Over there, the festivities were in full swing when Princess Ali quietly pursed her lips and said, “Look at how proud Wang Zijin is! Now everyone probably knows she’s skilled in both civil and military arts—a first-class daughter of a distinguished family.”

Li Weiyang merely smiled faintly and replied, “Everyone has their own fate. Why should Princess Ali trouble herself over it?”

Princess Ali was quite surprised. She always felt Li Weiyang was too indifferent, as if she didn’t take anything to heart. Then she lowered her gaze and looked at the dining table before her. Arranged in a circle on the table were pale blue porcelain plates with delicacies laid out in a row. Though they were porcelain, they were paired with gold bowl covers inlaid with agate and precious stones, along with a line of pure gold dishes and jade-inlaid chopsticks to match. It looked extremely luxurious—such extravagance was something Princess Ali had never seen before.

Seeing Princess Ali’s admiring expression, Li Weiyang smiled and said, “This current His Majesty is actually not that extravagant. I’ve heard that during the late Emperor’s time, whenever there was a banquet, fireworks would be set off for three days and three nights, and flowing feasts would be set up in the palace square. Each time the banquet ended, candle wax would cover the entire floor.”

Princess Ali frowned slightly: “What good is such extravagance? It’s nothing but a waste of the people’s lifeblood.”

Li Weiyang hadn’t expected Princess Ali to say such words. She looked at her with an approving expression: “If future emperors could think like you, the common people of the world would be blessed.”

Ali glanced in the Crown Prince’s direction: “Unfortunately, I see that this current Crown Prince’s extravagance exceeds even His Majesty’s. If he becomes Emperor one day, who knows to what lengths this display will go!”

Hearing this, Li Weiyang’s smile deepened as she said softly, “Nothing is absolute. You may see him building high towers, but you cannot see when those towers will crumble to dust. Who can know what we’ll encounter in the future?”

Princess Ali couldn’t help but say thoughtfully, “Jia’er, I’ve never been able to see through your thoughts. You seem to support Prince Jing, yet from beginning to end you’ve been indifferent toward him. Could you really want to watch the Crown Prince ascend the throne? Even though I don’t understand court politics, I know this wouldn’t be good for the Guo Family!”

Li Weiyang smiled gently and said warmly, “Princess Ali, whether it’s the Crown Prince or Prince Jing, there’s no right or wrong in their struggle for the throne. What difference does it make to me who becomes Emperor? Although Prince Jing has blood ties with the Guo Family, neither my parents nor I have proposed standing on Prince Jing’s side. If they want to fight, to struggle, to compete—let them. We’ll just watch quietly from the side.” She said this much, but left half unsaid. The struggle between the Crown Prince and Prince Jing was probably just on the surface; behind them were countless others watching that dragon throne with covetous eyes. The Emperor was determined to have Yuan Lie succeed him—this wouldn’t be so easy!

At this moment, palace maids entered in a procession, holding golden trays bearing almond Buddha’s hand, crispy sweet apples, jade chicken shreds, crystal pork knuckle, eight-treasure wild duck, Buddha’s hand golden rolls, stir-fried squid… all exquisitely prepared delicacies filling the entire table. Beautiful dancers came to perform during the feast, with singing and dancing creating a lively scene—a picture of prosperous peace!

Just then, a blue-robed eunuch entered the hall and respectfully reported, “Your Majesty, the emissary from Dali requests an audience.”

Everyone fell silent simultaneously. The Emperor’s gaze turned cold as he said slowly, “Let him enter the hall.”

In that moment, the dancers quietly withdrew, the musicians stopped playing, and hundreds of eyes watched the entrance to the great hall. Before long, they saw a red-robed official walking up quickly.

Li Weiyang recognized this person at a glance—it was Xie Kang, an advisor whom Tuoba Yu had greatly trusted back in those days. Only back then, this Xie Kang had been merely a poor scholar in the Seventh Prince’s mansion. Now, however, he was already the Minister of Rites. As they say, a new emperor brings new ministers—it was nothing more than this.

Minister Xie walked before the Emperor, bowed respectfully, and said, “I greet His Majesty the Emperor of Yuexi. I come bearing my sovereign’s decree with a special gift to congratulate Your Majesty on your birthday.” As he spoke, his body trembled involuntarily, his expression somewhat strange, clearly harboring trepidation and fear about this mission.

Li Weiyang glanced at Minister Xie, her brow furrowing slightly. Princess Ali whispered, “What’s going on?”

In that instant, Li Weiyang had an uneasy premonition. Sure enough, when the gift box was opened, everyone gasped softly. Inside the red brocade box lay a wild goose, its wings drooping to cover its head and neck, having already lost its breath and become a specimen—it looked quite pitiful.

This scene shocked everyone. Immediately someone rose in fury, shouting, “How dare you! What does your Emperor of Dali mean by sending such a gift to insult His Majesty?”

