The sudden impeachment came without any warning. The Empress’s heart pounded fiercely. She had handled the matter so secretly—how could it have been exposed?
The imperial physician, seeing the Empress’s terrible complexion, didn’t dare ask a single question. He quietly prescribed a remedy and advised her to remain calm before withdrawing.
In the palace, for an imperial physician to keep his life, he must not hear or see anything — just do his duty and pretend ignorance no matter what he encounters.
After the physician left, the Empress urgently asked who had submitted the impeachment. When she heard it was Zhong Yuqing, she nearly fainted again.
That stubborn old man who could neither be coaxed nor threatened!
The case regarding Qiping Prefecture had caused a huge uproar, even overshadowing the incident at Zhenbei Wang’s mansion. Now, no one cared about that anymore; everyone was focused solely on this new scandal.
That morning, the court session ended much later than usual. After court was dismissed, Xiao Muchen immediately returned to his manor.
Qi Wang tried to catch up to him but couldn’t. Turning toward Jin Wang, he complained, “Big Brother, did you see how fast Fourth Brother ran? I wanted to ask him about today’s incident.”
Jin Wang walked on without pausing, casually replying, “What did you want to ask?”
Qi Wang lowered his voice and said, “Big Brother, do you think this matter has anything to do with the Crown Prince? I remember the magistrate of Qiping Prefecture was recommended by Duke Cao, right?”
Jin Wang’s eyes flickered, but he spoke lazily, “Now that you mention it, I do recall something like that. But a recommendation is just a recommendation. Duke Cao might not have known about these misdeeds.”
Qi Wang curled his lip. They were all born of the same Father; why the need to pretend?
Jin Wang was clearly dodging the question, and Qi Wang found it tiresome. He sneered, “Big Brother, don’t you want to know the truth?”
Jin Wang looked at him and said, “Whether I want to know isn’t important. What matters is whether Royal Father wants to know — don’t you agree, Seventh Brother?”
Qi Wang snorted, feeling slighted, and strode out of the palace, his face gloomy.
Meanwhile, Yu Wang had been summoned by Consort Xian to Changning Palace. When she asked him about the morning’s court session, he grew impatient.
“Royal Mother, why are you asking about this? Whether or not it’s connected to the Crown Prince, it has nothing to do with me.”
He couldn’t even get past the palace gates for morning court these days. Why would he care?
Seeing her son like this, Consort Xian grew furious and snapped, “Look at yourself! Do you intend to stay like this forever? As for Side Consort He’s miscarriage — she didn’t cherish the child herself. Why are you grieving for her?”
Yu Wang’s head felt like it was going to explode. Hearing his mother speak so harshly only made him more stifled. He sat there in silence, sulking.
Seeing this, Consort Xian’s heart softened a little. In a gentler tone, she said, “Now is a good opportunity. The scandal at Zhenbei Wang’s wedding and the impeachment of Zhang Guangan — neither are good news for the Eastern Palace. This could be your chance.”
“What chance could I possibly have?” Yu Wang had already given up. His Royal Father didn’t even spare him a glance — what hope was there?
“You fool! Don’t you realize that while your other brothers fight fiercely, you’re the only one staying quietly on the sidelines? What do you think that looks like to your Royal Father?”
Yu Wang blinked, startled.
“You can’t stay passive forever. It’s time to show yourself.”
“Do you think I can do it?”
“Why not? Even if you can’t, you must at least try. Unless you plan to be a worthless nobody your entire life — in which case, pretend I said nothing.”
Of course, Yu Wang didn’t want that.
Seeing her son tempted, Consort Xian felt a bit relieved. She lowered her voice and said, “The Crown Prince has a strong foundation, and Duan Wang is steady and capable — you can’t beat them. But can’t you outmatch Jin Wang and Qi Wang?”
As for Kang Wang… Consort Xian couldn’t even be bothered to mention him.
Yu Wang hesitated, then his eyes lit up. “Royal Mother, what should I do?”
