“Your subject believes that Prince Xiao bears the heavy responsibility of maintaining the friendship between Wu and Wei. Such hasty actions for the common people are truly inappropriate!”

“Hmph, can the friendship between Wu and Wei not survive without one Prince Xiao? Moreover, since the Prince himself has no desire to bear this responsibility, forcing him to continue receiving Wu’s incoming envoys might cause even more chaos.”

“Official Qin makes a valid point. Since the Prince has taken the initiative to step down, even if Your Majesty doesn’t approve, he can no longer serve effectively as Prince.”

Hearing these chattering voices, the Emperor roared, “Have you all argued enough?”

The court instantly fell silent. Emperor Wei knitted his brows and stamped his foot, saying in great anger, “Yin Chenbi has betrayed my trust, lacking the responsibility befitting a Prince – disloyal and unfilial. Such treasonous behavior! What is there left to argue about?”

“Issue the imperial decree: Prince Xiao, Yin Chenbi, has failed in his position and offended his sovereign! He is hereby stripped of his princely title and demoted to commoner status. He is forbidden from ever setting foot in the imperial palace again!”

“Your Majesty!” Half the court officials knelt, crying out in unison, “Your Majesty, please reconsider!”

What had started as a mere demotion to commoner status had now escalated to a lifetime ban from the palace.

Amidst the shocked outcries, Emperor Wei spoke calmly: “If you don’t wish to bear the royal family’s burdens, naturally you shall no longer enjoy any of its glory or privileges. Your mansion and assets will be seized. I shall consider myself without such a son, and you need not consider me your Emperor father!”

The calm voice severed bloodlines with a single stroke, showing not a trace of pain. Emperor Wei wasn’t actually surprised – from the moment Yin Chenbi returned demanding justice for the Guan family, he knew this son would no longer serve his purposes. Adding to that was Shi Hongwei’s report of his activities behind the scenes. He was clearly positioning himself as an enemy, opposing him! Better to dispose of such a person early, removing one threat.

The only regret, if any, was that Yin Gezhi had truly been a fine blade, and now had to be buried in the earth, never to be used again.

But compared to the risk of that blade turning against himself, discarding it wasn’t such a great loss.

“This commoner thanks Your Majesty for his grace.” Yin Gezhi placed his crossed hands beneath his forehead, making a deep bow to the figure on the throne. When he raised his head to look at Emperor Wei, he said, “Henceforth, I wish Your Majesty good health. Should difficult matters arise, you may still seek this commoner’s assistance.”

What presumptuous words! Emperor Wei laughed coldly: “I, as Emperor, would seek help from a mere commoner? Yin Chenbi, without your royal status, you are nothing! Don’t think too highly of yourself!”

Nodding slightly, Yin Gezhi showed no anger. He calmly stood up and walked step by step toward the great doors of the court. As he lifted his foot over the threshold, his white robes took on a slight yellow tinge from the rising morning sun outside. With his robes fluttering, he disappeared beyond.

The assembled officials sighed in dismay while the Emperor sat on his dragon throne, his gaze fierce, continuously letting out cold snorts.

Just wait and see – without wealth and glory, without supreme power, without even a single coin to his name, what would Yin Chenbi have left to be so proud of?!

“Guanzhi.”

Having crossed the palace gates, Yin Gezhi suddenly felt lightened, speaking cheerfully: “Go pack our things, take Fengyue, and move to the residence we prepared earlier. Then send word that Shichong and Huaizu can continue their journey.”

“Yes!” Responding excitedly, Guanzhi turned to prepare the carriage.

Without his princely title, Yin Gezhi could finally be himself – a shrewd merchant and an elegant scholar. The Emperor didn’t know, nor did the court officials, that Yin Gezhi had begun exploring commerce at eighteen, studying trade and profit-making out of interest. He started making money for fun, and when he accidentally made too much, he hurriedly deposited it in banks under Guanzhi’s name.

In the four social classes of scholar, farmer, artisan, and merchant, the court scholars looked down on merchants. As a prince, he especially couldn’t engage in such lowly affairs, so the former Yin Gezhi had always struggled. Even when he wanted to provide military supplies and weapons, he had to do so through others’ names in roundabout ways.

Now he felt at ease, no need to hide anymore. He could take Fengyue to a restaurant for a grand feast first. Thinking this, Yin Gezhi remained happy throughout the journey, already considering what dishes to order and what to buy afterward.

However, this joyful, relaxed mood was shattered upon returning to Prince Xiao’s mansion.

Jianjiang led a group kneeling at the gate, silent. The guards had all laid their swords on the ground in a gesture of apology.

His heart constricting painfully, Yin Gezhi gripped the carriage curtain and stared at them for a long while. Finally, he stepped down from the carriage to stand before them and asked softly, “She’s gone?”

Jianjiang replied gravely: “This servant was incompetent, but… there were too many people, all skilled in martial arts, and they used deception, so… this servant couldn’t stop them.”

His body stiffening slightly, Yin Gezhi looked up at the open doors of Prince Xiao’s mansion.

Was she so desperate to leave that she wouldn’t miss any chance during his absence? How could she be so utterly unconcerned about how he would feel upon returning to this scene?