Wild geese symbolized eternal friendship; generally when countries established relations, wild geese would be among the many gifts sent as a symbol. But now the Emperor of Dali had sent a dead goose—this was clearly meant to embarrass the Emperor. No wonder Minister Xie looked so terrified; his sovereign’s gift this time was clearly meant to completely sever relations, even publicly humiliate the Yuexi imperial family.

The Emperor of Yuexi’s lips curved into a cold smile, his gaze carrying a solemn anger. Finally his lips twitched, his fury unmistakable: “A young upstart whose seat on the throne isn’t even warm yet dares to openly provoke—what audacity!”

By seniority, Tuoba Yu was actually a generation below the Emperor of Yuexi, yet today he dared to send such a birthday gift, clearly not placing the Emperor in his eyes. Not to mention that relations between the two countries had already reached freezing point these past days. If Tuoba Yu had truly sent generous gifts, there might have been some easing, but instead he sent a dead goose! Minister Xie’s face was covered in sweat. He wanted to maintain a strong exterior but felt a deep fear from the bottom of his heart. His voice lowered three degrees as he said, “Your Majesty, the gift has been delivered. Please forgive this humble minister for taking his leave.”

With that, he turned to leave when the Crown Prince let out a cold laugh and angrily said, “Stop him!”

Immediately guards blocked the palace entrance. Minister Xie turned back. Though the muscles of his face were trembling, he still laughed loudly and said, “Yuexi is a great nation and should have the dignity of a great power! Even in war between two countries, envoys are not killed. Moreover… I am merely following my Emperor’s orders to deliver a gift box. If Your Majesty blames me, a mere minor official, for this, then everyone in the world will laugh at Your Majesty for lacking tolerance, truly losing the bearing of a great nation’s ruler!”

With these words, he was clearly telling everyone: if the Emperor of Yuexi killed him, it would violate the old principle of not killing envoys during conflicts between nations, and would also invite ridicule.

Everyone’s faces turned ugly. They hadn’t expected that this Emperor of Dali, before even warming his dragon throne, would first send someone to make a show of force. Although Yuexi had already expelled Dali merchants, at least war hadn’t broken out between the two countries. From the looks of it now, this war could hardly be avoided.

The Crown Prince laughed coldly: “Today is my father’s birthday banquet, a day of universal celebration, yet you dare send such a gift—clearly deliberate provocation! Under these circumstances, what’s wrong with killing you? Letting you go would make people laugh at Yuexi for having no one of worth!”

He was about to order Minister Xie taken away when he suddenly heard the Emperor of Yuexi raise his hand and say, “No need. Let him leave.”

Everyone looked at the Emperor in great surprise. How had someone who killed people as easily as cutting vegetables suddenly become so merciful?

Li Weiyang shook her head gently. The struggle between two countries would inevitably manifest in military matters, not in executing a mere envoy. No matter how arrogant and unreasonable this envoy was, killing him would mean losing the dignity of a great nation—this would be extremely disadvantageous. Minister Xie wiped the cold sweat from his forehead and quietly withdrew.

The Crown Prince frowned, showing a somewhat displeased expression. But Empress Pei smiled slightly, lowered her head and gently lifted a wine cup to sip, her expression leisurely.

The Emperor watched the Dali emissary leave, then proclaimed loudly, “Since inheriting the throne, I have dedicated myself to carrying forward my founding ancestor’s great virtue and comforting my late father’s spirit. I have considered myself an enlightened ruler. Though fortune has not favored us these years, with natural disasters year after year, I have still done my utmost as sovereign. Unfortunately, our neighbors are restless and stirring. Just now I received a secret report stating that Dali has deployed troops and constructed encampments beyond our border, seemingly with intent to attack. Just now, that newly enthroned Emperor of Dali also sent a dead goose as provocation! I take this opportunity to discuss with all you ministers and officials whether we should issue a decree to send troops to Dali, to strike first and protect our state’s safety!”

Hearing this, everyone was stunned, and for a time no one spoke up—a cold silence fell. They never imagined that one Dali mission would make the Emperor consider launching a major war, even proactively raising the subject.

Empress Pei’s face showed a faint smile as she unobtrusively took in everyone’s expressions.

Seeing that for a long while everyone remained dumbstruck, the Emperor suddenly changed his tone of speech, his voice carrying a hint of uncanny warmth: “If any ministers have suggestions, feel free to speak directly at court. I declare in advance—those who speak are blameless. I will naturally accept advice humbly and choose what is good to follow! You need not have any reservations—speak freely!”

Everyone exchanged glances. The Emperor suddenly had thoughts of military action—was this a test, or did he have other intentions?

The Crown Prince’s brow furrowed tightly. Although the Emperor had just spared that envoy, it didn’t mean he wasn’t angry. Especially since that envoy had publicly humiliated Yuexi by sending such a dead goose—given his father’s temperament, he must be suppressing extreme fury. His intention to go to war must be real.

Empress Pei’s gaze swept lightly over the Emperor’s face, revealing a gentle, beautiful smile, though her eyes held no warmth whatsoever.

