In the garden, singing and dancing continued peacefully, cheerful conversation and laughter abounding—no one noticed anything amiss. Guests drank wine while watching the performances. Before long, they saw a full moon rising in the east. Palace maids brought out mooncakes, pomelos, pomegranates, taro, walnuts, peanuts, watermelons, and other fruits, delivering them to the tables of various princes, ministers, noble ladies, and distinguished daughters. People gazed at the beautiful scene of the bright moon hanging in the sky, then shared the fruits offered to the moon—a picture of joy and harmony.
Princess Ali asked curiously: “What festival is this exactly? Why hold such a grand banquet to celebrate?”
Li Weiyang smiled slightly: “Princess, coming from the grasslands, you’re not yet very familiar with our Yuexi customs. Today is the Mid-Autumn Festival, the fifteenth day of the eighth lunar month—the second most important traditional festival after the Spring Festival. Because it’s the second month of autumn, it’s also called Mid-Autumn. During Mid-Autumn, the moon is perfectly round, symbolizing reunion, so we also call it the Reunion Festival.”
Princess Ali nodded repeatedly, then asked: “Which heavenly deity do you worship?”
Li Weiyang looked at the full moon, her expression serene: “We worship the Moon Deity. Most places face the blue sky in worship of the moon. Some families worship wooden carved images of the Moon Deity, while even more hang woodblock-printed moon paper. Half a month ago, Princess, you went with Fourth Brother to see the Moon Worship Pavilion and Moon Gazing Tower—those are ancient sites for moon worship. There’s also a Moon Altar thirty li outside the capital, specially built for imperial moon worship. On your journey here from the grasslands, you must have seen it along the way.”
After listening, Princess Ali said with sudden understanding: “So there are so many customs involved.”
Li Weiyang smiled faintly. Princess Ali was like a curious baby, wanting to get to the bottom of everything.
Just then, they suddenly heard someone call out loudly from the garden entrance: “Your Majesty, Yuan Lie has urgent matters to report!”
Everyone was startled. The singing and dancing stopped. The Emperor raised his eyelids, glanced at Yuan Lie who was hurrying over, and said with a half-smile: “We were just looking everywhere for you. Where did you run off to? What matter do you have to report?”
Yuan Lie’s expression was very solemn as he spoke: “Reporting to Your Majesty, this humble subject just went to capture traitors in the court!”
The Emperor’s face showed a trace of puzzlement, though a cold gleam flashed in the depths of his eyes: “Traitors? What traitors?”
Yuan Lie called out clearly: “The traitors Zhao Tuo, Zhao Xianghe, Pei Zhong, and others formed factions in court without authorization, attempting to intercept loyal subjects, plotting rebellion to bring chaos to the nation. Therefore, this humble subject moved first and had them all arrested!”
Empress Pei’s gaze sharpened. Pei Zhong was a highly valued young man from a branch of the Pei family. She had transferred him into the Imperial Guards, and he had lived up to expectations, climbing step by step to his current position. Yet Yuan Lie had arrested people without any consideration for her dignity. Her pupils were extremely bright, like burning flames, as she said word by word: “I wonder how Pei Zhong offended Prince Xu, such that you arrested him directly without even reporting it?”
Yuan Lie’s smile was warm but his gaze cold as frost: “Reporting to Your Majesty, today Duke Qi Guo’s son Guo Dao came carrying important evidence, wishing to have an audience. But those two, Pei Zhong and Zhao Xianghe, actually colluded together, attempting to intercept Guo Dao at the palace gates and seize the evidence on his person. After I discovered them, they even tried to silence him permanently. I request Your Majesty’s discernment!”
The Emperor’s expression changed slightly: “Oh? What kind of evidence?”
Yuan Lie’s smile remained unchanged as he called out loudly: “Please allow Guo Dao to ascend to the hall.”
The Emperor waved his hand broadly: “Granted.”
For a moment, everyone at the banquet discussed among themselves, their expressions varied. The Crown Prince’s gaze darkened, inwardly thinking this was bad. Shortly after, everyone saw Guo Dao hurrying forward to the imperial presence, respectfully kneeling to pay his respects: “I pay my respects to Your Majesty. May Your Majesty live ten thousand years, ten thousand years, ten thousand times ten thousand years!”
The Emperor glanced at him indifferently, his eyes showing no unusual expression, his tone also very flat: “What evidence do you hold?”
Guo Dao called out loudly: “Reporting to Your Majesty, it’s an account ledger!”
Hearing this, everyone’s faces showed puzzlement. What kind of account ledger could make Zhao Xianghe and Pei Zhong join forces to intercept Guo Dao at the palace gates?
The Crown Prince said with a face heavy as water: “Everyone enters the palace together at designated times. Guo Dao, why are you an exception? At this hour, it’s only natural for Pei Zhong to stop you.”
Guo Dao snorted coldly: “Your Highness, matters have varying degrees of urgency. If Guo Dao didn’t have something of tremendous importance, he absolutely wouldn’t dare interrupt His Majesty’s grand banquet! Yet even though Prince Xu lent me a golden token bestowed by His Majesty, those two, Lord Pei and Zhao Xianghe, still firmly refused to let me enter the palace! Not only that, they immediately tried to seize this account ledger from my bosom!”
