Zhou Guangxing immediately stepped forward to agree, "Exactly! This Prime Minister is truly arrogant. The army hasn't even returned yet, and he dares to be so presumptuous. If they win the battle, will he harbor rebellious thoughts?"
The three of them, in their synchronized accusations, left the many officials present stunned.
"What's wrong with you three? Why are you constantly slandering Prime Minister Chu here?" asked Sun Mo, the Minister of Personnel, with a look of confusion. He hadn't seen these fellows display such animosity towards Chu Chen before; what was happening now?
Guo Yong chuckled and leaned in, "Minister Sun, you don't need to worry about this matter. You'll know when Prime Minister Chu and the Regent arrive."
Wu Sheng, the Minister of Rites, curiously leaned in, most interested in anything that would bring Chu Chen down. "Are you talking about Chu Chen? Is this kid about to fall from power?" He added, "If you have any news, share it with me. If you want to bring this kid down, I'll be the first to support you."
Guo Yong's expression stiffened slightly. "Minister Wu, we can handle this matter ourselves. If we can't manage, we'll invite you to join. What do you say?"
Hearing this, Wu Sheng nodded with glee, "Good, then I'll await your good news."
"This Chu Chen is too arrogant. We must show him who's boss."
"Minister Wu, don't worry. This kid is probably arriving soon, and we'll make sure he knows what's coming."
A silence fell over the crowd again. Another quarter of an hour passed.
Li Xinyue also hadn't arrived, but almost everyone ignored this fact, focusing their attention on Chu Chen's absence to make a point.
"Why is this Prime Minister Chu so fond of being late? Should we send someone to urge him? If the Regent arrives and he's still not here, wouldn't that be disrespectful to His Majesty?" Wu Sheng became visibly excited, as if seeing a prime opportunity to target Chu Chen.
"I'll immediately send someone to the Prime Minister's mansion to urge him. That way, he'll have no excuse not to come." Wu Sheng immediately went outside the hall, found a familiar guard, and after offering a reward, the guard readily agreed to help him find someone to rush Prime Minister's mansion.
About half an hour later, the messenger returned, reporting that Chu Chen was not at the Prime Minister's mansion. By this time, a full hour had passed, and Wu Sheng was furious. He had thought it was a great opportunity to target Chu Chen, but unexpectedly, Chu Chen had decided not to come.
"What is the meaning of him not attending court? When the Regent arrives, I will definitely impeach him properly."
As soon as he finished speaking, a voice announced from the Golden Luan Hall, "The Regent has arrived! Prime Minister Chu has arrived!"
Upon hearing this, Wu Sheng and the others couldn't help but turn their gaze towards the back of the Golden Luan Hall. There, Chu Chen and Princess Li Xinyue walked out, one after the other, with smiles that seemed neither here nor there.
Seeing this, Wu Sheng and the others were incensed. They had waited a full hour for Chu Chen, only for him to appear alongside the Regent. He was clearly trying to use the Regent to escape the accusation of being late. Although they didn't know how Chu Chen had bypassed their surveillance to leave the Prime Minister's mansion and go to His Majesty's chambers, Chu Chen had definitely not been with the princess the entire time!
"Greetings to the Regent." Following the gestures of two female officials, the ministers in the court bowed to Li Xinyue. Although Li Xinyue was only a princess, she represented the Empress.
"All ministers, please rise. What do you have to say, speak quickly. There are important matters today, and we are late. I ask for the ministers' understanding." The ministers quickly waved their hands, saying, "Regent, you jest. We are happy for the Regent to arrive whenever."
"Regent, it's the same for us whether you arrive or not; we will hold court." Most ministers spoke very politely, but the expressions of a few had already changed. They all looked towards Chu Chen.
Wu Sheng was the first to step forward, unable to contain himself. "Regent, this humble minister wishes to impeach Prime Minister Chu."
Chu Chen heard this and looked at Wu Sheng with some surprise. Why was this old fellow targeting him too? He hadn't heard anything about this old man in the rumors. Even the other ministers who had intended to deal with Chu Chen began to hesitate. They wanted to impeach Chu Chen, but they didn't want to do it with Wu Sheng, who was always a liability! Every time Wu Sheng opposed Chu Chen, he had never won. Of course, most of the ministers present were simply watching the show, as they had nothing to lose and were just looking forward to seeing the drama unfold between Chu Chen and his opponents.
"Minister Wu, I, Chu Chen, don't seem to have offended you. Why are you targeting me like this?" Chu Chen asked curiously. "I was just discussing some important matters with the Regent, which is why I was a little late. Why are you all so harsh on me? Can't you be a little more lenient?"
Wu Sheng scoffed, "That's impossible! Lord Guo and the others said you haven't left your house since you returned home last night. How could you have come with the Princess?"
Hearing this, Guo Yong inwardly cursed Wu Sheng as an idiot for exposing him so carelessly. Chu Chen looked towards Guo Yong not far away, a smile playing on his lips. He hadn't expected this fellow to be so thorough as to have him monitored.
"Lord Guo, is that so?" Hearing this, Guo Yong, thinking that Chu Chen was about to be finished, became a little bolder. "That's right, Prime Minister Chu. I did send someone to wait for Prime Minister Chu to attend court, as there is a matter we need Prime Minister Chu's cooperation to investigate."
Chu Chen nodded and said with a smile, "Alright, I can cooperate with your investigation. Please clarify what it is now."
Wu Sheng waved his hand and said, "No, Prime Minister Chu. We must first address the matter I raised: why were you late?"
"Prime Minister Chu, are you disregarding the Regent because His Majesty has not yet arrived? As Prime Minister, being late for court shows how little you value it?"
"Regent, this humble minister implores the Regent to punish Prime Minister Chu."
Li Xinyue let out a scoff. "Minister Wu, you don't believe Prime Minister Chu, but do you not believe this Regent? Prime Minister Chu actually arrived at Her Majesty's palace approximately two hours in advance, accompanying this Regent for breakfast and a game of chess."
"This, Regent, how is this possible?" Now it was Wu Sheng's turn to be stunned. He hadn't expected Chu Chen to have actually gone to His Majesty's palace in advance. How did this fellow just act on impulse? Judging by the Regent's tone, it didn't seem like she was lying.
Chu Chen chuckled. "I had intended to keep it a secret and surprise everyone later. Since there seems to be a misunderstanding, let's clarify it now."