The next day, Madam Guo prepared to enter the palace to see Consort Guo Hui. Li Weiyang accompanied her. Princess Chenliu had originally insisted on going as well, but her rheumatism had flared up again and she couldn’t get out of bed. Only after Madam Guo’s repeated reassurances and guarantee that Consort Guo Hui was truly unharmed did Princess Chenliu give up the thought of going together.

The Guo family’s carriage entered the palace early in the morning. Because the palace where she had previously resided had burned down, Consort Guo Hui had to temporarily relocate to Huicheng Palace. After tedious inspections and announcements, when Li Weiyang and the others arrived, Consort Guo Hui was reclining on the bed. Beside her, Female Official Liang was feeding her medicine. Seeing Madam Guo, Consort Guo Hui’s eyes immediately lit up. “Sister-in-law!”

Madam Guo quickly approached and examined her carefully. Seeing that apart from a somewhat pale complexion, Consort Guo Hui had no serious injuries, she finally felt at ease. She asked Female Official Liang, “Have the imperial physicians examined her?”

Female Official Liang bowed. “Yes, the imperial physician has taken Her Majesty the Consort’s pulse. He said Her Majesty only inhaled some smoke, which caused her to faint. As long as she recuperates well, there will be no problems. Please set your mind at ease, Madam.”

Hearing this, Madam Guo breathed a sigh of relief. Her gaze fell tenderly on Consort Guo Hui. “Are you feeling better now?”

Palace maids beside them quickly brought embroidered stools for Consort Guo Hui and Li Weiyang to sit on. Consort Guo Hui’s gaze fell on Madam Guo’s gentle face. She reached out to grasp her hand, tears glistening in her eyes. “I almost thought I would never see you again, sister-in-law.”

Madam Guo had only just calmed down herself. She nodded. “We all understand. You’ve truly suffered! This matter happened so suddenly. The Princess originally wanted to enter the palace to see you too, but…”

Consort Guo Hui was startled, then quickly said, “No! Mother must not know about this matter.”

From Consort Guo Hui’s words, Li Weiyang keenly detected something. She exchanged a glance with Madam Guo. After a moment’s hesitation, Madam Guo spoke first. “This fire was…”

A trace of barely perceptible unease flashed across Consort Guo Hui’s face. Before she could speak, a voice suddenly rang out from beside them, clearly containing twelve parts anger. “Mother Consort, why won’t you tell Madam that yesterday’s fire was deliberately set by someone—it wasn’t an accident at all!”

Li Weiyang turned her head to see a charming figure quickly approaching from the outer hall. Dressed in a light purple gown with large eyes, charming and lovely—it was Princess Nankang, whom they hadn’t seen in quite some time.

Princess Nankang forcibly suppressed the fury in her eyes and walked indignantly before Madam Guo. She first performed the ritual of a younger person greeting an elder before saying, “Madam, you don’t know—Prince Jing has already investigated this matter clearly. Someone deliberately caused trouble.”

Hearing this, Consort Guo Hui immediately frowned. “Nankang! Don’t speak nonsense!”

Nankang looked at Consort Guo Hui through gritted teeth, tears constantly swirling in her eyes. “Mother Consort, even at this point, are you still going to hide it from Madam and Sister Jia’er? You once said that in the palace you have no one to rely on, that your only family is the Guo family. Why won’t you speak the truth even before your family?”

Li Weiyang looked at Princess Nankang and sighed softly in her heart. “We understand Her Highness the Princess’s meaning very well. The palace has strict security, and moreover, there are so many palace maids and eunuchs coming and going. How could the fire develop to such an extent without anyone noticing? So yesterday’s fire was definitely not an accident.”

Seeing that the other party shared her view, Princess Nankang grabbed Li Weiyang’s hand. Her voice carried infinite hatred, yet she had to speak in a low voice. “Sister Jia’er, Mother Consort knows very well that it wasn’t an accident, yet she won’t let me mention it to Father Emperor. Please help me persuade her. If we allow those people to run wild, this kind of situation will happen again someday!”

Li Weiyang’s gaze turned to Consort Guo Hui. The other party’s unwillingness to reveal these matters was most importantly because she had no evidence. To dare commit arson within the palace itself required such audacity—the person behind it was ready to emerge.

“Female Official Liang, leave the medicine here! Go outside and check on the other palace maids and eunuchs. Tell them to guard the door and not allow anyone to enter without this consort’s command.” Consort Guo Hui waved her hand. Hearing this, Female Official Liang withdrew. However, when she reached the door, for some reason her footsteps paused for a moment before she quickly left.

Seeing Consort Guo Hui so humiliated, Madam Guo couldn’t help feeling sorrow. But Consort Guo Hui’s expression was very calm. She said calmly, “I’ve been in the palace for many years. This kind of thing hasn’t happened just once or twice. It’s just that the other party has never done it so blatantly before. She did this merely to warn me, to warn the Guo family. If I become fearful and panicked or cry and make a scene over this, what good would it do the Guo family? What good would it do me personally? It would only make others think I was frightened out of my wits by this fire, that I’ve lost the dignity befitting a consort, becoming paranoid and making myself a laughingstock. So Nankang, don’t forget what Mother Consort instructed you. It’s fine to say these things before your aunt and Jia’er, but if half a word of this matter leaks out, I absolutely won’t forgive you.”

