Li Weiyang returned to the Guo residence, and Zhao Yue hurriedly handed her a sealed letter. Li Weiyang took it and read carefully, a slight smile appearing on her face. While arranging the trap to frame the Pei family, Li Weiyang had also set another matter in motion. However, the Pei family was preoccupied with repaying the debt they had just incurred and probably hadn’t had time to notice this yet. Soon Empress Pei would know about it—hopefully she would enjoy the gift Li Weiyang had sent her.

As she was thinking this, a pair of hands suddenly covered her eyes. Li Weiyang raised her gaze to see an exceptionally familiar handsome face before her. Yuan Lie actually drawled out, “Weiyang!”

Li Weiyang was speechless. When had he arrived? Or had he followed her into the residence just now? She said, “Why do you appear and disappear so mysteriously?”

Yuan Lie, thick-skinned as ever, said with infinite grievance in his voice, while his hand took advantage of others not paying attention to wrap around her waist, “Weiyang, why have you been ignoring me these past few days? You didn’t even let me accompany you to the banquet at the Wang family?”

Li Weiyang said in a low voice, “This is the Guo residence. Even though this is my own courtyard, there are still many servants around. Everyone is watching—please let go first!”

Yuan Lie blinked his eyes and said without hesitation, “I won’t!”

Li Weiyang supported her forehead with her hand and couldn’t help shaking her head. “I really don’t want to see you today!”

Yuan Lie looked utterly heartbroken, his eyes brimming with tears as he said, “Why?”

Li Weiyang knew he was putting on an act and couldn’t be bothered to respond. “Do you think that just because there’s suddenly a Miss Wang who’s hostile toward me, I don’t feel any psychological burden?”

Hearing Li Weiyang mention Miss Wang, Yuan Lie was stunned. “What Miss Wang?”

Li Weiyang said coldly, “Isn’t it that Miss Wang whom His Majesty personally wants to bestow upon you in marriage! When I went today, she gave me quite a show of force, demonstrating her unique qualities to everyone and trying every means to suppress our Guo residence. Tell me, shouldn’t I hold you accountable for this? Let go already!”

Yuan Lie persisted in not releasing his grip. Li Weiyang stomped hard on his foot, and he immediately let go. Just as Li Weiyang was about to leave, she suddenly heard him cry out in pain. She couldn’t help being startled—she hadn’t used much force just now. Where was he injured? Or had an old wound flared up? Instinctively concerned, she asked, “What’s wrong? Where does it hurt?” Before Li Weiyang could move, Yuan Lie used this trick to pull her completely into his embrace. There was no sign of any pain on him, nor any illness. “Weiyang, why are you angry at me over those irrelevant people!” His voice was soft, sounding like a child acting spoiled.

Seeing that he was doing it deliberately, Li Weiyang turned to leave, but he held her firmly. “Weiyang, what Miss Wang? I don’t even know her. Why would I want something forced on me?” His voice was low and pleasant, like a spring breeze brushing past her ear, very touching.

Li Weiyang’s heart stirred, and for a moment she couldn’t break free. His voice was almost helpless. “Weiyang, in this world I only care for you. Compared to you, everyone else is insignificant. When I returned to Yuexi, all I saw were vexing people, but as soon as I see you, all that pain and worry disappears. How can anyone else compare to you? So don’t think about any Miss Wang. If you’re willing to marry me right away, we’ll hold the wedding ceremony immediately. Then would you still need to worry about that old man arranging marriages at random?” He was completely serious, persuading her step by step, and combined with that harmless, handsome face, his destructive power was absolutely immense.

Hearing him speak with such solemnity, clearly not planning to seek the Emperor’s imperial decree at all, Li Weiyang had to marvel that Yuan Lie’s skills had grown increasingly formidable over these two years. Such sickeningly sweet words, yet he spoke them with such genuine emotion and deep affection, making it all seem so natural. Of course she knew they should hold the wedding early, but now was a troubled time. Before Empress Pei was completely defeated, she knew the other party would certainly use this opportunity to cause trouble, which would not be good. Her entire life had been spent in struggle—if there came a day when she was to marry, she wanted to wait until everything was smoothly resolved…

But at this moment, Yuan Lie had already grasped Li Weiyang’s hand and said, “What’s wrong with marrying me now? Then you’ll be the mistress of Prince Xu’s manor. There’s no mother-in-law to serve, no messy disputes. The two of us can live happily together. If you want to kill Empress Pei, I’ll accompany you. If you want to rebel, I’ll support you to the end.”

Li Weiyang said angrily, “Who wants to rebel? Don’t talk nonsense—you really dare say anything!”

