The Emperor was already in a bad mood, and seeing no one speak, he became even more angry, furrowing his brows and saying displeasedly: "What’s the matter? I’m asking you all, don’t you know?"

Lord Liu glanced at everyone, seeing that no one dared to make a sound, he had to step forward and say: "Your Majesty, have you forgotten that this matter is not under our jurisdiction."

The Emperor paused for a moment and asked, "Who is in charge of this matter?"

Lord Liu: "To report to Your Majesty, this matter is handled by Lord County Magistrate."

The Emperor scanned the ministers with his sharp eyes, but did not see the figure of Lord County Magistrate, so he asked, "Where is he?"

Lord Liu: "Have you forgotten, Your Majesty, Lord County Magistrate holds a seventh-class rank and is not qualified to attend the morning assembly unless it is specially approved by you."

Only then did the Emperor realize and said, "Yes, I’ve gotten muddled in my anger and forgot about this matter."

In Moli Country, officials eligible to attend the morning assembly must be of the third class or above; those below the third class must be summoned by the Emperor to enter the Imperial Palace.

Lord Liu continued, "Didn’t Your Majesty set a deadline for Lord County Magistrate? In two more days, the deadline will be upon us, and regardless of the outcome, Lord County Magistrate is sure to report to Your Majesty at the Imperial Palace, so there is no need for you to be anxious, just patiently wait two more days."

The Emperor nodded and said, "Hmm, that’s true."

The Fourth Prince also said, "Imperial Father, Lord Liu is right, you should wait with patience."

The Fourth Prince was dressed in dark brocade clothes, with a silver crown on his head, looking very dignified. Alas, the eye patch on his face spoiled his demeanor.

When he spoke, the other ministers all fell silent for a simple reason: the Fourth Prince had been disfigured. Walking with him surely brought no good outcomes, and those who served in the court were no fools; they naturally understood this.

However, although the Fourth Prince was disfigured, he was still the Empress’s biological son. As long as the big tree of the Empress didn’t fall, even if the Fourth Prince was a useless person, they dared not openly offend the Fourth Prince. 𝒻𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝘯𝘰𝑣ℯ𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝘮

However, avoiding suspicion was inevitable, as everyone knew that the Emperor most feared Princes pulling court ministers to their side.

Everyone distanced themselves from the Fourth Prince, and the Emperor, satisfied, smiled: "What my Imperial Son said is right. What harm is there in waiting two more days, Father?"

Finally, the Emperor ordered Minister of Rites, Lord Liu, to investigate the case of Celestial Master Zhang’s severed hand, then announced the end of the assembly.

The ministers knelt on the ground, loudly proclaiming: "We, your servants, respectfully see off Your Majesty."

A moment later, as everyone was about to leave the palace gates, the Fourth Prince hurriedly caught up with Lord Liu, shouting: "Lord Liu, please stay."

Lord Liu turned his head, and seeing it was the Fourth Prince, he was visibly surprised for a moment and asked: "Fourth Prince, is there something you need from me?"

The Fourth Prince smiled and asked: "Lord, Father has asked you to investigate Celestial Master Zhang’s case. Do you have any leads?"

Lord Liu shook his head while walking and said: "I have no leads at all."

The Fourth Prince walked alongside him, surprised, he looked at Lord Liu and said: "I thought you spoke so confidently in the Golden Throne Hall just now, Minister Liu, I thought you knew a lot."

Lord Liu shook his head again and said: "No, no, I was just repeating what the servants at the mansion said. I’ve made the Fourth Prince laugh."

The Fourth Prince: "This perpetrator is truly abominable, knowing full well that Celestial Master Zhang relies on his hands for a living. By cutting them off, isn’t that severing his livelihood? It’s utterly heartless."

Lord Liu turned his head to look at the Fourth Prince, his tone filled with hope, saying: "The Fourth Prince seems to know a lot about the perpetrator, could it be that you have a suspect in mind? Feel free to share."