In the end, the incident was officially classified as an “accident.”
The rest of the noblewomen, to varying degrees, breathed a sigh of relief. But since lives had been lost, the gathering naturally couldn’t go on.
The Eldest Princess personally offered an apology before finally seeing the guests off.
As Feng Caiwei’s carriage rumbled out of the Eldest Princess’s residence, she couldn’t resist lifting the curtain—and happened to catch sight of Xiao Yunting standing before the stone lion out front, smiling as he said something to the person inside another carriage.
The person in that carriage hadn’t even lifted the curtain, but whatever they said made Xiao Yunting’s smile deepen.
Her expression darkened.
Life was truly strange. What once seemed dazzling and peerless—something she had once been willing to sacrifice everything to obtain—could, with the passage of time or a mere shift in perspective, lose all its luster.
To her now, Xiao Yunting was exactly that sort of thing.
She used to see him as a priceless treasure, radiantly brilliant at all times.
But now, looking at him, she only felt disgust.
With a snap, she dropped the curtain and made up her mind.
Since Xiao Yunting couldn’t see her worth, there was no need to cling to a single tree.
From beginning to end, she had only wanted to become the Imperial Grandson Consort.
If Xiao Yunting wouldn’t allow it, then all it would take was for the Imperial Grandson to no longer be Xiao Yunting—wouldn’t that solve everything?
When that day came, she would personally watch Xiao Yunting kneel and beg in humiliation!
She would also see whether, by then, he would regret choosing Qi Yuan.
Could a murderer become the Imperial Grandson Consort? Did that woman know how to manage the six palaces, how to handle court affairs, how to reward imperial wives?
She slowly closed her eyes.
At this moment, Fan Liangdi also learned about the events at the Eldest Princess’s residence.
It wasn’t that her informants were particularly quick—it was because Imperial Censor Tie had stormed into the palace and harshly rebuked both the Empress and the Feng family. He’d said, without mercy: “Back then, the Feng family was demoted precisely because of their arrogance and repeated overstepping of boundaries. So many years have passed, and yet their bad habits remain unchanged. They’ve just returned to the capital and already dared to bribe the Eldest Princess’s servants and barge into her inner courtyard—what were they trying to do?!”
Emperor Yongchang knew it wasn’t the Empress’s doing.
He didn’t like her, but he had to admit she was an extremely cautious woman.
All these years, she hadn’t stepped foot outside her palace. Even now, with her position improving, she still hadn’t come to him once to plead on her family’s behalf.
But even so, the Emperor was furious with the Feng family’s actions.
He immediately issued an imperial decree reprimanding Feng Yuzhang, sentencing him to one month of house arrest.
Then he stripped Wei Ming—just appointed as a backup candidate for Prefect of Hongdu—of his scholarly honors.
The whole affair blew up.
Song Liangdi was incredulous. “What is His Highness the Imperial Grandson thinking? He didn’t even speak up for the Feng family?”
With how favored Xiao Yunting was, even a single word from him could’ve softened the punishment. After all, although Feng Jun and Wei Changying were in the wrong, they’d already paid for it with their lives.
Nanan County Prince gave a cold laugh. “So virtuous, huh?”
There was a mocking smirk on his face. He clicked his tongue and sneered, “Our dear Imperial Grandson—famed for his integrity and filial piety—even the Emperor praises him as the perfect heir! ‘Shengsun, Shengsun’—shouldn’t a ‘Holy Grandson’ be a saint? If he doesn’t sacrifice family for justice, how can he prove his impartiality?”
Song Liangdi hurriedly scolded, “Watch your mouth!”
Nanan County Prince was clearly annoyed by her constant caution. He gave a half-smile. “But it’s good, right? If he weren’t such a pretentious saint, how would I get my chance to shine?”
She lowered her voice. “What are you trying to do? Don’t act recklessly!”
She couldn’t help but murmur, “I know you feel wronged, but now’s not the time. Xiao Yunting has already gained the Emperor’s favor…”
After a pause, she gritted her teeth and added, “Just endure it. Once your father comes to power, your time will come. Why take risks now?”
After all, Emperor Yongchang was still strong and healthy, and for years he’d kept the Crown Prince completely suppressed.
Why provoke Xiao Yunting now and stir up trouble?
If they could just wait it out, everything would fall into place eventually.
But Xiao Jingzhao didn’t think so.
They were both grandsons of the Emperor—so why was the entire world only focused on the Crown Prince?
He was the Crown Prince’s most beloved son!
The Crown Prince disliked the Crown Princess and disliked Xiao Yunting. He was his true favorite.
So why should he be invisible—why should he shrink away in fear during the prime of his youth?
What did he lack compared to Xiao Yunting?
The smile faded from his lips. He quietly pushed away Song Liangdi’s hand. “Wait? How long do you want me to wait? Until Xiao Yunting has firmly established himself in court and proven himself? Until the officials all bow to him?”
Song Liangdi asked helplessly, “Then what do you want to do?”
“The Feng family,” Xiao Jingzhao replied coldly. “Since Xiao Yunting thinks he’s too noble for their help, I’ll go claim it. After this incident, the Fengs should realize he won’t back them. If I offer an olive branch, they’ll know how to choose.”
After all, human nature is cold and fickle. Give them something better, and they’ll let go.
He believed the Feng family—and Feng Caiwei—would know what to choose.
There was still so much the Fengs could do. Since Xiao Yunting had cast them aside, he would take them in.
Song Liangdi looked at her son with a sigh. He was grown now—not at the age where he would blindly obey her.
She could only resign herself and say, “Just make sure you know what you’re doing.”
Xiao Jingzhao smiled. Of course he knew.
The Crown Prince had already given him the signal—sending him to pay respects to the Empress, bringing him to visit the Feng family. Wasn’t that a tacit approval?
Qi Yuan had returned home. Second Madam Qi explained what happened at the Eldest Princess’s estate to the Old Madam, though her tone was still tinged with anxiety.
The whole affair had made waves. Naturally, the Old Madam had already heard whispers. But hearing directly that three people had died, both the Old Marquis and the Old Madam stayed perfectly calm.
Especially the Old Madam. “If they reached out not once, not twice, but repeatedly—Ah Yuan’s clean and decisive approach is a good thing. What, should she have lived in fear of what lowly tricks they’d try next?”
She snorted. “They brought it upon themselves—no one else to blame.”
Second Madam Qi opened her mouth.
Why did it sound like the Old Madam expected people to die this time?
What did she mean by ‘reaching out again and again’?
But the Old Madam clearly didn’t intend to say more. She just comforted Second Madam Qi, “What are you panicking for? It has nothing to do with us. Just live as usual—the sky won’t fall.”
And if it did—well, there were taller people to hold it up. What was there to be afraid of?
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