All these days, she had been so well-behaved, not showing a single sign of trying to escape. He had just begun to relax, gradually stopping his dreams of her fleeing figure.

But now, she had truly gone, disappearing without a trace the moment he turned away, like an unexpected blow to the head. He didn’t even have a chance to react.

Who taught her to be so heartless?

Yin Gezhi shook his head, his mind slowly processing before immediately turning toward the courtyard compound.

Fengyue had been taken aback and was just preparing to deal with Shi Youxin when she heard Shichong call from outside: “Yin Gezhi is coming this way!”

“What’s there to fear from him?” Madam Qiu was furious: “Hasn’t he given up his princely title? Could he still take our young master away and lock her up?”

Shichong paused, thinking this made sense! So together with Yin Yanzhong and others, they stood at the main gate with weapons ready, planning to beat him up before letting him in to talk!

However, while the great demon Yin might be angry, his mind was still sharp. He didn’t use the main gate but jumped directly over the wall. Fengyue was sharpening her sword when she suddenly saw a pair of boots appear before her.

“You’ve come?” Blowing on the sword’s edge with irritation, Fengyue said, “I knew they couldn’t stop you.”

His chest heaving slightly, Yin Gezhi could hardly believe how calm she could be. How could she act so casually, as if she hadn’t just fled from Prince Xiao’s mansion? Seeing him, she just offered such a light remark?

“If you wanted to escape, why not go further away?”

Rolling her eyes, Fengyue held her sword while looking at him, saying calmly: “Your Highness, I only wanted to leave Prince Xiao’s mansion and escape your control, not avoid you entirely. Lizhou is only so big – you could find me anywhere, so why waste the effort? But let me be clear: I live only for revenge. If you won’t let me have my revenge, you might as well kill me, so don’t blame me for being unpleasant.”

Laughing from extreme anger, Yin Gezhi crossed his arms and asked: “How do you plan to be unpleasant to me?”

“Simple enough, I’ll have someone forge secret correspondence showing you’re conspiring with Wu to usurp Emperor Wei’s military power. I’ll send it to the Chancellor’s mansion. Then your plans to use the Wu-Wei alliance against Song as an opportunity for redemption will fail.” Fengyue snorted, “I’ve also stolen your seal.”

Earlier when she had been searching through his room, he hadn’t paid any attention, thinking she could take whatever she wanted. Who would have thought he’d overlook the issue of his seal?

Lowering his eyelids, Yin Gezhi’s tone grew heavy: “You know what I’m planning to do?”

“Aren’t you just trying to avoid going to Bashan Mountain and thinking of schemes?” Pursing her lips, Fengyue said, “Abandoning your title and demoting yourself – you played that move quite well. Let me guess, you probably made some righteous speech in court about how you’d still help the Emperor if needed in the future, right?”

His face darkening, Yin Gezhi stared at her with an odd expression: “You have people in court too?”

“How could I? I’m not a deity.” Shrugging her shoulders, Fengyue said, “At most, I have some connections among those guarding outside the court… but I didn’t hear this from them, I just guessed. With your devious, cunning personality that drives people to death without compensation, seeing Wu’s envoys about to arrive, how could you not cause trouble?”

Though her tone seemed complimentary, why did her choice of words feel strange? Yin Gezhi remained silent, gesturing for her to continue.

“Wu and Wei want to ally against Song, and Crown Prince Ye values your abilities – we know this, but Wei’s people don’t. That’s why Wei’s Crown Prince dared to cut your hand, and why the Emperor dared to make you a commoner in his anger. Your calculation is simply to wait for the envoys to arrive, clarify the conditions for the two countries’ alliance, and then let Emperor Wei regret his decision and come begging you, right? At that point, you’ll be the one setting the terms.”

Speaking while rubbing her chin, Fengyue shook her head: “So devious, so shameless!”

Narrowing his eyes, Yin Gezhi found it peculiar: “How can you always guess what I’m thinking?”

“Because if it were me, I’d think the same way.” Fengyue said, “Just imagine watching the cold indifference of those who hurt you and abandoned familial bonds when they pushed you away, then waiting to see their remorse and frustration when driven by self-interest – how satisfying!”

Yin Gezhi paused, giving her a deep look before letting out a soft laugh, his entire face softening.

“I truly am meant to descend to the eighteenth level of hell with you.”

These words from his lips carried an inexplicably lingering, intimate quality. Fengyue frowned, letting out a cold snort: “If you want to succeed, stop confining me. Otherwise, we’ll go down together – neither of us will have a good ending!”

“I won’t confine you.” Yin Gezhi said, “Do whatever you want. I won’t interfere. However, I’ve been driven from the prince’s mansion and temporarily have nowhere to stay. Your courtyard is large, with many empty rooms, so perhaps…”

“No!” Fengyue quickly shook her head: “This temple is too small to house such a great Buddha as yourself.”

“Is that so?” Yin Gezhi nodded: “Then I’ll sleep outside the gate.”

Fengyue: “…”

Wouldn’t that be like hanging an enormous lantern at her door? One that waves at everyone in Lizhou, calling out: “Come look! This residence won’t let a former prince stay! The owner must be incredibly powerful – quick, investigate their identity!”