Yuan Lie’s amber eyes were crystal clear, his smile full of bright sunshine. “I know that old man said all sorts of things, but don’t pay attention to him. I’ve never taken his words to heart. If he wants to marry that Miss Wang, let him marry her himself. After all, an old bull eating tender grass isn’t new—don’t forcibly plant an old woman on me!”

Li Weiyang laughed mockingly. “That Wang Zijin is the same age as me—how is she old?”

Yuan Lie shamelessly leaned closer. “Everyone says she’s the Wang family daughter who could never get married!”

Li Weiyang disagreed. “It’s not that she couldn’t marry—your Imperial Father specifically saved her for you. They say she’s the cream of the crop, a fairy from the Jade Pool, no less. Not only is she proficient in music, chess, calligraphy, and painting, most importantly she understands military strategy, astronomy, and geography. Calling her an extraordinary woman wouldn’t be wrong. If you refuse to marry her, you might lose the best supporter for gaining the throne. Aren’t you worried?”

Yuan Lie showed no interest. “I’ve never wanted to be Emperor, and I certainly don’t want to marry a woman I don’t like for the throne. Whether she looks like a celestial fairy or is stupid as a pig has nothing to do with me.”

Hearing this, Li Weiyang couldn’t help gently shaking her head. “If Miss Wang heard these words, she’d probably faint from anger.” She could tell that Wang Zijin was a proud and arrogant woman. She wasn’t infatuated with Prince Xu Yuan Lie—rather, she felt that Prince Xu’s public refusal of the marriage had humiliated her. Such a woman who thought so highly of herself would only refuse to marry down—she could never allow anyone to refuse to marry her.

The Wang family had always been a reclusive noble house, and even their children rarely appeared in public. This Miss Wang in particular hadn’t appeared before people for over ten years. For her to suddenly emerge now probably had something to do with the Emperor above. Thinking of the last time the Emperor had wanted Li Weiyang dead, she could understand why the Wang family had been so aggressive at today’s banquet—it was probably the Emperor’s instruction.

Perhaps in the mind of this mad Yuexi Emperor, she wasn’t worthy of being his daughter-in-law. The daughter-in-law he wanted would naturally be a genteel lady from a prestigious family, and most importantly, someone who could assist Yuan Lie in ascending to the throne and sitting firmly on it. The Wang family clearly had this capability. Actually, after returning from the Wang manor today, her mood hadn’t been very good. Just as she was about to say something, she suddenly saw Yuan Lie tilting his head, a gentle smile playing at his lips, his eyes sparkling and captivating. “Weiyang, after you marry me, I’ll cherish you, dote on you, love you! So you absolutely won’t regret it!”

After he finished speaking, Li Weiyang was inexplicably amused by him.

But at the same time, she thought: The throne—did Yuan Lie truly not care about it? The temptation of imperial power was irresistible to anyone, and Li Weiyang understood this very well. Not to mention Tuoba Zhen back then—even Tuoba Yu had his desire for power aroused. Sometimes it wasn’t that you wanted it, but that you had no choice but to take it. Only by ascending to the throne could you protect yourself and protect those you valued. However, she had an instinctive resistance to the imperial palace. If Yuan Lie went to pursue the throne, would she always remain steadfastly by his side? If she prevented him from winning the throne, would he blame her decades later for ruining his life?

Yuan Lie watched Li Weiyang’s expression change uncertainly, and his smile suddenly settled. He grasped Li Weiyang’s hand and said, “I’ve said before not to think too far ahead about many things. I won’t regret any choice I make myself, and besides, my original wish was to stay by your side. Let all those Miss Wangs, Miss Zhangs, Miss Lis go to hell!”

Hearing this, Li Weiyang raised her eyes and looked steadily at Yuan Lie. Although his words were somewhat arrogant and domineering, they stirred a warmth in her lover’s heart. Yes! This person before her had followed her all the way from Dali to Yuexi. No matter how dire the circumstances, he had stayed by her side. Why was she so suspicious, actually doubting whether he would waver in the future? No matter what situations they encountered in the future, as long as they were together they could get through safely. This was true mutual support through hardship, growing old together.

Yuan Lie lingered for quite a while longer before finally leaving at Li Weiyang’s repeated urging. Soon after, she heard Lianou come in to report, “Miss, Prince Jing has arrived.”

Li Weiyang was startled, then said calmly, “Please ask him to go to the flower hall.” Lianou nodded and left to carry out the order.

So late—why would Prince Jing suddenly visit? Li Weiyang had originally been about to rest, but now had to rearrange her appearance and put on proper clothing for receiving guests before hurrying to the flower hall. Prince Jing Yuan Ying had already been waiting there for a full half hour. Hearing footsteps, he raised his eyes. His gaze was so gloomy it could drip water, as if forcefully suppressing something.

