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  The house was peaceful and serene, but it didn't mean that Pei Jingchen and Ming Xuan had really distanced themselves from the world, ignoring all these worldly troubles. Before the sunset's afterglow bid farewell to the pale blue sky, several groups of people had come and gone in the Quiet Willows Courtyard.

  No way, being in the midst of waves, no one can resist the invasion of wind and waves. Everything should be faced squarely, so as to make plans and take action without suffering a defeat. If you don't want to get your sleeves dirty, you still need to know how to avoid the dust.

  Changgeng came in to report that the murder case in the Zhongshun Marquis's estate had indeed escalated as expected.

  Yang Youzheng refused to yield and apologize to Ding Guogong, and Ding Guogong was not willing to let the matter drop either. One thought the case was suspicious, and the other felt justified in not forgiving, so the lawsuit was brought before the Emperor. In the Golden Hall, Ding Guogong wept bitterly, pointing at Yang Youzheng for being an unjust official, using his power to bully others, holding a life in his hands yet still acting so arrogantly, while Yang Youzheng wailed and cried out for injustice, asking the Emperor to uphold justice for him.

  Regardless of whether it was a coincidence or a trap, Yang Youzhong's accidental push that killed the attendant was indeed seen by everyone, and the attendant really died. As the emperor, he couldn't show favoritism or cover up for him, but Yang Youzhong was also a powerful minister who held power, so he couldn't be dealt with arbitrarily. He comforted Dingguo Gong and then asked a team of Imperial Guards to "escort" Yang Youzhong back to his mansion, ordering him to rest at home for a few days, and everything had to wait until the Ministry of Punishment and the Supreme Court had made a judgment before proceeding with the trial.

  The emperor's decision seems fair on the surface, but there are hidden implications beneath.

  For Yang Right, although the emperor did not dismiss him in court, being "escorted" back to his mansion by the Imperial Guards before the truth came out meant that he was effectively under house arrest. For a powerful minister like him, being placed under house arrest implied many variables, and if things didn't go well, he could lose his position as the most powerful man in the imperial court. He had always been favored by fortune, with a smooth career path, so how could he endure such humiliation?

  He was given another chance by the Emperor to redeem himself.

  It should be known that the one who died today was only a slave of Ding Guo Gong. As long as Ding Guo Gong does not pursue the matter, it can be settled quietly. If Yang You Cheng is willing to humble himself and plead sincerely, this matter is not entirely without room for maneuver.

  After Zhang Geng stepped down, Pei Jingxun explained to Ming Xuan, "The soldiers of the Western Mountain Camp are the emperor's direct guards. Since last night, they have been quietly marching west in groups. People with some information may have noticed something before tonight, but the emperor's edict will likely be announced at the early court meeting tomorrow. Ping Zhang Zhengshi Han Xiu is the commander-in-chief of this expedition against Western Xia."

  A faint glint flashed in his eyes, and he continued, "Today's autumn crab feast was just a cover for this controversial war. Originally, the Marquis of Zhongshun could have done well, but the Duke of Dingguo is more suitable."

  Ming Xuan's eyebrows were tightly furrowed, and after a pause, she suddenly asked, "Although the Yu family of Dingguo Gongfu is ambitious, they are usually low-key. But today, Yu Guogong insisted on taking the lead and even lost a personal attendant. What he wants to achieve must be significant."

  She murmured in a low voice, "It seems that the child in the palace may not necessarily be a princess!"

  The Dingguo Gong Mansion, as an old-fashioned valve, has been declining in recent years. If it weren't for the emperor's ascension to the throne and his fondness for Yu Huifeng, allowing the Yu family to catch their breath, there wouldn't be today's situation. The former Guangping Hou Mansion, Zhongding Hou Mansion, and Taiping Bo Mansion still have their noble titles, but their power is gone, falling from the clouds to the mortal world, living a very hard life.

  But the Yu family's descendants were not very promising, and for several generations, no one with great talent emerged. Relying on their ancestors' glory to shine was not a reliable plan. As for now, if they wanted to restore the honor and prestige of the Duke's mansion, it seemed that the only way was through the imperial family.

  If Yu Guifei's child is indeed just a princess, why would Dingguo Gong go to such great lengths?

  The inner palace struggles have always been the most treacherous battlefield. In the past, Imperial Concubine Gu was misled by the imperial physician to mistake the princess in her womb for a dragon son, causing a huge joke. Yu Huifeng naturally could also make people intentionally misunderstand the dragon son in her womb as a princess. Mistaking the princess for an imperial son would result in punishment for the imperial physicians, but the surprise of giving birth to a dragon son was enough to ward off disaster for those physicians who made the diagnosis.

  This thing is very likely.

  Pei Jingchen's eyes deepened, as if he had thought of something. He muttered in a low voice, "Lin Nan Wang..."

  The heavy expression on his face dissipated in an instant, and he shook his head with a bitter smile, holding Ming Xuan in his arms. "The secrets within the palace or the turmoil of the imperial court have nothing to do with me. Just be more mindful, don't worry about it."

  His ambition was not in power, as long as his great revenge was avenged, he would rather indulge in the mountains and rivers with the one he loved.

  Ming Xuan nodded and smiled, saying "I know."

  There aren't many people in this world that she truly cares about, apart from the loyal subordinates by her side, just her husband, brother, grandmother and two close friends. Whether Gu's family will become rich and powerful because of the children of the virtuous imperial consort or whether the Pei family will have two dukes, these things are not important to her.