Hearing this, the Crown Prince laughed coldly: “Prince Xu, I wonder how you just captured these traitors, and where did these guards come from! Regardless of who they are, entering the palace requires removing armor. Are you saying you had men lying in ambush outside the palace gates? What are your intentions!”
Yuan Lie smiled: “I was acting on imperial orders to capture traitors. Surely the Crown Prince knows this?”
The Crown Prince’s expression showed confusion: “On His Majesty’s orders? When did His Majesty issue orders for you to capture traitors?”
The Emperor smiled faintly, thinking to himself that when this boy got into trouble, he still expected him to cover for him—clearly certain he wouldn’t stand by and watch. He waved his hand: “Enough. I gave him the order. Tonight he may bring three hundred guards to stand ready at the palace gates. His deployment of them was with my permission. The Crown Prince need not worry.”
Hearing this, the Crown Prince’s expression became extremely ugly. He had already clearly seen the Emperor’s meaning—obviously deliberately favoring Prince Xu Yuan Lie. He truly couldn’t understand why, no matter what happened, Father Emperor unhesitatingly favored Yuan Lie! Though he himself was clearly the Emperor’s own son, he never received a kind face! The Crown Prince gritted his teeth, tightly closing his mouth, involuntarily clenching the wine cup in his hand.
Li Weiyang smiled slightly. Yuan Lie was someone who knew how to act shamelessly—toward her like this, toward his imperial father also like this, only pushing his luck further and further, leaving you helpless. He clearly was certain the Emperor wouldn’t blame him, which was why he acted so unrestrained in the palace. This was good too—the bigger the commotion, the less chance the Zhao family had of salvaging the situation.
Yuan Lie’s sharp gaze swept around, finally looking at the Emperor: “Your Majesty, don’t you want to see what kind of account ledger would make the Zhao family people so desperate to seize it?”
The Emperor’s gaze rested on Yuan Lie, then fell on Guo Dao, instructing the eunuch beside him with indifference: “Present it.”
Guo Dao respectfully placed the account ledger he had been protecting in his bosom onto a tray. The eunuch carried the tray all the way, presenting it to the Emperor under the watchful eyes of the assembled crowd.
Empress Pei’s brow carried a trace of cold gleam, but her expression remained composed, completely unmoved. Beside her, the Crown Prince’s expression was no longer so calm, the knuckles gripping his wine cup faintly turning white.
The Emperor took the account ledger. The Crown Prince’s heart moved with it. Simultaneously, he cursed Pei Bi thoroughly in his heart. The other party had clearly guaranteed this time would be handled cleanly and decisively, that Guo Dao could never return safely to the capital, and that account ledger would absolutely never be known to anyone! But what exactly happened—not only did Guo Dao return safely, now he’d even brought back the account ledger completely intact!
This account ledger’s cover was vermilion red, prominently displaying the neat regular script characters “Twenty-Second Year of Yongli.” The Emperor’s slender fingers lightly brushed across the cover, finally turning a page, and his gaze suddenly fixed on the vermilion ink! Guo Dao called out loudly: “As Your Majesty can see, this year a total of two million taels of silver was allocated as military funds to Zhao Zong, but actually used for military wages was only five hundred thousand taels. The deficit actually reached one million five hundred thousand taels!” Guo Dao’s voice resounded throughout the entire garden, allowing everyone to hear clearly. The garden had long since fallen silent—you could hear a pin drop.
The Emperor stared fixedly at Guo Dao and spoke: “This account ledger—where did you obtain it?”
Guo Dao said in a deep voice: “This account ledger was obtained from a military strategist named Chu Liang. He was originally the most trusted advisor by Zhao Zong’s side. This account ledger had always been kept in his possession. But Zhao Zong was extremely suspicious by nature. He worried Chu Liang would leak the secret, so he secretly sent people to slaughter all thirteen members of Chu’s household, and wanted to kill Chu Liang to silence him. Chu Liang had long anticipated this day would come. He pretended to hand over a copy, then committed suicide. Zhao Zong thought there were no more worries. Who knew Chu Liang had secretly left this account ledger in the hands of a trusted confidant—his clan cousin Chu Suimo. Chu Suimo was merely a military slave in the Zhao family, holding no position in the army and attracting no attention. The relationship between him and Chu Liang was known to very few, so he was able to safely preserve this ledger until Zhao Zong’s death. Afterward, seeing my Second Brother falsely accused, he immediately guessed this matter must be related to this account ledger, so he took the ledger and quietly fled the military camp. At that time, Zhao Xianghe was busy pursuing my Second Brother and didn’t pay attention to a mere military slave’s escape. By the time he learned the escaped military slave had close ties to Chu Liang, it was already too late.”
“Later they did send people to hunt and kill him, but Chu Suimo was cautious and careful, hiding all along among refugees as he escaped to Hezhou. I found him in Hezhou and obtained this account ledger. I request Your Majesty’s discernment!”