Li Weiyang said in a calm tone, “What brings Prince Jing to visit so suddenly?”

Prince Jing looked straight at Li Weiyang. “You saw what kind of person that Wang Zijin is today. What are your thoughts?”

Li Weiyang’s heart jumped, not knowing what Prince Jing meant by this. She thought for a moment before saying, “The Wang family’s young lady is naturally a talented and beautiful genteel lady with the bearing of a great house. If Prince Jing is interested, he could certainly find ways to request her hand as his princess consort. I believe it would be extremely helpful for the struggle for the throne.”

Prince Jing Yuan Ying’s expression changed. His voice took on more gloom at this moment. “Jia’er, you clearly know what I mean, yet you speak of other matters. Are you trying to hide something?”

The window had been opened by a maid. At this moment, a gentle breeze wafted in, dispersing the sandalwood fragrance in the room and bringing a breath of fresh air. Li Weiyang took a deep breath before saying calmly, “What exactly does Prince Jing mean? Please forgive me for not understanding.”

Yuan Ying’s gaze had always been quiet and gentle, but for some reason, when only he and Li Weiyang remained here, his eyes became cold and sent chills down one’s spine. “You should know Father Emperor’s intentions. His purpose is to have Yuan Lie marry Wang Zijin, yet you actually dare to indulge Prince Xu in defying His Majesty’s will. You should know what kind of person this Emperor is—what you’re doing is simply foolish beyond measure!”

Li Weiyang’s face remained calm, without the panic or grief Prince Jing Yuan Ying had expected. She was as serene as if nothing had happened, smiling faintly. “Prince Jing, you should understand my personality very well. What I can and cannot do, I will judge for myself without needing others to direct me. However, your thoughts are quite puzzling to me.”

Prince Jing’s anger could no longer be concealed. “Aren’t my thoughts perfectly clear to you?”

Li Weiyang understood perfectly well, but what she couldn’t comprehend was this: no matter what, Prince Jing would put his pursuit of the throne before Li Weiyang. Why didn’t he actively pursue Wang Zijin instead of coming to say all this to her? Wasn’t this contradicting his original intention? Thinking of this, Li Weiyang looked steadily at Prince Jing and said, “Your Highness, many things are determined by Heaven and cannot be changed by human effort. Although His Majesty is the Son of Heaven, he is still just a mortal. No matter what, he cannot override Heaven’s will.”

The meaning of these words was that she clearly would not yield.

Yuan Ying’s eyes filled with mockery. “Have you gone mad? Actually openly defying the imperial decree—what kind of love potion has Yuan Lie fed you to make you so devoted to him!”

Li Weiyang’s expression didn’t change because of his sarcasm. “This has even less to do with Prince Jing. I advise you that if you have such thoughts, you’d better plan carefully. The Wang family is your best marriage alliance!”

Prince Jing laughed coldly, his anger turning to laughter. “Are you truly so stubborn?”

Li Weiyang’s smile remained as gentle as a spring breeze. She picked up her teacup. “Zhao Yue, see the guest out!”

Prince Jing stood up and smiled coldly before striding quickly toward the great hall. When he reached the door, he turned back around and looked at Li Weiyang. “Jia’er, you’ll regret this! Even if you don’t care about yourself, you should think about the consequences of opposing His Majesty. So many people in the entire Guo family—are you willing to let them all be implicated by you? You really are a good daughter to the Guo family!”

Li Weiyang acted as if she hadn’t heard anything at all and said nothing in response.

Prince Jing clenched his fists, his voice growing even colder. “I will report this matter to Uncle and Aunt myself. I want to hear how they, who have always maintained the family’s honor, will deal with a daughter like you!” With that, he had already strode out quickly.

Li Weiyang raised her eyes and glanced at Yuan Ying’s resolute departing figure, then gently shook her head.

Zhao Yue said softly, “Miss, what Prince Jing just said…”

Li Weiyang smiled coldly. “Pay him no mind. I think he’s possessed by demons!”

Zhao Yue thought to herself: This possession seems to be for you. But she didn’t dare say this aloud. She said in a low voice, “Miss, do we need to strike first?”

Li Weiyang was rather surprised. “Strike? How?”

Zhao Yue said hesitantly, “Starting with that Miss Wang…”

Li Weiyang was amused by Zhao Yue. “The key point isn’t Wang Zijin, but what Yuan Lie thinks. The Emperor is now hastily bringing out Wang Zijin—clearly he can’t sit still anymore. He has no way to directly force Yuan Lie to comply with the imperial decree. He can only use this roundabout method, letting Yuan Lie see who is superior and inferior between Wang Zijin and me, who is better and worse. This also indirectly shows that he has no way to control his own son.”