Princess Nankang couldn’t help raising her head to meet her gaze. Consort Guo Hui’s eyes were clear black and white, showing no emotional fluctuation whatsoever, as if she hadn’t been affected by this fire disaster at all. Nankang was only sixteen after all and truly couldn’t control herself. “Mother Consort, are we just going to let this matter drop?”

Seeing her so insistent, Consort Guo Hui was touched by her genuine concern but still shook her head. “If we don’t let it drop, what then? Do you think this palace belongs to the Guo family, allowing me to make a big fuss catching the culprit? You’ve lived in the palace for so many years—you should be sensible now. The more critical the situation, the more low-key we must be. Otherwise, you’ll transform from victim to someone plotting treachery and spreading rumors. Those who originally sympathized with you will question your intentions. This plays right into the other party’s scheme.”

Nankang was stunned, looking at Consort Guo Hui almost speechless. Li Weiyang gently shook her head. All these years, Consort Guo Hui had protected Princess Nankang. Although after the incident with Princess Daming last time, Nankang had learned something about the difficulty of reading human hearts, she was still a girl with simple thoughts. Hearing these words now, her heart couldn’t help feeling sorrowful.

Consort Guo Hui’s profile was gentle and beautiful, her skin radiating a pearl-like luster. Even Li Weiyang had to sigh at her graceful bearing and elegant temperament. In fact, Consort Hui was only forty this year. Well-maintained, she looked at most just over thirty. But what good was such beauty? In this palace, there wasn’t a single person who treated her sincerely. She could only rely on herself to stand firm step by step. Even though she now had a son and her natal family to depend on, she could still easily fall victim to others’ schemes. The saying “impossible to guard against everything, human hearts are unfathomable” was exactly this!

Li Weiyang was silent for a moment, then sighed softly. “Your Majesty, please forgive Jia’er for speaking out of turn. To commit arson in the palace is absolutely not something an ordinary person could do. Even if Your Majesty can disregard external factors, internal threats must absolutely be cleaned out. Otherwise, this kind of thing will happen again.” In her view, this fire must have been an inside-outside collaboration.

Consort Guo Hui was startled and raised her head to look at Li Weiyang, her expression showing some surprise. “You’re saying there’s a traitor in this palace?”

Li Weiyang smiled slightly. “Your Majesty, if there were no one providing assistance, how could the other party so easily commit arson in your palace? Prince Jing clearly arranged personnel outside the palace for protection. Why was no one able to help when the incident occurred? Naturally, it’s because all the arrangements had been leaked early on.”

Consort Guo Hui had actually been suspicious all along, but she really couldn’t bear it. Her expression inevitably showed three parts desolation. “Yes, I just can’t believe it. These people have all followed me for many years. Would even they betray me?”

Princess Nankang blinked, her face showing a puzzled expression. “Mother Consort, if there really is a traitor, who could it be?”

Li Weiyang’s eyes were calm, her voice somewhat casual as she looked at the other party. “Princess Nankang, besides Her Majesty, who else can command the palace maids and eunuchs in the palace?”

Princess Nankang’s heart jumped. She said instinctively, “Could it be Female Official Liang? In this palace, only she can come and go freely and can command others.” Just as she finished saying this, she turned uneasily to look at Consort Guo Hui, whose expression showed some bewilderment.

This was the first time Princess Nankang suspected Female Official Liang. She thought about how after the incident, Female Official Liang had hurried over with a strange expression. Her concern wasn’t whether Her Majesty could regain consciousness, but rather how many people in the palace had survived. If one suspected this way, she might have feared someone had seen something and deliberately killed to silence them…

But Madam Guo felt it was impossible. “Jia’er, you mustn’t speak carelessly without evidence. Female Official Liang was your aunt’s dowry maid. They have over ten years of friendship. If it were others betraying Her Majesty, I could believe it, but if even Female Official Liang betrayed Her Majesty, it’s truly hard for me to believe.”

Li Weiyang’s expression was very indifferent. For Consort Guo Hui, Female Official Liang had accompanied her for many years and could be called her confidant. She trusted the other party greatly and was unwilling to suspect her—this was human nature. Just as if one day someone told her that Zhao Yue by her side had betrayed her, she would also find it hard to believe. However, ordinary palace maids and eunuchs couldn’t possibly come and go freely in Consort Hui’s palace, much less have opportunities to tamper with things at will. So Li Weiyang just asked calmly, “Your Majesty, in that great fire, besides you, who else escaped?”

Consort Guo Hui’s heart jumped. Her chest felt as if swept by cold wind, revealing an irrepressible chill. “Yuan Ying rushed in to save me. All the other twenty-some palace maids and eunuchs perished in the sea of fire. There were basically no survivors… only Female Official Liang—” Her words reached this point, and her face was suddenly covered with a layer of frost. At this moment, she could no longer deny that Female Official Liang could be called the most suspicious. Otherwise, why would she alone be alive when everyone else had died?

