The moment Ziqing stepped forward, Prince Baxian’s heart lurched inexplicably, and even Physician Gu beside him couldn’t help but glance over!

Jun Beiyue, moving in perfect wordless understanding, stepped back and positioned himself behind Ziqing, offering her his strongest, most unwavering support.

That single step back — small as it was — told Ziqing everything: today, even if she brought the entire imperial palace of Da Zhou crashing down, he would stand behind her the whole way.

Prince Baxian glanced at Ziqing but pointedly ignored her, turning back to Jun Beiyue instead, about to explain further — when suddenly, Ziqing spoke, her voice cold. “Someone, escort Prince Baxian back to Lishao Mountain at once. Da Zhou no longer needs him.”

The moment these words left her mouth, everyone present sucked in a sharp breath of cold air. Who exactly was this woman to Da Zhou, to speak with such audacity?

Second and Third Elder Meng, only just regaining consciousness, were utterly stunned by the scene before them, while Fifth Elder Meng’s heart pounded wildly — he couldn’t help but worry that his Fourth Sister might have quite a match on her hands with this future daughter-in-law!

Prince Baxian was so enraged he could barely breathe, taking several deep gulps of air. “You… you… how dare you speak such treasonous words! What right do you have? A mere consort — what standing do you have to speak in this palace!”

Prince Baxian had thrown all caution to the wind — even at the risk of offending Jun Beiyue, he was determined not to let this woman ride on the prince’s favor and climb above a man’s head!

Fuming with rage, Prince Baxian was ready to argue his case with Ziqing — but she simply replied coldly, “Prince Baxian, don’t forget — it was this consort who invited you out of retirement in the first place. It was this consort who granted you the authority to oversee the affairs of state. If this consort had the power to bring you out, this consort has just as much power to send you back.”

These words instantly demolished every counterargument Prince Baxian had been preparing!

He was left utterly speechless, unable to say a single word!

The fact of the matter was, it had indeed been Han Ziqing who had invited him out of retirement and entrusted him with the running of Da Zhou’s imperial court!

“You! You… you!”

Prince Baxian pointed at Ziqing, so furious he couldn’t get the words out, not knowing what else there was left to say, his chest so tight it felt ready to burst. “You… you, Han Ziqing, you ungrateful wretch!”

“Ungrateful? Prince Baxian, it was this consort who invited you out of retirement. When this consort fell into misfortune, not only did you fail to help — you actually obstructed Jun Beichen’s efforts as well. It seems the ungrateful one here is you, wouldn’t you say?”

Ziqing pressed closer, calmly turning his own accusation back on him.

“You!” Prince Baxian clutched at his chest, nearly coughing up blood, yet unable to refute a single word of Han Ziqing’s accusation.

“You… you… you’re not fit to be Prince Yao’s consort, you’re not fit to be the mistress of Da Zhou! A woman of such lowly birth as you — you don’t deserve it!”

At last, throwing all restraint aside, Prince Baxian let loose with a torrent of abuse!

Beside them, little Xiong Bao immediately clenched his tiny fists, about to shout in protest, but Jun Beiyue’s large hand gently held him back. “Be good. Don’t disturb your mommy.”

The toddler took a deep breath, forcing himself to stay calm.

Facing Prince Baxian’s furious tirade, Ziqing, far from angry, actually smiled — a smile as radiant as a blooming flower.

Wasn’t her birth, her bloodline, exactly what Prince Baxian cared about most?

Smiling, she continued advancing on him, and though she was but a slight woman, her sheer presence forced the venerable Prince Baxian to retreat step by step, until Ziqing finally stopped, and only then did he stop as well.

Compared to Ziqing’s composed, unhurried demeanor, Prince Baxian’s blustering fury looked almost laughable.

“Yes! I am of lowly birth, I am unworthy — but I can still have you sent away, can’t I?” Ziqing shot back.

If there was ever a perfect example of a devastating comeback, this was surely it.

Every single word she spoke was enough to infuriate Prince Baxian to the point of choking, leaving him utterly speechless. He clutched at his chest, breathing heavily.