Hearing this, Zhao Yue’s heart jumped. Now she understood—her young lady’s grasp of human nature was unmatched in this world. But regardless, this Wang Zijin was different from ordinary women. She was very worried and said again, “But this servant saw that Miss Wang is truly a formidable person. Miss must be cautious and careful!”

Li Weiyang naturally understood this girl’s loyalty and just nodded. “I naturally understand this. Today she had two maids display their talents before everyone—she just wanted to tell me that even the maids by her side are talented in both civil and military arts, beautiful and accomplished. If her maids are like this, how much more so the young lady herself!”

Li Weiyang paused, then continued, “Then she deliberately made Princess Ali drunk, creating an opportunity to be alone with me and making clear His Majesty’s intentions, hoping I would retreat in the face of difficulty. This woman has considerable means and is far from ordinary. As for later when she personally performed on the konghou, that was to test my thoughts, to see whether I’m mediocre and whether I’m worthy of being her opponent.”

Zhao Yue listened in confusion, but one principle was very clear: Miss Wang was going to oppose her young lady. She couldn’t help frowning.

Li Weiyang wasn’t worried though. If the Emperor publicly decreed a marriage, any ordinary noble family’s son or prince would have no chance to refuse. But with Yuan Lie… his personality was to rather be shattered jade than intact tile. If the Emperor forced him, there would definitely be no good outcome. Moreover, the more urgently the other side pressed, the more Yuan Lie would rebel. Then father and son would only completely fall out, making the situation irreparable. So she could only hope the Emperor would realize this in time and not commit an irreversible mistake, completely losing this son.

Li Weiyang sighed softly. “The hardest thing in this world to calculate is the human heart. The Emperor himself once deeply loved that person but couldn’t be with her due to countless obstacles, so his mentality was already somewhat abnormal. Now he wants to use authoritarian methods to force Yuan Lie to live according to his way—I’m afraid it’s destined to be futile.”

Actually, reaching this point, Li Weiyang had another heavy premonition in her heart. She vaguely felt that Empress Pei was behind all this, fanning the flames. The Pei family was now in a precarious position—they were desperately using other noble families to divert Li Weiyang’s attention. Precisely because of this, Li Weiyang paid no attention to Wang Zijin’s provocations. Her most important goal now was to eliminate the Pei family—she could only put other matters aside for later. This world was originally a bottomless abyss that devoured people without spitting out bones. Who could climb up from the abyss was still unknown. Whether it was Empress Pei or Wang Zijin, whoever blocked her path—well, she was sorry!

At this moment in the Empress’s palace, Empress Pei stood alone in the hall, holding a memorial in her hands, her expression inscrutable. Lost in thought, a palace maid quietly reported beside her, “Your Majesty, Young Master Pei is waiting outside the hall requesting an audience.”

“Pei Bi?” Empress Pei’s eyelids twitched violently. Her heart immediately realized that Pei Bi’s entry into the palace at this time must be for something extremely urgent. She immediately nodded. “Tell him to come in.”

Pei Bi almost stumbled his way into the great hall. During this period his illness had grown increasingly severe, and he had lost considerable weight. His cheeks were no longer smooth as before but now had some stubble, and his entire face had sunken in, looking very haggard. When Empress Pei saw him, she suddenly noticed blood stains on his body and couldn’t help saying, “Pei Bi! What happened to you?”

Pei Bi wasn’t in a hurry to answer. He just knelt on the ground and lowered his voice to reply, “Your Majesty, I attended the Wang family’s banquet and fell from my horse on the way back, sustaining a minor injury.”

Empress Pei’s expression changed slightly, then she quickly used a steady voice to say, “Since you’re injured, why didn’t you go home to recover? Why come to the palace? At this hour—do you have urgent business?”

Pei Bi gritted his teeth and said word by word, “You haven’t forgotten what happened in the great hall before, have you, Your Majesty?”

Empress Pei’s brows tightened. “Continue.”

Pei Bi responded, “Yes. Your Majesty may remember that last time Bao’er bribed people from the Crimson Blood Alliance to hijack the Guo family’s carriage. Not only did the plan fail, but the Guo family falsely accused us of stealing the sarira. The Guo family used this as an excuse to investigate the Pei family’s locations over the years and searched out an account book. Although I secretly destroyed the important information, His Majesty still learned about those twelve hundred taels and made us repay it threefold.”

Empress Pei said calmly, “Of course I haven’t forgotten. Has something else happened?”