Seeing that still no one spoke, the Emperor’s voice grew somewhat heavier: “If you don’t speak at this banquet today but whisper behind my back, once I discover it, you’ll only be dealt with for the crime of deceiving the sovereign!”

As soon as his words fell, the Minister of War had already risen. Just moments ago, Empress Pei had glanced at him, and the Minister of War immediately understood, loudly saying, “Your Majesty, this humble minister has something to say!”

The Emperor naturally asked, “What do you have to say?”

The Minister of War, being very familiar with military matters, knelt there and loudly memorialized: “This humble minister believes our country should not employ troops at this time. As Your Majesty just indicated, in the past ten years our country has had one-third of its provinces suffer natural disasters every year, whether floods or droughts. The common people depend on court relief for their livelihood, and individual provinces have seen rebellions requiring military suppression. It can be said that natural and man-made disasters have severely depleted our national strength and affected the army’s morale and fighting spirit. If we open war with Dali at this time, given the current state of our military, a quick decisive victory is impossible. But if we fight a prolonged war, we’ll need large amounts of provisions, military pay, and soldiers. Once supply falls short, first it will be unfavorable for the war, and second the people’s hearts will turn unstable. Therefore this minister boldly advises—we must not send troops!”

Hearing this, the Emperor’s brow furrowed slightly, seeming to show hidden anger. The Minister of War’s heart jumped, but having just received the Empress’s signal, he had no choice but to say these words.

His words had barely finished when General Zhen Dong Wang Qiong spoke first: “The Minister of War’s words are mistaken. Since Dali has already stationed troops at the border, if we sit by and do nothing, wouldn’t that be irresponsible to the border people? Once they launch a major attack, it will surely ignite endless warfare. If we don’t prepare early, it will certainly cause countless people to suffer. How can you consider provisions and military pay while leaving the people on the brink of disaster? If provisions, military pay, and troops are insufficient, we can find ways to recruit them. If you’re unwilling to consider the people, what use are the Six Ministries!”

Hearing him say this, Duke Qi also stood up and proclaimed loudly, “Your Majesty, the Emperor of Dali has just taken the throne and is now desperately eager to divert domestic conflicts. The best method is to attack neighboring countries! His collusion with Da Zhou goes back a long way. This time he must want to use this dead goose to provoke Your Majesty’s anger. In this humble minister’s view, though we shouldn’t immediately send troops, we should prepare early! We shouldn’t wait until armies are at our gates to gather provisions—that would truly push the people into fire and water.”

Li Weiyang glanced at these two men and nodded. The Wang and Guo families had unknowingly formed a united force. Everyone could see that Duke Qi and General Zhen Dong clearly shared the same position. But people couldn’t help but wonder—General Zhen Dong had lost two beloved sons, all somehow related to the Guo Family, so why could these two families still come together?

Empress Pei’s gaze turned icy cold. According to her original plan, the Guo and Pei families would inevitably become bitter enemies, like fire and water. But because the Crown Prince had repeatedly miscalculated, and because of Li Weiyang and Wang Zijin’s interference, this drama hadn’t played out smoothly and instead pushed these two families together. Never mind—of the two families, the only one who warranted her attention was Li Weiyang alone. She didn’t regard the others. Even if they joined forces, so what? The only concern was that the two families’ combined military forces had greatly increased. Holding military power was the most critical matter. Thinking of this, her gaze grew even colder.

As soon as the Minister of War spoke, the Crown Prince immediately understood Empress Pei’s meaning and subtly signaled to the Minister of Works. The Minister of Works immediately rose and memorialized: “Your Majesty, this humble minister also agrees with what the Minister of War said—we should not employ troops against Dali for several years! What General Zhen Dong and Duke Qi said wasn’t wrong. To prevent the possibility of Dali raising troops, Your Majesty should instruct border garrison troops to increase vigilance, but this humble minister feels there’s absolutely no need to prepare for war. Since Duke Qi also knows that Dali’s emperor just ascended the throne and is young and impetuous, he wants to show off his might to our country—this shows he’s outwardly strong but inwardly weak, lacking confidence. Now he’s merely sent a dead goose, without any substantive action. As for stationing troops at the border, the most important purpose is nothing more than hoping our country will be wary. If we speak of truly launching a major attack, he simply lacks the capability! Why should we see danger in every shadow? If we expand our military on a large scale, won’t this disturb the people? This is truly not a blessing for all the people, Your Majesty!”

The Crown Prince stepped forward. He glanced at the Emperor before proclaiming loudly, “Father Emperor, it’s over a thousand li from here to Yuexi, with countless high mountains, steep ridges, and narrow paths in between. Once the army departs, horses, supplies, war chariots and so on all become problems, and conscripting soldiers requires enormous expenditure. Court allocations will likely be a drop in the bucket. Your son roughly calculates that if we employ troops against Dali, just the conscription expenses would require tens of millions of taels of silver. This money has no source—should we extract it from the people?! This completely contradicts Father Emperor’s consistent principle of loving the people as his own children, so… though Dali is indeed going too far, now is truly not the best time to raise troops.”

