While picking up food with his chopsticks, Yin Gezhi spoke softly, “There are unsavory things in the back courtyard. For the peace of the master’s household, I trouble Commander Lian to clean it up.”

Commander Lian Heng was Wei Kingdom’s most impartial official, who showed no favoritism and gave face to no one, known for his fairness and hatred of evil. Earlier, when people heard he was guarding the city gate, even Feng Yue didn’t dare take risks, simply because he was too difficult to deceive.

Yesterday she had been thinking – the Grand Marshal commanded all military power in the country. Not just the capital’s offices, but even the Grand Marshal’s own office was under his control. Even if there were problems in his courtyard, who would dare investigate?

She hadn’t expected Yin Gezhi to request Lian Heng.

When Lian Heng took action, he was worth two men! Just as Zhao Xu was staring at Yin Gezhi in shock, the Commander had already kicked open the locked door to the back courtyard and ordered people to dig up all the soil with shovels.

“How dare you!” Zhao Xu roared after coming to his senses. He lifted his robes to confront Lian Heng, but as soon as he crossed the courtyard threshold, he was hit by a nauseating stench of decay.

“Report to Grand Marshal!” A quick-witted city guard soldier ran over and said, “Many female corpses have been discovered in the back courtyard. Three bodies have been excavated so far, with more still being dug up.”

Losing his balance, Zhao Xu collapsed to the ground. His lips trembled.

Now that the bodies had been discovered, he couldn’t stop it even if he wanted to.

The stench of decay spread everywhere. Yin Gezhi put down his chopsticks, elegantly wiped his mouth, and turned to look at Feng Ming: “General Feng, such a major incident should be reported to His Majesty.”

Feng Ming frowned: “I’m on leave.”

Just after saying this, he realized it wasn’t right and stood up brusquely, saying seriously: “Even leave cannot stop my determination to protect the imperial city! I’ll take my leave first.”

Feng Yue curtseyed to Yin Gezhi, saying naturally: “Then this servant will also take her leave.”

His gaze cooling, Yin Gezhi’s jaw tightened as he reached out to grab her skirt: “Where are you going?”

Feng Yue turned her head, laughing softly: “Your Highness, this servant is the General’s maid. If the General has left, what reason does this servant have to stay here?”

Don’t you care about the aftermath of this case? Yin Gezhi frowned, his hand loosening as she respectfully followed Feng Ming out.

As he crossed the threshold, Feng Ming glanced back, his head slightly lowered, his deep profile tracing beautiful lines in the sunlight. The corner of his mouth curved up, leaving Yin Gezhi with a look that seemed both mocking and sardonic.

I’m taking the person with me.

Looking on expressionlessly, Yin Gezhi gave a cold laugh and turned away.

Outside, Zhao Xu was in a standoff with Lian Heng. When Feng Ming left, he politely chose not to disturb them and simply climbed over the wall.

The atmosphere at the Grand Marshal’s mansion was tense. As soon as Feng Yue left, her whole body relaxed.

“Have you accomplished what you wanted to do?” Feng Ming turned his head and asked her.

Feng Yue smiled: “The first step is complete, thank you, General. I’ll handle the rest myself.”

“Yue’er…”

“Stop!” Unable to hold back a frown, Feng Yue raised her hand to cover his mouth, shuddering as she asked with a strange look: “Why are you calling me that?”

Feng Ming raised an eyebrow: “I’m used to calling you Guan Qingyue, not Feng Yue, but I’m afraid using the wrong name might cause you trouble, so calling you Yue’er is best.”

Yue’er, Yue’er. They were the same anyway.

Feng Yue found this reason acceptable and nodded: “Very well then. Let’s separate at the intersection ahead – I’ll return to the courtyard house and General, you head to the palace.”

“Good, you go first.”

“Mm.” Turning to run toward the courtyard house, Feng Yue ran without looking back, and thus couldn’t see someone standing still without moving, only turning to head in another direction after she had disappeared from sight.

The three of them had somehow divided up the work, but for some unknown reason, after Feng Yue returned to the courtyard house and waited an entire day, there was still no news from the Grand Marshal’s mansion.

Turning to look at Madam Qiu, Feng Yue asked with a strange expression: “Your people outside haven’t heard anything?”

“No, we only heard something happened at the Grand Marshal’s mansion and many city guards rushed over. As for what specifically happened, there’s been no word at all.” Madam Qiu raised an eyebrow: “Why are you asking about this? We’ve arranged everything we needed to – regardless of what happens inside, as long as the Emperor visits the Grand Marshal’s mansion again, our plan will succeed.”

Feng Yue fell silent, then laughed.

She had wanted to see whether Yin Gezhi would win or lose, but hadn’t expected that this time, the brilliantly calculating Crown Prince would lose so badly, and to his own Imperial Father no less.

With such a major case discovered and Feng Ming reporting to the Emperor, if His Majesty handled it justly, the Grand Marshal’s mansion should be in chaos by now. Unfortunately, that wasn’t the case. With not even rumors spreading, it meant that even Yin Gezhi hadn’t been able to leave.

Yin Gezhi entered the palace and knelt in the imperial study, calmly tilting his head to dodge the jade paperweight his Imperial Father had thrown.

“Zhao has served our Yin family loyally for over ten years – you think you can investigate him just because you say so?!” Emperor Wei was furious: “Chenbai, you’ve always been filial, how is it that after one trip to Wu Kingdom, you’ve become like a different person?!”