Li Weiyang lowered her head, gazing at the wine cup before her. The wine liquid emitted a faint glow in the moonlight. In truth, Guo Dao’s words told half while leaving half unsaid. In his letter, he had said that escaped military slave had already been killed by Zhao Xianghe, and what was recorded in this account ledger was only fragmentary—the evidence wasn’t very substantial. Of course, the Crown Prince and Pei Bi didn’t know this. They truly believed Chu Suimo had somehow managed to send out the ledger, and it was in Guo Dao’s hands.
Guo Dao’s eyes were deep as he said word by word: “This matter implicates court ministers. If handled improperly, it will turn our promising battlefield victories into bubbles. Therefore, this account ledger must be shown to Your Majesty first! Thunder and rain, dew and grace—all are imperial favor. With Your Majesty’s protection, the illustrious borders won’t fall back into turmoil, and the common people in war zones can have peace. I implore Your Majesty’s wise judgment!”
His expression was very composed, his words forceful. Everyone watching couldn’t help showing thoughtful expressions. Everyone knew that among Duke Qi Guo’s five sons, the eldest was steady, the second brave, the third cunning, the fourth honest—only this Fifth Young Master Guo was known for being romantic and carefree, yet had never heard of any reputation for worthiness. But seeing him now, he was truly quite a figure. Not only could he speak well, even his flattery skills were masterful. Meeting the Emperor for the first time, he spoke with such caliber—truly didn’t know what incense the Guo family had burned to have such an outstanding son.
The Emperor remained silent for a long time. Duke Qi Guo stared at him intently, thinking in his heart that this performance was still somewhat risky. If His Majesty insisted on not dealing with it, then Guo Dao would have committed a capital offense. He was just preparing to add another weight when he suddenly heard a “slap”—the Emperor had heavily thrown that account ledger to the ground!
Guo Dao’s heart jumped, unable to help furrowing his brow. No one knew how nervous he truly was inside—only Li Weiyang did. In truth, in the letter Guo Dao had sent back, he had laid everything bare to Li Weiyang. The witness he found had already been assassinated by the other side. The so-called account ledger was only one-third complete, while the remaining two-thirds had long been burned in a fire set by the other side. He had no solid evidence. Today’s gambit was merely a desperate risk. If the Emperor didn’t acknowledge this ledger, or felt the evidence wasn’t sufficient enough and refused to pursue the Zhao family’s crimes, then this entire affair would be for nothing.
Guo Dao couldn’t help clenching his teeth. He didn’t look toward Li Weiyang’s direction, nor did he raise his head. Li Weiyang’s expression remained normal. Beside her, Princess Ali tightly gripped her sleeve: “Jia’er, what do we do now?”
Li Weiyang’s face showed not the slightest change as she said unhurriedly: “Princess needn’t be anxious. Whether the evidence is sufficient or not depends entirely on His Majesty’s sacred will.”
Li Weiyang could guess a thing or two about the Emperor’s personality. From what she could see now, he was precisely lacking an excuse to take action against the Zhao family… no, against the Pei family! Wasn’t this like a pillow arriving when one was sleepy? Li Weiyang’s face held a trace of clear smile. Her index finger unconsciously stroked the water-jade glass thumb ring on her ring finger, the movement very gentle. Though Guo Dao’s expression appeared calm on that side, he was doing his utmost to suppress the unease in his heart. Only Li Weiyang noticed that Guo Dao’s body was trembling slightly.
The Emperor’s expression was dark and uncertain as he looked at the assembled crowd, yet he said nothing. The atmosphere grew tense and cold.
Just then, Yuan Lie’s eyes flashed with a ghostly light. He stepped forward and called out loudly: “Your Majesty, now we have material evidence, and the actions of Zhao Xianghe and Pei Zhong just now also prove they intended to seize this evidence. If this account ledger weren’t real, why would they be so panicked as to take action at the palace gates? This precisely verifies what Young Master Guo said—originally Guo Yan was framed because he discovered this account ledger. I request Your Majesty make an early decision!”
The Emperor had by now thought through the details of the matter. Looking at Yuan Lie’s actions this time, his target was clearly to prove the Zhao family’s crimes. He laughed coldly: “How good it is to be young—full of drive without worries, thinking nothing, saying nothing, doing nothing, yet daring to barge into the palace! Isn’t that right, Duke Qi Guo?”
Duke Qi Guo hurriedly stood up, respectfully bowing to His Majesty: “Please forgive me, Your Majesty. My son is ignorant and has angered Your Majesty. I beg Your Majesty’s magnanimity—considering his loyal heart devoted to the nation, forgive his recklessness. If punishment must be given, please punish me instead. I failed to teach my son properly, which led to such audacity!”
The Crown Prince laughed coldly. If the Emperor didn’t acknowledge this account ledger, and Guo Dao currently had no witness, there was simply no way to pin crimes on the Zhao family.
