The Prefect was so terrified his face turned alternately green and white, as if at any moment he might choke and lose his breath. With a thud, he knelt before Zhou Weizhao, his pale face continuously begging Zhou Weizhao to spare his life.

He knew this official position had certainly reached its end. But at this point, whether he remained an official was secondary—whether he could keep his life was most important. He had elderly parents above and young children below. If he died, the family wouldn’t even have anyone to support the household. When that time came, not to mention how his elderly mother and father would get by, his son would also transform from a young master into someone everyone could bully.

As soon as he knelt, it was as if he had set an example. The others scrambled to kneel as well, desperately begging Zhou Weizhao to show mercy. Everyone was no fool—they could see that Liang Shoufu had tried to steal a chicken only to lose the rice, and now not only had he lost his life, but the Prefect was in trouble too.

And what they had seen before—in the box were not only their own wives’ fingerprints, but also personal belongings of their own sons or grandsons. Whether the Crown Princess Consort had been schemed against or had schemed against others was now self-evident.

Liang Shoufu had died at the most opportune moment. Only by dying at this time could he achieve the best effect. Zhou Weizhao looked down at the Prefect kneeling at the very front and asked him: “I heard Young Master Liang very much enjoys listening to opera—military operas about soldiers. I wonder, since Young Master Liang enjoys listening to them so much, he must be quite willing to actually do something for the soldiers, wouldn’t he?”

The Prefect immediately understood the implicit meaning, finally grasping why Zhou Weizhao hadn’t mentioned him from beginning to end—it turned out he still found him useful. He had never been so grateful that he still had some value to others. Nearly weeping, he kept saying he would discuss it with his mother-in-law and brother-in-law.

Everyone present understood clearly what this “discussion” meant.

Zhou Weizhao smiled slightly, tacitly approving. Looking at the table full of untouched food, he still didn’t pick up his chopsticks. He first had Chen Ping lead people to cross-check the amounts of silver these people pledged to donate, then set a time for collecting the silver. Only then did he smile at everyone: “This being the case, I imagine no one wants to use Fenghuang Tower’s banquet anymore. Coincidentally, I have no appetite either. Why don’t we wait a couple days, and I’ll properly treat everyone to a good meal to thank you all for your loyalty and generous regard toward the court. How about that?”

How could anyone dare refuse? They all nodded in agreement. Someone bolder even asked Zhou Weizhao: “May we know where Her Ladyship is currently viewing flowers? So we can send our household servants to attend to her—”

Song Chuyi was naturally still at the official residence at this moment, watching Madam Liang and the Prefect’s wife below grow so anxious they nearly cried aloud. She paid no attention, still busying herself with her own affairs. After a long while, when Qing Ying entered again from outside, she finally made a movement, raising her head and lightly nodding to Qing Ying in acknowledgment.

Qing Ying then stood at her side with hands lowered, reporting on what had happened today at the palace. Then she looked at Madam Liang and said: “However, Master Liang—” She paused here, stopping her words. After a brief moment, she continued: “However, Master Liang acted foolishly. The batch of refugees we encountered when we first entered the city were investigated and found not to be refugees at all, but people Master Liang had his subordinates impersonate, with the purpose of obstructing us to make us retreat in the face of difficulty. His Highness the Crown Prince didn’t pursue the matter, but somehow Master Liang again had people disguise themselves as beggars outside the palace, planning to harm His Highness. Lord Chen saw through it and executed him on the spot.”

Qing Ying’s words were spoken in a tone without the slightest fluctuation, as casual and natural as discussing eating, drinking, or what refreshments to serve. But to Madam Liang’s and the Prefect’s wife’s ears, it was no different from thunder on level ground. The two looked at each other in shocked uncertainty, then simultaneously asked Qing Ying: “What do you mean ‘executed on the spot’? Who were you just talking about—”

From the moment Song Chuyi had imperceptibly broken their scheme and brought everyone to the official residence, Madam Liang had known things were going badly. She had been pinning all her hopes on Liang Shoufu outside. Now hearing this, she nearly fainted, never imagining her husband had truly lost even his life.

Qing Ying unhurriedly repeated it once more, then added: “The Prefect will come shortly to fetch Madam Liang and the Prefect’s wife. Though Master Liang acted somewhat foolishly, I heard Young Master Liang is quite different from Master Liang—his whole-hearted loyal devotion is quite moving. His Highness said if it’s true, he will bestow a reward.”

Madam Liang couldn’t stand steady. She swayed several times before managing to stabilize herself by gripping the stone pillar beside her. For quite a while she couldn’t process what Qing Ying had just said. Her face deathly pale, she grasped the hand of her daughter who rushed over, and looked toward Song Chuyi again.

Song Chuyi originally had no patience to speak further with someone like Madam Liang, who wouldn’t give up until reaching the Yellow River. This kind of stubborn person who would risk everything for a bit of profit was truly exhausting to communicate with.

However, first because she thought it better to avoid trouble when possible, and second for the sake of making Zhou Weizhao’s grain requisition go more smoothly, she still spoke up to stop Madam Liang, her gaze fixed on her violently heaving chest: “Madam, I warned you before. I also gave you a chance before. If you had relented then, perhaps matters outside would have been different.”

Madam Liang bit her lip and shook her head fiercely, wanting to say something but unable to utter a single word. Her face was corpse-white, as if she had just died once.

Song Chuyi then said: “You only thought about how the court is currently in stormy turmoil, but didn’t think that the court is equally stable as Mount Tai. The Tatars have been attacking for half a year now, but have you heard of the Tatars breaking into the interior? No—this is the achievement of soldiers at the front lines advancing one after another. For this reason, we came to ask for silver. As long as these soldiers can endure and hold firm, the court will be fine. I know earning silver isn’t easy, but you were really too underhanded. Even if you didn’t want to give silver, why did you have to incite others not to give either? And having incited others not to give, why did you actually dare to harbor such treasonous thoughts as assassinating His Highness?”

Seeing the Prefect’s wife about to speak, she raised her hand to stop her: “I know you’ll say you had no intention of assassinating His Highness and me, only wanted to give us a warning. But don’t be foolish—the fact is that people in the procession truly did die. The fact is that if we had been behind the procession, we might not have escaped unscathed either. If this isn’t assassination, what is it? You should know what crime assassinating imperial family members carries—exterminating your nine clans would be light. Now only Master Liang has died, and the rest of you are still fine. This is actually His Highness showing exceptional mercy.”

The Prefect’s wife, her face deathly pale, supported her mother, unable to say half a word or knowing how to speak. After a long while, she lowered her head, suppressing the tears in her eyes, and quietly answered “yes.”