This led to Duke Zhenguo breaking the Left Chancellor’s son’s legs and throwing him in front of the Left Chancellor’s carriage.

The people clapped and praised, inevitably recalling how Duke Zhenguo had once beaten a Bai family bastard son on the main street for bullying commoners, and how she had punished Fourth Miss Bai Jinzhi for whipping those cunning troublemakers who came to cause problems at the Bai mansion.

All sighed with emotion about the Bai family’s sincere love for the people in the capital, truly treating commoners as flesh and blood relatives, not just empty words.

The Left Chancellor had indulged his offspring’s oppression of the people, and even the authorities dared not intervene, but Duke Zhenguo had taken action.

Left Chancellor Li Mao wept bitterly before the Emperor, saying that after covering up his son’s crimes, he was tormented daily by his conscience, feeling deeply ashamed of betraying the Emperor’s trust. Now that Duke Zhenguo had uncovered this matter, while he felt relieved, he also felt unbearably ashamed and specially came to request the Emperor’s punishment.

The Emperor had always trusted Li Mao. Though angry, for some unknown reason, he felt a sense of fellow suffering with Li Mao.

Left Chancellor Li Mao’s son had been targeted by Bai Qingyan, so Bai Qingyan broke his legs.

The Emperor’s son had also been targeted by Bai Qingyan, and then Bai Qingyan had forced the Emperor to demote his legitimate son, Prince Xin, to commoner status and exile him to Yongzhou.

But in this world, even ordinary common families with many children… would have one or two unworthy descendants. Which father doesn’t clean up messes for his sons?

Did everyone have to be like the Duke Zhenguo’s Bai family, righteously eliminating relatives when children made mistakes?

In this capital, weren’t there plenty of noble officials who cleaned up after their children? Didn’t Chancellor Lu constantly wipe his grandson’s behind for all his cat-chasing and dog-teasing antics?

One could only say Li Mao was unlucky to be targeted by Bai Qingyan, though Li Mao was also to blame for not cleaning up his son’s messes properly and deserved to have Bai Qingyan catch him with evidence.

But as Emperor, he couldn’t say such words to Li Mao.

“Forget it…” The Emperor looked at Li Mao kneeling on the ground, weeping and saying he had failed the imperial grace, “You were also doting on your son. Let your son recover from his injuries first. Though he didn’t personally kill anyone, forcing himself on another’s wife—according to law, it’s either twenty years of hard labor in frontier exile or broken legs! Since Duke Zhenguo has already taken care of it… Let it be handled this way! For failing to teach your son properly, I fine you half a year’s salary. After returning, send someone to the victim’s family with compensation, silver to settle the matter. Let this be the end of it.”

The Emperor thought again of that troublesome Bai Qingyan, closed his eyes, and said: “As for Duke Zhenguo, you needn’t worry! Go now…”

“Thank you, Your Majesty!” Li Mao looked up at the Emperor with tearful gratitude, kowtowing heavily, “This subject cannot help share Your Majesty’s burdens and even troubles Your Majesty with personal matters—truly deserving of ten thousand deaths! Your Majesty’s favor toward this guilty subject, even if I were torn to pieces, could hardly repay one ten-thousandth. This subject will dedicate this life to serving Your Majesty unto death.”

“Enough! Stop with the flowery words, go!” The Emperor leaned against his golden dragon cushion and waved Li Mao away.

Li Mao respectfully stood up, bowed as he backed out of the hall, only straightening up when he stood outside and saw the bluestone floor covered in sunlight.

He exhaled a long breath. Though fined half a year’s salary, as long as the Emperor still trusted him, it was good.

Li Mao clenched his fists and walked toward the palace exit. For him, nothing else mattered—what mattered was the Emperor’s trust and the future Emperor’s trust.

His greatest difference from Bai Weiting was that Bai Weiting was morally upright with a towering reputation among the people, seeking to be worthy of heaven and earth.

But he… didn’t care how the people viewed him, nor about being worthy in his heart—he only cared how the Emperor viewed him.

As long as those letters didn’t exist or were never seen by the Emperor, he would fear nothing.

After Li Mao left, the Emperor summoned the Crown Prince and had him tell Bai Qingyan that the Emperor already knew about Li Mao’s son’s matter. Since Bai Qingyan had already broken Li Mingtang’s legs and he had fined Li Mao half a year’s salary, the matter was settled.

The Emperor also had the Crown Prince personally deliver rewards to Duke Zhenguo’s mansion. Regardless of private feelings toward Bai Qingyan, publicly, the people must see… the Emperor’s appreciation for Duke Zhenguo’s heart in protecting the people.

The Crown Prince was shocked when he received this news, not expecting Bai Qingyan’s methods to be so thunderous, directly breaking the Left Chancellor’s son’s legs without leaving any room for mercy.

Qin Shangzhi couldn’t fathom Bai Qingyan’s intentions either, even breaking into a cold sweat for her, since Left Chancellor Li Mao was not someone with a broad mind who was easy to provoke.

Who knew that in the end, Li Mao would enter the palace to confess his crimes, and the people would praise the Bai family’s love for the people.

This whole mess left even Qin Shangzhi’s mind in a muddle.

Was the Left Chancellor so easily defeated, frightened by Duke Zhenguo?

Qin Shangzhi narrowed his eyes. Could it be that the Left Chancellor had some weakness grasped by Duke Zhenguo, forcing him to act this way?

But Qin Shangzhi didn’t share this suspicion with the Crown Prince. Concerning his benefactor Bai Qingyan, he couldn’t speak carelessly to the Crown Prince.

As twilight fell, the long street lined with shops, wine houses, and tea buildings had already lit their lamps, but the lanterns swaying in the wind under the azure tiles and flying eaves had not yet been lit.

The setting sun’s remaining brilliant rays illuminated half the capital in gold.

The Crown Prince brought the Emperor’s verbal praise and rewards, personally arriving at Duke Zhenguo’s mansion gate.

Even the Emperor praised Duke Zhenguo—who in the capital would still dare call Duke Zhenguo arrogant?

In just the time of a cup of tea, only a faint residual glow remained in the western sky, and the Crown Prince stepped out of Duke Zhenguo’s mansion gate.

Dong Shi led the entire family to see the Crown Prince to the door, bowing farewell.

The Crown Prince smiled: “Duke, may I speak with you privately?”

Now, the Crown Prince already considered Bai Qingyan one of his people, so he inevitably still wanted to advise her.

Bai Qingyan said she would see the Crown Prince to his carriage, then heard the Crown Prince say: “Duke, you must be more cautious in your future actions. You can’t always use those battlefield methods of readily harming people. You could have told me about this matter and I would have handled it. Why offend the Left Chancellor? The Left Chancellor is not a broad-minded person!”

Bai Qingyan quickly bowed to the Crown Prince: “I thank Your Highness for the reminder. His Majesty’s health is poor, and Your Highness now handles state affairs for His Majesty, working extremely hard. How could I trouble Your Highness with such trivial matters?”

“Moreover, though the Left Chancellor’s mind isn’t broad enough, Li Mingtang was at fault first. I was afraid… if this matter were settled privately, with the Left Chancellor’s precedent, all officials in the capital would follow suit. Once such practices permeate the entire court, when Your Highness inherits the throne in the future… wouldn’t this leave Your Highness with troubles?”

Hearing these words, the Crown Prince’s heart warmed greatly. So Bai Qingyan had struck so ruthlessly against the Left Chancellor for his sake.

The Crown Prince nodded, his voice becoming even gentler: “Though that may be so, but…”