If Jun Beiyue’s true parentage had been exposed, Ziqing had no idea what Prince Baxian would have had prepared. But at this moment, she was certain of one thing: Great Zhou still belonged to the Prince Yao’s estate.

Jun Beiyue’s remark, “Prince Baxian has worked hard during this time,” had left Prince Baxian feeling even more guilt-ridden than before, and all the more devoted to serving diligently!

Gu Suying and the Tenth Prince were brought directly to a side chamber in the Prince Yao’s estate. Ziqing, having had no time to rest throughout the entire journey back, now sat lazily in the seat of honor, sipping tea while sizing up the two of them!

Gu Suying sat slumped on the floor, her eyes fixed viciously on Ziqing, yet not daring to make a move. The Tenth Prince stood off to the side, wiping sweat continuously, not even daring to glance at Ziqing. The room fell into a terrifying silence.

Finally, Gu Suying couldn’t hold back any longer, saying coldly, “What, is the esteemed Princess Yao planning to administer private punishment?”

Ziqing ignored her, calmly eating a pastry that Hongyi had brought over, saying flatly, “Tenth Prince, sit down—why so formal?”

These words sent every hair on the Tenth Prince’s body standing on end. Trembling, he stammered, “Fourth… Fourth Sister-in-law… I was led astray by Seventh Brother. I truly didn’t know anything about this!”

“That’s exactly why I’m telling you to sit. Hongyi, serve the Tenth Prince some tea,” Ziqing said flatly again, not even glancing at Gu Suying.

The Tenth Prince sat down tremblingly. Though terrified, he felt a faint sense of relief—falling into Fourth Sister-in-law’s hands was surely better than falling into Fourth Brother’s!

Gu Suying, unable to contain herself any longer, spoke up again. “Han Ziqing, what exactly do you want? Just get to the point—I’m not afraid!”

Yet despite her furious shouting, Ziqing continued to ignore her, smiling instead at the Tenth Prince. “Tenth Prince, the document you presented to Prince Baxian, the person you introduced—did they both come from Seventh Brother?”

“Everything came from him! I… I didn’t even know what was in that memorial!” The Tenth Prince was nearly in tears. He truly hadn’t realized things would become so serious.

Then suddenly, Ziqing, still smiling, slammed her hand down on the table. “How dare you have such nerve!”

The Tenth Prince flinched violently, immediately rising and dropping to his knees. “Fourth Sister-in-law, spare me, please! I truly didn’t know anything! Seventh Brother told me it was confidential intelligence he’d obtained, a chance to redeem himself for past wrongs. I softened, and I… I agreed to it!”

“Perhaps you didn’t read the document, but did you even look at the person? Look closely at this woman right now, and examine her carefully!” Ziqing said coldly.

The Tenth Prince didn’t dare delay, hastily turning to look at Gu Suying. At this point, Gu Suying had no idea what Han Ziqing was up to, her face twisted in a fierce scowl as she glared coldly at the Tenth Prince, who was studying her.

This reckless fool of a Tenth Prince—he could mistake even a villain for a good person. What did he know about reading people?

“Tenth Prince, take a good look at the wrinkles on her face, and look at how she’s dressed. Isn’t she trying to look younger than her age?” Ziqing said coldly.

The Tenth Prince, without even looking properly, immediately nodded. “Yes!”

“A woman who tries to look younger than she is, is a wolf in sheep’s clothing. Remember that, understand?” Ziqing said earnestly.

The Tenth Prince nodded immediately.

“Now look at her eyebrows—don’t they extend all the way to her temples? And her eyes—at first glance they look like phoenix eyes, but look closely, and they’re actually inverted triangles, aren’t they?” Ziqing continued.

The Tenth Prince, puzzled, actually looked closely this time. Gu Suying’s brow furrowed tightly, and she abruptly stood up. “Han Ziqing, watch your mouth!”

Ziqing still ignored her. “Tenth Prince, isn’t that right?”

“Yes!” The Tenth Prince, not daring to look further, nodded again.

“Remember this—this kind of person is envious by nature, and will stoop to the lowest depths,” Ziqing said coldly.

