"Night King! I am your uncle! You must save me! I've done many bad things before, but today, it's the Regent who framed me!" Prince Rao cried, pleading with Zhan Tianye.
A tear of injustice fell.
He regretted everything he had done!
He should have sided with the Night King, rather than doing so many wicked things for the Regent over the years!
Zhan Tianye didn't even bat an eyelid.
He didn't care what happened to a depraved monster who had lost all conscience.
Seeing Zhan Tianye's silence, Prince Rao panicked, "Night King, it was truly the Regent who framed me! The token is real! I had it verified by others these past two days, it's absolutely real!"
Zhan Ming's face darkened, and he gave an order, "Muzzle him!"
Immediately, palace attendants stepped forward to gag Prince Rao.
Yun Shu lightly curved her red lips. Was it too late to silence him now?
Her gaze swept over the assembled crowd. Many eyes held suspicion towards Zhan Ming, and some even frowned deeply.
A seed of dissatisfaction with Zhan Ming was instantly sown in many hearts.
The astute Zhan Ming, naturally, perceived this, and his expression grew even more somber. "Take him away!"
Just as the attendants were leading the weeping Prince Rao away, Zhan Tianhong, who had learned much and grown significantly in the imperial court, spoke at the opportune moment with a soft sigh, "Regent, I have not yet given an order."
Zhan Ming shot a sharp look at Zhan Tianhong.
The people around gasped.
Indeed, the Emperor had not yet given an order, and the Regent had already dealt with Prince Rao. This...
It was as if he didn't hold the Emperor in any regard.
While some matters were understood tacitly, this was far too blatant.
Yun Shu smiled inwardly. The young Emperor had grown.
He knew when it was crucial to speak.
Speaking up for a mere Prince Rao was not worth it.
But speaking at this critical juncture was like wielding a knife to stab at the ambitious Regent.
"However, the Regent was being slandered, and it's understandable that he was anxious to defend himself. I can empathize, so I will not punish the Regent. I hope there will be no next time," Zhan Tianhong continued magnanimously.
As these words fell, under the gaze of everyone present, Zhan Ming could only bend his waist and kneel on the ground.
"This subject has erred."
Many were astonished again.
They glanced at Zhan Ming, then at the young Emperor.
Then, their eyes involuntarily turned towards Zhan Tianye.
Although Zhan Tianye had remained silent at this moment, his imposing aura was impossible to ignore.
It seemed as if, by not making a move today, the Night King had already gained the upper hand!
Silence descended upon the surroundings.
An hour later.
Yun Shu sat in the carriage returning to the General's Mansion.
She looked at A'cha, who sat beside her, somewhat dazed, and asked with a smile, "What are you thinking about?"
"Miss, so much happened in the palace today." A'cha still felt a lingering sense of dread.
It was supposed to be the Centennial Banquet, with singing, dancing, and music, appearing so harmonious, yet it was brimming with hidden bloodshed and storms.
Compared to this, she suddenly felt that her dispute with Minister Liu's family today was mere child's play.
Yun Shu smiled, "The palace has always been this way. Besides, there were many people present today."
The only thing she was troubled about now was how to make Gu Xiaofeng completely open his heart and see Yun Yueyin's true face.
Just then.
The carriage suddenly stopped.
The driver said, "Miss, we don't know who has stopped the carriage!"
Night had already fallen.
The surroundings were quiet.
Yun Changfeng had not left the palace; he was still discussing matters with the young Emperor, somewhat tipsy.
Someone suddenly appearing to block the carriage at this moment must be someone from the Centennial Banquet.
Who was it?
As Yun Shu pondered, words came from a carriage opposite them.
"Second Miss Yun."
A voice that sent chills down one's spine, chilling to the bone.
Yun Shu raised her eyebrows slightly. Zhan Ming?
"Regent, why are you blocking my path?" Yun Shu's tone carried a hint of coldness.
Zhan Ming let out a sinister laugh. "Naturally, it is for you."
A woman who knew secrets unknown to others, she was also the first woman to pique his interest.
Yun Shu was disgusted, goosebumps rising all over her. "Regent, just state what you want."
"Just now, my men investigated the marketplace and found no such rumors as you mentioned, Second Miss Yun. Therefore, you should provide me with a proper explanation." Zhan Ming's voice suddenly turned cold.
Yun Shu laughed. "Your subordinates are truly useless, Regent. They can't even gather such a small piece of information? I advise you, Regent, don't keep useless people around. Get rid of them all. Then send a new batch of men to thoroughly investigate the marketplace tomorrow."
"Bold!" Zhan Ming was enraged.
What a daring and reckless woman!
"Regent, you are so enraged. Has something gone wrong with your health?" Yun Shu retorted with a half-smile.
Zhan Ming roared, "Yun Shu, you are incredibly bold!"
Yun Shu was speechless. Couldn't he find another word?
"It's late, and I need to return to the General's Mansion. I won't keep you any longer." Yun Shu said coldly.
Zhan Ming lifted the curtain of his carriage, his sinister, cold eyes fixed on Yun Shu's carriage.
Only after Yun Shu's carriage had departed did he retract his gaze.
A mere woman dared to be so arrogant, to not put him in her eyes. Fine, very fine. "I just happen to like bold women!"
...
At the same time.
In another carriage.
Zhan Tianye looked at Zhan Xiaoli and Gu Xiaofeng.
Neither of them looked at the other.
Gu Xiaofeng, in particular, kept his head down, as if he had shut himself away in a world no one else could enter.
"Xiaofeng, you don't need to be so reserved," Zhan Tianye said gently.
Gu Xiaofeng looked up upon hearing this. He looked at Zhan Tianye, who seemed so much like his father, pursed his lips, and said in a childish voice, "I know you're not my daddy, and I know you don't believe me at all."
He was sent by his adoptive father, and it was impossible for him to be believed.
Even though he was a child, he wasn't stupid. He knew he wouldn't be trusted. His adoptive father also knew he wouldn't be easily trusted, yet he insisted he live in the Night King's mansion.
Zhan Tianye looked at the adult-like Gu Xiaofeng. "How do you know I don't believe you?"
"Daddy, I don't believe him!" Zhan Xiaoli, who had been feeling sleepy, immediately spoke up upon seeing his father seem to like Gu Xiaofeng so much.
Daddy didn't even know that Yun Xiaojing was his brother yet!
As there was no one else present, Zhan Tianye's expression became serious. "Xiaoli, he is your brother."
Gu Xiaofeng froze, gritted his teeth, "I am not. I have no brother, no sister. I am alone."
Even though he knew where his mother was, he didn't know who his father was.
Zhan Xiaoli's cold little face suddenly froze.
He hadn't expected Gu Xiaofeng to not pretend to be his brother, but instead to admit it.
He had found Gu Xiaofeng so unpleasant before, but now, for some reason, he felt a little pity for Gu Xiaofeng.
Zhan Tianye, however, said with deep, dark eyes, "Xiaofeng, you are my son, and also Xiaoli's brother."
"Daddy! Could it be, could it be that he is your child with another woman?" Zhan Xiaoli felt like he had been deceived.