Pei Bi’s face showed infinite pain. He hadn’t expected Li Weiyang’s methods to be so vicious—one wave hadn’t settled before another arose. Just as the Pei family was repaying the debt, this new matter occurred. He said in a low voice, “After that incident, I severely punished Bao’er and confined her to her room, not allowing her to go out freely. But this girl actually secretly bribed a maid and threatened the guards to sneak out of the manor, swearing to find those Crimson Blood Alliance people to get to the bottom of things. Those coarse people naturally don’t care about honor—they turned on Bao’er, not only kidnapping her but even selling her to Xingyue House…”

Empress Pei had originally looked languid, but hearing the last three words, she sat bolt upright, her voice unusually stern. “What did you say?”

Pei Bi’s heart tightened as he said word by word, “Bao’er was sold to Xingyue House.”

Empress Pei’s eyebrows shot up. With a wave of her hand, she violently knocked over the blue porcelain vase on the nearby tea table. The bright flower petals fell along with the water, wilting together. Empress Pei’s voice was infinitely cold. “Where is she now?”

Pei Bi lowered his head, involuntarily clenching his fists, yet unable to dispel the bone-chilling cold. “When we found her, she was desperately trying to hang herself.”

These words indicated that Pei Bao’er had lost her virtue. Empress Pei sat on the hall throne, her expression extremely ugly for the first time. After a long while, she spoke again, her voice seemingly wrapped in icy threads, carrying an indescribable chill. “Since that’s the case, you should know what to do!”

Pei Bi kept his head down, struggling to form the words. “Your Majesty, having her commit suicide now is already too late!” His voice was extremely heavy, completely losing its usual calm—he had clearly been pushed to the end of his rope.

Empress Pei’s heart jumped as she spoke. “What do you mean, too late?”

Pei Bi gritted his teeth. “This matter has already been blown up into a huge scandal that everyone knows about!”

As expected… Empress Pei closed her eyes and sighed. Without her speaking, the entire great hall fell into a terrible silence. All the palace maids were silent as cicadas in winter, holding their breath and not even daring to raise their heads to look at Empress Pei’s expression—they knew the Empress must be extremely angry at this moment. Finally, her brows smoothed out again as she nodded. “This Li Weiyang’s methods are truly extraordinary—she really is an interesting person.”

Hearing this, Pei Bi suddenly raised his head. “Your Majesty, I failed in my duties and was lax in disciplining my sister, which led to this incident. It’s all my fault. Please punish me!”

Empress Pei’s lips curved slightly in an inscrutable smile that controlled everything. “I watched Bao’er grow up. She’s always been brainless, and you rarely disciplined her. She prided herself on her beauty, thinking she had capital to obtain anything, which is why she’s now suffered such a crushing blow. Though someone deliberately dug a trap, it’s also related to her personality. If she had obediently stayed in the Pei manor and stopped going out as you told her, how would she have encountered such a thing? At this point, there’s no other solution. Have her become a nun!”

Pei Bi knew this was already the best choice. Actually, the Pei family’s reputation had already been tarnished by Pei Bao’er. She had also become mysteriously associated with the Crimson Blood Alliance. If this matter spread, even Empress Pei’s face would be completely lost because of Pei Bao’er. Li Weiyang was truly too ruthless. She clearly knew that for a family, descendants and reputation were most important. First she killed Pei Bi’s brothers, cutting off their line of succession. Now she used Pei Bao’er to destroy his family’s reputation. Far-sighted, advancing step by step, her methods were even more vicious than Empress Pei’s strategy using Nalan Xue. Two evenly matched opponents—nothing more than this. Just as Pei Bi was about to speak, he heard Empress Pei speak again. “Bao’er’s matter is only an internal worry. There’s also an external threat. Take a careful look.”

Hearing this, Pei Bi couldn’t help raising his head. A palace maid beside him immediately handed over the memorial Empress Pei had been holding to Pei Bi. Pei Bi quickly scanned it, and his face instantly turned snow white. His face was full of disbelief. “How can such a thing be?”

What the memorial described was even more shocking and astonishing to Pei Bi than Pei Bao’er’s matter. Eight years ago, the Yuexi Emperor had used a million taels from the national treasury to build a great dam at Mianjiang, but unexpectedly it had collapsed yesterday, not only submerging half the city but also injuring many common people—one stone stirring up a thousand waves. The Emperor sent people to investigate, and the report officials submitted back stated very clearly that the supervising official at the time had cut corners and used inferior materials. Even worse, the person responsible for supervising the dam’s construction was Pei Bi’s maternal uncle, Pei Hai.

Where weren’t there corrupt officials? This was just lice in cotton wadding. Empress Pei said calmly, “Li Weiyang’s intelligence network is extremely well-informed. I’m afraid she has long since recorded and investigated all the matters the Pei family has been responsible for over these years. So before this news even came back, she immediately made tight arrangements. First she sent people to spread rumors among the common people, saying the dam’s destruction was entirely due to Pei Hai’s dereliction of duty. I also had people investigate. The specific people responsible for building that breach have all vanished without a trace, and all the account books have also disappeared. In this situation, it’s clear they want Pei Hai to take the blame.”