  But she also had some doubts in her heart.

  At the beginning of their marriage, Pei Jingchen asked Ming Xuan to give him two years to plan. His long-cherished wish was to avenge Chu Xiang Wang and Yongjia County's main hatred, but even though they were so close, he had never told her who his enemy was. He openly showed her the forces under his control, even giving her the jade symbol representing his identity, which could allow her to replace him in rallying the people, but he had never told her how far his revenge plan had progressed.

  Perhaps able to guess some of it, but dare not delve deeper.

  Ming Xuan gazed at that slightly pale and slender face, yet it was beautiful beyond the ordinary, with a look of tender concern in her eyes.

  In the evening, Yan's nurse came in and whispered, "Madam, I just bumped into someone from the Liu family, she said that today at the Zhongshun Marquis' residence, it was lively in the front yard, but the backyard wasn't peaceful either."

  Liu's family was a second-class lady-in-waiting beside Yang Shi, the wife of the Crown Prince of Ping Sha Tang. As one of the most noble women in the Great Zhou Dynasty, Empress Dowager Yang Shi always brought a considerable number of slaves with her when she went out to show off her nobility. Liu's family had been by her side for some years and was also good-looking, so she was also included in this team of ladies-in-waiting.

  It's a coincidence that the Liu family is not a native-born child of the Town National Public House. In her childhood, she and her younger sister were kidnapped from their hometown by human traffickers and sold to the Pei family after many twists and turns. Although decades have passed in an instant, she was already old enough when she was kidnapped and misses her sister dearly. Her greatest wish in this life is to reunite with her sisters.

  Over the past two months, Mrs. Yan coincidentally ran into her and thought she looked very familiar. She recalled that there was a maid named Cui Fen beside Old Lady Zhu who looked exactly like this woman from the Liu family. Mrs. Yan paid attention to this and tried to probe with a few sentences. After returning home and inquiring about Cui Fen's whereabouts, she confirmed that these two were indeed biological sisters. Thus, she played matchmaker, allowing the Liu family to fulfill their long-held wish, and also willingly agreed to keep an eye on things for Big Madam Yang.

  "Ming Xuan asked, 'What happened afterwards?'"

  Yan's mother-in-law hastily replied, "I heard that Liao Shi, the lady who manages the Dingguo Gongfu, also attended the banquet. Although she is the birth mother of Consort Hui, her origins are not respectable, yet she always tries to get close to the wife of the Crown Prince. Even though she doesn't have the intention of being on an equal footing, her attitude can't be considered respectful. The wife of the Crown Prince is a person who knows this, and she has always been proud by nature. How could she tolerate a lowly concubine like that getting close to her?"

  She shook her head, with a hint of disdain in her eyes. "According to the Liu family, the words of the Crown Prince's wife were very impolite towards Empress Hui's mother, every word was like a dagger, and she ended up crying in public."

  Dingguo Princess died young, and the Yu family's wealth and nobility relied on Hui Fei again. Therefore, Hui Fei's mother, Liao Shi, gained power. Yu Guogong promoted her to manage the affairs of the mansion, which made the legitimate wife of the heir apparent marginalized. This matter was a stale joke among the aristocratic families in Shengjing City.

  Although Hui Fei held the rank of imperial consort, her birth mother was of humble origin and could not be granted a noble title. She had no brothers, so the Yu family indulged Liao Shi in order to curry favor with Hui Fei, which can be seen as a kind of compensation. In fact, taking a concubine as a wife is considered taboo, but at those banquets and flower parties hosted by the aristocratic families, Liao Shi never accompanied the young master's wife.

  But this time's autumn crab feast, the Yu family didn't know what was wrong with it. The taboos of the past were all ignored. The wife of the crown prince excused herself due to illness, but Mrs. Liao came uninvited. However, since she had already arrived, after all, she was the mother of Concubine Hui, and no one in the Zhongshun Marquis's residence dared to neglect her. She was still treated as a superior guest and respectfully invited in.

  The ladies in the flower hall did not think so.

  They were all born into noble families, who would be willing to chat and play with a concubine of humble origin? Even if Liao was calling the shots in the Dingguo Gongfu, even if she was the birth mother of Empress Hui, it couldn't change her lowly bloodline. Although people were distant from Liao due to Empress Hui's face, they were still polite to her, but she insisted on going to Yang, who had the worst temper, wasn't that just asking for humiliation?

  But whether Liao was sensible or not, it was a fact that Yang had made someone cry. Moreover, the previous incident of Yang Yougong killing people in the Dingguo Gong Mansion had been passed on to the Houyuan Flower Hall, so after Liao cried and lost her composure, she still didn't forget to say indignantly, "Bullying with power". Only then did she dejectedly retreat from her seat. This inevitably made the noble ladies who originally looked down on Liao look at Yang with a few more ambiguous glances.

  Ming Xuan looked in the direction of Ping Sha Hall after listening, thinking that after today, Yang's arrogance would spread throughout Shengjing, not only would it make the relationship between the empress and Huifeng more tense, but also the blow to Yang Youchen's house would be even greater. It seems that this time, Ding Guo Gong is determined to destroy the Yang family.

  She suddenly realized and shook her head, no, it's that the Emperor can't tolerate the Yang family anymore!

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