Who knew that the next moment, the Emperor suddenly burst into loud laughter, his voice making no effort to hide his satisfaction: “Good! Truly no worthless son comes from a tiger father!” Speaking thus, his eyes narrowed. Initially his expression could be considered calm, but gradually his eyes became incomparably cold and severe. Though he resided deep in the palace and disliked attending court, his grasp on power was firmer than anyone’s! The secret lay in nothing more than maintaining firm control over every faction! This account book—only one-third of the original remained—meaning it wasn’t sufficient to prove Zhao Zong’s crime of embezzling military funds, and there was no witness either. If he chose to favor Zhao Zong, he could completely pretend ignorance and accuse Guo Dao of slandering loyal subjects. However, the Pei family’s reach had extended too far, already exceeding the range he could tolerate. This excess tendril should be cut off as soon as possible!
The Emperor’s expression was extremely complex, carrying both some approval and some barely concealed anger. He called out sternly: “What actually reached the military was only five hundred thousand taels. The remaining one million five hundred thousand taels—” Speaking thus, he roared angrily: “All flowed into that Zhao Zong’s pocket! A mere commander, a subject of the Son of Heaven—how greedy, how arrogant, simply lawless!”
All the ministers were shocked, rising together and kneeling, calling out ten thousand years and praising the Emperor’s sagacity.
Li Weiyang smiled slightly, timely lowering her head to hide the mockery in her eyes. As expected, she had guessed correctly—the Emperor was precisely lacking such an excuse to deal with the Zhao family. Though this gambit was extremely risky, she had still won the bet!
The Emperor’s chest heaved violently, his expression also exceptionally ugly, thunderous in fury: “Daring to embezzle such an enormous amount of military funds—that old thing Zhao Zong died well!”
The Emperor’s speech was always very peaceful and dignified. Seeing him now speak such vulgar words, everyone could tell he was enraged to the extreme. No one dared make a sound, not even daring to raise their heads. Even though all the female family members had left their seats to stand and kneel on the ground, trembling. Among everyone, only Empress Pei still sat in her place, noble and composed, her face showing a half-smile.
“This rat, this poisonous insect, this scoundrel, this vermin of the nation!” the Emperor cursed loudly, the muscles on his face twitching hideously—one could almost say he was letting loose a torrent of abuse. All the ministers huddled silently on the ground like cicadas in winter, heads lowered to the ground. Even the Crown Prince made not a sound, fearing to become a sacrifice during the Emperor’s outburst.
Seeing everyone’s trembling appearance, the Emperor called out sternly: “Bring those Zhao family beasts before me!”
Yuan Lie waved his hand. Guards immediately brought Zhao Tuo, Zhao Xianghe, and Pei Zhong forward together.
Zhao Tuo approached, his court robes all wrinkled, as if he’d been wronged. He prostrated himself and kowtowed: “This humble subject pays respects to Your Majesty. Your Majesty, save me! Prince Xu said nothing before bursting into the duty room, seizing this subject to have an audience. This subject is wronged!”
The Emperor snorted coldly: “Zhao Tuo, do you know your crime?”
Zhao Tuo raised his head: “I have served three dynasties, now serving Your Majesty, knowing only loyal devotion to court affairs. I know of no crimes.”
“Zhao Tuo, what a smooth-tongued person! You assisted your elder brother Zhao Zong in repeatedly scheming treacherously, embezzling military funds, plotting rebellion—this is the crime of treason!”
Zhao Tuo was shocked and immediately kowtowed again: “This subject currently serves as Chancellor, always acting according to Your Majesty’s instructions, never overstepping! Moreover, Zhao Zong is my elder brother, we are close relatives—of course we frequently associated. However, this subject trusts my brother’s character. He was framed! This talk of embezzling military funds is pure fabrication! Your Majesty, I truly don’t understand why you favor the Guo family! I cry injustice for my brother, cry injustice for myself, cry injustice for the Zhao family!”
The Emperor smiled coldly and ordered: “Drag this old traitor out! Interrogate him severely—we must discover who’s behind this!”
Only then did Zhao Tuo’s heart fill with fear. He had hoped Empress Pei would speak up, but after waiting so long, she hadn’t. Hearing the Emperor’s tone, he knew today wouldn’t end well. Immediately his old tears flowed freely as he kowtowed repeatedly, pleading: “Your Majesty, please remember this old subject has loyally served the nation for many years. Spare this old subject’s life! I’m willing to be stripped of office and become a commoner, never returning to the capital!”
However, under the Emperor’s orders, the Imperial Guards advanced as if catching a cat to seize him. Zhao Tuo became even more panicked. He actually disregarded his dignity, desperately clawing at the blue bricks on the ground. Even when his fingernails broke, he still wouldn’t let go, calling out loudly: “Your Majesty! Your Majesty! Spare my life!”
Li Weiyang’s face showed a trace of cold smile, but her gaze stared straight at Empress Pei. Now was an excellent opportunity—as long as Empress Pei spoke up to plead, she could drag the Pei family into the water! Quick! Quick! Lord Zhao, you must cry even more miserably, forcing Empress Pei to speak so I can take further action!