After the Minister of War finished speaking, the other ministers also rose one after another to agree, causing the Emperor’s expression to grow increasingly ugly.

Li Weiyang’s eyes turned toward the Crown Prince, a hint of coldness crossing her expression. She knew Empress Pei’s arrangement must have more to come—it couldn’t merely be to show the Emperor an almost one-sided situation at court. Sure enough, she saw Censor Zhang rise from the side and say, “Your Majesty, the urgent matter is to expel all Dali people from our borders!”

The Emperor frowned: “What does Censor Zhang mean?! I have already ordered all Dali people expelled and completely severed relations with them!”

Censor Zhang suddenly glanced at Duke Qi, then suddenly proclaimed loudly, “Yes, according to Your Majesty’s decree, dealings between our country and Dali were severed long ago. However, according to this humble minister’s knowledge, Dali people occasionally sneak into our borders to trade goods with our merchants. Additionally, some Dali spies constantly enter and leave our capital—who can say they’re not here to spy on our military, political affairs, and public sentiment? Therefore this humble minister believes we should strictly order border garrison troops to prevent Dali people from entering, and all offices in the capital should remain vigilant in investigation. Upon discovering Dali people, immediately arrest and severely interrogate them. If they’re common people, expel them; if they’re spies, execute them, and anyone harboring these spies should be charged with treason to demonstrate our stance of irreconcilable opposition to Dali!”

Hearing Censor Zhang say this, Duke Qi’s brow furrowed slightly. He felt the other party was starting to set traps.

The Emperor said coldly, “Well said. I have already declared that all Dali people shall be expelled, and anyone who dares harbor them shall be charged with harboring criminals!”

Hearing him say this, Censor Zhang immediately said, “Your Majesty, this humble minister follows Your Majesty’s decree and has urgent matters to report.”

The Emperor frowned slightly: “I have just granted your request. What else is there?”

At this moment, his cold gaze rested on Censor Zhang’s face for a moment. He vaguely sensed that Empress Pei was about to move against certain people, but this was fine—he was happy to watch the show.

Censor Zhang said coldly, “This humble minister received information that my wife’s uncle was killed five days ago in his bedroom by his concubine in collusion with her lover. The adulterous pair made off with gold, silver, and valuables and fled. This humble minister reported the case to the Jingzhao Prefecture and immediately issued wanted posters, ordering nearby prefectures and counties around the capital to send officers to set up checkpoints and search everywhere. Unable to escape the capital gates, they secretly snuck back in. Along the way, the Jingzhao Prefect established countless checkpoints just to capture them. Unintentionally, this humble minister discovered something strange.”

Everyone watching Censor Zhang showed surprised expressions as they heard him continue: “During the search, this humble minister’s men discovered an extremely strange woman in Duke Qi’s mansion’s carriage, always wearing a veil and following behind Miss Guo. When officers tried to question her, they were always refused entry by Miss Guo. Not only that, she also repeatedly evaded questions about this woman’s origins, offering nothing but prevarication. This humble minister received information that this woman is precisely a spy from Dali who has past connections with Miss Guo. Although Miss Guo’s bloodline is pure Yuexi, she happened to grow up in Dali—one cannot help but be suspicious. Therefore this humble minister requests the Guo Family provide an explanation!”

Hearing this, everyone looked suspiciously in Li Weiyang’s direction.

After listening to a few sentences, Li Weiyang’s lips gradually curved upward. So it came—this was where they were waiting for her! Probably from today’s beginning with the Dali emissary appearing to present the dead goose, provoking the Emperor’s anger, then everyone’s pretentious performance saying war shouldn’t be declared, and finally Censor Zhang arousing the ministers’ united hatred against Dali, getting the Emperor to agree that harboring Dali people constituted treason—step by step leading Li Weiyang into a trap. It seemed ordinary but was calculated at every turn. The other side had determined she would certainly harbor Consort Lian, and determined she would certainly protect this woman. Because the other side knew she held too many secrets, she could never allow Consort Lian to fall into enemy hands—so this protection became grounds for the other side to attack her.

The Emperor looked toward Li Weiyang, his gaze sweeping toward her with threads of icy coldness.

Li Weiyang’s smile was barely there, her calm, indifferent eyes showing no ripples.

The Emperor turned his head and said coldly, “Duke Qi, someone accuses your mansion of harboring a Dali spy. What do you have to say?”

Duke Qi quickly rose and bowed to the Emperor: “Your Majesty, this is a false accusation. How would this humble minister dare do such a thing?”

The Emperor smiled coldly and looked toward Censor Zhang: “What evidence do you have that could make Duke Qi accept defeat?”

Censor Zhang immediately said, “In response to Your Majesty, this humble minister has evidence.”

“Oh, what evidence?” Duke Qi turned sharply, staring at Censor Zhang: “Just because a young woman appeared in my mansion, you think we’re harboring Dali spies? Without proof or evidence, Censor Zhang, I advise you not to speak recklessly!”