Pei Bi’s teeth were chattering. “This Li Weiyang is truly too terrifying. To deal with the Pei family, she’ll use any means necessary. Perhaps this dam collapse was also her doing…”

Empress Pei shook her head and said with a cold laugh, “Pei Hai’s personality is too mediocre. If not for having the Pei family name, he would have no qualifications to sit in that position! Though I’m in the palace, I’m not blind or deaf. I’ve heard that many people under him often abuse their power using the Pei family’s influence. This has been going on for quite some time—you know about it yourself. A thousand-mile dike can be destroyed by an ant hole. The Guo family is just exploiting the Pei family’s existing problems and making a big fuss about this collapse.”

Actually, Pei Bi also knew this matter had no essential connection to Li Weiyang, because half a year ago he had seen a secret letter saying the dam was in danger of collapse. At that time he had notified Pei Hai to send people to repair it, but unexpectedly it still collapsed this year! This showed that Pei Hai hadn’t done as he said! Or perhaps his subordinates had cut corners for profit—Li Weiyang must be taking advantage of this opportunity to stir up popular resentment and create a smokescreen, putting all the blame on Pei Hai!

In family struggles, there was no right or wrong. But to be so pervasive and have such cruel intentions! Pei Bi couldn’t help gritting his teeth. “This Li Weiyang is too ruthless and merciless. Now to preserve the Pei family, I’m afraid…”

Empress Pei said calmly, “I’ve already sent a message to Pei Hai. He has already hanged himself and voluntarily submitted a petition before his death to disperse all his family wealth to fill the national treasury and appease the people. I think the Emperor won’t pursue this matter further.”

Hanged himself? Pei Hai was also a pillar of the Pei family. Pei Bi had been planning that after his uncle got into trouble, he would have to rely on Pei Hai to handle court matters temporarily. But unexpectedly, now even he had been forced to extremes by Li Weiyang.

Seeing his thoughts with one glance, Empress Pei only said coldly, “This is the only way to preserve the Pei clan.”

Pei Bi’s heart was filled with hatred to the extreme. He almost wished he could immediately kill Li Weiyang. But after all, he was different from Pei Hui and the others. He quickly calmed down and said in a low voice, “Your Majesty, please dismiss your attendants.”

Empress Pei raised her eyebrows and waved her hand. “All of you, withdraw.”

All the palace maids withdrew. Pei Bi carefully inspected every corner of the hall, inside and out, until he was certain no one was eavesdropping. Only then did he frown and approach Empress Pei. “Your Majesty, now that the Guo family is being so aggressive, the Crown Prince’s position is also precarious. His Majesty is wholeheartedly favoring the Guo family. In my view, we should inform Father about this matter.”

The father Pei Bi spoke of was Pei Yuan, who controlled the army and was stationed at the border. Empress Pei’s expression changed. “You mean—”

Pei Bi suddenly leaned even closer. Using his finger dipped in some tea, he wrote four large characters on the ground. Empress Pei looked at those four characters, then at Pei Bi. Pei Bi’s eyes were very cold.

These four characters were: Enthrone a New Sovereign.

Pei Bi’s intention was very clear. He wanted to enthrone the Crown Prince—in blunter terms, this was rebellion.

Pei Bi urged further, “Your Majesty, I know the timing isn’t very good now, but if we continue like this, I’m afraid the entire Pei clan will be completely annihilated. By the time Father returns, he’ll face total devastation with no way to turn the tide.”

Military power was military power; the family was the family. A family’s prosperity and flourishing required outstanding people to support it. According to the Pei family’s current situation, they were actually already in very dire straits. Originally very prosperous, the main pillars of the Pei clan had either died early or left no descendants. With no heirs to continue the line and self-destruction, this was the greatest taboo for all noble houses and would ultimately affect the entire family.

Seeing the Empress’s expression waver, Pei Bi immediately pressed his advantage. “Do you still remember the Teng clan from the previous dynasty, Your Majesty?”

The Teng clan Pei Bi mentioned was actually the premier family most relied upon by the previous dynasty’s imperial house. Unfortunately, members of the Teng clan didn’t live long—they all died young. Since the clan head Teng Zhang, their average lifespan was only about forty years, with only two living past sixty. Precisely because of this, although the Teng clan was prominent in its time, it ultimately had to select people from other branch families to inherit titles due to having no sons. Like a vicious cycle, they kept having no heirs. The once illustrious main branch of the Teng family declined in this manner without anyone to inherit, and within three decades of being passed down for four generations without heirs, the Teng family vanished without a trace. Besides the decline in social status caused by changing political circumstances, the loss of succession and extinction was an internal cause that couldn’t be ignored.