Slowly raising his head, Yin Gezhi stared at his Imperial Father and said leisurely: “Until before this son went to Wu Kingdom, in this son’s eyes, Imperial Father was always a wise ruler – respecting the worthy, distinguishing right from wrong, fair in rewards and punishments. Because of this, this son never even questioned whether there were other motives behind your words when you said General Guan had betrayed the country. This son believed in you wholeheartedly.”

So when he heard Yi Guoru’s conversation with Feng Yue before death, no one knew how shocked he was. It was the first time he thought to examine his Imperial Father’s actions. What he had taught him was indeed loyalty, filial piety, benevolence, and righteousness, but what had he done?

He had thought evil ministers had deceived his father and that by clearing the Guan family’s name upon his return, he could also redeem his father. But when he saw the Crown Prince’s robes on his second brother and the evasive look in his father’s eyes, he suddenly understood that perhaps he had been the one deceived all along.

The last hope was extinguished with Emperor Wei’s imperial edict that “whoever raises the Guan family case again shall be executed.” He had thought his father would listen, but he wouldn’t listen and even flew into a rage – which meant…

He had known all along that the Guan family was wrongly accused, yet despite this, because he feared Guan Canghai, he ruthlessly sacrificed over a hundred innocent and loyal lives.

This Imperial Father felt very unfamiliar to him and left him feeling very lost. If the person who had taught him everything since childhood was wrong, then was he right or wrong?

The only thing he could understand clearly was that he had failed Guan Canghai, and Guan Qingmu, failed all the innocent people of the Guan family who died. And most of all, he had failed Guan Qingyue.

He had once mocked her that a courtesan was unworthy of armor, without realizing that the armor she once possessed had been shattered by his own hands.

Closing his eyes briefly, Yin Gezhi gave a derisive laugh, his eyes glistening. Looking at his Imperial Father, he asked: “Does the Imperial Father truly deserve this son’s trust?”

Emperor Wei shuddered, and then his expression changed.

Yin Chenbai was his first son, the legitimate son left behind by his deceased Empress – naturally, he cherished him greatly.

But someone had told his fortune, saying Yin Chenbai would “oppose his father.”

Because of this, Emperor Wei made every effort to cultivate him, nurturing their relationship and raising him by his side, all to avoid this fate. How could his son oppose him? Moreover, this son was intelligent and destined for greatness – all the more reason he couldn’t defy him!

Unexpectedly, after more than twenty years, after Yin Chenbai had been obedient for more than twenty years, he still couldn’t escape this fate.

Clutching his chest, Emperor Wei slammed the table in uncontrollable fury: “How dare you! I am your Imperial Father – how dare you speak such treasonous words!”

The person kneeling below lowered his gaze, no longer dodging the objects thrown from above. The jade pen rest broke his forehead, causing blood to flow down, and making his vision turn red.

His Imperial Father had once taught him that though there are degrees of closeness in the world, there is also right and wrong. When someone is wrong, they must be punished even if close. When someone is innocent, they must not be wronged even if distant.

Now who was the one standing above?

In the imperial study, Emperor Wei’s scolding continued for a long time. Yin Gezhi knelt without moving until finally hearing him say: “Don’t concern yourself with the Grand Marshal’s affairs anymore. I know how to handle it.”

Know how? Yin Gezhi nodded and stood up, ignoring the blood on his face as he said flatly: “Then this son will wait to see Imperial Father’s handling.”

Shuddering at the tone of these words, Emperor Wei frowned as he watched his retreating figure, both angry and distressed.

“Your Highness!” As soon as he left the imperial study, many palace maids screamed in fright at his appearance. Some hurriedly offered handkerchiefs, but Yin Gezhi acted as if he saw nothing, slowly walking toward the palace exit.

Clouds obscured the sun, casting coolness over heaven and earth. The wind howled, lifting the hem of his robe embroidered with three-clawed dragons. His black hair flew, and he walked extremely slowly, his figure appearing so painful to watch that many palace maids unconsciously followed behind him until they nearly left the imperial study grounds, only to be stopped by guards.

A palace maid began sobbing, and someone beside her complained: “What are you crying for? You’re making me want to cry too.”

The little palace maid choked: “I don’t know either… seeing the Filial Prince like this just makes my heart ache. What happened…”

Just as his figure was about to cross the Qingyue Gate, a eunuch rushed out from the imperial study. Then Yin Gezhi was stopped at the gate.

“Your Highness.” The Emperor’s eunuch said tremblingly: “His Majesty commands you to stay in the palace for a few days.”

The chill deepened, but Yin Gezhi laughed, light dancing in his eyes, his bearing like a jade mountain about to collapse – such grace left even that eunuch entranced.

“Very well,” he said. “If Imperial Father wants me to stay, then I shall stay.”

Feng Yue found it strange – usually Yin Gezhi would often come to the courtyard house for tea, but three days had passed since the Grand Marshal’s incident with no sign of him.

Just as she was about to go ask Feng Ming, there was movement from Yin Zhongzhong’s side.

“Young Master, the Grand Marshal’s mansion is preparing to receive the Emperor.”

Receive the Emperor? Her eyes brightened, and Feng Yue immediately put Yin Gezhi out of her mind, leading people inside to plan their next moves.

The Emperor had left the palace in disguise, bringing Yin Gezhi with him to the Grand Marshal’s mansion.

Zhao Xu knelt at the entrance to welcome them, wearing casual clothes, with few people around.

Emperor Wei stepped forward to help him up, sighing: “My beloved official has been wronged.”

“This subject is not wronged.” Zhao Xu choked up: “This subject thanks Your Majesty for your mercy.”

Yin Gezhi stood to the side, his eyes showing not a ripple of emotion.