Censor Zhang showed no weakness: “I naturally wouldn’t speak nonsense before Your Majesty. Duke Qi, what exactly is the identity of that white-clothed woman? Do you dare explain to everyone? Or simply let the Imperial Guards search your residence to see exactly who that white-clothed woman is?”

Duke Qi flew into a rage: “How dare you! You want to search my residence!” Then he turned: “Your Majesty, this humble minister would never dare violate Your command, much less harbor Dali spies. This is all Censor Zhang’s wild accusations. This humble minister’s loyalty is as clear as the sky—I beg Your Majesty to investigate clearly!”

The Emperor’s gaze swept over them one by one, growing increasingly cold.

Empress Pei beside him smiled faintly: “Whether it’s true or not, simply searching Duke Qi’s mansion will reveal the truth. Duke Qi, you are His Majesty’s most loyal subject. Surely you won’t mind a search to prove your innocence?”

Duke Qi’s face instantly turned cold. He looked straight at Empress Pei, his gaze shooting out countless cold glints, but Empress Pei remained completely unmoved. Her smile grew even warmer, graceful and elegant. The Crown Prince immediately said, “What, is Duke Qi worried something will be found?” Saying this, he smiled faintly: “Who would have thought the Duke Qi who always claimed to be utterly loyal was actually a fraud? If your conscience is clear, why resist the search?”

As soon as the Crown Prince spoke, others began speaking up, all urging Duke Qi to accept the search and prove his innocence.

Duke Qi’s voice was cold and heavy: “May I ask Your Highness, what if nothing is found?”

The Crown Prince glanced at Censor Zhang. Although he didn’t know why his mother insisted on searching the Guo residence, he trusted her judgment. He immediately said, “If nothing is found, I will publicly apologize to Duke Qi at court. As for Censor Zhang…” But finishing this sentence, he suddenly sensed something wrong. The woman Censor Zhang mentioned was… no, impossible! He unconsciously clenched his fists, his smile slowly disappearing.

Censor Zhang saw the Crown Prince look his way and immediately stepped forward, puffing out his chest: “As for me, I’m willing to forfeit my life in apology to the Duke!”

Hearing this, everyone was shocked. Wang Qiong quickly said, “Censor Zhang, why must you be so aggressive? What’s this about forfeiting your life? Today is His Majesty’s birthday banquet. Saying such things—doesn’t it embarrass His Majesty?”

Censor Zhang laughed coldly, as if infinitely loyal, his neck stiff: “I am His Majesty’s censor, responsible for monitoring all officials’ words and deeds. If Duke Qi truly harbored spies, it’s the crime of treason. Even if I must forfeit my life, I must eliminate this treacherous minister for His Majesty!” Saying this, he actually took three steps forward, removed his official hat, knelt on the ground and said, “I beseech Your Majesty to order a search of Duke Qi’s mansion. If nothing is found, proving Duke Qi is innocent, this humble minister is willing to spill his blood on the spot!”

Hearing his such certainty, a trace of mockery flashed through Li Weiyang’s eyes. Princess Ali glanced up and glimpsed the smile hidden in Li Weiyang’s eyes. She couldn’t help but feel secretly alarmed, thinking: Has Jia’er lost her mind? This is a critical moment! If they discover the ailing Leng Lian, it will be disastrous!

The Emperor nodded slightly: “In that case, have the Imperial Guards search Duke Qi’s mansion! If nothing is found, the Crown Prince must apologize, and as for Censor Zhang, you can only forfeit your life in compensation!”

Censor Zhang was startled and immediately lowered his head, responding, “Yes, Your Majesty.”

With this development, the entire banquet became extremely subdued. Everyone drank silently, occasionally exchanging whispered words, each with grave expressions. Every time His Majesty held a banquet, something had to happen, making everyone uneasy. Looking at the Guo Family members’ expressions, they all appeared composed. At this moment, Ying Chu stood in the shadows, observing everything happening in the great hall with just a faint smile. He had already received word that Leng Lian was still at Duke Qi’s mansion.

Once the Imperial Guards went, they would certainly discover this person! Li Minzhi was just a child; without evidence he posed no threat at all, but Leng Lian was completely different. When the time came, no matter how Li Weiyang tried to argue, Duke Qi’s mansion couldn’t escape the charge of harboring Dali spies—especially since this spy came from Dali’s imperial family. This was absolutely something the Emperor couldn’t tolerate. No matter what kind of family Duke Qi’s mansion was, they couldn’t escape the charge of treason!

Prince Jing watched this scene, a trace of worry crossing his eyes. He knew of Li Weiyang’s relationship with the Dali imperial family. If Li Weiyang had truly harbored someone from Dali, this matter could be big or small. Surely Empress Pei and the Crown Prince would seize this handle to utterly destroy Duke Qi’s mansion. Once Duke Qi fell, Prince Jing would reach his end too. Thinking of this, he couldn’t help but look toward the Crown Prince, seeing a cold smile on that handsome face. Strangely, Yuan Lie beside him wore a completely unconcerned expression, not even speaking to stop it, as if he didn’t take the matter to heart at all.

