People’s joys and sorrows are never universal. While the Qi family faced all manner of hardships, it didn’t prevent others from indulging in feasting and drinking. The next night was windless and rainless—it was the day the new emperor hosted a banquet for the Han family’s imperial relatives.

The Han family was now completely different from before. Originally, the Qi family had surpassed them in everything, but the Right Vice Minister and his worthless third brother had caused a huge mess, dragging the entire Qi family down with them. Naturally, anyone with a bit of sense could see that the Qi family’s troubles didn’t really stem from this private debt scandal. Rather, they had stood too high above others for too long. When a tree grows tall, it attracts the wind—this was only natural. The new emperor had just ascended the throne and was in the midst of breaking with the old to establish the new, lighting his three fires. Wasn’t it only natural that he would take advantage of the situation to burn down their foundation?

If the Qi family fell, the political landscape of Great Liang would immediately change accordingly.

The current Empress Dowager was a daughter of the Han family, and the new emperor had half Han family blood. This Han clan was originally one of the four great surnames, and now they were even more noble beyond words. If the Qi family turned to dust, they would take their place as the new foremost aristocratic family of Jiangzuo.

This family would likely stand even more securely than the Qi family, because they held military power. General Han alone, Han Shouye, commanded five hundred thousand troops and controlled the defense of Jiankang. After the Northern Expedition, he had been promoted and ennobled with unparalleled glory, earning everyone’s envy.

This night in a side hall of the Liang Palace, the Son of Heaven hosted a banquet for Han family relatives. Monarch and ministers enjoyed themselves harmoniously with drums and reed pipes, and the Empress Dowager and Sixth Princess were also present.

Everyone in attendance had Han family blood, so it was essentially a family banquet. Because the Empress Dowager had received much support from her natal family in the palace in previous years, she naturally had very close relationships with family members. After her son ascended the throne, she didn’t forget to promote the family’s children and grandchildren in gratitude. Therefore, this family banquet was enjoyed by all hosts and guests, making it very heartwarming.

General Han Shouye was originally fond of drinking, and now that he felt triumphant, he drank even more enthusiastically. His satisfaction came firstly from his achievements in the Northern Expedition, and secondly from the Qi family’s misfortune.

For several years prior, the military had always been constrained by the Privy Council, forcing him—a dignified first-rank general—to be controlled by that second-rank Junior Chancellor of the Qi family! How absurd and laughable was that? Although Qi Jingchen had always been polite to him from beginning to end, whenever military matters were involved, he was always uncompromising. When he had ordered a halt to warfare years ago, he had publicly drawn his sword to kill his disciple Jiang Yong! He would not easily forget this matter!

Hmph, that Qi Jingchen thought himself so remarkable, but really he was just so-so! Could the Northern Expedition really not have been won without him? Others only complimented him out of respect for the Qi family’s face—how could that be taken seriously? Even without him, Qi Jingchen, the Northern Expedition would have succeeded just the same!

A mere upstart—how could he be worth consulting?

Now it was good—the family he relied on was about to face great disaster. He alone could not support everything. How much longer could he remain triumphant? Let everyone see that without family backing, Qi Jingchen was nothing more than an ordinary person! What was so remarkable about him?

Han Shouye was very pleased by others’ misfortune. It seemed as if once Qi Ying fell, all the achievements he had created would be credited to himself. Now he truly hoped day and night that the Court of Judicial Review would work more efficiently—preferably reaching a conclusion by tomorrow morning, striking down the Qi family members in court and ensuring they could never rise again!

He drank himself into a stupor and became carried away. In the hall, he began striking his cup with chopsticks while singing. Most of the Han clan members were quite drunk as well. Seeing this, they all joined in clapping and laughing raucously, as if they couldn’t wait for the Qi family to collapse thunderously so they could swarm up like wolves to devour that family’s flesh and blood, consuming all of the Qi family’s wealth and power—just like they had done to the Shen family several years ago.

The Han family’s head, Han Shousong, didn’t like drinking and was one of the few people in the great hall with a clear mind. He intended to advise his elder brother Han Shouye not to be so unrestrained before the Son of Heaven. Although the new emperor had half Han family blood, after all, there was still a distinction between monarch and minister. They couldn’t interact as they had before his ascension.

He secretly tugged at Han Shouye and bowed to the Son of Heaven in apology, saying the general had drunk too much, causing improper behavior before His Majesty, and requesting His Majesty’s forgiveness.

The new emperor laughed casually, also showing an unrestrained attitude. His peach blossom eyes were full of smiling intent, as if he too was intoxicated. Raising his wine cup, he said it didn’t matter. The Empress Dowager also had a gentle expression, saying to her cousin: “How can family members speak like outsiders? Today is just a family meal—no need to be too constrained.”

Hearing this, all the Han clan members laughed. Han Shouye looked at his brother even more triumphantly, as if mocking his excessive caution, and struck his cup while singing again.

Seeing this, Han Shousong said no more.

After the family banquet ended, the Son of Heaven returned to his sleeping quarters.

When the new emperor left the side hall, he appeared completely intoxicated, but once away from others, his steps were quite measured. It turned out he wasn’t really drunk, and those peach blossom eyes that had seemed so high-spirited in the hall had now cooled down, looking somewhat indifferent and weary.

Halfway through his journey, Su Ping, who accompanied the new emperor, heard hurried footsteps from behind. Looking back, he saw it was the Sixth Princess.

This princess had been in low spirits throughout the banquet tonight, and now without outsiders around, she wore an even more serious expression. She hurried after her imperial brother with the bearing of someone about to cause a great scene.

Before Su Ping could ask the new emperor’s intention, he first heard His Majesty sigh, then say to the palace attendants and guards around him: “All of you withdraw to a distance. I will walk with the princess.”

