Those five women and servants who had accepted benefits from Prince Liang’s mansion to pass messages, seeing Chun Yan’s fate, were already trembling uncontrollably, only concerned with kowtowing and begging for mercy.

Dong Shi was so angry that her chest felt stuffy and painful. Gritting her teeth, she said, “Steward Hao, handle this according to the rules. They cannot be spared lightly…”

Steward Hao immediately stepped forward and efficiently dealt with these five money-grubbing individuals. He cleanly broke their legs and had the human traffickers take away all five people—the four women and the servant—along with their family members to be sold.

With New Year approaching, Dong Shi, the heir’s wife of Duke Zhenguo’s mansion, thoroughly reorganized the entire mansion due to the unclear connections between the gate servants and Prince Liang’s mansion. Those who deserved beatings were beaten, those who should be sold were sold, and even several stewards were implicated and suffered unjustly.

Dong Shi boldly replaced and adjusted the stewards, and the gate security was strengthened to the point of “heavy guard.”

Dong Shi deeply understood that the Duke’s mansion’s gate was the first checkpoint—absolutely nothing could go wrong again.

Prince Liang had been waiting outside the corner gate. Tong Ji heard the bustling replacement of gate women and servants inside, and couldn’t help calling at the gate, but no one came to open it.

After several quarters of an hour, someone came to report to Prince Liang that the Duke’s mansion had sold many servants, and bloody people were being carried out. Prince Liang’s heart tightened, knowing he probably wouldn’t see Bai Qingyan today, so he had them return to the mansion. Before leaving, he instructed Tong Ji: “You stay behind. Find a way to contact Chun Yan and ask what happened at the Duke’s mansion.”

“This subordinate understands!” Tong Ji nodded.

After returning, Prince Liang was restless. When Tong Ji came back, he said all the gate women and servants at the Duke’s mansion had been replaced. When he offered silver to have someone call Chun Yan, no one dared accept it, all saying that the heir’s wife had just reorganized the mansion, and no one dared to court bad luck at this time.

Prince Liang could only close his eyes and think of another way.

That evening, Chun Xing, who had taken Chun Yan’s position as head maid, stood obediently beside Bai Qingyan, speaking about how Jiang Fengchun, the wife of Marquis Zhongyong, had been released by the Jingzhao Magistrate’s office: “The final verdict stated that because those five dowry maids had died before their slave status was removed, they were still slaves when they died, so Marquis Zhongyong’s wife was not guilty and was released.”

Bai Qingyan listened while placing a piece on the chess board, nodding: “I understand. Go attend to your duties!”

Chun Xing bowed in acknowledgment. Seeing Chun Tao enter with red eyes, she withdrew from the main room.

“Miss, let this servant help you prepare for bed!” Chun Tao’s voice was thick with nasal congestion.

Bai Qingyan asked, “How is Chun Yan?”

Chun Tao’s tears fell again, guilt surging in her heart, ashamed enough to want to dash her head against a wall and die: “The physician said she’ll need about half a month to recover. The nanny who administered the punishment was still too light-handed—even breaking her legs wouldn’t have been unjust!”

She found this version of Chun Tao endearing and patted her hand: “Enough! I’m not angry anymore, so don’t torment yourself! Even if you hadn’t pleaded for her, I wouldn’t have done anything to Chun Yan. I still have use for her, so take good care of her. Just keep this in your heart!”

Chun Tao blinked her tear-filled eyes. Hearing that the miss still had use for Chun Yan, she immediately seemed to come alive, repeatedly promising: “Miss, rest assured, I definitely won’t show it on my face and won’t let Chun Yan notice.”

Today, hearing that Chun Yan had told Prince Liang so many of the miss’s private matters, Chun Tao no longer had even half a bit of sympathy for Chun Yan. Naturally, she would obey whatever Bai Qingyan said.

Bai Qingxuan and his mother, who had been holed up in Qingming Courtyard, heard about the great commotion at the Duke’s mansion today—beating and selling five families totaling more than thirty, nearly forty servants.