Prince Jing pondered for a moment, then couldn’t help but calm down. He vaguely felt this matter wasn’t so simple.

The Crown Prince was almost sitting on pins and needles. He strung the whole matter together in his mind, and the more he thought about it, the more uneasy he became…

After a full half hour, the Imperial Guards indeed brought a woman to the hall. The Imperial Guard commander reported to the Emperor: “Your Majesty, this humble minister has searched Duke Qi’s mansion from top to bottom. Finally, we discovered this woman in Princess Chenliu’s residence. She is not a servant of the Guo Family. We beg Your Majesty to verify her identity!”

There really was a spy! Hearing this, people looked at the Guo Family with eyes carrying three parts anger and contempt. Those Dali people sent a dead goose, clearly humiliating Yuexi. Setting aside that this Miss Guo from Duke Qi’s mansion had countless tangled connections with Dali, just her harboring a Dali spy was absolutely intolerable!

The white-clothed woman wore a veil over her face and only bowed gracefully to the Emperor: “This commoner greets Your Majesty and Her Majesty the Empress.”

Empress Pei frowned slightly, appearing somewhat surprised: “Who are you?”

Li Weiyang stood up, smiling slightly with a composed expression: “In response to Your Majesty, this is a distant niece of my mother, Madam Guo, who came from Qingzhou to seek refuge with our Guo mansion.”

Empress Pei smiled faintly: “If so, why does she wear a white veil and refuse to show her true face?”

In truth, few could recognize Leng Lian’s appearance, but her peerless beauty had already spread throughout the world. Once her face was revealed, naturally someone with ulterior motives would identify her, so no matter where she was, she always wore a veil. Even among the Guo household servants, few had seen her true face. At this moment, Princess Ali forcibly suppressed the unease in her heart. Leng Lian had truly been discovered—what should the Guo mansion do next? What about Jia’er? This was all her fault. If only she hadn’t brought Leng Lian back in the first place! She instinctively wanted to speak, but Li Weiyang timely gave her a look, signaling her not to move.

At this moment, the Crown Prince had already spoken: “Let her remove the veil to verify her identity.”

Li Weiyang actually took the initiative to leave her seat, stepped forward, and said with a light laugh, “Your Majesty, my cousin has injuries on her face. I fear it would startle Your Majesty and everyone present. I beg Your Majesty’s mercy—please don’t make her remove the veil, to preserve a woman’s dignity!”

Empress Pei laughed coldly, her expression carrying three parts mockery: “Hearing Miss Guo’s words, it seems you’re deliberately trying to obscure this woman’s identity.”

The Crown Prince stared at this white-clothed woman, secretly guessing that since he had abducted the real Leng Lian, Li Weiyang must have found someone to substitute for her. If this was true, then this so-called Dali spy was in his own villa?! Did Li Weiyang know? Had she deliberately set this trap, or did she have other plans?! Was it possible that Leng Lian was just a honey trap? No! Impossible!

Imperial Concubine Guo lowered her eyes and said flatly, “Empress, you have no evidence to prove Duke Qi’s mansion harbored Dali spies. Please be careful with your words!”

Empress Pei looked at her coldly, her eyes rarely revealing a hint of hidden wildness and willfulness. She laughed coldly: “Imperial Concubine, you needn’t defend Duke Qi’s mansion anymore. Censor Zhang spoke with such certainty—he must have solid evidence. You should advise Miss Guo to confess early and avoid implicating more innocent people!”

At this moment, the white-clothed woman’s form trembled slightly, as if frightened and shaking.

Li Weiyang smiled: “Since Your Majesty insists, please remove the white veil.”

The woman froze, then nodded slightly. Her delicate hand moved, actually removing the veil from her face. Everyone looked and immediately cried out in shock. On that woman’s beautiful face were countless red spots, like pockmarks densely covering it—her original appearance was completely obscured!

Empress Pei suddenly clenched her hands. She stared at the other party almost unable to believe it. Then her gaze fell on a corner of the great hall—where Ying Chu was hiding. He sat in the most inconspicuous corner of the crowd, his face now showing infinite shock.

The white-clothed woman was already in tears, her voice mournful: “I beg Your Majesty’s and Your Majesty’s forgiveness! This commoner is Liu Shi of the Han family. I contracted a skin disease, which is why I had no choice but to cover it. This time coming to the capital was only to seek famous physicians for treatment. This commoner’s registered residence is in Qingzhou—all of this can be traced. Your Majesty can send people to my hometown to investigate. This commoner is called Liu Chunxue. I have a name, a surname, parents, and clan members. I am absolutely not some Dali spy.”

Hearing this, the Empress had already understood. In an instant she realized she had fallen into Li Weiyang’s trap. The other party had played her thoroughly—clearly having detected their intentions long ago, yet still deliberately pretended to be fooled, keeping Leng Lian at the mansion until this moment to give her this unexpected blow. However, this truly was an unexpected “surprise”—where had that perfectly fine living person gone? Why hadn’t they found her?!