Where in the world were there so many coincidences and such good fortune? After the incident occurred, Yuan Ying’s hesitant expression seemed to tell Consort Guo Hui that there was something fishy about this matter.

Li Weiyang said with cold eyes, “Even if we don’t pursue the mastermind’s responsibility for this matter, the hidden danger by Your Majesty’s side must be thoroughly cleaned out. This Female Official Liang… I’m afraid Your Majesty cannot keep her.”

Consort Guo Hui raised her eyes to look at Li Weiyang. For a long time she couldn’t speak. Finally, she nodded. “Someone, please ask Female Official Liang to come in.”

Female Official Liang walked back into the great hall. Seeing that the expressions of the other three were all very solemn, completely different from before, her heart went cold. But her face remained natural. She just respectfully performed a courtesy and said, “Your Majesty, this servant has already reheated the medicine. Should Your Majesty take it now?”

Consort Guo Hui looked at Female Official Liang, her expression showing a trace of indifference. “When the fire broke out yesterday, where were you?”

Female Official Liang was startled, then showed a panicked expression. “How has Your Majesty forgotten? When the palace caught fire, this servant was at the Imperial Kitchen on Your Majesty’s orders to exchange the meal. When I returned, I saw what had happened. It’s all this servant’s fault for not being by Your Majesty’s side at the most dangerous moment.”

Consort Guo Hui smiled coldly. “Yes, that dish of jade shrimp from the Imperial Kitchen—you said that with the weather gradually cooling recently and my body being yin-deficient with excessive internal heat, I shouldn’t eat shrimp and other irritating foods. So you specifically volunteered to go to the Imperial Kitchen to exchange this dish for me. But how is it such a coincidence that you weren’t in the palace precisely when the fire broke out?”

Female Official Liang was very flustered, tears appearing in her eyes. She knelt on the ground and said softly, “Your Majesty, this servant has served you for so many years. If not meritorious, at least I’ve worked hard. If this servant has done something wrong, Your Majesty can directly punish me. Why suspect this servant’s loyalty? In this world, anyone might betray Your Majesty, but this servant absolutely never would!”

Consort Guo Hui murmured in a low voice, as if self-mocking. “I also never wanted to suspect you. Even if I suspected everyone, I still believed you were on my side. Setting aside all these years of friendship since you entered the palace with me, just because betraying me would bring you absolutely no benefit. But I never imagined that when it came down to it, you would still be the most suspicious person.” After speaking, Consort Guo Hui gently nodded. Four palace maids from behind stepped forward and pressed Female Official Liang to the ground. Female Official Liang didn’t dare move, but her face was very pale.

The atmosphere in the entire hall was tense. Everyone remained silent. Female Official Liang suddenly burst into loud sobs. “Your Majesty, this servant is wrongly accused! This servant wasn’t in the palace at the time. You can’t conclude it was this servant’s doing based on this alone!” Her voice grew increasingly shrill, absolutely pained to the extreme.

The depths in Li Weiyang’s eyes gradually receded, replaced by a sharp gleam. “Your Majesty, sometimes without harsh punishment, she won’t confess.”

Consort Guo Hui’s brows and eyes showed severity. Just as she was about to order torture, at this moment Prince Jing Yuan Ying hurried in from outside the hall. Behind him was an escorted guard.

Consort Guo Hui’s expression changed. “Ying’er, who is this person?”

Prince Jing’s expression was very cold. He glanced at Female Official Liang and smiled coldly. “Mother Consort, there’s no need for the trouble of torture! This is Female Official Liang’s lover in the palace, also a guard at Xuande Gate in the palace. He has already confessed to me that before the incident, Female Official Liang secretly sought him out and asked him to secretly bring lamp oil into the palace. Lamp oil is a forbidden item in the palace. Why would a minor female official need lamp oil? Moreover, she didn’t report this matter to Mother Consort. This being the case, isn’t the matter quite obvious?”

The moment Female Official Liang saw that man, her face had already turned deathly pale.

Li Weiyang’s brows moved slightly as she looked at the guard kneeling on the ground. He was only in his thirties, possibly even younger than Female Official Liang. The bloodstains at the corners of his mouth and the bruises on his cheeks showed he had just been tortured. The eyes looking at everyone held nothing but fear and despair. Female Official Liang had already collapsed limply on the ground, her expression becoming wooden.

Consort Guo Hui’s face slowly became cold and severe. She said coldly, “Female Official Liang, I’ll only ask you one thing. Answer honestly—why did you betray me?”

Female Official Liang just kept her head down without speaking. Then came a loud crash as Consort Guo Hui heavily slammed her palm on the tea table beside the bed. “This is the last chance I’m giving you. If you still don’t tell the truth…” She slowly looked at the other party and slowly uttered one word: “Death!”

