The disgraced official I took care of was actually Zhu Houcong's childhood friend.

Chapter 267

They had previously praised Zhou Chu to the point of ruin, but deep down they all wished Zhou Chu dead. Now that they had finally seen results, how could they let it all go to waste because of Chen Wanyan?

Although they were all extremely envious of Chen Wanyan's rapid rise to power, Chen Wanyan posed no threat to them, so it wasn't a big problem.

Han Jie's words reduced the number of people who opposed Jiajing.

"Weighing instrument, do you also think that I am unfair in rewarding and punishing?"

Jiajing looked at Zhou Chu and said.

These words seemed to be a direct interrogation of Zhou Chu, but in reality, they were an act for the benefit of the officials.

"Your Majesty's rewards and punishments are fair and just; I have nothing to say."

Zhou Chu looked utterly dejected.

"In that case, it's settled then."

Jiajing said.

Upon hearing this, some civil and military officials looked at Zhou Chu with gloating expressions, while others looked at Chen Wanyan with a fleeting look of jealousy in their eyes.

The happiest person was Chen Wanyan. He was stunned by the sudden surprise. He originally thought that being granted the title of Earl was already a stroke of good luck, but he never expected to go even further.

Chen Wanyan was so overjoyed that he became somewhat smug, and glanced at Zhou Chu beside him with disdain.

"Retreat from the court."

Jiajing seemed a little tired and waved his hand impatiently.

Yang Shen finally understood that the emperor had ulterior motives for doing this. If the emperor was truly wary of Zhou Chu, then Han Jie's speaking up for Zhou Chu would not be punished by the emperor in the slightest, not even verbally.

Yang Shen always understood that to see a person's true thoughts, one should look at what they do, not what they say.

Han Jie could be said to have gotten to his current position entirely because of Zhou Chu. If the emperor really feared Zhou Hengqi, why wouldn't he punish Han Jie?

Moreover, the one who truly holds the power in Jiangnan now is none other than Yan Song. Even the military power in Jiangnan is in Yan Song's hands. The relationship between Yan Song and Zhou Hengqi goes without saying; it can be said that Yan Song follows Zhou Hengqi's lead without question.

Yang Shen understood this clearly, and so did Han Jie, because they were outsiders and could see it clearly.

But Yang Yiqing and his group couldn't see it clearly. On the one hand, they were in the thick of it and were smug about their plan to flatter and kill. On the other hand, their attention was drawn to Chen Wanyan, the target, and their focus was diverted.

This is also why Jiajing bestowed a title upon Chen Wanyan; such a shield was too good to pass up.

"Lord Zhou, it must have been a year since we last met. A year ago, we drank and chatted happily. Today at Zuixianlou, it's my treat."

On his way home from court, Yang Shen approached Zhou Chu and said nonchalantly.

If someone else had said this, such as Han Jie, it might have aroused suspicion. After all, Zhou Chu had obviously lost power at this time, and given his identity as a member of the Embroidered Uniform Guard and the things he had done before, most officials would avoid him like the plague.

But Yang Shen is not in this ordinary group. Everyone knows Yang Shen's character. He does not pursue fame or fortune and is extremely carefree. It would be surprising if Yang Shen did not do this.

"Alright, Drunken Immortal Pavilion, we won't leave until we're drunk."

Zhou Chu gave a forced smile.

Seeing this, Chen Wanyan felt displeased. All the other officials were flattering him, but Yang Shen completely disregarded him.

"I say, Grand Secretary Yang, Lord Zhou is not the same person he used to be. Is this how you pay your respects to your superiors?"

Chen Wanyan made a sarcastic remark.

Upon hearing this, the other officials looked at Chen Wanyan with a hint of disdain, thinking to themselves, "No wonder this man has failed the imperial examinations repeatedly in his fifties. With such vision and such a mindset, does he really think that just because he's been granted a marquisate, he can speak to Grand Secretary Yang like this?"

"Oh? Why is Lord Chen making such outrageous remarks?"

As the most outspoken critic in the Ming Dynasty court, Yang Shen naturally wouldn't tolerate Chen Wanyan's words and directly retorted.