Consort Xian composed herself and said, “First, prepare yourself mentally. Wait for my instructions.”
Yu Wang nodded. “I’ll listen to Royal Mother.”
Consort Xian sighed. If it weren’t for her son, she wouldn’t have stooped to grovel before the Emperor in her old age.
Among the four consorts, she had the least favor — not because she wasn’t capable, but because the Emperor merely wanted her to be virtuous and understanding.
But this time, for her son’s future, she would fight.
After sending Yu Wang out of the palace, Consort Xian immediately ordered her people to closely monitor movements at Chongzheng Hall, awaiting the right moment.
The matter with Qiping Prefecture escalated rapidly. Zhong Yuqing personally submitted the impeachment, armed with solid evidence. It was almost impossible now to wriggle out of it.
The Emperor issued a decree sending officials to investigate Qiping Prefecture. The Minister of Justice retreated into seclusion, refusing all visitors and barely stepping outside after leaving the office.
The Eastern Palace remained unusually quiet, but the Empress had already instructed Duke Cao to act according to the situation.
Distrustful of Duke Cao, she also had the Crown Prince assign aides to assist him, ensuring there would be no leaks.
Compared to this, the scandal at Zhenbei Wang’s mansion had become entirely irrelevant.
When Li Peilan returned to her parental home, she threw herself into Duchess Cao’s arms, sobbing bitterly. Gan Hao sat stiffly to the side, his face dark as ink, saying nothing.
The Duchess couldn’t help but scold her son-in-law, but Gan Hao coldly retorted by recounting Li Peilan’s outrageous behavior at the wedding and then threw down a line: “If Mother-in-law believes I was in the wrong, I shall return home and reflect. I will not come to apologize until I’ve thought things through.”
Without even staying for the meal, Gan Hao left, abandoning Li Peilan at the Duke Cao’s residence.
Duchess Cao’s household and her daughter were both stunned.
What were they supposed to do now?
Kang Wangfei went to have tea with Mingxi and told her about the situation.
Mingxi had already heard whispers of it. She felt that Duchess Cao, relying on the Empress’s favor, had long been used to being domineering and really thought the Zhenbei Wang household would be easy to bully.
“Well, now it’s come to this. Li Peilan definitely won’t go back to her husband’s house with her tail between her legs, and the Second Young Master Gan, claiming to be ‘reflecting,’ isn’t going to fetch her. Meanwhile, Zhenbei Wang and Wangfei have already made it clear that they won’t interfere in a young couple’s quarrel. This has truly become a spectacle.”
Kang Wangfei had never seen someone as troublesome as Li Peilan. It was a perfectly good marriage, yet she insisted on stirring up such chaos.
“The Empress is too busy right now to spare a thought for this. Once she has time, she certainly won’t let Li Peilan suffer grievances like this,” Mingxi said with a smile.
“That’ll have to wait until after the Qiping Prefecture incident blows over,” Kang Wangfei sneered. “Right now, there’s a rumor spreading that Zhang Guangan was recommended by Duke Cao and that he’s essentially been working for the Crown Prince all along. Many are now wondering just where all the wealth Zhang Guangan embezzled over the years has gone.”
Mingxi smiled, “That’s something only the capable ministers at court can investigate thoroughly.”
Kang Wangfei gritted her teeth and said, “My Father is out fighting on the frontier, risking his life, lacking food and supplies, enduring hardship every step of the way, and yet these people… They are truly despicable.”
Mingxi looked at her and nodded, “You’re absolutely right. Back when Fengcheng Marquis’s army lacked provisions, I personally contributed a fair amount of silver. Seems like all that money ended up in someone else’s pockets. Great Chu isn’t lacking grain — it’s being embezzled by traitors.”
Their eyes met, and Kang Wangfei stood up excitedly. “I must return to my parents’ house immediately.”
It was time for her Father to go to His Majesty and play the “victim card”!