Female Official Liang’s expression immediately changed. Her eyes were bloodshot as she glared viciously at Consort Guo Hui. Li Weiyang’s face was calmly cold, her brows darkly containing murderous intent. She said to that guard, “If she won’t speak, then you speak! If you can tell the whole truth, I can persuade His Highness to deal with you leniently.”

The guard was startled, then his thoughts raced. He suddenly raised his head and shouted loudly, “I’m willing to tell the truth! I beg Your Majesty and Your Highness to spare my life! This matter was all instigated by Imperial Noble Consort. Both I and Female Official Liang were following her orders!” As soon as these words came out, there was an uproar all around.

Female Official Liang knelt beside him, staring at him dumbfounded. Her expression slowly changed from disbelief to shame and anger, then from shame and anger instantly to terror.

Madam Guo was shocked, finding it inconceivable. She turned to look at Consort Guo Hui. This was the first time she had encountered such a treacherous matter.

Li Weiyang curved her lips. “So you’re saying the mastermind behind this is Imperial Noble Consort Chen?”

The guard looked timidly at Prince Jing Yuan Ying, then seemed fearfully to report, “Yes, initially it was all my fault. I’m fond of gambling and owed many debts outside. I had no choice but to beg Liang Qiu to help me repay them. But her salary in the palace is limited after all. All these years she’s subsidized me with everything, so she couldn’t come up with that much silver at once. Really having no choice, she turned to Imperial Noble Consort Chen.”

Consort Guo Hui only felt there was something in the other party’s words that made her uneasy. She didn’t dare think further. In her heart, it was like ten thousand small drums pounding. Could this matter really be related to the Chen family? But the other party didn’t seem to be wrong—recently, Female Official Liang’s behavior had indeed been somewhat abnormal. Half a month ago, she had lost a pair of red gold hair ornaments. She had countless such gold and silver jewelry and didn’t usually treasure them, only occasionally remembering to have them brought out. At first, she thought they had been stolen by some palace maid and ordered Liang Qiu to secretly investigate without alerting anyone. Now thinking back to Liang Qiu’s expression at the time, it was indeed a mixture of guilt and unease. But she had thought it was self-reproach for not managing the palace maids under her properly, when actually… she needed money!

Prince Jing Yuan Ying said coldly, “Oh, then where’s the evidence?”

The guard quickly said, “In the room where I’m on duty, there’s lamp oil behind it, and some cotton wadding hidden in the water vat behind the house!”

Everyone gasped. Now with both witness and physical evidence conclusive, Imperial Noble Consort Chen was definitely implicated. Just at this moment, Female Official Liang gritted her teeth and suddenly bowed to Consort Guo Hui. “Your Majesty, this matter is this servant’s wrong to you. At this point, I can only atone with death!” As soon as these words were spoken, Prince Jing Yuan Ying cried out in alarm and quickly shouted, “Don’t let her commit suicide.” But it was too late.

Female Official Liang bit through a poison pill she had hidden in her mouth beforehand. In an instant, her expression became extremely painful. She quickly collapsed on the ground unconscious. Black blood flowed from the corners of her mouth. Prince Jing Yuan Ying stepped forward to feel her neck pulse, then shook his head at Li Weiyang. Dead.

The guard trembled even more, as if very frightened. Then he shouted loudly, “Your Highness, you just said you would spare my life! To atone for my crimes, I can testify against Imperial Noble Consort Chen for Your Highness!”

Prince Jing Yuan Ying’s face showed the calm of Mount Tai collapsing before him without changing expression, but he said nothing. Then he made a gesture to the guards beside him. Those people immediately took out a rope and with lightning speed stepped forward to nimbly bind the guard’s hands behind his back, skillfully tying him with the rope. Before the man could react, the hemp rope had already formed a noose around his neck. The guard said in panic, “Your Highness, what are you doing? You said you would spare my life! I can testify for you! Are you going to let the culprit go free?!”

Princess Nankang was about to speak when Madam Guo held her hand and shook her head at her.

Prince Jing said coldly, “Testify? I’m afraid you want to falsely accuse Imperial Noble Consort Chen for your master!” As soon as he finished speaking, he nodded to those beside him. The guard’s face turned deathly pale. He stared at Yuan Ying with a look of hatred. Those two people were clearly experienced torturers. Each grabbed one end of the rope and viciously pulled toward their own side. The guard’s entire face turned red. After barely struggling twice, his eyes rolled back and his tongue protruded. The torturers waited quite a while before releasing their hands. The man fell backward before everyone and lay motionless.

Li Weiyang shook her head. She deeply knew that Yuan Ying doing this was actually not wrong. But Princess Nankang collapsed limply on the ground. She said in disbelief, “Brother, what are you doing? Didn’t he promise to testify for us? Why kill him?”

Prince Jing turned back to look at Princess Nankang indifferently, his expression very calm. “You’re a child—you wouldn’t understand adult matters. Nankang, you should return to your own palace early.”

But Nankang stared at Prince Jing Yuan Ying. She wanted to understand no matter what. Just as she was about to speak, she heard Li Weiyang say calmly, “Your Highness, Prince Jing did this only to prevent the situation from expanding.”