Li Weiyang smiled and proclaimed loudly, “Your Majesty, this daughter also has important matters!”

The Emperor frowned: “Miss Guo, what do you have to say?”

Li Weiyang’s smile was gentle, her bearing graceful: “Actually Censor Zhang wasn’t entirely wrong. Previously, a Dali spy did seek out this daughter, but this daughter sternly refused and drove her out. I expelled her from the gates.”

Hearing this, everyone’s expressions changed.

The Emperor looked at Duke Qi: “Oh, did this truly happen?”

Duke Qi solemnly replied, “In response to Your Majesty, what my daughter said is correct. We all knew of this matter, and we even reported it to the Jingzhao Prefect, asking him to arrest this Dali spy. Yet the Jingzhao Prefect somehow failed to inform Censor Zhang, which led to this misunderstanding!”

Yuan Lie glanced at the Jingzhao Prefect, his eyes carrying an icy smile. Only then did the Jingzhao Prefect stand up and bow to the Emperor: “In response to Your Majesty, Miss Guo did indeed file a report at the office.”

Empress Pei stared at the Jingzhao Prefect like a venomous snake. Since the last incident with the Pei Family, the Jingzhao Prefect had already been at odds with her. Now it seemed he had clearly sided with Prince Jing’s faction.

The Crown Prince suppressed his inner trepidation and said sternly, “Guo Jia, when did you file this report at the Jingzhao Prefecture? What evidence do you have?”

The Jingzhao Prefect sighed inwardly but said aloud, “Your Highness, when Miss Guo came to file the report, General Zhen Dong, the Minister of Revenue, and the Vice Minister of Personnel were all at this humble official’s residence. They can all testify for Duke Qi’s mansion that Miss Guo did indeed come to file a report and described that woman’s appearance clearly. She even mentioned that this woman’s true identity was Consort Lian, the most beloved consort of the late Emperor of Dali. Therefore, this humble official can vouch for Miss Guo—she absolutely did not collude with Dali. Otherwise, why would she expose Consort Lian?”

Li Weiyang faced everyone’s shocked expressions with a composed demeanor: “Everyone knows I was raised by the Prime Minister’s mansion of Dali from childhood, so I was enfeoffed as a princess and had contact with palace people. Naturally I recognized this Consort Lian. This time she was expelled by the Emperor of Dali and happened to encounter me, wanting to seek refuge with me. Unfortunately, Your Majesty had already issued strict orders not allowing Dali people to enter the borders, so I drove her out. Originally I also wanted to bind her and bring her to the authorities, but at that time I was in the marketplace without any guards. I feared alerting her, so I just quietly drew a portrait of her features and sent it to the Jingzhao Prefecture to file a report. Your Majesty! I believe this Consort Lian’s sudden arrival in Yuexi is probably not as simple as fleeing—as Your Highness the Crown Prince just said, she must be here to spy on our country’s political affairs, military intelligence, and public sentiment. Perhaps she’s even the head of Dali spies in Yuexi, deliberately staging this act to make us believe her and infiltrate Yuexi’s interior. Please forgive this daughter’s rudeness—I beg Your Majesty to quickly send people to capture her!”

Hearing Li Weiyang say this, Yuan Lie smiled slightly and stood up: “Your Majesty, please entrust this task to me.”

The Emperor looked at Yuan Lie seriously for the first time, but inwardly laughed coldly: You’ve performed this act quite well, daring to play tricks before me. Do you think everyone is a fool?!

He could almost imagine what the whole affair was like. Empress Pei must have used some scheme to send Consort Lian into Duke Qi’s mansion, then used this opportunity to raise the topic, forcing the Emperor to search. Who knew Li Weiyang would strike first, sending Consort Lian out of the mansion ahead of time and preemptively exposing everything to the Emperor. This way, even if Leng Lian was discovered or revealed something, Li Weiyang could simply say Leng Lian harbored resentment after being exposed and was taking revenge. Nothing Leng Lian said would be believed!

Li Weiyang’s method truly cut off the problem at its root—quite ruthless. Who would have thought such a cool, calm, refined young woman could have such schemes?

The Crown Prince’s face was extremely ugly. He had already understood exactly what kind of person that woman in his keeping was… He never imagined such a beautiful woman was actually an emperor’s consort! Had he been played for a fool?! Damn that Leng Lian!

The Emperor smiled faintly: “Censor Zhang, do your earlier words still stand?”

Censor Zhang was already trembling. He knelt below the imperial throne, not daring to say a word, only constantly glancing toward Empress Pei.

The Crown Prince said through clenched teeth, “Father Emperor, please show mercy to Censor Zhang—he was only acting out of loyalty.”

“Silence!” The Emperor suddenly waved his hand, cutting off the Crown Prince’s next words, saying flatly, “Falsely accusing a loyal subject is already a capital offense. Do you want to plead for such a fool?”

