“Empress Dowager…” The Empress Dowager’s maid softly consoled her. “His Majesty is still busy. Let’s discuss this later!”

But the Empress Dowager continued sobbing inconsolably, still wanting to argue: “Your uncle has risked life and death for Yan Kingdom in Da Zhou, A’Li… you’ve always been a kind-hearted child. Why are you saying such heartless words about surnames Zhong or Murong? Have you forgotten that Mother also bears the surname Zhong?”

Murong Li’s fists clenched tighter. Mother was always like this – when good things happened, she’d say Ninth Uncle and Uncle were the same, but when difficulties arose, it was always Ninth Uncle who was capable…

“Zhong Xingxiao is indeed my true uncle, but he’s also a court minister of the Yan Kingdom. If he dies for the country… it would be a worthy death. I… will certainly reward the Zhong family generously. Mother need not worry. At least… as long as I live, so long as the Zhong clan doesn’t seek their destruction, I… will turn a blind eye for Mother’s sake.” After Murong Li finished speaking, he strode toward his desk. “I still have official business. Mother, please return!”

The Empress Dowager wanted to say more but was stopped by her maid: “Empress Dowager… His Majesty has important matters at hand. You should return and rest first. After all, he is His Majesty’s blood uncle. His Majesty won’t watch the National Uncle die unjustly in a foreign land! You must allow His Majesty to think of a solution.”

The Empress Dowager saw that Murong Li had already knelt and sat behind the sandalwood desk and didn’t refute her maid’s words. Only then did she tearfully stand up, leaning on her maid to leave the great hall.

Hearing the palace doors close, Murong Li, unable to contain his rage, directly threw the jade-handled purple brush in his hand. The crystal-clear green jade immediately shattered into pieces.

Wang Jiuzhou quickly knelt: “Your Majesty, please calm your anger!”

“Wang Jiuzhou, I’m not angry, I’m heartbroken… heartbroken for Ninth Uncle! They say the elder sister-in-law is like a mother. Grandmother died early, and Ninth Uncle has always respected my mother greatly, treating her like his own mother! But my mother…” Murong Li’s fists clenched tightly, then relaxed after a moment. He picked up another brush and continued writing the unfinished letter.

In the letter, Murong Li instructed Wang Hanbing to find a way to preserve Zhong Xingxiao’s life at all costs.

As a son, Murong Li naturally hoped there would be no rift between his mother and Ninth Uncle. He knew that if Zhong Xingxiao died, his mother would inevitably blame Ninth Uncle, and then the crack between mother and Ninth Uncle would become impossible to repair.

Therefore, Zhong Xingxiao couldn’t die! Even though Murong Li very much wanted him to die in Da Zhou, he couldn’t let him die while traveling with Ninth Uncle.

On the tenth day of the sixth month in the second year of Yuanhe, Li Tianfu was escorted to the Capital City.

Just as Bai Qingyan had once said, she granted Li Tianfu the title of Princess Yunjing and bestowed upon her a princess’s mansion.

This was done merely to stabilize the hearts of the Xi Liang people.

With the precedent of Great Liang’s Third Prince, the Prince of Hancheng, Princess Yunjing wasn’t lonely. However, no matter how magnificent the princess’s mansion was, Li Tianfu was like a caged bird who could never fly away again.

Perhaps because of Xi Liang’s fall, Li Tianfu had been quite quiet during her escort to the Capital City. Even when shadow guards came to rescue her, she refused to leave.

It wasn’t that Li Tianfu couldn’t bear to part with wealth and luxury, but… Li Tianfu still hadn’t forgotten her hatred for Lu Tianzhuo.

When she learned she was coming to the Capital City, she couldn’t help but feel wild joy. Although Xi Liang had fallen… although she hadn’t been able to overthrow Da Zhou, if she came to the Capital City, she would certainly have opportunities to assassinate Bai Qingyan and avenge Lu Tianzhuo.

Li Tianfu had heard of the surrendered Great Liang Third Prince, the Prince of Hancheng. After the Prince of Hancheng came to the Capital City, because he appeared very submissive, he sometimes accompanied others to appear at major celebrations or palace banquets. Li Tianfu thought… as long as she could endure and have a little more patience, she would eventually be able to kill Bai Qingyan.

Therefore, Li Tianfu had been very docile throughout the journey. Even after arriving at the Capital City and being required not to step outside the princess’s mansion, she didn’t make trouble. She voluntarily confined herself to the courtyard, spending her days tending flowers and plants as if she had accepted her fate.

The shadow guards watching Li Tianfu reported that she would sometimes sit under the osmanthus tree in the courtyard in a daze, sitting for an hour or two at a time, no one knowing what she was thinking.

“Could it be that this Princess Yunjing has… accepted her fate?” Chun Tao placed a plate of pastries in front of Bai Qingyan and couldn’t help commenting.

Chun Tao had no good feelings toward Li Tianfu. At the wedding banquet with Jin Dynasty’s deposed crown prince, she had tried to kill their First Miss.. Chun Tao still remembered when the First Miss returned, her dress hem stained with blood, nearly frightening her soul away.

“Not necessarily…” Bai Qingyan smiled slightly and said to the shadow guard, “Watch her carefully. Don’t let her step outside the princess’s mansion’s main gate!”

“Yes!” The shadow guard responded and left.

On the third day after Li Tianfu was brought to the Capital City, the Wang clan reopened their ancestral hall, removing Wang Dingkun who had been registered under Old Madam Wang’s name and adding Wang Dingshun’s name instead.

Because this matter had the current Emperor’s people supervising, things proceeded very smoothly. After all, no one would oppose the ruler of a nation.

As for Wang Dingkun, on the second day after Old Madam Wang vomited blood, he was exposed by censors for past bribery and abusing his power as a Bai family relative to treat human lives as worthless. Wang Dingkun didn’t even make it back to the Wang mansion that day before being thrown into prison.

Logically, when Wang Dingkun was impeached, the Wang mansion should have suffered along with him. But His Majesty sent flowing streams of rewards to Old Madam Wang. Wasn’t the meaning clear enough? The Wang clan members hurriedly handled this re-adoption matter – who would dare delay?

Bai Qingyan had considered this Wang Dingshun carefully. Unlike Wang Dingkun, who had been forcibly imposed on Old Master Wang and Old Madam Wang by clan pressure, this Wang Dingshun had been orphaned since childhood, but his character was acceptable. Though his family was poor, he was very diligent in his studies. In his early years, he had studied for a few years in the clan school, but later, being intelligent, he was often excluded and bullied by other clan children, so he stopped attending clan school and studied with his bedridden grandfather at home. His literary skills were quite passable.

Wang Dingshun depended on his bedridden grandfather for survival, which delayed his marriage until age twenty-three.

After all, girls from good families feared marrying into poverty and having to serve a bedridden old man.

Moreover, Wang Dingshun was normally taciturn and not one to win girls’ hearts, so things were delayed.

This year, after Wang Dingshun’s grandfather passed away, he became completely alone. Kind-hearted neighbors, seeing Wang Dingshun’s good character, wanted to arrange a marriage for him, but Wang Dingshun was determined to study hard for the imperial examinations and declined their well-intentioned offers.

Bai Qingyan had sent people to secretly test this Wang Dingshun’s literary skills, and he was indeed no ordinary person.

Subsequently, Steward Hao personally sought out Wang Dingshun to discuss adopting him into the Wang family.