Nankang turned to look at Li Weiyang, unable to believe she could also be so ruthless. “Imperial Noble Consort has been opposing my mother consort recently. It’s not surprising she would do this—she’s just taking revenge for her niece! But to take the lives of so many people in Mother Consort’s palace at once, this method is truly too ruthless. Our Guo and Chen families have been so closely related over the years, sharing honor and disgrace. Once she turned against us, she could actually be so vicious. If we just report this matter to Father Emperor, he will definitely severely punish Imperial Noble Consort Chen!”

Prince Jing Yuan Ying looked at his sister, rather disappointed in her. Now among the people present, everyone actually understood why he did this. Only Nankang remained thoroughly confused from beginning to end. She wasn’t stupid, but too trusting. This fault must be corrected! She should grow up and couldn’t always rely on Mother Consort to shelter her from the wind and rain! Yuan Ying looked at Princess Nankang. “If I had followed what this guard said, or kept him alive, this matter would definitely spread. Then everyone would think it was Imperial Noble Consort Chen who set the fire to burn Mother Consort to death.”

Nankang heard Yuan Ying’s words sounding somewhat strange. A guess flashed through her heart as she cried out, “You mean—someone deliberately framed her in this matter?”

Li Weiyang’s serene eyes had ripples of light floating in them. “Imperial Noble Consort may resent the Guo family, but she wouldn’t so blatantly set fire to the palace. Even if she truly did this, she wouldn’t leave any evidence in our hands. This guard appeared too strangely, and Female Official Liang’s betrayal was unclear. Now that Female Official Liang is dead, the only testimony is from this guard. This shows the person behind this deliberately left clues for us to suspect Imperial Noble Consort Chen. If before I still had three parts suspicion of Imperial Noble Consort Chen, at this moment I already feel she’s innocent and clear.”

Princess Nankang’s heart suddenly skipped a beat. She turned to look at Consort Guo Hui. Consort Guo Hui smiled and nodded at her. “Jia’er is right. This is also my view. If Imperial Noble Consort Chen truly wanted my life, there are many other methods. She wouldn’t need to make such a big fuss, burning over twenty palace maids and eunuchs to death at once. This matter is definitely not a small matter.”

Prince Jing nodded, then ordered the guards to drag out those two who had already died. Just at this moment, they suddenly heard someone announce from outside, “His Majesty has arrived!”

Everyone in the hall’s expressions changed, especially Consort Guo Hui. She quickly straightened her clothing and was about to rise when she heard the Emperor walking in while saying loudly, “Beloved Consort need not stand on ceremony. I’ve only come to visit you.”

The Emperor’s face was radiant with spirit, possessing a particular graceful bearing. Li Weiyang looked coldly at the other party, her expression containing three parts disgust. The Emperor naturally sat in the seat of honor while Consort Guo Hui and the others could only stand. The Emperor’s gaze fell on Prince Jing Yuan Ying. “How goes the investigation I ordered you to conduct?”

Prince Jing lowered his head and said respectfully, “In response to Father Emperor, your son has already investigated this matter clearly. It was because Female Official Liang in the palace made a small mistake and was reprimanded by Her Majesty. She bore a grudge and set fire to the palace, attempting to murder Mother Consort. This Female Official Liang has already committed suicide out of fear of punishment. Such a crime should warrant exterminating her entire family, but unfortunately Female Official Liang never married and was alone. Your son suggests letting this matter end here without expanding it. What does Father Emperor think?”

While Yuan Ying spoke, Li Weiyang kept staring at the Emperor’s expression, unwilling to miss the slightest change. The Emperor set down his teacup. “Oh, Beloved Consort also believes this matter was simply a female official refusing to accept discipline and deliberately retaliating—that simple?”

Consort Guo Hui’s heart tightened, but her tone remained calm. “At first, your concubine was also very suspicious. Female Official Liang was your concubine’s trusted personal maid. Why would she do such a thing? But after carefully recalling, when I first brought her into the palace, she was unwilling. All these years, she must have borne a grudge. Unable to bear even a small reprimand, she actually did such a terrifying thing. Your Majesty, if your concubine had died, she could openly be released from the palace and live happily with her lover. This is probably the real reason she committed arson.”

Hearing this, the Emperor was startled, then suddenly burst into loud laughter. “Oh, so that’s how it is. Prince Jing was able to investigate the matter’s cause and effect so quickly—I’m very pleased with you. Truly capable, worthy of being my son.”

He laughed louder and louder, his chest heaving up and down, almost choking. While Li Weiyang observed coldly from the side, feeling the Emperor’s joy came inexplicably. Just at this moment, the Emperor’s gaze suddenly fell on Li Weiyang. He put away his smile and returned to a serious expression. “Has Madam Guo also brought the young miss into the palace?”

Madam Guo and Li Weiyang quickly bowed to the Emperor again. “Yes, Your Majesty.”

