The disgraced official I took care of was actually Zhu Houcong's childhood friend.

Chapter 414

"Why do you say such a thing, my lord? I am terrified."

When Yan Song said this, his forehead was covered in cold sweat. Although he had thought that Zhou Chu would be angry, he never thought that Zhou Chu would speak to him in such a stern tone.

Yan Song had never seen Zhou Chu like this since he met him, so he felt very apprehensive. Especially when he heard these words, his heart pounded and he was filled with regret. Why didn't he come to visit Lord Zhou as soon as he was released from prison?

"Fearful? To me, Lord Yan seems quite carefree."

Zhou Chu snorted coldly.

"Your Honor is innocent! While I was in prison, I was always thinking of you. When I learned that you were safe and sound, I was overjoyed. However, His Majesty issued an edict ordering me to implement the performance evaluation system. I was so confused that I forgot to come and visit you. I deserve to die."

Yan Song said, bowing slightly.

Zhou Chu took the teapot from Chunlan, poured himself a cup of tea, and leisurely drank it, without giving Yan Song another glance.

Yan Song remained in the bowing posture, and dared not move until Zhou Chu spoke. However, this posture was extremely difficult to maintain, and after only a short while, Yan Song felt aches and pains in his back.

Yan Song knew that this was Lord Zhou's punishment for him. For Yan Song, this was not a bad thing. Lord Zhou was willing to punish him, which meant that he would not really hold it against him. If he had really given up on him, he probably would not even see him.

Therefore, Yan Song needed to make the most of his appearance. He knew very well that the more miserable he looked, the better.

Zhou Chu then leisurely drank his tea for a quarter of an hour before looking at Yan Song.

"Lord Yan has been getting a bit too much attention lately; His Majesty's study is almost overflowing with memorials impeaching you."

As Zhou Chu spoke, he took out the imperial edict that Jiajing had given him and handed it to Yan Song.

Yan Song's heart trembled upon hearing this. Although he knew that he would encounter many obstacles in implementing the performance evaluation system in Jiangnan Province, he never imagined it would be this serious.

Thinking of this, Yan Song couldn't help but feel fortunate. Luckily, he had made a good impression and Lord Zhou was there to protect him, so he was unlikely to face any serious consequences.

Thinking this, Yan Song took the imperial edict, opened it and looked at it. Sure enough, the edict was about what Yan Song had guessed. It ordered Zhou Chu, the commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, to send someone to investigate Yan Song.

"Whom does Your Excellency intend to send to investigate me? Commander Chen, or..."

Yan Song asked cautiously.

Yan Song knew very well that since the emperor had issued an imperial edict, the investigation still had to be carried out, and no procedure could be omitted.

However, Yan Song was now completely relieved. He understood that Lord Zhou was willing to show him the imperial edict, which meant that Lord Zhou did not consider him an outsider at all. Allowing Lord Zhou to investigate him was tantamount to openly favoring him.

Who doesn't know that they were promoted by Lord Zhou?

Hearing this, Chen Zhao rolled his eyes. He was just a commander of a thousand households in Suzhou Prefecture. What right did he have to investigate a high-ranking official who governed the entire Jiangnan province?

"Chen Yanting? He's not qualified."

Zhou Chu glanced at Chen Zhao, showing him no mercy whatsoever.

Yanting was Chen Zhao's courtesy name.

Upon hearing this, Chen Zhao was not angry at all. On the contrary, he felt that Lord Zhou was not treating him like an outsider, which made him very happy.

"Then who does Your Excellency intend to send?"

Yan Song was puzzled when he heard this. In the entire Jiangnan province, apart from Zhou Chu, the commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, the highest-ranking official in the Embroidered Uniform Guard was a commander of a thousand men. Chen Zhao was the commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard in Jiangnan who was closest to Zhou Chu.

Chen Zhao is not qualified, does Lord Zhou intend to take matters into his own hands?

"Has Lord Yan ever read any stories about Sun Wukong?"

Seeing Yan Song's puzzled expression, Zhou Chu did not answer his question, but instead asked a seemingly unrelated question.