Empress Pei’s cold gaze fixed on this scene. Her eyelashes moved, as if she was about to speak.
At this critical moment, the Emperor suddenly covered his head, closing his eyes and looking up toward heaven, gasping for breath, collapsing onto the imperial seat.
It seemed the Emperor’s headache had truly struck. Li Weiyang furrowed her brow tightly. What exactly was this illness? Why, whenever he became angry, did it become so terrible?
Empress Pei glanced at the Emperor, a cold gleam flashing in her eyes, but she suddenly sat firmly in her seat with no intention of speaking further. With Empress Pei not moving, the Crown Prince didn’t move, and the Pei family naturally dared not move. In truth, everyone was extremely afraid of the Emperor’s unpredictable temperament, fearing they themselves would be the next unfortunate ones.
At this moment, both Zhao Xianghe and Pei Zhong were scared witless. Zhao Xianghe called out loudly: “Your Majesty, my father and uncle are both wronged! I also know nothing! Don’t listen to Guo Dao’s nonsense here, slandering loyal subjects!”
Clearly, Zhao Xianghe still refused to confess. Though she felt regret at not being able to completely drag Empress Pei down, at this point there was no longer any need to spare the Zhao family’s lives! Even under interrogation, nothing would be extracted! Yuan Lie laughed coldly: “Your Majesty, since ancient times, without severe torture, criminals won’t speak the truth!”
The Emperor’s headache made his eyes nearly split with pain. His face showed even more hatred as he laughed coldly: “Bring up the iron cage.”
Hearing this, everyone’s expressions changed. They soon saw eunuchs quickly bring up a pitch-black cage, tall enough for one person, with only a small opening at the top that could accommodate a head. Sharp wooden stakes lined the edges. This cage was thick at the top and pointed at the bottom, looking extremely strange. The Emperor laughed coldly: “How do you all find this device?”
Everyone’s expressions changed drastically, but the entire scene fell silent—no one dared speak. Princess Ali asked Li Weiyang: “What is this thing?”
Li Weiyang lightly furrowed her brow but shook her head: “I haven’t seen it before either.”
Madam Guo’s face had turned slightly pale. She said softly: “This iron cage was His Majesty’s own invention—extremely terrifying.”
Before she finished speaking, the Emperor waved his hand broadly. Imperial Guards had already forcibly placed Zhao Xianghe into the cage, gradually pushing the wooden stakes inward. Before long, Zhao Xianghe began screaming in agony, his voice piercing and shrill as if penetrating the clouds, bringing a bone-chilling sense of dread. Immediately after, a hole the size of a soup spoon appeared at the top of his head. Guards brought an iron bucket and actually poured a large ladle of boiling oil into the hole at the top of Zhao Xianghe’s head. In an instant, wisps of green smoke began rising from his head. The scalding oil sizzled inside. Zhao Xianghe, tormented by pain, struggled desperately, but his body was firmly pinned and couldn’t move. Tortured to this point, the Emperor waved his hand again. The wooden stakes pressed in another three fen. Everyone watched helplessly as a stream of white brain matter actually burst forth from Zhao Xianghe’s skull, penetrating the cage and spraying toward the sky. In moments, he had become a corpse.
The Emperor actually burst into loud laughter. He turned to Empress Pei: “What does the Empress think of this cage?”
Empress Pei only smiled gently, saying with restraint: “Once or twice, such intimidation methods may work. If used long-term, the method will lose its effectiveness. Your Majesty will need to change methods in the future.”
The Emperor’s eyes were filled with murderous intent, yet he only curved his lips: “Rest assured, Empress, I have many methods of punishment. You needn’t worry.”
The Empress smiled faintly, her face completely peaceful.
Ordinary Justice Ministry interrogations generally used quick methods—during daytime, no sleeping or eating allowed; at night, no sleeping or dozing allowed. If criminals couldn’t endure, during interrogation they must be beaten and shaken, not allowed to sleep. Using this method, usually only thirty percent would talk. For the remaining seventy percent who wouldn’t talk, the Justice Ministry would use some extraordinary interrogation methods—iron clamps, clubs, whips, candles, pepper water, and so on. This iron cage before them was currently the most terrifying of all punishments. Everyone who saw that scene of brain matter bursting forth would pale at the mention of the cage. Many didn’t even dare look and would quickly confess. Therefore, this cage was remarkably effective.
Seeing this scene, Princess Ali had long since covered her eyes, her face also showing extreme fear. Li Weiyang turned to look at her, comforting her gently: “Princess needn’t be afraid.”
Princess Ali saw Li Weiyang’s expression unchanged, showing no fear whatsoever, and couldn’t help saying: “Jia’er, your courage is too great. In my view, your Emperor is truly a…”
Before finishing her words, Li Weiyang shook her head at her, signaling caution. Princess Ali’s expression changed as she quickly fell silent. In her view, this unpredictable Emperor was simply a demon, showing no mercy toward those who displeased him.
The Emperor laughed coldly: “So it seems that since the Zhao family embezzled military funds, Duke Guo’s son must certainly be wronged. What do you all think, my beloved subjects?”
