This sudden assassination attempt caught everyone off guard.

However, the experiences of those in high positions seem far removed from the daily lives of ordinary people; their New Year celebrations remain lively and unaffected.

Apart from the guards conducting more thorough and cautious checks when entering and leaving the city gates than before, everything else seemed to remain unchanged.

But both Zhao Zhi and Shen Hanshan knew that beneath the calm surface, one or more undercurrents were surging.

The Jinglan Pavilion was quiet, but the atmosphere was somewhat heavy.

"Your Highness, you have been reprimanded by the Emperor Emeritus for disrespecting the Empress and have been confined to your quarters for a month. Tomorrow is New Year's Eve, this is clearly an act of bullying!" a man in black said anxiously.

Yun Zhang sat in the chair, staring blankly out the window, as if everything was irrelevant to him.

He gently fiddled with a string of Buddhist prayer beads in his hand, replying calmly, "My life was given to me by His Majesty. Even if His Majesty ordered me to die immediately, I would not disobey. Besides, it's just a reprimand and a month of confinement."

The subordinate sighed helplessly, feeling indignant about the prince's plight, but there was nothing he could do. He didn't know that the usually decisive Prince Yi had become indecisive and lacked much of his boldness since becoming the Empress's Imperial Noble Consort.

Could it be true, as you say, that Prince Yi has become completely subservient to the Empress?

Yun Zhang turned his head, his eyes coldly fixed on the man in black, and slowly said, "Go back and tell those old bastards to spend the New Year with their wives, concubines, and children, and not to cause trouble. If anyone dares to provoke me or try to disrupt the peace of the court, I will not tolerate it." After saying that, he made a throat-slitting gesture, which frightened the man in black into nodding in agreement.

"But Your Highness, if we don't act now while the Empress is pregnant, I'm afraid..."

Before he could finish speaking, Yun Zhang kicked him away. The force of Yun Zhang's kick was so great that he could barely breathe, and it felt as if his internal organs had been shattered by the force of the kick.

"Why..." The man in black looked at Yun Zhang unwillingly, and then gradually fell silent.

"Hmph, why? Do you think you can just order my men around like that?!" Yun Zhang snorted coldly and said calmly to his right, "Deal with them."

"Yes, Your Highness!" A person emerged from the shadows, haphazardly stuffed the warm body of the man in black into a sack, tossed it over his shoulder, and vanished in an instant.

Yunzhang took a deep breath, turned around and returned to his seat, continuing to silently play with the prayer beads in his hand.

Since those old guys have nothing better to do, he'll find some entertainment for them.

"Guards!" Yun Zhang ordered coldly.

"Your Highness, please give your orders!" Another person emerged from the shadows. Yun Zhang tossed the Buddhist prayer beads in his hand to the man, who hurriedly caught them and looked at Yun Zhang with a puzzled expression. "What does Your Highness mean by this?"

"The New Year is approaching. Deliver this to the Imperial Censor, and also pass on a message for me..."

"Yes, sir!" The man in black responded and withdrew. Jinglan Pavilion returned to tranquility.

Dunyang City, Fu'an Teahouse.

Inside the private room, the aroma of tea wafted through the air, and several high-ranking officials leisurely sipped their tea. Suddenly, a servant delivered a secret letter.

The secret letter circulated among the ministers, one of whom slammed his fist on the table in anger and shouted, "This Yunzhang is far too arrogant! We can't just sit idly by; we must find a way to teach him a lesson!" The others echoed his sentiments, but did not express their support.

The main problem is that Prince Yi is too crazy.

Most importantly, Prince Yi has dirt on each of them. These dirt varies in size. The big ones could get them beheaded immediately, while the small ones, though not enough to kill them instantly, could still leave them severely injured.

Li Mu stroked his graying beard, narrowed his eyes slightly, and slowly said, "Gentlemen, please be patient. After the festival, when the court session resumes, we will once again jointly submit a memorial, earnestly requesting His Majesty to carefully choose a son-in-law. His Majesty is in the prime of his youth, full of vigor and ambition. We can carefully select a group of handsome and virtuous young men from the clan to gradually weaken the deep affection between Prince Yi and His Majesty."

He deliberately emphasized the phrase "deep friendship".

With the Prime Minister stepping forward, the others echoed, "The Prime Minister's insight is brilliant!" "The Prime Minister's words are absolutely right!"