Pei Bi’s meaning was very clear. Now under Li Weiyang’s relentless pressure, the Pei family had suffered heavy losses, especially the main branch. Apart from Pei Bi, they were almost completely wiped out. In this situation, they had no choice but to find people from branch families to inherit. But continuing this way long-term would definitely not have good results. Pei Bi made a throat-cutting gesture, his eyes cold. “Your Majesty, first gather people to control the major noble houses and the palace, then use the lives of everyone in Duke Qiguo’s manor to threaten the Guo family’s eldest son. I don’t think he’ll rashly raise troops. Then we can assist the Crown Prince in ascending the throne.”

Empress Pei laughed coldly, her expression like looking at an immature child. “Pei Bi, you can raise troops for the Crown Prince, but you cannot raise troops for the Pei family. Apart from your trusted confidants, no one will easily follow you. Because although His Majesty doesn’t like the Crown Prince, he hasn’t moved to depose him. If you raise troops now, it’s completely without justification—this is a great taboo in military campaigns. If you follow your plan and suddenly strike, then help the Crown Prince ascend, how will we block the mouths of the masses? For now, the only plan is to hide our strength and bide our time so we can strike back from desperate straits.”

Actually, Pei Bi had already been pushed to extremes by Li Weiyang. The most important thing he hadn’t said was that he had no ability to procreate and couldn’t produce heirs. The entire main branch of the Pei clan would be completely cut off, and he was severely ill without the continuing strength to contend long-term with the entire Guo family. This was the most fundamental reason he was urging the Empress to raise troops in rebellion.

Seeing his expression, Empress Pei softened her tone. “I know very well what to do. You need not say more. Withdraw.”

Pei Bi still wasn’t willing to give up and raised his head. “Your Majesty, but at this moment…”

Empress Pei smiled slightly. “Rest assured, I won’t allow Li Weiyang to run wild. She’ll soon know that not everything is under her control.”

Hearing this, Pei Bi’s heart jumped. He suddenly understood Empress Pei’s meaning. He nodded. “Yes, Your Majesty.” With that, he turned and withdrew.

A gust of wind blew in, extinguishing the candles in the hall. In the dim light, one could only see the South Sea pearl on Empress Pei’s forehead glittering in the darkness, illuminating her entire exquisite face with a faint flowing light. But it looked particularly eerie. She suddenly laughed softly and shook her head. “Still too young and can’t keep his composure.” This remark was obviously about Pei Bi just now.

When Prince Jing Yuan Ying received the news, it was already deep in the night. He almost rushed all the way into the palace. When he arrived before Consort Guo Hui’s hall, the entire sky was dyed red by firelight. The palace front had already gathered many people. A hundred Imperial Guards formed a human wall twenty meters from the palace—anyone unrelated to firefighting was absolutely forbidden to enter. Prince Jing Yuan Ying pushed aside a guard and shouted sternly, “My mother consort is inside? Why hasn’t anyone gone to rescue her?!”

Yuan Ying had always been very calm, but at this moment he was extremely furious, almost his eyes splitting with rage. The guard commander hurried over. Seeing his stern expression, he didn’t dare say more and quickly stepped aside. Yuan Ying rushed through the cordon, panting all the way to the closest point to the palace. Before his eyes, the familiar palace was completely engulfed in flames. The crazed fire serpents licked out through the windows, and the scorching heat wave made breathing difficult. Thick smoke billowed everywhere. People crowded around, constantly screaming and crying. The smoke made it almost impossible to open one’s eyes. “Mother Consort!” Yuan Ying shouted. Because of his tension, almost no one could hear what he was saying. He quickly grabbed a eunuch. “Where is Consort Guo Hui? Has she come out?”

The entire great hall had already been devoured by the blaze. Even the towering roof was submerged in the continuously rising scorching flames. That eunuch said trembling, “After the fire started, we never saw Her Majesty the Consort. She… she’s probably… still inside…” They had all rushed over when they saw the firelight to fight the fire. As for the people inside this hall, probably not many could escape…

Prince Jing was completely stunned. At this moment, the fire before his eyes was growing larger and larger. The firefighters kept pouring water into the blaze but also kept retreating, because the water tanks and buckets they were using to extinguish the fire were just a drop in the bucket compared to what was needed. Seeing this situation, Yuan Lie was almost frantic with pain. He quickly rushed toward the fire, completely ignoring people shouting behind him, “Prince Jing has rushed in! Quickly go save him!”

Prince Jing rushed recklessly into the blaze. The guard commander couldn’t help feeling anxious. In this situation, Consort Guo Hui’s life or death was already uncertain. If they added Prince Jing to the casualties, his crime would be great. Thinking of this, he shouted loudly at those behind him, “Quick! Quickly go inside to rescue Prince Jing!”