Su Ping had served three generations of Great Liang monarchs and was naturally very familiar with these protocols. He could roughly guess what Princess殿下 was going to discuss with His Majesty, and also knew His Majesty didn’t want people to hear their conversation. He immediately respectfully led the palace attendants to withdraw, ensuring that everyone could neither hear the nobles’ conversation nor be too slow to serve when His Majesty needed them.

Truly a thoughtful flower.

As soon as this thoughtful flower withdrew, Xiao Ziyu immediately couldn’t restrain herself. Standing before her imperial brother with tightly furrowed brows, her face was pale to the extreme, as if she hadn’t rested for a very long time, presenting an extremely haggard appearance.

Xiao Ziheng looked her up and down in Jiankang’s spring moonlight and sighed: “I saw you didn’t eat much in the hall just now—no wonder your complexion is so poor. How have you tormented yourself into this state?”

Upon hearing this, Xiao Ziyu didn’t answer for a long time. She just looked directly at her brother with tear-filled eyes. Those peach blossom eyes, so similar to Xiao Ziheng’s, were full of misery. After a long silence, she said: “Why I am like this—does imperial brother really not know?”

Xiao Ziheng’s brows furrowed.

How could he not know? She was his only sister, born of the same mother. They had grown up together—of course he knew all her thoughts. Moreover, her feelings were so easy to guess that even if he weren’t her brother, he could see through them at a glance. Who else but Qi Jingchen could make her suffer so much?

Xiao Ziyu sniffled and carefully reached out to grasp her brother’s dragon robe sleeve, crying as she asked him: “Brother… are you going to kill him?”

She didn’t call him “imperial brother” or address him as “Your Majesty”—she just called him “brother.”

This was a very intimate form of address. When they were small, she had always felt she couldn’t lump Fourth Brother together with her other brothers. They were born of the same mother, so naturally they were closer than with others. If she called him “imperial brother,” wouldn’t that be too common? Second Prince was also imperial brother, Third Prince was also imperial brother… everyone was her imperial brother.

But only Xiao Ziheng was her real brother.

She had to call him “brother.”

Her most trusted brother.

Xiao Ziheng heard the implied meaning behind this form of address, which seemed to carry some pleading and pitiful intent, making him feel somewhat irritated.

His brows furrowed even tighter as he chose silence instead of words as his answer.

How could Xiao Ziyu not understand his meaning? Tears immediately fell even more fiercely. She cried until she could barely breathe, sobbing as she asked her fourth brother: “Why? Why must you kill him? He is a pillar minister! He has achieved so many merits for Great Liang… Even if you fear his family, don’t you remember his goodness at all?”

“You grew up together too… He was once your study companion—aren’t you friends?”

Friends?

Hearing these two words, Xiao Ziheng’s expression became somewhat detached, and his eyes also carried a touch of vacancy.

Although he wasn’t completely intoxicated tonight, he had still drunk quite a bit and was somewhat under the influence. Hearing the word “friends” at this moment inevitably made him feel confused and bewildered.

Friends…

Yes, he and Qi Ying had indeed once been considered friends.

He had actually admired him very much originally. After all, who wouldn’t like someone like Qi Ying? Extraordinarily talented yet not contentious, appearing dignified from afar yet warm when approached—naturally everyone would like him. They had once spent their youth together in the palace, reading and practicing calligraphy together, debating classics and discussing literature together, watching spring blossoms and autumn fruits in the imperial garden together, and envisioning the great enterprise of northern expedition together in historical texts and documents.

They had once been like-minded friends.

But later, as they gradually grew older, they gradually became aware of their different positions. Sometimes it wasn’t people’s fault, but their positions that forced them to become enemies.

His family was too powerful—so powerful it exceeded a minister’s proper bounds, so powerful it made the monarch unable to sleep peacefully. His father emperor had reigned for decades but never had even one comfortable and satisfying day. He couldn’t personally decide on any policy and had to watch the faces of aristocratic families in everything he did. Yet they still bowed and called him minister, as if mocking his powerlessness.

Though he was clearly the monarch of the vast Jiangzuo region, he was as humble as a servant.

How could he be willing to accept this?

He had watched his father emperor become increasingly dispirited, later even becoming so distressed that he had to rely on things like Five Stone Powder for relief, allowing both his spirit and body to be corroded by that substance until he became utterly ruined.

—He hadn’t wanted that either, but after searching everywhere for a way out and finding none, he was finally trapped in a tiny space. That was merely a helpless measure.

Now that he had succeeded to the throne and become master of Great Liang, if he didn’t try his utmost to break this deadlock, the aristocratic families would constrain him just as they had constrained his father emperor, perhaps even worse. Human nature was inherently greedy—the aristocratic families would only become more excessive. They would eventually gnaw the imperial family until nothing remained, leaving the imperial household dismembered.

This was a life-or-death struggle where any soft-heartedness would invite fatal disaster. If he didn’t first raise his blade against the aristocratic families, then the one to die might be him—or his children and grandchildren.

He couldn’t retreat, couldn’t be weak, couldn’t waver.

He was going to kill Qi Ying. He had already found a way to ensure he would never rise again. In just a few more days, he could make him unable to escape under everyone’s gaze. He had already had the Privy Council secretly surround the Qi family. Qi Jingchen was now like a fish out of water—he couldn’t even send a single message from his main residence. No matter how clever and intelligent he was, he couldn’t turn defeat into victory when he had no pieces left to play.

He would leave him no way out. He was going to completely annihilate the Qi family, this giant beast.

There would be absolutely no room for compromise.

Author’s Note: The servant who went to find Young Master Qi yesterday was from Fenghe Courtyard [Spoiler Warning]