In that previous lifetime, Minister Liang had also fallen from grace around this time, but she hadn’t known why.

Back then, how would she have cared about such things? The group of girls had only been terrified by the Liang family’s miserable fate.

Someone had described how the Liang family members were driven out of the capital like cattle and horses.

She had been so frightened her face turned pale. Thinking of how Miss Liang had been playing with them just two days earlier, brightly dressed and showing off her newly made garments, and now in the blink of an eye had become a prisoner—

“Officials and nobles—a single misstep in behavior or conduct means utter disaster,” Chu Tang had said with a sigh, turning to look at her. “Now do you understand what great danger your father has brought to our family?”

At the time, she had nearly burst into tears, as if already seeing their family becoming prisoners. She resented her father even more and felt even more guilty toward her uncle’s family.

Thinking about it now, how could she have seen it as disaster brought by her father? Father had done something so publicly defiant, yet the Chu family remained stable and worry-free. This clearly showed that Father was formidable, that Father was extraordinary, that Father could protect the Chu family’s household.

Her brain must have been broken.

Chu Zhao looked at Chu Tang.

Chu Tang was startled by her gaze.

“I didn’t believe those rumors,” she said hastily, feeling something was off, and added, “Even if those things were true, I don’t think you did anything wrong. Look, this time I didn’t just stand by—I spoke up for you somewhat.”

Chu Zhao burst out laughing.

Yes, this time at the wine house, Chu Tang’s performance had indeed been praiseworthy. She hadn’t avoided trouble like before.

Although such praise used for family members was somewhat ironic, given their family relationships and Chu Tang’s selfish nature, it was still a significant change.

“Yes, thank you, Elder Sister,” she said with a smile.

Chu Tang didn’t care whether her thanks were genuine or not. After thinking for a moment, she asked, “So in this matter, was it Uncle who was impressive, or were you impressive?”

Clearly it was Xie Yanfang who was impressive, but Chu Zhao understood what Chu Tang meant by asking this.

Third Young Master Xie was impressive—but who could make him do such an impressive thing? Was it Chu Ling? Or was it her?

Chu Zhao glanced at Chu Tang. She had only hinted that her father Chu Ling was formidable, but Chu Tang’s perspective was broader—she could also see it in her—

However, in this matter, undeniably, Xie Yanfang’s regard for her must have been because of her father. But she herself was also quite impressive, daring to do things she had never imagined doing before.

“This time, I was more impressive, I suppose,” she said with a smile.

Hearing this, Chu Tang’s almond eyes moved as she examined her face, her expression somewhere between a smile and not.

“It’s not because of my face,” Chu Zhao immediately knew what she was thinking. These young girls. “Although I am indeed very good-looking.”

Chu Tang burst out laughing.

“However, good looks—to men, they’re just good looks, nothing more,” Chu Zhao said. “They’re not all-powerful.”

Chu Tang said with a smile, “I’ve heard that before, but it’s usually plain-looking women who like to say it.”

Because they lacked something, they needed to make themselves and others believe they had other advantages.

Beautiful girls might say the same thing, but their purpose would be to make others believe they deserved to receive more.

Chu Zhao shook her head. This was a young girl’s small cleverness.

In the imperial harem, she had seen countless beauties. In the eyes of power, beauty was nothing—all were merely playthings.

……

……

Although many officials had been convicted in recent years, Minister Liang’s case had suddenly caused quite an uproar.

Especially since, unlike before, the Xie family was implicated.

Early in the morning, officials gathered at the palace gates, discussing animatedly.

“This must be the Xie family abusing their power.”

“Over such a trivial matter as a marriage arrangement between their children, they convicted the Liang family. Who says the Xie family isn’t imposing?”

Amid the discussion, hoofbeats rang out urgently, making the ground tremble. Without looking, the officials knew who had arrived. Only the Crown Prince could ride with such presence in the imperial city. They instantly scattered to make way.

The Crown Prince rode toward them like a mountain, surrounded by eunuchs and mounted guards, all of them powerfully built.

“With so much to do at court, why are you all still gathered here chatting idly?” the Crown Prince shouted from horseback. “This afternoon, I want to see proposals on field taxes and military affairs. If I don’t see them—”

His gaze swept over everyone present.

“You’ll all go keep Minister Liang company!”

The officials hastily responded in unison, feeling the Crown Prince sweep past like a wild wind toward the inner palace.

Once inside the imperial city, the Crown Prince could no longer ride. He strode forward on foot. The palace guards patrolling in front of the inner palace all stopped and stood at attention. Eunuch Zhu looked ahead and immediately spotted a man standing at the palace gate—

His eyes flickered. He squeezed toward the Crown Prince’s side and said in a low voice, “Your Highness, there’s someone named Deng Yi. I don’t know if Minister Yang mentioned him to you—”

The Crown Prince withdrew from his thoughts and asked, “What?”

As soon as he spoke, a eunuch came forward with a beaming smile.

“Eunuch Qi!” The Crown Prince left Eunuch Zhu behind, laughing heartily as he strode forward quickly. “Why did you come yourself? Is Father Emperor making you run errands again? After all these years, you still haven’t learned to slack off and shirk duties. You have so many people under you—just send any one of them.”

Eunuch Qi said with a smile, “His Majesty didn’t send this old slave on an errand. This old slave came on behalf of the young prince to see Your Highness.”

