This world is unfair.

In the warm room, silver charcoal was burning brightly, dispelling the winter chill, but it could not dispel the calculation in the eyes of the brother and sister.

Ning Lingli's slender fingers unconsciously fiddled with the gold thread on her cuffs, with a cold smile on the corner of her mouth.

"Royal brother, the spies reported that Ning Lingyi's carriage has entered the capital. She must have had a hard time on this journey." She raised her eyes to look at Prince Yong who was sitting opposite her, her voice filled with undisguised malice.

"I'm afraid the Imperial Study is about to be flooded with impeachment memorials from all over the court. When she comes back, hmph, I'll make sure she gets punished! Let's see how arrogant she can be this time."

Prince Yong slowly used the lid to stir the foam from his teacup. His eyes were deep and his tone was calm, "Lingli, take a long-term view. Ning Lingyi alone can't cause much trouble."

He put down his teacup, his fingertips tapping the rosewood tabletop. "The Crown Prince is regent, but his foundation is not stable. The mess Ning Lingyi made in Mingzhou this time was not only the arbitrary execution of Liu Mian, but the worst part was her connivance in Shen Qingyan's land division! How many people have been offended by the phrase 'divide the land and live on the people'?"

A gleam flashed in his eyes. "We want this fire to burn even more fiercely. The impeachment must be more severe, and the charges must be more serious! This is all the fault of the Crown Prince's indulgence and negligence. The more thoroughly Ning Lingyi falls, the more the Crown Prince's prestige will fall. If he can't handle it well, what will happen to Father? Humph."

Ning Lingli's eyes flashed with satisfaction: "My royal brother is very wise. This time, I will make sure that Ning Lingyi is killed without a burial place, and the Crown Prince will also lose face!"

Prince Yong nodded slightly and said, "I want to see what else our Crown Prince can do."

*

The clamor in Taiji Hall seemed to have died down, but the pressure on Crown Prince Ning Yanqing's heart didn't ease at all. In the imperial study, the newly submitted memorials almost flooded the desk. Opening one, it was an impeachment. Opening another, it was still impeachment!

The content even went a step further than yesterday, with every word being heartbreaking:

"Although the princess has been recalled, her rebellious actions have not yet caused any harm. Shen Qingyan, the deputy governor of Mingzhou, is the princess's lackey, implementing harsh policies and causing chaos in the local area. He should be dismissed and investigated immediately!"

"The so-called land distribution to relieve the people is actually the seizure of property to the unruly people, shaking the foundation of the country! I request your permission to quickly send personnel back to Mingzhou to thoroughly investigate the land accounts, reclaim the land that was wrongly distributed, and return it to its original owners!"

"The princess should reflect on her mistakes behind closed doors. She is guilty of a crime she committed and should be kept under strict surveillance. She is not allowed to see outsiders without imperial decree to prevent further incidents!"

"presumptuous!"

The prince suddenly swept several memorials to the ground, his chest heaving violently, and his face turned from pale to blue.

"I have already called Mingzhu back and ordered her to reflect on her mistakes! What else do you want? Remove Shen Qingyan? Redistribute the land? Are they going to trample Mingzhu and me in the mud?"

He pointed at the scattered memorials, his fingers shaking. "Hasn't it been recalled for reexamination? Father told me to handle it, and I did! What else do they want?"

"How could Shen Qingyan, a poor scholar, be a hindrance to them? The land in Mingzhou was originally seized by the Chen and Liu families through trickery and robbery. How can distributing it to the people who can't make a living be considered a threat to the country's foundation?"

Of course, the prince didn't understand. How could he not know that Liu Mian deserved to die? How could he not know that based on Mingzhu's personality, he would definitely kill Liu Mian with a sword? From his selfish point of view, this was the right thing to do. From the perspective of the justice of the court, Mingzhu should not have executed Liu Mian on his own.

But how did it come to this?

The princess was imprisoned, the third place winner was deposed, and the land was returned. These impeachments were simply too much. Who owns this world?

Chen Zhanshi stood aside with his hands hanging, looking at the prince's almost uncontrollable shock and anger, and sighed in his heart.