Li Weiyang thought to herself: You were clearly already informed about this, so why pretend now? You obviously deliberately arrived at this palace while they were talking. Who knew what you were planning? This Emperor’s thoughts truly couldn’t be guessed by anyone.

The Emperor looked at Li Weiyang with a deep gaze, just smiled faintly, then turned to Consort Guo Hui. “It seems the order of both the court and the rear palace need to be properly reorganized. Last time there was an assassination at the Crown Prince’s manor, and this time there’s even an incident of a female official committing arson in revenge. In my view, every palace must strengthen its security.”

The Emperor’s eyes gleamed brightly as he stared directly at Consort Guo Hui, clearly with deeper meaning. She felt some panic in her heart. However, Consort Guo Hui immediately steadied herself and continued, “Yes, thank you for Your Majesty’s consideration.”

The Emperor smiled faintly. “I’ve decided to select elite soldiers from the Imperial Guards—thirty men to form a guard unit to protect Beloved Consort’s safety around the clock, day and night.” He said this in one breath. Consort Guo Hui’s expression froze. Li Weiyang’s heart felt this was bad. Was this protection or surveillance? Immediately Yuan Ying objected. “Father Emperor, ordinary palace guards are one thing, but the Imperial Guards have always defended the capital and don’t understand palace rules. Having them in the inner palace would be inconvenient. Your son accepts Father Emperor’s kind intention on Mother Consort’s behalf, but this matter is probably not appropriate.”

The Emperor looked at Prince Jing Yuan Ying with a half-smile. “Your concerns are not without reason. Since you feel the Imperial Guards aren’t suitable, then Prince Jing should select appropriate candidates from among the martially trained eunuchs and fill the positions quickly to properly protect Beloved Consort’s safety. I’m sure with capable and competent guards, Beloved Consort can rest easy.”

Consort Guo Hui’s lips maintained a calm smile. She gracefully rose to kneel on the bed. “Thank you, Your Majesty.”

The Emperor’s smile deepened. Then as if suddenly remembering something, he looked at Nankang. “It’s been quite some time since I’ve seen you. Nankang has grown into a young lady.”

Princess Nankang thought the Emperor was finally paying attention to her, and some joy appeared in her expression. In the palace, the Emperor had always been uninterested in these children. Apart from Princess Shouchun who was somewhat favored, the Emperor barely glanced at his other daughters. But at this moment, his gaze fell on Nankang, and his expression actually seemed very loving.

Consort Guo Hui and Prince Jing Yuan Ying simultaneously felt a trace of unease pass through their hearts.

Li Weiyang had dealt with the Emperor before. She knew the other party was deeply scheming and often did shocking things. For some reason, this time she had a not-so-good premonition.

The Emperor carefully studied Nankang, a smile on his face. “Indeed growing more and more beautiful.”

Nankang bowed. “Thank you for Father Emperor’s praise.”

The Emperor nodded and said to Consort Guo Hui, “It’s still Beloved Consort who teaches well!”

Consort Guo Hui also sensed something wasn’t right, but before the Emperor, no one dared speak carelessly. Prince Jing was just trying to think of a way to divert the Emperor’s attention when he suddenly heard the Emperor say loudly, “When Shouchun married last time, I remember that young master Wang Yan of the Wang family was a very outstanding talent. Now looking at it, he and Nankang are a perfect match.”

Hearing the Emperor bring up this topic, Prince Jing’s brows suddenly furrowed tight, then relaxed. He quickly said, “Father Emperor, Nankang is still young.”

The Emperor said coolly, “She’s already sixteen, isn’t she? How can that be called young? I’ve been rather busy with matters recently and haven’t been able to plan properly for Nankang. Now seeing Nankang has grown into a young lady, talented and beautiful, I’ll take it upon myself to betroth her to Wang Yan. Let’s pick an auspicious day for them to marry.”

His mind was made up, not allowing others to refute. He immediately stood straight and walked outside, regardless of how unwilling Nankang was. She could only accept the decree and give thanks.

Walking to the door, the Emperor suddenly turned back, looked at Li Weiyang with a slight smile and said, “Marriage upon marriage—this is a great joyous occasion!”

After saying this inexplicable statement, he had already strode out with hearty laughter. But once the Emperor left, the expressions of the others in the palace were all shocked, especially Consort Guo Hui. She looked at Princess Nankang and couldn’t help frowning. “He’s never cared about you before. Today he suddenly came here—I felt there was a problem.”

Li Weiyang’s lips pressed slightly, her jet-black eyes unusually gloomy. “His Majesty just deliberately proposed strengthening Your Majesty’s security. Your Highness already refuted once, so Princess Nankang’s marriage absolutely cannot be refuted a second time. His Majesty really is no ordinary calculator—extremely shrewd indeed.”

Madam Guo looked at the still confused and uneasy Princess Nankang and shook her head. She consoled, “Fortunately, that young master Wang Yan is also talented in both civil and military arts, brilliant and accomplished. It doesn’t wrong the Princess too much.”

