"Esteemed elder, you claim this painting of ladies with hair ornaments is a family heirloom. Do you have any proof? Otherwise, even if Bai Xiang possesses it, it wouldn't constitute evidence!"
As the atmosphere froze, Li Bangyan suddenly stepped forward.
Hearing his words, Bai Shizhong had a bad feeling.
This scoundrel was now practically at odds with him and Wang Fu, like fighting roosters. If he didn't pile on the misery when given such a good opportunity, it would be a blessing.
Why would he speak up for him at this moment?
When has a weasel ever paid respects to a chicken?
Unless this fellow was in cahoots with this old man, or this scoundrel knew something in advance!
"Your Majesty, I believe what Prime Minister Li says is not without reason! It's no secret that Prime Minister Bai is fond of calligraphy and painting. Even if he occasionally keeps a few famous paintings at home, it doesn't prove anything, does it?"
As a temporary partner, Wang Fu directly went along with the flow.
Despite their current partnership, they were genuine rivals before.
Bai Shizhong knew a lot about Wang Fu's affairs, and similarly, Wang Fu knew a lot about Bai Shizhong's.
At this point, simply speaking falsehoods was useless.
After all, Bianliang City was not that large, and the Imperial City Department had countless spies within it.
If they really wanted to search, it would take only a few hours to turn Bai Fu upside down.
The simplest way to give Bai Shizhong a chance to breathe and regroup was to tamper with the evidence.
Without sufficient evidence, a prime minister of the realm would not be so easily bullied!
"Replying to the two esteemed prime ministers and Your Majesty, the painting of ladies with hair ornaments and the remaining famous paintings all bear hidden marks left by my ancestor!"
"Hidden marks?"
Upon hearing this, Bai Shizhong's head buzzed, and he almost fainted.
Damn it!
In just a few simple words, his back was soaked with cold sweat.
Since this thing came into his possession, he had handled it almost daily, yet he had never discovered any hidden marks!
Now, in front of the Emperor, words spoken before the sovereign were not to be taken lightly!
Even if they beat him to death, he wouldn't believe that such an honest-looking man would dare to show off in front of the Emperor with such words!
If this wasn't a jest, then it meant that this matter was very likely true.
This was now truly troublesome. If he still couldn't understand that he had been set up at this point, then he wouldn't be worthy of being a prime minister.
However, there was no turning back in this world, and he truly regretted it now.
He was now almost certain that this matter was very likely the work of that Mr. Yuan.
He had barely made his move, and the other party had already begun to counterattack. The time difference was less than an hour.
Even if the other party had planted someone by his side, the reaction speed wouldn't be this fast...
"That's right. Years ago, my ancestor invited a master to leave an invisible seal on each painting!"
"Prime Minister Bai, are these paintings in your study?"
The fact that a prime minister would engage in such despicable behavior made Zhao Ji feel a sense of disappointment.
Now it was Bai Shizhong's turn to be put in a difficult position. If he denied it, the matter wouldn't stand up to scrutiny.
Just looking at the Emperor's somber expression and Li Bangyan's half-smiling face, he knew that as soon as he denied it, that fellow would immediately attack.
But if he admitted it, and if hidden marks were indeed found on those paintings, his reputation would be ruined.
Trouble, this is really troublesome!
After taking a deep breath, Bai Shizhong looked at the Emperor again with a pleading gaze.
At this moment, he could only hope that the Emperor, out of consideration for their relationship as sovereign and minister, would at least grant him some dignity.
However, to his disappointment, Zhao Ji's expression did not change at all from beginning to end.
At this, Bai Shizhong was completely despairing...
"Replying to Your Majesty, these paintings are indeed in my study..."
After a long silence, Bai Shizhong finally let out a bitter smile and replied truthfully.
"So, everything he said is true?"
Zhao Ji's voice was filled with anger as he spoke.
"Replying to Your Majesty, Prime Minister Zhong Shidao and I have no past grievances or recent enmities. How could I possibly make things difficult for him over a few paintings?"
As Bai Shizhong spoke, he knelt directly before the Emperor.
Frankly speaking, his posture was already very low.
After all, he was a junior prime minister of the realm. Killing was like beheading without bowing.
However, to his surprise, even with such a lowered posture, the Emperor still had no intention of letting him off.
"Then explain to me, what is going on with this matter? It's just a transfer document, and it's been on your desk for so many days. Why is this document still missing?"
As Zhao Ji spoke, he picked up a memorial and a document from the Imperial City Department from his desk and threw them directly at Bai Shizhong's feet.
Bending down to pick up the memorial and document from the ground, and glancing at their contents, Bai Shizhong's heart was filled with despair.
At this moment, he finally felt fear. The opponent's calculations were too terrifying.
Clearly, these were all insignificant matters, but when combined, they had forced two completely unrelated events into a formidable accusation that even he, the prime minister, could not withstand...
These paintings were originally intended as a bribe for him to process the transfer document, but now they had become evidence of him deliberately making things difficult for Zhong Shidao...
Paired with Zhong Yanchong's sincere memorial, he was now in a situation where he couldn't explain himself even if he had a thousand mouths.
"Your Majesty, Cai You, Grand Scholar of the Hall of Preserving Harmony, requests an audience outside the hall!"
Just as Bai Shizhong was caught between a rock and a hard place, a young eunuch outside the door suddenly announced.
Upon hearing that Cai You had arrived, Bai Shizhong almost cried.
Damn it, after such a long delay, he had finally arrived.
There were only a few people in the hall now.
Although he didn't know if Wang Fu was doing it intentionally, it was clear that his performance today was not up to his usual standard.
As for Li Bangyan, he was clearly adding insult to injury. Bai Shizhong even suspected that this fellow might be one of the masterminds behind this incident.
If Cai You didn't come soon, he would be completely finished today.