“Insolence!” The Empress was livid. “Jin Wangfei, do you think you can slander the Crown Prince and me without consequence? Guards! Drag her out!”
“Wait!” Duan Wang stepped forward and looked at the Empress. “Royal Mother, the matter hasn’t been clarified yet. Even if Jin Wangfei is slandering you and His Highness, we still need to get to the bottom of it.”
“Old Four, what do you mean by this? Are you showing disrespect to our Royal mother now too?” The Crown Prince finally spoke, confronting Xiao Muchen.
“I wouldn’t dare,” Xiao Muchen replied calmly. “But this matter concerns Mingxi’s name. I simply seek justice—is even that not allowed, Crown Prince?” His gaze locked tightly on the Crown Prince.
Qi Wang was dumbfounded. What… what was happening here? How did things spiral out of control like this?
Jin Wang remained indifferent. Whatever happened to his wife had nothing to do with him—their relationship had long been dead.
Only now did Yu Wang truly understand—so the Empress wanted to eliminate his wife for He Wanyi’s sake?
Though he wasn’t fond of his wife, she was still carrying his child! How dare they?
He had even been thinking of pleading with his mother to allow He Wanyi to return to the estate, and this—this was what they showed him in return?
They wanted to kill his wife and his child?
What did they take him for?
Furious, Yu Wang trembled all over. He stood beside his wife but was so enraged he couldn’t even speak. His eyes burned red with a mixture of rage and guilt as he stared at her.
Yu Wangfei met her husband’s eyes calmly, then quietly looked away.
That only made Yu Wang feel worse. He cursed himself—he had been blind, deaf, and foolish. Even when his mother had scolded him, he hadn’t listened.
Overwhelmed, Yu Wang suddenly stormed forward and glared at the Crown Prince. “Fine, fine! I know I’m useless, but I never thought that in the Crown Prince’s eyes, I was nothing more than a stepping stone. My wife and child—do you think you can just take their lives at will? We’re brothers! What do you take me for?”
“Second Brother, this is all a misunderstanding. Don’t be misled by false accusations,” the Crown Prince tried to calm him.
But Yu Wang no longer believed a word of it. In a flash, he lunged forward and punched the Crown Prince square in the face!
Everyone: …
“Seize Yu Wang!” the Empress shouted. “This is outrageous! What do you think you’re doing, Yu Wang?!”
People rushed forward. Ding Zhao was accidentally shoved aside. Xiao Muchen quickly steadied him and said in a low voice, “Steward Ding, you’d best step aside. You might get hurt.”
“Thank you, Duan Wangye,” Ding Zhao replied with a wry smile, bowing before retreating. “These old bones can’t take much more.”
Yu Wang gripped the Crown Prince like a madman. Even Jin Wang and Qi Wang couldn’t pry him off.
Duan Mingxi shielded Yu Wangfei, subtly turning her body to block the Crown Princess from harm.
Bai Shixi had never experienced such chaos before—royal princes brawling like street thugs. As a pregnant woman, what if she got hurt?
Now that Duan Mingxi stood protectively in front of her, her tension eased.
Xiao Muchen pushed past Ding Zhao, stepped forward, grabbed both Qi Wang and Jin Wang, flung them aside, then hauled Yu Wang up by the collar and splashed cold tea from a nearby table in his face!
The Crown Prince, who had never suffered such humiliation in his life, glared daggers at Yu Wang.
The room fell into complete silence. The cold tea sobered Yu Wang a bit, though his face was still stormy.
If not for the fact he couldn’t beat Duan Wang, he’d definitely have punched him too.
Consort Shu looked at her son with concern. Today’s events were not going to be resolved peacefully.
“The Emperor has issued a decree—summoning the Crown Prince, Jin Wang, Yu Wang, Duan Wang, and Qi Wang!”
Kang Wang, who had twisted his ankle and been ordered by the Empress to recover at his estate, had unintentionally dodged this entire disaster.
Even now, no one remembered that Kang Wang hadn’t shown up at all.
The Crown Prince took the lead toward the Chongzheng Hall, followed by the other princes.
Before leaving, Xiao Muchen gave Mingxi a meaningful look.
Mingxi understood and gave a slight nod.
Ding Zhao also left with them, and the scene suddenly fell quiet.
The Empress, her face dark with fury, nearly ground her teeth as she said, “Take Jin Wangfei to the side hall and wait for her punishment!”
This time, Jin Wangfei did not resist. The moment Yu Wang struck the Crown Prince, she knew she was finished.
She pushed away the palace maid who came to seize her, patted the dust off her skirt, braced her trembling legs to stand up by herself, looked at no one, did not bow to the Empress, and walked out of the pavilion with her head held high.
The Empress was even more infuriated at the sight. Fine—what a proud woman!
Let’s see how long she can keep up that backbone!
Suppressing her rage, the Empress took the Crown Princess and Jiang Liangdi straight back to Kunde Palace, without giving a single further order.
Consort Xian, worried about Yu Wangfei and the child in her womb, left with her immediately.
Only then did Consort Gui sit down with the help of her maid, looking short of breath. She glanced at Consort Shu. “Shall we talk for a bit?”
Consort Shu nodded, then dismissed the others, leaving only Mingxi behind.
Their two head stewardesses cleared the area, stationed guards at the entrances, and ensured no one could approach. Aside from the gentle breeze, not a sound could be heard.
Mingxi sat quietly by Consort Shu’s side, obedient and well-mannered. Consort Gui looked at her with envy—why did she end up with a daughter-in-law like Jin Wangfei?
Consort Gui gave a bitter smile and said slowly to Consort Shu, “Well, it’s come to this. I don’t know how it will end. His Majesty has always favored the Crown Prince. I fear…”
She trailed off, finishing only with a heavy sigh.
But Consort Shu saw things differently. She looked at Consort Gui and said in a low voice, “Jin Wang and Jin Wangfei have long grown apart. Now is the perfect time for a divorce.”
“Divorce?” Consort Gui’s eyes lit up.
Consort Shu glanced at Mingxi, her expression soft with pity. “Look at my daughter-in-law—she’s done nothing wrong, yet He Wanyu wanted to kill two birds with one stone. A woman that ruthless, can you feel at ease leaving her by Jin Wang’s side? Who knows what she might do if she goes completely mad?”
“But the marriage was bestowed by His Majesty…” Consort Gui frowned.
“Which is why we need a decree to nullify it. Back when Xingan Marquis fell from grace, we considered this, remember? But we thought perhaps Jin Wangfei was different from her Father and didn’t have the heart to push it before the Emperor. That hesitation led to today’s disaster. We’re lucky Yu Wangfei is unharmed. If something had truly happened, how would you explain it? What would Consort Xian think of you and Jin Wang?”
Consort Gui had long had the thought, but was reluctant to act too openly, afraid people would accuse her of being cruel and heartless—after all, divorcing Jin Wangfei right after her Father’s downfall would seem cold-blooded.
But today’s events had truly shaken her. If it happened again, she wouldn’t survive it.
It was terrifying.
“All of this was orchestrated by the Empress,” Consort Gui sneered. “Too bad Jin Wangfei was a fool. She didn’t even secure evidence before daring to act on the Empress’s orders. Now she can’t explain anything.”
“She brought this upon herself, fine. But my son was dragged into it too—what a harbringer of misfortune!”
