Inside the Imperial Study in the palace.

After the Emperor finished reading the memorial in his hand, Ning Nanxiao quickly said, "Uncle Emperor, you must support Tuantuan."

The Emperor glanced at Ning Nanxiao and put down the memorial in his hand: "You believe Changning?"

“Of course,” Ning Nanxiao replied, his arrogant face bearing a hint of self-righteousness. “Tuantuan is my sister, so of course I’ll side with her. Besides, it’s clearly Xiao Guangyuan’s fault.”

Upon hearing this, the Emperor pointed at Ning Nanxiao and said, "You are certainly outspoken, but Xiao Guangyuan is, after all, a minister of the court!"

"With such character, even great wisdom cannot be employed."

Ning Nanxiao curled his lip: "I think he might have used his official position to do a lot of things that harmed the interests of the people."

“Nan Xiao is right.” Ning Chengzhu immediately nodded in agreement. “I don’t think Xiao Guangyuan is a good person.”

Du Chunhua looked at the silent Prince Ping and the serious-looking Lord Shen, and after thinking for a moment, said, "Prince Ping must know who Xiao Guangyuan is, after all, Prince Ping and Xiao Guangyuan often interact, right, Prince Ping?"

Prince Ping had already cursed Du Chunhua and Ning Chengzhu to death in his heart. He had already been scolded by his elder brother because of the two of them, and now he just wanted to be invisible! Why mention them!

"Oh? What is Prince Ping's opinion on this matter?" The Emperor looked at Prince Ping and said slowly.

Prince Ping forced himself to say, "Your Majesty, I have not had much contact with Xiao Guangyuan. I only spoke to him a few words before because he is Lord Zheng's son-in-law."

"Zheng Qing... Zheng Qing's judgment of people is terrible." The Emperor shook his head. "By the way, has there been any movement from Zheng Qing's side?"

“Lord Zheng must feel he is in the wrong, so he dares not take any action,” Ning Chengzhu immediately said. “For example, if I did something wrong, I would definitely hide like a coward and not come out.”

The Emperor looked at Ning Chengzhu's serious expression and found it somewhat amusing: "Do you think everyone is like you? Alright, I know you want to support Lexin and Changning. This Xiao Guangyuan is stripped of his official position and will never be allowed to serve as an official again."

Two simple sentences decided Xiao Guangyuan's fate.

Lord Shen accepted the imperial decree with clasped hands and left.

Ning Chengzhu quickly said, "The matter has been settled, let's go to the Bai family first."

The Emperor sighed helplessly, "You really don't hide anything at all. What, aren't you afraid that I will be wary of you? After all, one of you is the Prime Minister and the other holds a large army!"

Ning Chengzhu looked at the emperor as if he were a fool.

The Emperor slammed his hand on the table: "Ning Chengzhu! What kind of look is that!"

“My dad calls you an idiot.” Ning Nanxiao shrugged. “I think so too.”

"Ning Nanxiao!" The Emperor's face flushed red. "Do you really think I dare not punish you?"

“Your Majesty, you are a wise ruler,” Ning Chengzhu said quickly. “You will not punish me. Besides, what you said sounds like something a fool would say. Everyone in the world would rebel, except for me and the Prime Minister.”

"Why is that?" The Emperor asked, intrigued.

"Being the emperor is too tiring, I'd never do it. As for the prime minister, that's even more impossible. The prime minister only likes the prime minister's wife. If the emperor wanted to take a concubine, he would definitely be unwilling. And Bai Zeyi and his brothers are even less likely to do so. I heard that they had a competition when they were young, and the loser would become an official in the court."

emperor:……

"So this palace is a monster, and you really don't want to come?"

Du Chunhua: "It's like a raging flood or a ferocious beast. Every time it comes, I have to be on high alert. It's better to stay at home!"

"you……"

The Emperor, with a headache, exclaimed, "Get out of here! Get out of here!"

Before leaving, Ning Nanxiao took out a small booklet from his pocket and placed it on the desk before departing.

"Your Majesty, I will take my leave now."

"etc."

After flipping through the booklet, the Emperor looked up at Prince Ping and said, "You and I are siblings from the same mother. It can be said that you are the one I trust the most."

Prince Ping's heart skipped a beat, and he quickly bowed: "Your Majesty, I will naturally side with you. If Your Majesty tells me to go east, I will never go west!"

The Emperor waved his hand, stood up, and walked to Prince Ping's side: "Today, Ning Chengzu gave me a list. The disaster relief funds have arrived at the destinations, but only one hundred taels remain. I admitted to Ning Chengzu that I trust you because you are my brother, and I am giving you face."

"I'll give you another chance, but..."

The Emperor gave Prince Ping a deep look: "Keeping a private army is a capital offense!"

"Brother!"

Prince Ping knelt directly on the ground, his voice trembling as he said, "Your Majesty, I will never raise a private army! I will never do anything to harm Your Majesty! I beg Your Majesty to investigate!"

The Emperor lowered his eyes and said calmly, "You know the answer in your heart. You may leave."

Prince Ping opened his mouth, wanting to defend himself, but seeing that the emperor didn't want to talk to him, he could only take his leave.

After leaving the palace, Prince Ping's eyes flashed with a sinister light: "Go, summon Zheng Qing to me!"

In the Prince Ping's mansion, the Prince Ping was furious and berated Xiao Guangyuan from head to toe.

"Master, is there really no way to save her?" Madam Zheng asked, tears streaming down her face, as she held Zheng Qing's hand. "That's our daughter!"

“Now that the Emperor has intervened, she has hired someone to kill and poison the first wife. How can she be saved?” Zheng Qing frowned. “It’s just a matter of stripping her of her official position. Find an opportunity for her to divorce Xiao Guangyuan. I will send her to her hometown to hide for a while, and she can marry as a distant relative in the future.”

"Alright, the prince has come to find me. You should stay home and prepare things for Fangyu."

Watching Zheng Qing leave in such a hurry, Madam Zheng wiped away her tears and sighed.

Madam Zheng, supporting Madam Zheng, whispered, "Fortunately, the Tong family didn't take advantage of our misfortune. If you ask me, it's all Princess Lexin's fault. If she hadn't suddenly returned, my sister and brother-in-law would have been fine. How could this have happened!"

Upon hearing this, Madam Zheng stopped in her tracks, her eyes blazing with intense anger: "Chen Zhixiu! I will avenge my son!"

Madam Zheng quickly looked around and, seeing that no one had heard her, breathed a sigh of relief: "Mother, let's prepare some things first, then go see my sister, and oh yes, Yan'er too."

As if she had thought of something, Madam Zheng immediately said, "Yan'er should be alone in the Xiao family now, Mother, should we bring Yan'er back?"

Madam Zheng then realized, "Oh, right, how could I forget Yan'er! Let's go, let's go to the Xiao family!"

At this moment, Xiao Ruyan was lying on the bed, her face pale.

Grandma Xiao completely ignored Xiao Ruyan, instead frequently looking outside: "Why isn't he back yet? What's wrong with my Yuan'er...?"

Fei Qian stood guard outside and found a doctor to watch over the two of them. After all, his master had said that as long as they didn't die, it didn't matter whether they went mad or not.

"How dare you stop me! My husband is a Grand Secretary of the First Rank!"

From the doorway came Madam Zheng's furious voice: "I want to see my granddaughter! Get out of my way!"

Xiao Ruyan, who was lying on the bed, suddenly opened her eyes and quickly climbed off the bed: "Grandmother! Save me!"