But the fire was too fierce. No one dared move. Everyone stood there looking at each other, watching it all happen helplessly!

A moment later, just when everyone had given up hope thinking Prince Jing had perished in the flames, they suddenly saw someone rush out from the sea of fire. His face was ashen gray, his hair disheveled, and blood was streaming from a large gash on his forehead, but he was tightly holding the person in his arms. The guard commander quickly rushed forward. “Your Highness!”

Prince Jing had just carried the person out and hadn’t run ten steps when everyone suddenly heard a “boom!” The fire wave instantly surged forth. In that heavy interplay of light and shadow, they clearly saw a huge beam suddenly crash down, violently smashing onto the main hall. The once grand and solemn palace finally collapsed with a thunderous crash. The fire crackled incessantly, and dust rose everywhere.

Seeing that what Prince Jing had been holding all along was the unconscious Consort Guo Hui, the guard commander finally breathed a sigh of relief and quickly ordered people to summon the imperial physicians to treat Prince Jing and Consort Guo Hui. At this moment, the entire palace behind them had turned into ruins. Prince Jing suddenly turned his head and stared at the burning wreckage and broken walls in the sea of fire, his eyes showing extreme hatred. Consort Guo Hui’s palace had always been cautious and careful—how could it catch fire for no reason? Someone must have deliberately set it. And this was clearly a warning to them.

When the news reached the Guo family, Li Weiyang set down the book in her hands, her expression changing before she quickly calmed down. But Madam Guo said anxiously, “Is Consort Hui all right?”

The person who came to report immediately said, “Prince Jing said Her Majesty inhaled a lot of smoke and ash but is otherwise unharmed. She just hasn’t regained consciousness yet.”

Only then did Madam Guo press her palms together and devoutly say a Buddhist blessing. But she suddenly remembered, “This matter must absolutely not be told to Princess Chenliu, lest she worry too much! Tomorrow morning I’ll request an audience with His Majesty to enter the palace and visit Consort Hui.” The messenger hurriedly left. Madam Guo’s expression remained extremely worried. She turned to Li Weiyang. “Jia’er, what do you think is behind this matter?”

Though Li Weiyang was surprised, she didn’t want to frighten Madam Guo and only said in a calm tone, “Someone is deliberately warning the Guo family not to go too far.”

Madam Guo’s heart jumped. She couldn’t help saying, “You mean this is Empress Pei…” She reached this point but didn’t dare continue.

Li Weiyang’s expression was composed. This fire wasn’t meant to burn Consort Guo Hui to death, but to let the Guo family know that Empress Pei’s eyes were everywhere. As long as she wanted, even the heavily guarded palace was within her reach—how much more so the Guo manor? Burning Consort Guo Hui was just a warning. If Li Weiyang didn’t stop, the next target would be the entire Guo family. Empress Pei’s thoughts were truly ruthless indeed. She had just sent her a gift, and the Empress immediately returned the favor. As the saying goes, failing to return a favor is impolite—she had returned it far too quickly.

Li Weiyang shook her head and sighed softly. It seemed she had pressed too hard too fast—otherwise the other side wouldn’t have made such a move.

Madam Guo’s brows were tightly furrowed. “This matter is truly too terrifying. To think such a thing could happen even in the imperial palace!”

But Li Weiyang lowered her head in thought. Regardless of anything, the arrow was on the string. What she wanted was the Pei family’s destruction—she absolutely would not stop here!

When the matter was reported to the Emperor, he was drinking wine in the garden. Hearing that Consort Guo Hui’s palace had caught fire, he just glanced sideways and replied, “Oh! Is she dead?”

The reporting eunuch was shocked and quickly said, “Your Majesty is blessed by Heaven. She was rescued by Prince Jing.”

The Emperor smiled faintly. “If she’s not dead, that’s good. Why bother reporting it? Withdraw.”

The eunuch’s heart grew even more fearful. Seeing the Emperor like this, he didn’t dare say anything more and turned to bow before withdrawing.

The Emperor looked at the wine cup in his eyes and drained another full cup before raising his head to see a shooting star streak across the sky, bringing momentary brilliance before vanishing in an instant. He raised his wine cup toward the shooting star in a distant toast, murmuring, “Flying star, oh flying star, I toast you a cup of wine! All the emperors throughout history are like you—in the blink of an eye they turn to nothing. Everyone calls me ‘Ten Thousand Years,’ but where in the world is there an emperor who lives ten thousand years?”

Saying this, he suddenly burst into wild laughter. The people around him, seeing such a deranged Emperor, grew even more terrified and lowered their heads one after another. No one could possibly guess the thoughts of this Emperor!