He picked up a memorial and said in a low but clear voice, "Your Highness, please calm down. This matter is no longer limited to Mingzhou, nor is it just the princess's."

The prince looked at him suddenly: "What do you mean?"

"Your Highness Prince Yong, and those behind him," Chen Zhanshi said with a sharp gaze, "They have forged this case into a sword, a sharp sword pointed directly at the Eastern Palace. What the princess did, whether right or wrong, has now become a target for shaking the foundation of the country. What they want is to completely nip in the bud this tendency of rebellion and harming the gentry with the people, and to prevent future troubles. And they are using this incident to treacherously attack your prestige..."

He paused, his tone filled with helplessness: "Your Highness gave in yesterday and recalled the princess. Today, they naturally took another step forward. Besides..."

His voice lowered. "Even the ministers who originally supported Your Highness are very secretive about the idea of ​​dividing the land. They might not openly help Prince Yong criticize Your Highness, but they will only welcome this collective demand for a rectification of the chaos, because it concerns the vital interests of all of them."

"Your Highness, this is no longer something you can quell by simply taking a step back. The fire is burning too fiercely..."

The prince sat down dejectedly on the spacious throne, feeling a chill running from the soles of his feet to the top of his head.

He understood that the two strategies he had thought of yesterday were nothing but cowardly concessions in the eyes of those experienced and calculating ministers.

It turned out that even ministers dared to deceive the emperor. He really understood.

He rubbed his forehead irritably, feeling a deep sense of powerlessness, even more so than when he faced his father's words "You decide for yourself".

Why is the position of crown prince so nerve-wracking?

Xuehan Palace.

The fire burned quietly, and the warmth tried to dispel the deep chill in the temple, but there was always a hint of chill lingering.

Ning Lingyi burst in, her tiredness from the journey worn away by the palace walls, leaving only the stubbornness that was difficult to erase between her brows.

When Concubine Yu saw her, she stared at her. She had really lost weight. It seemed like a lifetime had passed since they had last seen each other for more than a month. Her Mingzhu had really suffered, and her heart ached.

She stretched out her hand, and with a barely perceptible tremor, she finally held her daughter in her arms.

"I'm glad you're back." Concubine Yu's voice was very soft, as if she was afraid of disturbing anything. "You must be exhausted from the journey, right?"

Her eyes fell on her daughter's face, and she traced it carefully, not wanting to miss a single detail.

Ning Lingyi held her mother's warm hand in her backhand, and the strength that had supported her all the way seemed to have found a support point and relaxed slightly.

"Mother, I'm fine." The voice was low and barely noticeable hoarseness.

The hall fell silent for a moment, with only the occasional crackling of the charcoal fire. The mother and daughter cuddled together, like chicks returning to their nest.

Imperial Concubine Yu didn't mention the trouble immediately. She just held her daughter's hand quietly. After a long while, she spoke softly, her voice still gentle: "Do you know everything that happened on the road?"

Ning Lingyi's body tensed up imperceptibly for a moment: "Well, Chen Zhanshi gave me a message on the way."

She paused, her tone filled with suppressed anger. "Isn't it enough to lock me up in Xuehan Palace? Shen Qingyan is simply acting impartially. The land in Mingzhou was originally seized by the Chen and Liu families through trickery and violence, and then distributed to the landless people. What's wrong with that? They actually want to reclaim the land? Is this even fair?"

She looked at her mother, her eyes full of confusion, "Mother, do they still have Father in their eyes? And the Crown Prince?"

Imperial Concubine Yu didn't answer immediately. She just looked at her daughter's confusion, and her heart ached. "Yier, tell me, what is the law of nature?"

Ning Lingyi was stunned. She didn't expect her mother to ask this question.

Imperial Concubine Yu looked at her daughter calmly, her eyes deep, as if carrying the wisdom of the ups and downs of the imperial court: "Is it the provisions written in the magnificent legal code? Or is it the scale of people's will?"

She knew that she was going to tell her daughter something that she didn't want to accept, but in this deep palace, one could never survive by just being pampered, let alone the world outside the palace.