But he couldn’t even manage to curse anymore — what would be the point of more insults, when they’d only backfire on himself in the end?

“Someone, take him away!” Ziqing commanded sharply.

The guards standing nearby didn’t dare hesitate — in fact, they practically raced each other to be the ones to earn favor in front of the future princess consort. Three or four of them rushed forward at once, seizing Prince Baxian.

Was Ziqing worthy? Words alone meant nothing — actions proved everything!

“How dare you! This is rebellion, outright rebellion! Let go of me!”

“Let go of me, Han Ziqing, mark my words, you will regret this!”

“Beiyue! Jun Beiyue, say something! Think this through carefully, say something!”

…

As he was dragged away, Prince Baxian struggled and shouted with all his might.

A flash of displeasure crossed Ziqing’s eyes, and she suddenly said coldly, “One more word out of you, and this consort will have you sent to guard the imperial mausoleum for the rest of your days.”

The moment these words were spoken, the entire courtyard fell instantly silent. Prince Baxian was dragged away without another sound, not a single word more heard from him.

The whole scene remained silent, everyone tense over this woman’s return and Jun Beiyue’s awakening — except for the toddler, who muttered to himself in wonder, utterly delighted, “Just as I thought — behind every domineering man, there’s an even more domineering woman!”

In the silence, Ziqing slowly turned around, her gaze falling on Physician Gu.

The moment their eyes met, Physician Gu immediately lowered his head. He didn’t have Prince Baxian’s status — he was nothing more than a lowly physician, and one who had already been sent away from the palace by Jun Beiyue at that. What right did he have to stand tall?

His only remaining hope now was that he wasn’t sure exactly how much Han Ziqing and Jun Beiyue already knew — including the matter of Bai Mengmeng!

He kept his head bowed, his body unconsciously curling in on itself with fear, one hand pressed to his chest, hoping desperately that his racing heart would slow down. Over and over, like a madman, he repeated to himself, “Don’t say anything, don’t say a single word!”

Situ Haonan and Yingzi had searched for so long without ever finding Bai Mengmeng. As long as he kept his mouth shut, they would never find her!

As long as Bai Mengmeng remained unfound, he could keep living!

Even after being warned by Jun Beiyue, even after being sent away from the palace, Physician Gu had never once thought of death — he had stubbornly clung to the belief that everything he’d done had been for Jun Beiyue’s own good, for the sake of his bloodline, for his future.

But this time, seeing the coldness in Jun Beiyue’s eyes, seeing the venomous glint in Han Ziqing’s gaze, he was truly, genuinely afraid. He stopped thinking about anything else — his mind went straight to a single word: “death.”

He didn’t want to die!

Even if it meant living in disgrace, he didn’t want to die!

Exactly what Physician Gu had done, and why Jun Beiyue was demanding Bai Mengmeng’s whereabouts, Ziqing still didn’t fully understand.

But she didn’t ask. Physician Gu hadn’t said a single word yet — why would she be the one to speak first?

Ziqing walked toward Physician Gu slowly, unhurried, radiating composure — yet this simple act alone was enough to leave Physician Gu nearly suffocating with tension!

But just as Physician Gu’s nerves grew tauter and tauter, Ziqing suddenly stopped. “Yingzi, what are you standing around for? Take him to the dungeon — this consort will interrogate him personally!”

At this, Physician Gu no longer knew whether to breathe a sigh of relief or brace himself further — just what exactly did this woman intend to do to him?

Even Yingzi was startled by the chill in Ziqing’s tone. As far as he remembered, whenever Prince Yao was present, the princess consort rarely took the lead in anything. This time, it seemed, she truly meant business!

Startled as he was, Yingzi was nonetheless delighted, and immediately accepted the order. “Yes, my lady! Welcome back!”

Ziqing finally allowed herself a smile — a smile brimming with mysterious intent. “Take him down. Treat him well. I’ll be along shortly.”

“Yes!” Yingzi, overjoyed, dragged Physician Gu away.