Qin Yining asked in surprise: “These matters… the Huben Army placing Prince Consort Ji under house arrest, and the Lu family changing leadership to cut off grain supplies – these were all your arrangements?”

“Of course not.” Pang Xiao smiled gently. “These were actually spontaneous actions by Ji Lan and Lu Heng. I merely employed slight methods to make all of these erupt within today. This matter appears calm on the surface for now, but His Majesty will certainly investigate thoroughly after court dismisses. Even if I had done nothing at all, he would still try to pin several charges on me. If I truly claimed to have orchestrated these events, wouldn’t His Majesty go mad?”

Thinking of Li Qitian’s appearance earlier, nearly fainting from anger, Qin Yining couldn’t help but laugh again, poking Pang Xiao’s shoulder: “You’re too wicked. With all these things happening together, anyone could guess someone was pulling strings, yet you did nothing at all, making it impossible for him to pin charges on you. Isn’t this enough to infuriate someone to death?”

Pang Xiao helplessly shrugged his shoulders and spread his hands, putting on an expression of “What can I do, I’m also helpless,” which made Qin Yining laugh again.

Seeing she harbored no grudges and wasn’t affected physically by today’s events, Pang Xiao completely relaxed.

Qin Yining leaned against Pang Xiao’s shoulder and, after thinking, said: “However, after today’s events, there’s only the final layer of window paper left between you and His Majesty. Although His Majesty had no choice but to endure it helplessly, once he finds a suitable opportunity in the future, he will certainly make things difficult for you. You should think carefully about how to respond when that time comes.”

Seeing her furrowed brow and nagging appearance as she worried about him, Pang Xiao couldn’t help but smile, nuzzling her forehead with his: “I know. I’ll handle all of this properly, so rest assured. What’s most important for you now is to take good care of your health. You don’t need to think about anything else.”

Qin Yining’s hand caressed her still-flat abdomen as she smiled and nodded: “I understand.”

Lifting the carriage curtain to look outside, Qin Yining asked: “Where are we going now?”

“Father-in-law and Uncle should have already returned home. We’re going there now too – you haven’t seen Mother-in-law for a long time.”

Qin Yining’s eyes brightened as she nodded obediently with a smile: “Good.” After thinking, she asked again: “How are Grandfather, Grandmother, and Mother doing now? When can they return?”

Pang Xiao smiled: “Rest assured, I’ve arranged everything properly. Once the situation here stabilizes, their time visiting relatives will be about finished.”

Qin Yining thought about it and couldn’t help but smile even more cheerfully. Just thinking of Li Qitian’s twisted expression during court earlier made her feel exceptionally pleased.

Pang Xiao’s strategy this time gave Qin Yining an enormous surprise. Initially, she had relied on emotion and trust in him to stay uninvolved in this matter, trusting him completely with full authority. Now it seemed Pang Xiao indeed had the capability for her to depend on. Even without her involvement, he could handle matters one by one properly, even more brilliantly and beautifully than when she participated.

Qin Yining contentedly leaned against Pang Xiao’s shoulder, discussing what they would do after returning home.

At the same time in the Imperial Study, Li Qitian sat in the main seat with a gloomy expression, having not spoken a single word for quite some time.

The palace servants attending in the Imperial Study were silent as cicadas, wishing they could become invisible to avoid being blamed by the furious Emperor.

Li Guanwen kept his eyes lowered, standing far away by the black lacquered paulownia wood curio shelf, praying countless times in his heart that His Majesty wouldn’t notice him.

Just then, Li Qitian seemed to emerge from deep thought, furrowing his brow as he picked up his tea bowl and took a sip.

The tea that entered his mouth was somewhat cold. His heart filled with rage, he flung the tea bowl away and roared: “Whose responsibility was this! What use are you worthless dogs! At crucial moments, not one of you knows to share my worries – you only add to my troubles! Can’t even brew tea properly!”

Hearing Li Qitian’s words, Li Guanwen knew His Majesty was still angry with Prince Consort Ji and was taking it out on others.

Normally, Li Qitian’s tea was handled by specialized tea-serving palace servants who would maintain the tea’s temperature and proper concentration for drinking.

But today, with Li Qitian in such fury, who would dare approach him to refill his tea? Wouldn’t that be seeking death?

Due to this, Li Qitian had drunk cold tea. The tea-serving palace maid’s face turned pale as she knelt down trembling, ignoring the broken porcelain cutting her knees and hands on the floor. She kowtowed repeatedly, her voice shaking: “Your Majesty, please calm your anger! This servant knows her error!”

Hearing that distinctly feminine voice, Li Qitian became even more furious.

Recalling Qin Yining’s composed, untroubled, and leisurely responses from beginning to end in the great hall earlier, he now realized that for a mere woman to be so calm, she must have been completely confident!

This was sufficient proof that Pang Xiao had already arranged everything behind the scenes!

These people were in cahoots – weren’t they just bullying him alone?

Li Qitian’s rage flared like oil on fire, blazing even more fiercely. Pointing at the tea-serving palace maid, he said: “Drag this lowly servant out and give her a hundred strokes of the rod!”

“Yes!”

Imperial guards immediately responded from outside the hall, entering to drag out the palace maid who was too terrified to speak, one guard on each side.