In this situation, who dared say half a word of disagreement? Therefore, everyone prostrated themselves, calling out ten thousand years, praising the Emperor’s sagacity.
The Emperor smiled slightly, stood up, and said with great weariness: “Enough, let’s end here for today.” Speaking thus, he had already turned to leave.
All the civil and military officials in their magnificent robes and belts, along with countless female family members, prostrated on the ground, not even daring to raise their heads. In the Emperor’s eyes, there was only weariness and indifference.
When Li Weiyang raised her head, she heard laughter in the Emperor’s voice, like a willful person anticipating a malicious game. Then only his flying robes remained, like a pair of enormous ominous wings, flashing past and disappearing.
The female family members in the palace also departed one after another. Empress Pei was the last to stand. Her face remained very calm throughout, showing not the slightest anger. Li Weiyang truly wanted to know what Empress Pei was thinking at this moment, but unfortunately, she knew no one could guess the other party’s thoughts.
Everyone fell silent as cicadas in winter, gazes dazed as they watched the Emperor depart. This person was the equivalent of a nightmare in their eyes. Over these many years, it wasn’t that the Emperor had no accomplishments—rather, he had too many. Each of his actions made people feel extremely decisive and swift, yet also terrifying. These two words “terrifying”—no matter how you looked at them, they seemed inappropriate to place on an emperor. His behavior was truly too inconsistent with his status. After the Emperor, Empress, and various consorts had all departed, the ministers finally exploded in discussion. Immediately some stood to congratulate Duke Qi Guo: “Congratulations, Duke! Your son has cleared his name this time!”
Yes, since the guilty parties were the Zhao family father and son, naturally Guo Yan was innocent. Now he only needed an imperial pardon to return openly to the capital, perhaps even being restored to his original position.
Hearing such words, Duke Qi Guo’s face showed little joy, only saying lightly: “Thank you for your auspicious words.” Speaking thus, he turned to leave. The person who’d come to congratulate felt snubbed, turning to others to say: “Look at Duke Qi Guo—truly inscrutable! Who knew his fifth son could snatch prey from the tiger’s mouth!” Saying this, the assembled people all laughed quietly, though their laughter carried varying degrees of sourness and fear.
The Guo family’s actions this time—firstly, they had Prince Xu’s backing; secondly, they had His Majesty’s support—which was why things proceeded so smoothly. Of course, the Zhao family’s excessive credulity was also a factor. If they hadn’t failed to notice the Guo family had intentionally set a trap to lure them in, how could they have been caught red-handed, with no way to clear their own names? What a bunch of fools! While laughing, people couldn’t help secretly applauding the Guo family’s strategy. Insufficient evidence? No problem—dig a pit for you to jump into yourself, and wasn’t that catching you red-handed with stolen goods? Who knew who came up with such a devious scheme…
At this time, Li Weiyang also rose to leave, but heard a cold snort from not far away. Li Weiyang’s steps didn’t pause as she smiled slightly: “What does Young Master Pei think?”
Pei Bi, who had been sitting quietly among the crowd, observing the situation’s development without revealing his emotions, smiled faintly: “Luring the snake from its hole—truly an excellent strategy.”
Li Weiyang nodded, glancing sideways: “Could it be Young Master Pei didn’t anticipate this beforehand?”
Pei Bi looked at the bright moon and sighed deeply: “Even if I had anticipated it, so what? Those Zhao family father and son were ultimately stubborn and self-willed, refusing to follow my instructions completely. This was their destined calamity—I could do nothing about it.” Saying this, his face didn’t seem particularly regretful, but Li Weiyang knew that right now Pei Bi’s heart must be filled with hatred toward her. The more nonchalant he appeared on the surface, the more resentment festered within.
This trap was jointly laid by Pei Bi and Empress Pei. Pei Bi set the snare to trick Zhao Zong into framing Guo Yan, then killed Zhao Zong to pin everything on Guo Yan. Afterward, he activated the sleeper agent Nalan Xue, intending to catch the entire Guo family in one net! This trap was laid extremely cleverly, interlocking perfectly—worthy of a master at playing blind chess, even carrying traces of Empress Pei’s shadow. Li Weiyang smiled slightly: “Young Master Pei, do you know Miss Nalan has already perished?”
Pei Bi laughed coldly: “Merely a chess piece—hardly worth mentioning.”
By this time, they had already stepped out of the garden. The moonlight was blindingly bright. Li Weiyang smiled, her expression serene and content: “The most difficult thing to calculate in this world is the human heart. Even if it’s just a chess piece, once she develops her own will, she’ll leave the board. Don’t you agree?”
Pei Bi laughed coldly: “Yes, the plan I originally had her execute wasn’t just that one secret letter.”
In this instant, Li Weiyang suddenly stopped in her tracks. A thought flashed through her mind as she blurted out: “You originally also wanted to use Nalan Xue to kill me, didn’t you?”
Pei Bi’s eyes were incomparably cold, yet his lips held a trace of mocking smile as he said: “Yes, you guessed correctly. Originally, I wanted her to do exactly that.”