Princess Nankang thought of Wang Yan she had seen that day on the tower. Her face couldn’t help flushing red. At the competition held for Princess Shouchun last time, that Wang Yan was indeed handsome and youthful, talented in both civil and military arts—a figure who made young ladies’ hearts flutter. Princess Nankang hadn’t particularly noticed before, but now hearing the Emperor had betrothed her to Wang Yan, carefully recalling Wang Yan’s appearance and bearing, her face couldn’t help reddening.

But Yuan Ying shook his head. Although Wang Yan was talented in both civil and military arts, in his view Wang Yan was slightly inferior to other Wang family young masters. Just based on the two points of impulsiveness and narrow-mindedness, he could never become a great figure. He had originally wanted to plan carefully for Nankang’s marriage. The best plan was to marry into the Guo family, or marry into the Zhou family. One must know the Zhou family controlled one hundred thousand Imperial Guards—they were very worth winning over. At least they could plant a spy in the Zhou family to monitor Prince Jin and the Zhou family’s movements…

But marrying into the Wang family—Yuan Ying thought carefully and felt marrying into the Wang family might not be a bad thing. But when it came from the Emperor’s mouth, it always made one feel uneasy. Perhaps he didn’t trust the Emperor enough and always felt the other party had no good intentions.

Not only did Prince Jing think this way—clearly Li Weiyang thought so too. She had seen the various Wang family young masters at the banquet. If the Emperor married Princess Nankang to the gentle-natured Wang Guang or the intelligent and reserved Wang Ji, those would both be very good choices. But it was precisely Wang Yan. That person was too proud and quite hostile toward the Guo family. If Princess Nankang married him, it probably wouldn’t be a good thing. Moreover, Li Weiyang vaguely felt the Emperor’s move seemed three parts aimed at herself. But for the moment, though she had an uneasy feeling, she couldn’t think of any reason. The two matters seemed to have no necessary connection.

After all, since the Emperor was wary of Yuan Lie, he wouldn’t easily act against her.

Seeing their grave expressions, Madam Guo couldn’t help saying, “All right, all right. Since His Majesty’s decree has been issued, it’s also irreversible. I believe the Wang family will definitely treat Nankang well.”

Li Weiyang nodded. Madam Guo actually knew General Wang but wasn’t familiar with Wang Yan. So she would think Wang Yan was not a bad match for Princess Nankang. This wasn’t really wrong. But after the incident with Wang Zijin, Princess Nankang’s relationship with Consort Guo Hui was seen by everyone, adding an awkward layer to her identity.

Li Weiyang smiled. “Princess Nankang is so lovable that no matter what family she marries into, she’ll live happily and contentedly.”

Nankang’s smile couldn’t help floating to her cheeks, but she said shyly, “Sister, don’t tease me anymore.” Saying this, she covered her face and had already run out of the hall. Li Weiyang and Madam Guo exchanged a glance, both seeing the sighs and pity in each other’s eyes.

Coming out from Consort Hui’s palace, Prince Jing Yuan Ying said, “Jia’er, thank you for comforting Mother Consort today.”

Li Weiyang smiled faintly. “Actually, I didn’t do anything today. Prince Jing was the one who caught that culprit.”

Prince Jing’s gaze blazed as he looked toward the Empress’s palace, his voice icy. “Today I dealt with that guard and Female Official Liang. The most important purpose was to prevent them from making wild accusations and also to avoid harming the innocent.”

Li Weiyang nodded. “I believe this matter actually has nothing to do with the Chen family. Everything was just someone deliberately instigating trouble. If we continued investigating deeply, we would only uncover other miscellaneous people—actually unimportant. As long as we know who did it and keep it in our hearts, that’s enough. We’ll find the right opportunity to strike back.”

When she said those four words “strike back,” Prince Jing Yuan Ying looked at her deeply. “This matter can’t be rushed. Let’s take it slowly. Fortunately Mother Consort wasn’t injured.”

Madam Guo had already walked out from the hall. Li Weiyang was about to take her leave from Prince Jing when she heard him say, “What do you think of His Majesty arranging this marriage?”

Both knew very well the Emperor was clearly finding opportunities to deliberately make things difficult for the Guo family and Consort Guo Hui. Otherwise, he wouldn’t be playing matchmaker for no reason.

Seeing Li Weiyang’s expression, Prince Jing guessed her thoughts. He said calmly, “Yes, I also feel Father Emperor’s actions today were very strange. He’s never cared about Nankang before. I’m also very clear what kind of person that Wang Yan is. He’s fine otherwise, just too proud and arrogant. I’m afraid Nankang won’t be very happy marrying him.”

Not just unhappy—it was more complicated than that… Li Weiyang smiled slightly. “After all, Nankang is a princess. No matter how proud Wang Yan is, he should know an imperial daughter cannot be bullied. I’m sure he won’t go too far. Prince Jing need not worry excessively.”

Yuan Ying nodded and sighed deeply. “Let’s hope so.”

Madam Guo and Li Weiyang boarded the carriage. Prince Jing watched their carriage depart, then turned to order those beside him, “From today on, you must guard Mother Consort’s side every moment of every hour. Don’t let anyone harm her.”