The woman was terrified, continuously wiping tears with her handkerchief: “If I had known, I would rather have stayed peacefully at that manor. At least we were masters there. I thought coming to the Duke’s mansion would bring good fortune, but before we even entered the gate, you were beaten like this, and now people are watching us! Such a household that beats and kills at will…”

“Enough, Mother! Stop talking!” Bai Qingxuan’s wounds hurt, and he could only lie face down on the bed, already extremely irritated. His eyes showed fierce light: “When I recover, we’ll see!”

A few days ago, His Majesty had grandly rewarded and elevated Qin Lang, explicitly declaring that Qin Lang was a model among scholarly sons. All the prominent families in the capital, watching the wind direction, confined their wayward sons at home to study hard.

For several consecutive days, the business of taverns, teahouses, pleasure houses, and painted boats in the capital became more dismal each day. Those world-weary young masters accustomed to playing also suffered at home.

It wasn’t until the palace night banquet on Little New Year’s Eve that these wastrels could legitimately gather together to complain to each other about their recent sufferings at home. Qin Lang, who was also at the night banquet, was endlessly complained to by the wastrels he usually played with. Qin Lang just laughed foolishly, bowing to each and drinking penalty cups in apology.

Bai Qingyan was brought by the Grand Princess, seated to the right below the Emperor and Empress’s high seats. Prince Qi and his consort, across from them, immediately rose to greet the Grand Princess. Bai Qingyan properly stood behind the Grand Princess and curtsied.

She remembered that in March of Xuanjia’s sixteenth year—next year—Prince Qi would be made Crown Prince and enter the Eastern Palace, and his first task would be to preside over the trial of Duke Zhenguo Bai Weiting’s treason case.

With Liu Huanzhang’s testimony and the correspondence between the Duke and the Prince of Nanyan found in the Bai residence, the Bai family’s guilt was determined by Prince Qi.

Later, Prince Qi, already Crown Prince, petitioned to show mercy and leniently deal with the Bai family women, but was scolded by the Emperor and confined to the Eastern Palace for reflection.

At that time, she had also hated Prince Qi bitterly. Now, thinking back, in her previous life with ironclad evidence, Prince Qi, as Crown Prince, had his helplessness.

She helped the Grand Princess take her seat, and looking up, saw Xiao Rongyan sitting behind Prince Qi. Seeing the composed Xiao Rongyan smile faintly and nod slightly at her, she tightened her palm, lowered her eyes, and sat properly, not knowing if Xiao Rongyan had received the message.

Xiao Rongyan, sitting behind Prince Qi, showed Prince Qi’s regard for him.

“Chun Tao…” She turned her head, covering her lips with a handkerchief and asking in a low voice, “Did your cousin deliver the letter?”

Chun Tao knelt beside her, saying quietly, “Miss, rest assured. My cousin said he had a beggar take it to the Xiao mansion gate, only saying there was a letter for the steward. He saw the little beggar deliver the letter to the steward! That little beggar doesn’t know my cousin’s identity either.”

She trusted Chen Qingsheng’s work. In her previous life, Xiao Rongyan had helped her greatly. This time… she hoped to repay him somewhat.

Hearing the eunuch loudly announce the arrival of the Emperor and Empress, she suppressed the gnashing hatred in her heart and helped the Grand Princess rise to kowtow and welcome them.

Perhaps because the seriously injured Prince Liang was showing great improvement, the Emperor seemed particularly cheerful.

After taking their seats, she also raised her cup. Her clear, bright eyes… looked at the Emperor who raised his cup to celebrate with the world, speaking of benevolence, righteousness, morality, and world peace, her gaze profound.

Xiao Rongyan noticed that Bai Qingyan’s steady gaze toward the Jin Emperor carried no respect whatsoever, finding it interesting. He lowered his eyes, recalling the eight-character note the steward had shown him before entering the palace for the banquet—”Palace banquet ambush, traitor in Qi mansion.”

He raised his cup and drained it with the Jin Emperor, running his fingers over the wine cup, then looked up at Prince Qi, who was smiling at him, returning the smile.