By the time they returned to the capital, dawn had indeed already fully broken. The moment Ziqing spotted Prince Yao’s residence in the distance, its main gate flung wide open with not a single soul standing guard, she froze instantly.

“Miss… what should we do?” Shiliang asked timidly.

Hongyi would certainly never have been foolish enough to fling the front gate open in welcome the same way she had the day before—there could be no doubt whatsoever that Prince Yao had returned, and had thrown the gates wide open specifically to welcome the Princess Consort home!

“Take the back route,” Ziqing said quietly. Shiliang immediately turned the carriage around, heading into a deep, secluded alley to one side.

Yet, before they’d even reached it, they found the rear gate similarly flung wide open, equally devoid of any guard.

“Miss, shall we climb over the wall instead?” Shiliang asked again.

“Back to my family home—the Han residence,” Ziqing said decisively, her tone giving nothing away.

Shiliang grew visibly anxious. Aside from his mistress, there was nothing in this world he feared quite as much as Jun Beiyue, and he immediately turned the carriage around once more, hurrying off in a different direction.

Yet, no sooner had they emerged from the alley than they found themselves face to face with a large group of servants approaching from the front. Shiliang glanced back urgently, only to find an equally large group of servants from the residence closing in from behind as well.

Caught between two fronts, with no possible escape!

The entire group of servants dropped to their knees in unison, their voices ringing out loudly despite the early hour. “Your Highness the Princess Consort, we have come at the prince’s own order, to respectfully escort Her Highness back to the residence.”

Ziqing lifted the carriage curtain, her expression already restored to its usual demure, obedient composure, saying flatly, “Mm, the prince has gone to quite some trouble.”

With that, she stepped down from the carriage and followed the servants toward the main gate.

She was escorted all the way to the main hall, where she found Jun Beiyue seated coldly in the seat of honor, scrutinizing her with icy eyes. Ziqing took careful note of his face—still devastatingly handsome enough to offend gods and men alike, radiating that same mysterious, noble aura as ever, without a single trace of any scar remaining.

Ziqing approached with measured steps, bowing respectfully, thoroughly obedient. “Your Highness…”

“The moment this prince returned, he heard that the Princess Consort had been cleared of all charges and released without conviction—what wonderful, joyous news indeed!” Jun Beiyue said coldly, his supposedly joyful words carrying not the slightest hint of actual pleasure.

“Thanks entirely to His Majesty’s wise and enlightened judgment, this concubine was able to clear her name, without bringing any shame upon Your Highness’s reputation,” Ziqing replied.

“Managing to think of summoning Nanny Li from Brocade Palace, and securing the services of the coroner Song Ci—that’s quite an impressive feat on your part as well,” Jun Beiyue continued coldly, his tone dripping with unmistakable sarcasm.

Yet Ziqing’s heart, much like her own body in this new life, had already been forged through countless trials and hardships—however he chose to provoke or mock her, she remained perfectly composed, unruffled. “The moment this concubine laid eyes on that handkerchief, she recognized instantly that it had been discarded years ago. However, since this concubine’s word alone carried no proof, she requested Nanny Li from Brocade Palace to lend her testimony as verification. As for Coroner Song Ci—this concubine must credit Your Highness’s own reminder for that. Hongyi relayed the relevant information to this concubine in time, and after an entire day and night of careful deliberation, this concubine finally identified the crucial gap in the evidence, and immediately sent Hongyi to secure his services. Coroner Song Ci, in fact, only agreed to lend his assistance out of deference to Your Highness’s standing.”

Ziqing paused briefly before continuing, “This concubine was only able to clear her name thanks entirely to His Majesty’s wisdom and Your Highness’s own brilliant foresight. This concubine hasn’t even had the chance yet to properly thank Your Highness!”

These words, logically constructed and thoroughly reasoned, cleverly deflected all credit away from herself entirely, while simultaneously flattering Jun Beiyue in the process.

Jun Beiyue genuinely found himself unable to counter her at all, let alone find any fault with her reasoning.

“Between husband and wife, there’s no need for such formalities—it was simply the right thing to do.”

Jun Beiyue’s voice remained so coldly composed it was impossible to read anything into it at all. This woman had indeed fought this particular battle magnificently, even managing to leverage the Ministry of Justice’s authority and secure his own father’s personal promise to investigate the true culprit further.

What’s more, even Father Emperor himself now seemed to credit this entire outcome to Jun Beiyue’s own doing. With General Ouyang having lost both his control over the palace guards and his influence within the Court of Judicial Review in a single stroke, Father Emperor’s satisfaction was practically guaranteed—no wonder he’d been in such an unusually good mood, even extending unexpected warmth toward her from the start.