Only after being dragged outside the hall did the palace maid finally find her voice again, her piercing screams echoing through the sky.

“Your Majesty, spare this servant’s life! Your Majesty, spare this servant! This servant doesn’t want to die, doesn’t want to die, Your Majesty!”

Those shrill screams were absolutely bone-chilling to hear.

Seeing Li Qitian’s frown deepening further, Li Guanwen quickly followed outside and gestured to the guards, saying in a low voice: “Why don’t you gag her mouth? Are you waiting for His Majesty to lose his temper so we all lose our heads?”

“Yes.” The guards quickly pulled out a handkerchief from their sleeves, wadded it up, and stuffed it into the palace maid’s mouth. They dragged her far away to a corner and called over two junior eunuchs who handled punishments.

A hundred strokes without mercy – after just twenty or thirty strokes, the woman was beaten until her bones broke and tendons snapped. The palace maid was already spitting blood with bulging eyes, having lost her breath. By the time all hundred strokes were completed, the person was already broken in two. The eunuchs covered their noses and mouths, suppressing their urge to vomit, then went to fetch water to wash the floor, while the unfortunate palace maid was simply wrapped in a mat and thrown out.

Setting aside others’ reactions, Li Qitian listened to that series of crackling rod sounds, and the fire in his heart diminished somewhat. Smelling the faint scent of blood, he even felt his mindset had calmed considerably, allowing him to settle down and think about what to do next.

Seeing Li Qitian squinting his eyes with a contemplative expression, Li Guanwen was so frightened he nearly trembled into a ball.

To find peace amid brutality and bloodshed – such a person’s heart had probably reached a certain degree of ruthlessness. Killing a palace maid was probably no more significant to His Majesty than stepping on an ant.

After a moment, the contemplating Li Qitian finally spoke.

“Li Guanwen.”

“This servant is here.” Li Guanwen immediately stepped forward to bow, forcibly suppressing his inner panic and fear. “What are Your Majesty’s orders?”

“Take my imperial edict immediately to the Huben Army camp and command Ji Zeyu and those generals who placed him under house arrest to enter the palace. Tell them my words: if they have any dissatisfaction, speak directly to my face. Private conflicts are not what I wish to see.”

Upon hearing this, Li Guanwen first breathed a sigh of relief.

But thinking of the Huben Army camp that was probably in complete chaos by now, his scalp began to tingle again.

Making this trip, he didn’t know if he would lose his life.

Li Guanwen steeled himself and solemnly bowed: “Yes, this servant will handle it immediately.” He then went out with a death-defying attitude to carry out the orders.

Li Qitian stroked his chin, pondering what those crude soldiers in the Huben Army really meant. If this was truly Pang Xiao’s arrangement, what he would face next would probably be a mutiny.

Li Qitian grimly issued several edicts, arranging for the Capital Guards and Five Cities Military Commission forces on standby in the city to prepare.

Those receiving the edicts were momentarily panic-stricken, completely unsure what His Majesty meant by “prepare,” or rather, they completely didn’t want to understand what His Majesty intended to do. In fact, if possible, they truly wished they weren’t currently serving as officials in the capital, far from this place of trouble.

While those below were apprehensive, Li Qitian also kept himself taut as a bowstring.

His uncertainty and unease continued until Ji Zeyu and those six Huben Army generals of different ranks came to court together.

At this moment, seeing Li Qitian, Li Guanwen actually felt a sense of having survived a disaster.

In fact, when going to the Huben Army camp earlier, Li Guanwen had even prepared for certain death. If things went badly, his small life would be caught up in the military disputes. If those military officers truly rebelled, killing him would be as easy as killing an ant.

Yet he had actually returned alive!

“Your Majesty.” Li Guanwen suppressed his excitement as he bowed.

Li Qitian nodded while seated in the main position, then moved his gaze to the two clearly distinct groups of people before him.

Ji Zeyu stood on one side with a cold expression, while the six Huben Army generals and colonels who had originally followed Pang Xiao stood on the other side. Both sides obviously found each other displeasing, like bristling fighting cocks. Even under Li Qitian’s nose in the Imperial Study, they still seemed ready to bite each other to feel satisfied.

Li Qitian said sternly: “You all actually dared to place your commander under house arrest? Do you know your crime?”

Those six immediately knelt on one knee, raising their fists in unison to salute: “Your Majesty, please calm your anger. We know our crime. But we also had our reasons.”

Li Qitian heard these rough men’s unified response echoing in the Imperial Study, the sound buzzing and giving him a headache. He grimly pointed at the youngest among them: “You speak.”

“Yes!”

That young colonel stepped forward two paces and knelt again: “Your Majesty, Prince Consort Ji wanted to break up our teams that had already worked together for many years, and wouldn’t let us lead our original soldiers. You must know that our Huben Army had long ago figured out the training and combat methods most suitable for ourselves. When Prince Consort Ji arrived, he insisted on changing everything for us. He clearly wanted to monopolize power and dissolve our military officers’ capabilities so he could claim credit with Your Majesty alone! But this way, our originally full combat strength would probably be reduced to less than thirty percent after his interference. We didn’t want to watch Your Majesty’s elite troops become a bunch of kittens, so we argued with Prince Consort Ji.”