The only person in Xinyang Imperial Palace who was surnamed Yu was Yu Ming, and because of that, the fish demon seemed a little surprised after hearing Wu Shun's next decision.
Yu Ming had lived in Wu Li for many years, and he had also been close to the royal family for many years. However, it could be said that he did not have a fixed position within the palace. In the past, he was often seen as the Third Prince of Wu Li, and sometimes he was also seen as Wu Jinhai's attendant.
But that position was not a formal one given by Wu Shun, and that was why the pink-robed man looked shocked when Wu Shun suddenly made such an announcement in front of everyone in the hall.
Wu Shun had not even told him about it before, and that was why his eyes widened slightly as he looked at the Emperor. Several people also looked surprised by Wu Shun's decision, one of which was Wu Jingguo. Sure enough, Wu Shun didn't tell his youngest son about the decision either.
Unfortunately, Wu Shun's decision was final, and it also ended today's court meeting. One by one, the officials left the Pingheng Hall, and only a few people remained inside the spacious hall.
One of the people who chose to stay in the hall was Zhu Ruolan, and she quietly walked toward her son who had just gotten up from his seat. "Follow me to my quarter now, Prince Wu Jingguo. There is something I wish to speak to you about," she spoke coldly to her son as she finally stopped walking in front of the young man.
Wu Jingguo looked more and more uncomfortable as he stood quite close to his mother, but he also didn't immediately nod in response to his mother's request. Instead, he glanced at Wu Shun and Wu Jinhai for a moment before turning to his mother.
"I will go to your quarter, but now I must speak to His Majesty first, Mother. Can you wait for me in your quarter?" Wu Jingguo tried to bargain even if he knew that how he didn't immediately say yes to his mother's request would only annoy the older woman more.
"You asked me to wait for you?" Gritting her teeth, Zhu Ruolan answered her only son. "Didn't you see how I was humiliated in front of everyone just now? Now, you also want to embarrass me by asking me to wait for you?"
It was predictable that his mother would be even more irritated after hearing what he said, and Wu Jingguo looked even more troubled as he sighed heavily. "I have no intention of embarrassing you, Mother. I respect you, but I need to speak with His Majesty for a moment. Please understand me, Mother."
Wu Jingguo spoke carefully to his mother, hoping that his mother would not feel more offended by his words. Unfortunately, his mother's face turned even redder after hearing his words, and it looked like the woman was about to explode.
However, someone managed to stop the explosion by saying, "Let's just wait for your son in your quarter, Ruolan. This place is very stuffy, and we'd better leave this place quickly if we don't want to suffocate."
Wu Jingguo and his mother simultaneously turned toward the person who had just spoken, and they could see that it was Prime Minister Zhong who had just chimed in from the side.
As the other officials left Pingheng Hall one by one, Zhong Enlai did indeed stay as if he was waiting for his niece, but then he decided to step in when he couldn't wait any longer.
And it seemed that Zhu Ruolan listened to her uncle a lot, and that was why she only glanced at her son one last time before nodding her head at her uncle. She immediately turned around and walked toward her uncle, and she didn't even bother to bow to the Emperor before finally leaving Pingheng Hall.
Not only did Zhu Ruolan leave without showing respect to the Emperor, but Zhong Enlai was also the same. The two people finally left the hall without saying a word, and the great door of Pingheng Hall closed once again.
The next sound that broke the silence within the hall was Wu Shun's heavy sigh. "I should have gotten rid of those people who deliberately kidnapped and killed my wife. Unfortunately, I didn't have enough evidence at that time, so I couldn't just execute them," he said in a tone full of annoyance.
Wu Shun was still sitting on his throne, while his two sons were standing beside him. In no time, Wu Jinhai and Wu Jingguo looked at each other, but then the older Prince averted his gaze as he focused his gaze on his father.
"You don't need to feel guilty about it, Your Majesty. If you want, I can finish them off today so they don't give you any more headaches," Wu Jinhai calmly said to his father.
His voice was calm, but it contrasted with the anger in his eyes. During the meeting earlier, Wu Jinhai remained silent, and he also appeared calm in front of everyone, but it seemed that he was only hiding the fire in his heart when so many people were still in the vast hall. Now that there were only Wu Shun, Wu Jingguo, and Yu Ming in the hall, Wu Jinhai had finally let the fire burn them all.
However, Wu Shun immediately waved his hand after hearing what his son had just said to him. "That's not how a Crown Prince should act, Xiao Hai," he immediately opposed his son's idea. "Just like an Emperor, a Crown Prince has to protect everyone within the empire, not hurting or killing them. That's why you shouldn't hurt anyone no matter how angry you are, Xiao Hai."
The three of them could definitely understand the reason behind Wu Jinhai's anger, but one of the three people looked guilty even though he could indeed understand the reason behind the man's anger.
It was Wu Jingguo who had such an expression on his face, and he embarrassedly bowed his head at Wu Jinhai as he muttered, "I apologize for my mother and grandfather's rude behavior, Your Highness."