't. If his eldest legitimate son was ruined, and the two below were also useless, who would uphold the Zhao family's honor after his death?
When he was ushered into the main hall of the Dali Temple, Gu Yanchen was calmly drinking tea.
The Right Prime Minister, unsure how much evidence Gu Yanchen had, could only pretend to be calm as he walked over, "Your subordinate greets His Highness Prince Rui."
"Prime Minister, you are too polite. Are you here to have tea with this humble official?"
"You know why I'm here, Your Highness. Why do you feign ignorance? I wonder what crime my son has committed to make you so enraged."
"This is just the normal procedure for handling a case, Prime Minister. You really don't need to worry so much."
"Your Highness, you are mistaken. My son works in the Hanlin Academy, and the most important thing for him is his reputation. You could have sent a message quietly, so why create such a commotion?"
Gu Yanchen's face, which had been holding a polite smile, could no longer contain itself. "So, your son's reputation cannot be tarnished at all, but my wife has to suffer? Zhao Zong, stop beating around the bush with me. Zhao Yonghe sent my wife to a brothel, and you expect me to let this matter go?"
The Right Prime Minister trembled. The matter had indeed been exposed. "Your Highness, what are you talking about? My son has no enmity with the Consort, how could he do such a mad act?"
"Stop pretending. Everything has been confessed. If you continue to pretend, your son won't escape the law's punishment."
In reality, only the servant had confessed and hadn't implicated Zhao Yonghe. After all, he was born into the family, and the future of his entire family rested on the Right Prime Minister. He naturally had to take the blame.
This way, at least the young master would be grateful for his sacrifice and treat his wife and children well.
Unfortunately, Gu Yanchen had intentionally misled him. The Right Prime Minister thought his son had confessed everything. One could imagine that the torture in the Dali Temple was so severe that even the toughest man couldn't endure it, let alone his son, who was merely a weak scholar.
The Right Prime Minister's mind was in chaos. He stood there, stunned, not knowing how to react.
Gu Yanchen played with the cup lid, giving him ample time to think, but also increasing his pressure. After a long while, he finally spoke with difficulty, "Your Highness, hitting a rat might break the jade bottle. The Consort's reputation is extremely precious. Wouldn't it be better to resolve this privately rather than making a public spectacle? Rest assured, I will personally bear all the losses incurred by the Consort."
Gu Yanchen narrowed his eyes. "Tell me, how do you intend to resolve this privately?"
The Right Prime Minister didn't know how to respond. The main issue was that he didn't know if Lu Nianfu had suffered any harm in the brothel. If Prince Rui had been a moment too late, and she had already been violated, wouldn't he have presented Prince Rui with a very green hat?
Gu Yanchen said, "Prime Minister, you don't need to rack your brain. I am a person who likes to retaliate in kind. Although there aren't many male brothels in the capital, they do exist. Let Zhao Yonghe work in one for a month, and this matter will be over. Otherwise, I will report this matter to my father, so he can see what kind of character the esteemed Lord Zhao, whom he trusts, truly is."