Li Weiyang could roughly glimpse some of the other party’s intentions. On one hand, surround the Guo family from the outside; on the other, infiltrate from within, making the Guo family kill each other, severing their own arms. Simultaneously, have Nalan Xue sow discord between herself and Chen Bingbing as well as the Guo family members. In fact, Nalan Xue had done very well—she successfully drove a wedge between the Guo and Chen families. If Li Weiyang hadn’t already established a firm foothold in the Guo family, the other Guo family members would likely have resented her for favoring Nalan Xue. This way, they could further distance Li Weiyang from the Guo family, leaving her isolated and betrayed, with no one to rely on. Finally, as long as Nalan Xue added a bit of poison to Li Weiyang’s food and drink—would she still have her life? Li Weiyang was indeed very cautious and careful, but Nalan Xue’s medical skills were superb. She could take care with clothing, tea, or even other trivial details to poison Li Weiyang!
Li Weiyang’s lips curved in a light smile: “It seems I also underestimated Young Master Pei. This trap was laid seamlessly.”
Pei Bi smiled coldly: “No matter how seamless the scheme, didn’t you see through it? Today all the glory under heaven has been claimed by the Guo family!” A gleam of light passed through the corner of his eye, and Li Weiyang heard the mocking intent.
Li Weiyang’s gaze was cool: “You calculated my thoughts so precisely, choosing the person so perfectly! However, having used such tactics once, they cannot be used a second time. I truly want to know—how exactly will the Pei family bring down the Guo clan!”
Pei Bi smiled slightly, speaking with confidence: “Then please wait and see, Miss Guo.”
Li Weiyang didn’t care, only raising her clear bright gaze to meet his calmly. Pei Bi hated this expression of hers most. A sharp spark flashed through his eyes, then he immediately turned and said coldly: “I take my leave!” Speaking thus, he had already strode quickly toward the garden exit.
Under the moonlight, Yuan Lie drifted lightly to Li Weiyang’s side, smiling slightly: “Did today’s matter go beautifully?”
Li Weiyang glared at him, a trace of laughter flashing in her eyes: “It was risky enough—even I broke into a cold sweat for you. If His Majesty just now had refused to stand by your side, what would you have done?”
Yuan Lie’s expression was half-smiling, his manner composed: “Since I dared do this, naturally I was completely confident. Even if he refused to acknowledge it, I had ways to force him to accept it!”
Li Weiyang saw his confident expression and couldn’t help sighing lightly: “I think His Majesty will be angered to death by you!”
Yuan Lie laughed: “If he’s angered to death, so be it. Who can stand that violent temperament of his!”
This pair of father and son—truly each found the other disagreeable, yet both cared so much about each other. Li Weiyang truly didn’t know how to describe their bizarre and strange relationship. Thinking carefully about it, they were probably the strangest father-son pair under heaven.
Returning to the Guo residence, Li Weiyang sent Yuan Lie away, then stood smiling outside the entrance without going in. Zhao Yue waited at her side. Only when Guo Dao entered did Li Weiyang step forward with a smile: “Fifth Brother, the journey must have been arduous.”
Guo Dao only nodded his head lightly, smiling: “With Prince Xu’s protection, my journey was fairly smooth.”
Li Weiyang said nothing more. In truth, she already knew Guo Dao had encountered countless assassination attempts along this journey. He’d barely managed to find that military slave and obtain the ledger, yet still lost both the witness and two-thirds of the evidence. The remaining one-third of the ledger was something he’d rescued from a great fire. If he’d been the slightest bit careless, Guo Dao could never have returned to the capital. His desperate efforts were enough to move anyone.
Before finishing speaking, Guo Dao seemed heavy-hearted: “I’ve already heard about Miss Nalan’s matter.”
As soon as he spoke, Li Weiyang restrained her smile: “Did Fourth Brother tell you?”
Guo Dao’s expression showed earnestness: “When I first observed Nalan Xue’s demeanor, I felt something was off about her, but couldn’t say exactly what. I thought you must have felt the same, Jia’er. With your intelligence, you shouldn’t have been deceived by her.”
Li Weiyang, her innermost thoughts exposed, felt a flash of regret in her heart, yet spoke honestly: “I wasn’t deceived by her. Rather, I developed sympathy and affinity toward her, such that these feelings ultimately clouded my judgment, preventing me from suspecting her. Or even when I did suspect, I constantly persuaded myself to believe she had her difficulties.”
Guo Dao nodded with great understanding: “You also used your heart well.” The atmosphere between the two was very harmonious. Guo Dao’s eyes always held a sparkling light.
Li Weiyang smiled slightly as they walked together toward the interior. Guo Dao’s complexion was fair, his features refined. That pair of bright dark eyes fell on Li Weiyang, gazing at her with focused attention. Li Weiyang’s heart stirred, though her gaze remained calm and serene. Guo Dao felt warmth in his heart and said gently: “I’ve already heard about you and Prince Xu. Fifth Brother still owes you a word of congratulations.”
