To avoid suspicion in recent days, General Ouyang had rarely come to Yiqing Palace—yet today, the moment he entered, the doors were immediately shut tight behind him.
Only three people remained in the hall, not a single maidservant left behind. Consort Yi and General Ouyang sat in the seats of honor, while the Second Prince, Jun Beichen, stood fuming before them, the side of his face still red from Jun Beiyue’s slap, clear evidence of just how much force had been behind it.
His reputation for scholarship, his talk of strategy—all of it had come from this uncle’s assistance over the years. Ever since childhood, every strategy that had earned the Emperor’s approval had originated from this uncle’s own hand.
His reverence and fear for his uncle far exceeded what he felt for Consort Yi herself.
Seeing both elders with their brows furrowed, saying nothing, Jun Beichen could no longer contain himself, exclaiming furiously, “Uncle, Jun Beiyue actually struck me across the face! Never mind that he doesn’t respect me—he doesn’t even show you or Father Emperor any regard at all! How am I supposed to endure this humiliation?”
General Ouyang immediately slammed his palm on the table, rising to his feet. “You fool! Do you even understand why the Emperor is so insistent that Prince Yao marry a daughter of the Han household?”
“I understand perfectly well—Father Emperor is guarding against me! The Crown Prince died years ago, and I am the eldest of the remaining princes, the position of Crown Prince should rightfully be mine! Father Emperor’s continued refusal to name a Crown Prince is nothing but favoritism—favoritism toward Jun Beiyue!”
The Second Prince shouted furiously. He had known since childhood that had Jun Beiyue’s mother not been of such lowly birth, Father Emperor would have named him Crown Prince long ago!
“You—!” General Ouyang was practically choking with anger. Were it not for the difference in their respective ranks, he genuinely would have struck him. “All these years, this old general has taught you for nothing! Hmph!”
General Ouyang laughed coldly, furiously turning to storm off, but Consort Yi quickly grabbed hold of him. “Brother, this is hardly the time to be so stubborn with him!”
General Ouyang’s chest heaved violently with rage. He pointed at Jun Beichen, seeming about to say something further, then thought better of it, angrily shaking off her grip and sitting back down.
Jun Beichen, still not understanding, argued further, “Mother, Uncle, was I wrong to say any of that? If Father Emperor didn’t favor Jun Beiyue, why would he be so wary of me? I think he’s long planned to pass the throne to Jun Beiyue, and now he simply wants to use this opportunity to strip General Ouyang’s household of its military power on Jun Beiyue’s behalf!”
“Silence!” Consort Yi finally lost her patience as well. “Do you still not understand? Your Father Emperor isn’t wary of you—he’s wary of your uncle!”
Emperor Tianhui was far too shrewd a man not to know exactly how much the Second Prince was truly worth. The Second Prince, and by extension the entire Ouyang household, had merely always been pieces on his chessboard, used to check Jun Beiyue’s power. But as General Ouyang’s household grew ever more powerful throughout the ages, the Emperor would inevitably turn instead to using Jun Beiyue as a counterweight against them!
Hearing this, Jun Beichen was left utterly dumbfounded. Seeing his reaction, General Ouyang, thoroughly exasperated with his nephew’s shortcomings, said furiously, “Let this general tell you plainly—the slap Jun Beiyue delivered today wasn’t aimed at your face, it was aimed at mine! He knew perfectly well the Emperor wouldn’t punish him for it—knew perfectly well the Emperor would actually be pleased to see him strike a blow against this general! That’s precisely why he dared act with such audacity! Second Nephew, if you possessed even a third of Jun Beichen’s—” [Note: this appears to be a slip in the original text, likely meaning Jun Beiyue’s—] “cunning, everything this old general has worked toward all these years would not have been wasted!”
The moment these words left his mouth, realization finally dawned on Jun Beichen, all his earlier bluster deflating at once. Consort Yi sank back into her seat, breathing heavily in frustration.
Fortunately, Jingqin had informed General Ouyang in time today—otherwise, had Beichen gone storming into the imperial study and provoked Prince Yao in such a manner, the Emperor would certainly have seized upon it as ammunition against them.
Seeing that both his mother and uncle had fallen silent, Jun Beichen grew anxious himself. “Mother, Uncle, then what should we do now? Are we simply supposed to swallow our pride and take the beating without response?”
“That’s entirely your own doing! If you hadn’t provoked him first, would he have struck you across the face?” General Ouyang said furiously.
Consort Yi, too, spoke sharply, “Let me tell you something—it’s fortunate you didn’t cause a scene at the Han residence today, or this consort would have skinned you alive!”
Han Ziqing’s poison was about to take full effect, with Ouyang Jingshi still standing guard, and the Emperor still awaiting news. Whatever the Emperor had promised Jun Beiyue, he would follow through on—and follow through convincingly. If the scene at the Han residence had been ruined, the blame would have fallen squarely on Jun Beichen!
Jun Beichen, thoroughly scolded, dared not say anything further, sitting off to the side in sullen silence.
The hall fell silent. General Ouyang and Consort Yi exchanged a glance, both their brows furrowed deeply—the Emperor was waiting, and so were they.
“Brother, are you certain the Court of Judicial Review can be handled properly?” Consort Yi asked quietly.
“Don’t worry. The moment Han Ziqing dies, the Court of Judicial Review will move to make an arrest immediately. Regarding Young Master Chen’s death, Han Xi’er is by far the most likely suspect, wouldn’t you agree?” General Ouyang said with a cold snort. Everyone already knew Han Xi’er had orchestrated the entire Nation’s Beauty scheme—of course it made perfect sense that the mastermind would then silence her accomplice, Young Master Chen.
The Emperor hoped to weaken his position in court by leveraging the Han household’s influence, but General Ouyang intended to ensure both the legitimate and illegitimate daughters of the Han household perished—let’s see how the Emperor would manage to arrange this marriage alliance between the Han household and Prince Yao’s residence then!
Just then, Ouyang Jingqin suddenly burst through the door. Consort Yi was about to scold her, but she looked overjoyed instead. “Aunt! Father! The poison’s taken effect, it’s taken effect! Han Ziqing’s poison has finally taken hold!”
“What?” Consort Yi exclaimed with delight.
“Jingshi sent someone to report it—Han Ziqing’s poison has taken effect, the entire Han residence is in complete chaos, Prince Yao’s residence has sent every one of their physicians over, and Prince Yao himself has even sent for the imperial physicians from the palace!” Ouyang Jingqin reported excitedly.
“Does the Emperor know yet?” Consort Yi asked again.
“He knows, he already knows—I ran into Eunuch Yin on my way here, he was just about to go deliver the edict!” Ouyang Jingqin answered.