"Mother knows your heart. You can't bear to see the people suffer, and you want to fight for a way to survive for them. Mother understands this."

"Yier, if you were born a man and you wanted to fight for it, even if your mother would risk her life, she would do her utmost to help you realize your ambition. A man has ambitions, and even if there are difficulties, there is always a way to go." Lady Yu seemed reluctant, but still said it.

"Keyier," Concubine Yu's tone was filled with sorrow.

"The path for women in this world is as narrow as a goat's calamity. What you did today, in the eyes of those people, was not a fight for survival, but rather a catastrophic disaster. You wanted to overturn the table and destroy the ethics of this world."

Ning Lingyi frowned: "Overturn the table?"

"Yes, you overturned the table. You touched what they consider their lifeblood: the land. And the rules that keep them high and mighty."

"Do you think they're afraid of Shen Qingyan? Or a few acres of thin farmland? No, they're afraid that you've started something, that it will become a prairie fire and burn them themselves."

"If you kill Liu Mian and pocket all the stolen goods, they will laugh at you. Liu Mian's crime has already been determined, and Shen Qingyan will be fine."

"But you didn't. You distributed the land to the people. This is a big mistake." Concubine Yu held her hand and saw the pain in her eyes growing more intense.

"Mother, how can this be possible in this world? I refuse to accept it!" Ning Lingyi felt like her heart was about to explode, and she was filled with anger and dissatisfaction with Ren Ying.

"Does it mean that exploiting the people is right, and doing things for the people is wrong? If that were the case, then this world would have perished long ago!" She protested fiercely.

Concubine Yu looked at her daughter's anger and felt bitter. She had taught a good daughter, but she was too good, and the world could not accommodate her.

Still, he couldn't help but dissuade her: "Yier, power is not something that can be done by the person at the top just by saying something."

"It's more like a net, woven layer by layer, supported at the bottom by the gentry and wealthy families throughout the prefectures, counties, and districts who hold monies and prestige."

"They are willing to recognize us, the Nings, as the emperor, and pay taxes and levies to maintain order. Your father is the emperor."

"The Emperor's decree is often not something he can do at will. It's something that all parties can barely swallow after wrestling and compromising. Even when your father sat in that position, he often didn't always get what he wanted."

Imperial Concubine Yu's voice was extremely soft, but every word struck Ning Lingyi's heart: "This time, you directly poured out the bowl of water. Yi'er, you have to understand, when a group of people, a nation's foundation, feel their lives and property are threatened, what will they do?"

Ning Lingyi pursed her lips, her eyes flickering violently.

Deep fear flashed in Concubine Yu's eyes. She held her daughter's hand tightly, and the strength revealed her inner anxiety.

"Mother is not afraid of anything else, but she's afraid she won't be able to protect you. Your father is seriously injured and bedridden. Your brother, the Crown Prince, is now sitting in the position of Regent, treading on thin ice. Facing the overwhelming public opinion, if he gives in, those people will press harder. He may not be able to withstand the pressure and protect you."

Her voice was choked with a barely perceptible sob, but she suppressed it, looking at her daughter almost pleadingly: "Yier, mother knows you are wronged and unwilling to give up, but mother only has you as her daughter."

"All I ask is that you live peacefully. I'm afraid that one day I won't be able to see you again. This palace is too deep, and I can't afford to gamble, let alone lose. Just consider it for me, and consider it my plea for you, and be patient for now, okay?"

Ning Lingyi only felt bitter, and drops of hot tears fell on her hands. She felt her eyes were blurred with tears and she could not see her mother clearly. After careful listening, she found that her mother's tears were falling on her heart.

She opened her mouth, but her throat seemed to be blocked by something. All her resistance seemed pale and powerless in the face of her mother's humble request.

She nodded very slightly: "Okay."

Imperial Concubine Yu held her daughter tightly in her arms, as if embracing a treasure that had been lost and found again. The mother and daughter snuggled up beside the warm fire, her voice choked with sobs: "Mother will definitely protect you, and will never let anything happen to you..."

The hall was silent, with only the sobbing of mother and daughter echoing in the empty hall.