Minister Zhang immediately pleaded loudly, “Your Majesty, this humble minister only failed to investigate properly and fell for a villain’s scheme—I absolutely never intended to falsely accuse Duke Qi!”

Before he could finish, he heard Empress Pei show no mercy whatsoever: “Censor Zhang, if you dare to act, you must dare to take responsibility! Since things have reached this point, Duke Qi’s mansion has already proven their innocence. You should understand what you must do!”

Hearing Empress Pei’s cold words, Censor Zhang felt as if a basin of ice water had been poured from his head to his feet, his entire body icy cold to the bone, penetrating to his heart. He knew he had been abandoned by Empress Pei, but what could he do? Having been an official for so many years, all his vulnerabilities had long been grasped by Empress Pei. Once she wanted him dead, he had no choice but to die! Thinking of this, he silently stood up and without warning threw himself at the jade pillar beside him. Everyone was completely shocked by this scene. In just moments, he was bleeding profusely, his entire body falling to the ground. A bowl-sized bloody hole gaped in his head, showing he had used tremendous force. The guards came forward to check and reported in a low voice, “Your Majesty, he’s dead.”

So easily dead! Li Weiyang smiled coldly. When things went wrong, kill to silence them—Empress Pei had calculated well! But would everything go as easily as she imagined? Probably not so simple.

The Emperor looked at Li Weiyang and said warmly, “Duke Qi’s mansion is not only blameless, Miss Guo has great merit. She reported the Dali spy, and I will reward her handsomely!” With that, he clapped his hands and several palace maids came forward holding over ten trays covered with red silk, yet the golden gleam beneath was faintly visible.

Everyone couldn’t help but marvel. The Emperor was making a grand gesture—these gifts were extraordinary!

Li Weiyang smiled gently and thanked him: “This daughter is most grateful for Your Majesty’s grace.” Then she returned to her seat.

The Emperor personally bestowed wine, delivered by palace maids. Li Weiyang thanked him again, then raised the cup and drained it in one gulp. In that initial moment when the wine entered her mouth, through the rim of the cup she met the Emperor’s eyes. The Emperor’s dragon eyes revealed an icy meaning, without a trace of smile.

Li Weiyang smiled coldly, completely unconcerned.

The other party’s expression was hard as ice, cold as water, but what of it in Li Weiyang’s view? The angrier he was, the more he had to maintain a perfect smile. This emperor played his role so pathetically—he might as well abdicate!

Princess Ali let out a great sigh: “Thank goodness, thank goodness. I was truly terrified just now! Where did this Liu Chunxue come from?”

Li Weiyang smiled: “You’re confused. These past days, hasn’t she always been at the Guo mansion?”

Ali frowned, seeming to want to ask something, but quickly she reacted and lowered her voice, using a volume only the two of them could hear, laughing: “So you played a trick?”

Li Weiyang smiled: “In this great hall, who isn’t playing tricks? Empress Pei can harm me, so why can’t I use her own methods against her?” Saying this, a trace of cold mockery crossed her heart. If Empress Pei knew that the beautiful Leng Lian was currently at the Crown Prince’s villa, she truly didn’t know what expression she would show—probably she’d cough up blood in fury! But now wasn’t the best time. When the right moment came, she would naturally let Empress Pei know what a huge mistake she had made.

Li Weiyang thought silently: Leng Lian, next it’s up to you. At scheming you’re no match for me, but dealing with men—surely you have your own methods. If the Crown Prince still keeps you even knowing your identity, then you have sufficient utility value. Otherwise, you’re nothing but a useless piece!

Princess Ali glanced at Empress Pei, feeling somewhat uneasy: “Look at her eyes—clearly so beautiful, yet cold as ice. Truly frightening!”

But Li Weiyang didn’t look at Empress Pei, nor at the furious Crown Prince. Her gaze turned instead to the silent Ying Chu in the crowd. She knew this plan had largely come from his hand. Ying Chu was not foolish; his scheme might not work on others, but would definitely work on Li Weiyang. Because he understood people’s weaknesses well and knew that given Li Weiyang’s suspicious nature, she would certainly keep Leng Lian under close watch. But he never imagined Li Weiyang would do the opposite and send Leng Lian to the Crown Prince’s side.

But in truth, who could guess what Li Weiyang was really thinking?

Yuan Lie watched Li Weiyang from afar, smiled gently, raised his wine cup and drained it. At this banquet, he understood Weiyang best, but this time even he couldn’t quite calculate her thoughts. Crown Prince, oh Crown Prince, do you know what kind of person Weiyang has sent to your side? When necessary, this bomb will likely blow you to pieces!

The Crown Prince was currently full of doubt. If Li Weiyang had deliberately orchestrated all this, she would certainly expose everything, revealing that Leng Lian was at his mansion. But why hadn’t she done so? Could it be she was just going with the flow, not actually knowing where Leng Lian had disappeared to… otherwise, why not use such a perfect handle?! This absolutely made no sense! There could only be one explanation—she and Leng Lian hadn’t conspired beforehand. Today was just a feint…