“You!” Gu Suying immediately lunged forward, but Ziqing caught her off guard, kicking her back down to her knees. The pain left her clutching her stomach, unable even to cry out!

“Tenth Prince, did you remember all that?” Ziqing said flatly again.

“I remember, I remember!” The Tenth Prince nodded repeatedly.

Ziqing said flatly, “Now that you remember, you can go. Report to receive thirty strokes on your own.”

The Tenth Prince’s heart lurched. Without further thought, without even remembering to say thank you, he fled as fast as his legs could carry him, not sparing another thought for Gu Meiting at all!

Ziqing sighed inwardly. If she hadn’t dealt with the Tenth Prince herself, he would have fallen into Jun Beiyue’s hands instead—and that would have meant severe punishment indeed.

This reckless fool—a good scare like this would be enough to make him too terrified to even see the Seventh Prince again.

After the Tenth Prince left, the room fell into an even deeper silence. For some inexplicable reason, Gu Meiting suddenly felt a nameless dread, a chill rising from the depths of her heart.

At this moment, Ziqing was still watching her coldly, saying nothing, her bright eyes narrowed with a bitter, icy chill that sent shivers down the spine of anyone who met her gaze!

Finally, Gu Suying couldn’t bear it any longer, shouting, “I demand a public trial! I want to go to the Ministry of Justice!”

With that, she turned to flee, but there was nowhere to run—before she had even taken two steps, Ziqing blocked her path!

“Han Ziqing, you have no right to try me privately! Great Zhou has its own laws! I want to go to the Ministry of Justice, I want to see Prince Baxian!” Gu Suying shouted furiously.

But unexpectedly, Ziqing raised her hand without warning and struck her hard across the face. “Didn’t the Seventh Prince tell you that in Great Zhou, this consort’s word IS the law?”

Once it was just the two of them alone, Gu Suying finally, truly realized how terrifying this situation was. She clutched her face, backing away repeatedly. “I want to see Prince Baxian! Jun Beiyue really is the Gu clan’s son—you must have used some kind of trick!”

The moment she finished speaking, Ziqing struck her again, hard, across the face. “This consort is telling you—yes, it was this consort’s trick. So what?”

“You! Someone, help! Someone, Han Ziqing is trying to silence me by killing me!” Gu Suying shouted urgently. But there were only three other people in the room—Hongyi, Shiliang, and Guxi.

Hongyi went about tidying the tea table on her own. Shiliang and Guxi stood with their hands clasped behind their backs, guarding the open doorway, paying her no mind whatsoever.

“Han Ziqing, you’re all despicable, shameless, vile creatures! Back then you cursed my sister for marrying above her station—and now look at yourself! Impersonating a child of the Jun clan, usurping what isn’t yours—have you no shame at all!” Gu Suying screamed.

“Slap!” Ziqing struck her again, hard. “Don’t you dare bring up the Gu clan’s affairs with me. That whole mess was entirely caused by you two sisters. Don’t think I don’t know that Gu Meiting’s arrogance and domineering behavior were all instigated by you behind the scenes! Do you really take me for a fool?”

“So what if it is? Even if you’ve driven us all out of the Gu clan, let me tell you this—blood is thicker than water. My parents’ hearts will always be on our side. All you’ve gained is their surface courtesy. Does that mean anything to you? Do you sleep comfortably at night?” Gu Suying retorted sharply.

Ziqing immediately raised her hand for another slap, but before it could land, Gu Suying clutched her face protectively—the pain! This woman’s hand carried no small amount of force; how could it not hurt?

Just one slap had nearly split her face open, let alone several in succession!

“Just surface courtesy, is it?” Ziqing laughed. “What would I want with their hearts anyway? Great Zhou is vast—this consort has no interest whatsoever in the paltry main hall of the Gu clan.”

“Great Zhou, ha! Han Ziqing, if you really had the nerve, you’d change your surname from Jun to Gu! Ha! You’re all just cowards!” Gu Suying suddenly burst out laughing!

But Ziqing wasn’t provoked in the slightest, instead smiling even more brilliantly than she had. “So what if we are? Go ahead, bite me. Go expose me, why don’t you?”