With General Ouyang’s power now thoroughly diminished, wouldn’t Father Emperor’s naturally suspicious nature inevitably begin turning its attention toward whether Prince Yao’s own residence might now be growing dangerously powerful, beyond anyone’s ability to check?

At the thought, Jun Beiyue merely smiled coldly to himself, feeling no particular anger over it. He had never been a man who enjoyed unnecessary complications, yet he had also never once been a man who feared a genuine challenge either.

He had already spent years playing along with his father’s various power-balancing schemes, over and over again. So long as there was no active conflict at the borders, no unrest among neighboring kingdoms, the endless scheming and infighting within the court itself required barely any real effort on his part at all—his days in the capital, in truth, were remarkably idle.

Compared to playing these games with his father, he found himself far more genuinely entertained playing games with this particular woman instead. The more trouble she caused him, the more patience he seemed to find in himself, determined to eventually force her to reveal her true nature entirely.

“Your Highness, His Majesty mentioned that once you returned, we were to go together to the palace to formally thank him for the conferment,” Ziqing reminded him, hoping to redirect his attention elsewhere.

Unfortunately, Jun Beiyue’s real interrogation had only just begun. He said coldly, “Someone, summon Hongyi and Shiliang here at once!”

A flicker of unease crossed Ziqing’s eyes. “Your Highness, summoning them for…”

Before she could even finish, Jun Beiyue suddenly slammed his palm down and rose to his feet, roaring furiously, “The Princess Consort was gone an entire night without returning, and not a single soul thought to report it to this prince or seek his guidance—is this truly how these two have been attending to their duties?”

Hongyi and Shiliang hurried in, immediately dropping to their knees before Jun Beiyue, heads bowed low, not daring to utter a single sound.

“Shiliang, tell me—where did the Princess Consort go last night?” Jun Beiyue demanded coldly.

“This servant will explain—” Hongyi tried to speak first, but Jun Beiyue immediately planted his foot firmly on the back of her hand, the warning unmistakably clear, forcing Hongyi into silence.

“Your Highness, this concubine, last night…”

“Silence!”

A flicker of displeasure crossed Ziqing’s eyes, yet she lowered her head submissively, kneeling alongside Hongyi and the others.

“Shiliang, will you answer or not?” Jun Beiyue demanded coldly.

Shiliang couldn’t help but tremble—however stubborn his usual temperament, he dared not attempt any cleverness in Prince Yao’s presence, quickly answering, “Her Highness the Princess Consort said she was in a poor mood and wished to go out for a walk. This servant accompanied her. Later, Her Highness said there was no further need for company, so this servant simply waited by the carriage!”

Their testimonies didn’t quite align, but feigning complete ignorance seemed the only safe option—otherwise, the consequences would surely be far worse!

Hearing this, Hongyi couldn’t help but breathe a small sigh of relief. Not long after Her Highness had left the residence the day before, the prince had returned, and had repeatedly questioned her using this exact same story—fortunately, Shiliang had proven quick-witted enough to match it!

“You don’t know either? If something had happened to the Princess Consort last night, which one of you would have explained it to this prince? Which one of you could possibly replace Han Ziqing for me?” Jun Beiyue scolded furiously. He had, in fact, dispatched people throughout the entire capital searching for her the previous night, and had been utterly unable to locate her anywhere—he had to admit, he’d genuinely grown anxious, sitting here alone through the entire night waiting.

Hearing this, Ziqing felt an inexplicable pang in her heart, though she quickly pushed the feeling aside. “Your Highness, this concubine was in the wrong, causing Your Highness unnecessary worry. This concubine, last night…”

“This prince hasn’t asked you yet!” Jun Beiyue cut her off coldly once more, giving her no chance to explain herself.

Ziqing lowered her head, her eyes cold and composed, choosing simply not to speak further at all.

“Someone, drag Hongyi and Shiliang out and administer thirty strokes of the rod, as a warning to others. Should anyone else within Prince Yao’s residence prove similarly negligent in their duties, this prince will show absolutely no mercy!”

What exactly did Jun Beiyue mean by all this? Was he suspicious of something? Ziqing pondered quietly, inwardly amused—even if he did harbor suspicions, she had no intention of letting him see through her facade regardless. She rather enjoyed this particular dynamic between them—the power and status of being Prince Yao’s Consort, combined with the mask of gentle, obedient submission, made accomplishing her own goals considerably more convenient…

Once Hongyi and Shiliang had been dragged away, Jun Beiyue finally turned his attention fully to Ziqing, saying coldly, “Raise your head…”