A gentle and pleasing voice reached her ears, her phoenix eyes rippling with tender affection, so deeply that it seemed to draw her in.

Yet, even such affectionate eyes couldn't conceal the sharpness within their dark depths.

Yu Qingwu's expression stiffened momentarily, but she quickly regained her composure, gazing at him with a faint smile and asking, "So what if it is? This world isn't fair in all things. Didn't Your Highness say that long ago? Many things are beyond our power to change."

"Such as status, such as class. Such as the different outcomes of the same event when it happens to different people. What can one do but accept it?"

"This concubine accepts the unfairness of the world, but acceptance aside, am I not even allowed a shred of complaint?"

A hint of coldness flickered at the corner of Yu Qingwu's eyes, without any attempt to conceal it. Nor did she feel the need to.

To be honest, she had been touched by Xie Jin'an's willingness to disregard his reputation and bring Xu Zian to the Eastern Palace for punishment, but after seeing the penalty Xu Zian received for kidnapping Xie Ruizhi and deceiving her, she felt a sense of displeasure.

She wasn't some jealous sister-in-law competing for favor with her husband's younger sister, but she suddenly realized that the so-called ties of noble families were only directed at commoners like them. When applied to a princess, they seemed insignificant.

The lives of dozens of members of the Yu family ultimately resulted in a light punishment. Those officials who had caused the deaths were not made to pay with their lives. Even Qiu Shi and Shen Yanhu were executed for verbally disobeying the royal family. As for the others, they did not pay the price of their lives.

But Xie Ruizhi, she was alive and well. She was merely deceived by Xu Zian. For this, Xu Zian and the Xu family would have to pay a heavy price, perhaps even face confiscation of their property.

This was probably the difference between the royal family and commoners.

A commoner's life was worthless.

Thinking of this, Yu Qingwu couldn't help but curl her lips into a mocking smile, sighing with a bitter laugh. "So, Your Highness, a commoner's life is truly worthless, isn't it?"

"Even dozens of lives cannot compare to the kidnapping of a royal princess, can they?"

"In the end, the weight of dozens of commoner lives is not as heavy as that of a royal princess, is it?"

"A'Wu…"

Xie Jin'an lowered his eyes, gazing deeply into the woman's mocking eyes. He wanted to explain something, but found himself unable to argue.

After a moment of contemplation, he gently stroked her lips and said softly, "A'Wu, don't say such things again. It won't be good for you if they reach Father Emperor and Mother Empress's ears."

He lowered his gaze, no longer daring to look into her eyes.

Indeed, he had previously told her that the noble families were deeply entrenched, and even a seemingly powerless Duke's Mansion like the Shen family required her to understand his difficulties, even to the point of arguing with her.

At that time, he even felt that she was being unreasonable.

But today, when the matter fell upon Xie Ruizhi, Father Emperor had an entirely different attitude. Judging from the situation, even if the Xu family wasn't exterminated, they would probably have their property confiscated and their entire family exiled to the frontier.

At this moment, he could no longer use the so-called helplessness or his circumstances to explain anything to Qingwu.

For a moment, the two of them were left speechless.

Throughout the spring banquet, neither of them spoke a word.

When it ended, they were still silent and without words. On the way back to the Crown Prince's residence, their moods were heavy and complicated.

That night, Yu Qingwu had another nightmare.

She dreamed that she had returned to the night the Yu family was exterminated. A raging fire turned the vast Yu mansion into ashes, and the once-familiar faces of her loved ones were burned beyond recognition.

She didn't know how long it had been before she woke up crying.

"Your Highness, are you awake?"

Perhaps hearing the commotion, Nanny Xun hurried in from outside. Seeing her eyes red and swollen, she quickly asked, "What's wrong, Your Highness? Did you have another nightmare? Should I call a royal physician to take a look?"

"It's nothing…" Yu Qingwu shook her head, weakly propping herself up.

Even though it was just a dream, she felt as if she had experienced it all over again.

It was probably because there was a knot in her heart.

Rubbing her temples, Yu Qingwu slowly got out of bed.

Nanny Xun immediately brought water for her to wash up.

"Nanny Xun, what happened with the Xu family's matter?"

Although she felt unbalanced, Yu Qingwu was still eager to know what the final outcome would be for Xu Zian's actions.

When the royal family arrested Xu Zian, the public reason given was that he had engaged in immoral behavior with Qiu Kui in the harem. Nanny Xun didn't know the real reason behind it. Seeing Yu Qingwu ask her, she immediately said excitedly, "Hey, what else could happen? Those who should die will die, and those who should be exiled will be exiled!"

"Speaking of that Qiu Kui, she was too bold. Not only did she have an affair with that Xu Zian, but I heard that she also had affairs with Xu Zian's three older brothers, as well as his old father, Marquis Xu! Oh dear, this old servant doesn't even want to talk about it!"

"Now, the male members of the Xu family have all had their heads chopped off, and the women have all been exiled to the frontier, some as slaves. The most miserable one has to be Xu Fengxia. She was already married, and her husband, Lord Cao, wrote a letter of divorce overnight upon hearing the news. Now, Lord Cao has cleared his name, but Xu Fengxia has been exiled to the border to become a military prostitute."

"She was a pure and innocent daughter of an official family. What couldn't she have done? She had to engage in the business of a brothel madam, matching her own father and brothers with Qiu Shi…"

"As for the Qiu family, for raising such a daughter who repeatedly tarnished the royal family's reputation, they were naturally stripped of their official positions. Now, they can't even keep their marquis title. Not only has the entire family been demoted to commoners, but their family business has also been cut off. Qiu Shi has managed to save her life, but I heard… she will also be sent to the frontier with Xu Fengxia to become a military prostitute."

So, the royal family ultimately covered up the matter of Xie Ruizhi being kidnapped by bandits.

As for why they said that Qiu Kui had affairs with several men of the Xu family, it was obviously to retaliate against Qiu Kui for wanting the bandits to defile Xie Ruizhi's purity. It seemed that the Xu family had long known the hidden truth behind this. Not only did they not strictly discipline Xu Zian, but they also shamelessly used the name of grace to seek benefits for themselves, which was deceiving the emperor and committing treason. Who else would the emperor kill if not them?

It was all their fault…

Amidst her sighs, Yu Qingwu also understood one thing more clearly: if she wanted revenge, she had to climb higher and not ruin her relationship with Xie Jin'an.

Thinking of Xie Jin'an, she couldn't help but recall their silence yesterday.

After a pause, she changed the subject and asked Nanny Xun, "Nanny Xun, where did His Highness go today? Did he say when he would return?"

The Crown Princess actually took the initiative to ask when His Highness would return?

Yu Qingwu's question surprised Nanny Xun a little, but she was also quite delighted. She said with a smile, "His Highness the Crown Prince went to the Capital Magistrate's office today, saying he was going to handle an old case. He should be back in the afternoon."

"Your Highness, a young master is visiting." Just as Nanny Xun finished speaking, Chun Tao's voice came from outside.

Hearing this, Yu Qingwu was stunned and asked in confusion, "A young master? Visiting me?"

Chun Tao nodded, her expression somewhat troubled. "Yes, this servant has already said that the Crown Princess does not meet with outside men alone, but that young master said that as long as you see this thing, you will definitely meet him."