Within the court of Da Zhou, three factions held the greatest power—first, Prince Yao; second, the Second Prince; and third, only then, the Han Prime Minister’s household.

And this Consort Yi was none other than the Second Prince’s birth mother, hailing from the household of General Ouyang, having enjoyed the Emperor’s exclusive favor for several years now.

Ziqing couldn’t help but smile coldly to herself. She had barely just set foot inside Prince Yao’s residence, and already the residence’s greatest rival was coming to seek her out—truly amusing.

Could it be that Jun Beiyue had brought her to the residence under cover of night, giving those specific instructions earlier, precisely because he had anticipated someone would come looking to make trouble for her?

Ziqing remained outwardly composed, waiting to see how Hongyi would handle the situation. Though Consort Yi was not the Empress, she had governed the six palaces for many years and was already the true mistress of the imperial harem in all but name—even Jun Beiyue himself would likely find it difficult to refuse her invitation!

Seeing Hongyi hesitate, the young servant boy urged again anxiously, “Guard Hongyi, you need to make a decision—Consort Yi’s people are pressing for an answer! We can’t afford to keep them waiting, you know that.”

Ziqing said nothing, and Hongyi, still not regarding her as worth consulting, spoke without so much as a word of discussion. “Miss Han, Consort Yi has summoned you—this subordinate will accompany you into the palace.”

Consort Yi clearly intended to use Han Ziqing to make trouble for her master. Even though the master had given explicit instructions beforehand, Hongyi no longer cared—she would much rather let Han Ziqing suffer in the palace than have her master come into conflict with Consort Yi over some ruined woman. Her master had only just returned from the northern frontier and deserved a proper period of rest.

Better yet, if Consort Yi managed to poison this ruined woman to death with a single cup of tea, all the better—first, it would spare the master any awkwardness with the Emperor; second, the master could use the opportunity to confront Consort Yi directly; and third, it would prevent him from being stuck with some discarded woman, becoming a laughingstock throughout the realm.

Having thought through this scheme that would kill three birds with one stone, Hongyi steeled her resolve—even if the master blamed her for it later, she was willing to bear the consequences.

However, Ziqing had already seen through all of this far more clearly than Hongyi realized. She feigned timidity. “But… the prince said I wasn’t to leave, and told me to wait for him.”

“These are special circumstances. Surely the Princess Consort wouldn’t dare refuse even Consort Yi’s summons? That would only bring trouble upon the prince!” Hongyi said earnestly.

“I see… then let’s hurry and go,” Ziqing said, feigning anxious compliance.

Soon, the two of them left the residence, hurrying toward the palace, following the eunuch.

Meanwhile, within the imperial study, Emperor Tianhui of Da Zhou sat alone beside a chessboard, hesitating over his next move.

“Father Emperor, you’ve summoned your son so urgently—could it be for a game of chess?” Jun Beiyue asked flatly.

“Beiyue… I hear you’ve already settled on your choice for Princess Consort of Prince Yao? You are this father’s proudest son—choosing a daughter-in-law is not something to be taken lightly, which is why this father summoned you here tonight to ask: whose daughter have you chosen?”

Emperor Tianhui set down his chess piece, looking up, his sharp eyes carefully concealing their anger, asking a question to which he already knew the answer.

“Father Emperor, it was you who assigned the Han household to your son. As for who among them your son chooses, allow your son to decide for himself—if the match proves unsatisfactory, conflicts will inevitably follow.”

Though Jun Beiyue’s words carried hidden implications, they were also remarkably direct—clearly, he was negotiating terms with Emperor Tianhui.

These past years, he had often been stationed at the frontier, allowing the Second Prince to squeeze the Han household’s influence in court, growing his own power considerably. However much the Emperor favored the Second Prince, how could he not remain wary of him? After all, the Second Prince had the entire General’s household backing him! And the Han Prime Minister’s household represented, to some degree, the Emperor’s own faction of influence!

The only one capable of checking the Second Prince’s power was him. A marriage alliance between Prince Yao’s residence and the Han household would, without question, serve as an indirect blow against the Second Prince!

He could agree to this alliance with the Han household, but exactly how that alliance would be structured had to be entirely on his own terms—otherwise, if the cooperation proved unsatisfactory, everything would be for nothing!

Emperor Tianhui, being an exceptionally shrewd man, understood his own son all too well. He no longer looked at him, instead picking up another chess piece, deliberating, still hesitating over his move.

“Beiyue, come play a game of chess with this father.”