The young prince naturally referred to the Crown Prince’s son, who was currently studying with the Emperor.

Hearing about his son, the Crown Prince’s smile became tender. “What happened to Yu’er? Is something wrong?”

“Nothing’s wrong. The young prince misses you. This old slave came specially to remind Your Highness—after seeing His Majesty, go see the young prince,” Eunuch Qi said.

The Crown Prince laughed heartily. “Who told him to only want to study? If he went to the training grounds, he could see me every day.”

Eunuch Qi quickly cautioned, “You mustn’t take the young prince to the training grounds. Last time he injured his arm—have you forgotten how His Majesty punished you?”

“When I was young, I injured my arm countless times, but I didn’t see Grandfather punish Father,” the Crown Prince said with a smile.

Eunuch Qi pretended to be annoyed. “How are you slandering His Majesty again? If you say more, this old slave will go tell His Majesty.”

The Crown Prince paid no mind, laughing heartily as he strode inward. The officials and guards on both sides of the palace gate were invisible to him.

He strode inside, and the others hurried to follow. Eunuch Zhu swallowed his unfinished words, glanced at Deng Yi, and quickly followed as well.

Deng Yi seemed completely unaware, bowing respectfully as the group passed. But when another gaze fell upon him, he raised his head and met Eunuch Qi’s backward glance—

Deng Yi withdrew his gaze and bowed down again, offering a solemn salute, as if bidding the Crown Prince a respectful farewell once more.

Eunuch Qi smiled slightly, withdrew his gaze, and said to the Crown Prince, “His Majesty just took his medicine. Please don’t anger him. This old slave will go to the young prince. You must remember—don’t rush off in a hurry again.”

The Crown Prince waved without turning back. “I know, I know. Ah, Old Qi, you really do get more long-winded with age.”

“When one grows old, one does become long-winded,” Eunuch Qi said with a smile, bowing and taking his leave.

……

……

When Eunuch Qi arrived at the Emperor’s sleeping quarters, the Crown Prince had already left. The Emperor was leaning against the soft couch with his eyes closed, being fed sweet congee by a beautiful palace maid.

He ate languidly, one mouthful at a time.

Eunuch Qi stepped forward and took over. The palace maid lowered her head and withdrew.

“Did His Highness rush off again?” he said helplessly. “It’s good this old slave didn’t tell the young prince.”

The Emperor snorted. “He seized an opportunity—arrested a hundred or so scholars, calling them bandits and rebels. He’s rushing to make Third Prince jump with frustration.”

Eunuch Qi asked, “Are they really bandits and rebels? Did they infiltrate through Third Prince’s literary gathering?”

“Does it matter whether they’re real or fake?” The Emperor opened his eyes. “Who told Third Prince to hold a literary gathering where even a young girl could steal the spotlight? Anyone and everyone attended, all sorts of riffraff.”

Eunuch Qi shook his head helplessly. “Your Majesty, won’t you intervene? You just let them fight like this?”

The Emperor sat up straight. His face, having grown thinner, looked even more listless, but his eyes were deep and flashed with a trace of manic light. “If he can’t even subdue one brother, how can he be Crown Prince? And if he wants to be Crown Prince by relying on his old man to help him, well, his old man can’t help him for a lifetime.”

What this statement meant, Eunuch Qi understood perfectly. One sentence contained two “he’s,” and they didn’t refer to the same person.

And the “tempering” His Majesty spoke of also concealed cruelty.

Treating one’s sons as playthings, like watching young beasts fight in a hunting ground—for an aging man whose youth had passed, this was a dark pleasure that could not be spoken aloud.

Eunuch Qi dared not say more about matters between father and son, between the Son of Heaven and his subjects. He only said, “Your Majesty, the Imperial Noble Consort said you mustn’t eat too much of this.”

The Emperor was displeased. “Now that I’m old, I’m being controlled by others.”

Eunuch Qi laughed heartily and took away the bowl.

“Why did you personally go to the palace gate to receive the Crown Prince?” the Emperor suddenly asked.

Although he had already explained it was to ask after the young prince’s father, when the Emperor asked now, it wasn’t senile confusion—

Eunuch Qi said in a low voice, “This old slave went to protect someone.”

The Emperor raised his eyelids and asked, “What person?”

Eunuch Qi said, “A palace gate guard, Deng Yi.”

The Emperor made a sound of acknowledgment, lowered his eyelids, and asked no more, as if it had just been a casual question.

His Majesty asked no more, but Eunuch Qi continued, “This Deng Yi is new here, quite reckless in temperament. He actually dared to stop the Crown Prince’s men. The Crown Prince naturally doesn’t mind, but petty people are troublesome. I’m afraid those petty people will deliberately cause trouble, which would instead harm the Crown Prince’s reputation.”

The Emperor smiled slightly. “You’re already old, yet you still have so much idle concern.”

Eunuch Qi chuckled. “This old slave is old—idle concern is all he has left. There’s nothing else for him to do anyway.”

The Emperor glanced at him. “It’s fine if you slack off and do nothing here with me, but don’t you dare slack off with Yu’er’s studies and daily care.”

Eunuch Qi smiled and answered yes. Seeing the Emperor say nothing more, this time he bowed and withdrew.