Li Weiyang was startled, but seeing the smile in Guo Dao’s expression, she relaxed and spoke: “I’m only afraid Father and Mother still won’t agree to our marriage.”
Guo Dao shook his head: “The resistance isn’t with Father and Mother. As long as you’re well, they absolutely won’t disagree. I’m only afraid of Imperial Consort Hui in the palace and Prince Jing…”
Speaking to here, Li Weiyang was dismissive: “This matter needn’t be mentioned for now. When the appropriate time comes, I’ll naturally report to Father and Mother. When that time comes, if I truly wish to marry, no one can stop me!”
Guo Dao nodded. He knew Li Weiyang’s temperament very well. Prince Jing had never entered her eyes—what was there to fear?
Beneath the dark hair’s reflection, Li Weiyang’s face faintly revealed a jade-like cool luster. Guo Dao’s gaze carried tender affection, gently drifting over. A jade hairpin was inserted in Li Weiyang’s hair, holding bright glistening ornaments that, under the brilliant lamplight, swayed with transparent cold light, unknowingly blocking his gaze.
After a moment of silence, Guo Dao suddenly spoke seriously: “Now I’m only worried about Second Brother…”
Li Weiyang thought for a moment, speaking with an outsider’s calm: “Though Second Brother has now cleared his grievances, how to have him appear before everyone at the most appropriate time is most important. After all, before His Majesty’s pardon arrives, he’s still a criminal official.”
Guo Dao’s heart was already very joyful as he laughed loudly: “No matter what, today’s matter finally achieved complete victory! We should celebrate properly! Come, let’s go see Father and Mother now and report this good news to them!”
“Do you still need to report it? Everyone at the banquet already saw clearly just now.” Li Weiyang knew he was deliberately creating a relaxed atmosphere and smiled slightly: “Now they’re happily reporting everything to Grandmother. Let’s hurry over.”
The next day, the Emperor’s pardon came down. Simultaneously, Guo Yan and Duke Qi Guo entered the palace together to apologize to the Emperor, explaining that the reason for escaping that day was being pursued for assassination. Since Guo Yan was no longer a criminal, the Guo family’s crime of harboring him also ceased to exist. Especially when Guo Yan described the actual battlefield situation to His Majesty, the Emperor became even more furious, actually having all Zhao family officials stripped of office and investigated. All those involved in embezzling military funds were beheaded without exception. The rest were exiled three thousand li.
Thus, not only did the Emperor restore Guo Yan to his original position, he also greatly praised him, bestowing heavy gold and thoroughly consoling him. However, after returning, Li Weiyang saw that Guo Yan’s expression didn’t show much joy, and some slight understanding arose in her heart.
The day after the Emperor issued the edict, just as Guo Yan was about to return to the border, the Guo family suddenly discovered the Second Young Master had disappeared. Madam Guo carefully searched Guo Yan’s room, only to find he hadn’t taken even a single piece of clothing with him. She couldn’t help saying dejectedly: “This foolish child—where exactly has he gone?”
Li Weiyang sighed: “If you want to know where Second Brother went, it’s actually not difficult.”
The Guo family members all raised their heads to look at Li Weiyang, showing surprised expressions. Li Weiyang wore a trace of warm smile as she shook her head and sighed: “Go see whether Miss Nalan’s ashes are still there. If they’re not, then Second Brother has taken Miss Nalan on a distant journey.”
Madam Guo thought for a moment and instantly understood her son’s intention. Her face took on a layer of uncertain shadows. Life was like this—often one mistake meant a lifetime of errors. Originally such a perfectly matched couple, yet they were forced apart. Guo Yan ultimately failed Nalan Xue. So this time, after clearing his name and no longer implicating the family, he resigned his position. Accompanying Nalan Xue’s ashes, traveling the world, never to be found again.
Previously, for the Guo family’s sake, he had betrayed Nalan Xue. Now for Nalan Xue’s sake, he would forever leave the Guo family. Madam Guo sighed deeply, then suddenly realized—perhaps this time her son would finally be his true self, no longer obsessed with family constraints. For him, this might not be a kind of happiness. Even so, Madam Guo couldn’t help her tears flowing freely.
When he was Guo Yan, he could only choose family. But when he was no longer Guo Yan, he would certainly choose Nalan Xue. Li Weiyang sighed, stepped forward, and gently embraced Madam Guo, saying softly: “Mother needn’t worry. You still have us, don’t you, Fifth Brother?”
At this moment, Guo Dao wore white robes, casually leaning against the doorway, lips curved upward in an elegant arc. He smiled slightly: “Mother, you still have us.”
Li Weiyang looked at Madam Guo tenderly, yet countless thoughts flashed through her heart. Unfortunately, this time Empress Pei was too cunning, refusing to speak up for the Zhao family. Otherwise, the unlucky one certainly wouldn’t be just Pei Zhong alone! But—the Zhao family was merely an appetizer. Now it was time to take the knife to the Pei family! Daring to use Nalan Xue to scheme against her meant being prepared to pay a hundredfold price!