The eunuch said in a low voice, “Yes, Your Highness!”

Prince Jing looked at the setting sun in the distance, his heart inexplicably shrouded by a layer of shadow.

In the carriage, Madam Guo’s expression was grave, no longer showing the composure she had when comforting Princess Nankang. She said in a low voice, “Jia’er, I think His Majesty’s intention in this matter is…”

Li Weiyang looked at Madam Guo. “To target the Guo family.”

Madam Guo nodded. “Exactly. His Majesty’s move must be to target the Guo family. You must know Nankang is Consort Guo Hui’s adopted daughter. Speaking of it, she has countless connections to the Guo family. That day when Prince Xu publicly refused the marriage in the great hall, he humiliated the Wang family. No matter how magnanimous they are, they’ll brood over this matter. I observed the Wang family’s expressions—the others were one thing, but Wang Yan was particularly furious. To betroth her precisely to him, I fear after Princess Nankang marries over…”

Li Weiyang didn’t want her to worry too much and consoled, “Mother need not worry excessively. His Majesty’s move is merely to balance the Guo family. There shouldn’t be other intentions.”

Really no other intentions? Li Weiyang didn’t actually think so in her heart. Besides warning the Guo family and warning Li Weiyang, the Emperor must have deeper meaning. Perhaps the Emperor hadn’t given up the idea of making Wang Zijin become Prince Xu’s consort at all. Since there was no way to act from Prince Xu’s side, this Emperor would ultimately target her. So what method would he use to make her voluntarily give up? Li Weiyang really wanted to know what other means the Emperor had yet to employ.

Madam Guo said worriedly, “Regardless, I can’t bear to see such an innocent and romantic child as Princess Nankang go suffer at someone else’s home.”

Li Weiyang’s expression was very calm. “Mother, there’s actually something I’ve wanted to say for a long time, but because Consort Hui dotes too much on Princess Nankang, I haven’t spoken clearly. Looking at Nankang’s words and actions today, did she seem like a princess? A person can be innocent, can be kind, but absolutely cannot be ignorant or dull. Having lived by Consort Hui’s side for so long, always relying on Consort Hui and Prince Jing’s protection—besides that, what else does she have? If she continues like this, it probably won’t benefit her. This marriage into the Wang family might let her understand how to become a qualified princess, how to learn to protect her own family instead of always standing behind others.”

Madam Guo sighed. “You’re right. Looking at it openly, life is full of hardships. If you want to find one person among hundreds, thousands, or tens of thousands who has no hardships, you simply cannot. A little bit of happiness will be followed by countless hardships. Everyone has their own fate. So does Nankang. We have no way to prevent it.”

Li Weiyang looked at Madam Guo but disagreed. “Nothing in this world cannot be changed. The key is to hold fate in your own hands.”

Madam Guo looked at Li Weiyang and gently shook her head. “Don’t be careless, child. Being human is not easy.”

Li Weiyang gently nestled into Madam Guo’s embrace. She said in a low voice, “Mother, Jia’er understands your meaning. From now on, I’ll be more careful.”

Madam Guo stroked her smooth hair, thinking deeply. “Jia’er, Mother’s greatest worry is you. You’re cold on the outside but warm inside, with an extremely stubborn personality. You’re too persistent about everything and unwilling to easily let go. Mother doesn’t want you to suffer any hardships or live unhappily. If possible, Mother wants to temporarily send you away from the capital to recuperate elsewhere.”

Li Weiyang was startled, then immediately said, “No, Mother. I absolutely won’t leave at this time.” Madam Guo must have seen by now that not only Empress Pei but even the Emperor had considerable opinions about the Guo family and even intentions to act. Having her leave the capital was clearly to preserve her.

Madam Guo had five sons in total, but she only had one daughter. The one she cherished most would forever be Guo Jia. Li Weiyang’s eyes couldn’t help getting moist. She said softly, “Please rest assured, Mother. Jia’er won’t leave the capital. But I also won’t be harmed. On the contrary, those who harm me and harm the Guo family—I won’t let a single one go.”

Madam Guo knew Li Weiyang’s stubbornness. Hearing her say this, she couldn’t help pulling her tight and sighing. “No matter what decision Jia’er makes, Mother stands on your side.”

Li Weiyang felt the waves of fragrance coming from Madam Guo’s embrace—that kind of fragrance only a mother’s body would have. The maternal love she had lacked since childhood, she seemed to have found it all in Madam Guo. With such a mother who cared for her and protected her, what did she have to worry or fear? Before, she had always thought the strongest people in this world were those without ties or attachments. Because they had no attachments, they could fight, could venture forth, could disregard everything. But now she had changed her view. Precisely because she had Madam Guo, had the other Guo family members, had concerns, had attachments, she had more confidence, more obligations, and needed to work even harder to eliminate those with ill intentions one by one. To become even stronger, to protect her family—love was also a kind of power! Even stronger than hate.

Li Weiyang knew Empress Pei had already made her move. Next would come a hard battle. Victory or defeat was still unknown!