Imperial Palace, Hall of Mental Cultivation.
Lou Hongtao stood before the Son of Heaven, still bent at the waist.
As a senior court minister, he did not need to perform a grand ritual when meeting the Son of Heaven. In the Hall of Mental Cultivation, which carried a stronger private air, he could be even more informal.
When Qin Ziheng was still Crown Prince, he had once clasped arms with Lou Hongtao and laughed merrily in this very hall.
The reason Lou Hongtao now maintained such a solemn posture was that today's matter left no room for the slightest relaxation.
Qin Ziheng held the thick dossier Lou Hongtao had submitted. For a long while, he said nothing.
After the Hall of Mental Cultivation had fallen silent for a moment, the Son of Heaven slowly spoke:
"Minister Lou, have you read the contents of this dossier?"
Lou Hongtao lowered his head. "Your Majesty, I have not!"
Qin Ziheng pursed his lips. "Then you want Me to investigate the case for you?"
Lou Hongtao's body trembled. He abruptly raised his head and looked forward.
The Son of Heaven's words had already revealed a certain attitude.
But—
"Your Majesty!"
Lou Hongtao raised his voice. "The Chief Secretary spent his entire life serving the country and its people, laboring to the point of exhaustion. Now he is gravely ill and bedridden while still in office. How can we allow petty villains to slander him?!"
If possible, he would have ordered Ye Qin's arrest without hesitation and burned this dossier.
But Ye Ze'an had already spent more than a month building momentum for Ye Qin. Lou Hongtao knew the matter could not be concealed, which was why he had no choice but to enter the palace and seek an audience with the Son of Heaven.