"Listen." Shangguan Yanran thought for a moment and didn't hide anything from him. "Actually, Xie Jingrun was assassinated during this trip to Jiulong Mountain. If Qingqing hadn't risked her life to block the dart for him, it's very likely that Xie Jingrun would be lying in bed right now. So, strictly speaking, Qingqing saved his life, and he should naturally respect her." She paused. "Just as Father said, Xie Jingrun isn't actually that bad, otherwise Qingqing wouldn't have saved him."

Upon hearing this, Shangguan Boyan seemed to be deep in thought.

After a moment, he touched her hair and said, "I understand."

Shangguan Yanran was unaware that her words prompted Shangguan Boyan to make a decision.

The next day.

Emperor Zhaojing then announced Situ Jin's crimes and issued an edict to the world, abolishing Situ Jin's title of Empress and banishing her to the Cold Palace.

The whole country was in an uproar. The Empress's faction was in complete chaos, and they all wanted to write a letter to plead for Situ Jin. Unfortunately, the charge of adultery in the palace stopped them.

If a woman from an ordinary family were to commit adultery, she would be divorced, or even worse, thrown into a pool. This is even more true for the strictly disciplined royal family.

The fact that the Emperor did not order Situ Jin's execution is already an extraordinary act of mercy.

More importantly, even without the Empress, there is still the Third Prince, whom they can follow. The Third Prince is the one they should serve the most.

To put it bluntly, the reason they follow Situ Jin is simply because the Third Prince is destined to ascend the throne.

Since that's the case, it doesn't really matter if Situ Jin is gone.

Therefore, they quickly calmed down and decided not to act.

At the same time, Shangguan Boyan advised Emperor Zhaojing to restore Xie Jingrun's status as a prince as soon as possible.

Emperor Zhaojing had always dreamed of recognizing Xie Jingrun, but the timing had been wrong before, so he had not made Xie Jingrun's identity public. Now that the biggest obstacle was no longer a threat, it was indeed time to make it public.

"Then I'll leave this matter to you, my dear minister. But before that, I need to have a good talk with Xingxiu first," Emperor Zhaojing said solemnly.

Upon hearing this, Shangguan Boyan was no longer surprised.

The Emperor values ​​Xie Jingrun so highly because of Consort Xue.

Given the Emperor's affection for Consort Xue back then, he naturally valued the son she bore.

"Your Majesty, rest assured, I will handle this matter properly." After a pause, Shangguan Boyan continued, "Although now is a good time to announce Commander Xie's identity as a prince, in order to prevent the Situ family from making any moves, I suggest that Your Majesty should secretly recall Prince Su first and have him bring back a portion of the troops, in case of any unforeseen circumstances."

"But the Xiongnu, who are adjacent to Suzhou, have been making moves. If we rashly recall him, wouldn't that give the Xiongnu an opportunity to take advantage?" Emperor Zhaojing hesitated.

"It's just a secret repatriation. Besides, it's not about having Prince Su withdraw all his troops; letting him take only a portion is enough. After things settle down, he can return to Suzhou as soon as possible. I believe it won't have any impact," Shangguan Boyan said. Prince Su has been stationed outside the capital since he was a teenager, blocking the ambitious Xiongnu who wanted to invade Liang. He has achieved numerous military exploits and is famous throughout the land. The soldiers he leads are all capable of fighting ten men each, and are extremely brave. Throughout Liang, no one dares to challenge his might. Currently, Prince Su is the most feared figure by the Situ family. As long as Prince Su keeps the Situ family in check, the Situ family will not dare to act rashly.

Emperor Zhaojing knew his concerns. Over the years, because of Situ Jin, the Situ family had grown increasingly powerful. In addition, they held a portion of the military power and no longer took him, the emperor, seriously. If he suddenly announced Xingxiu's identity, the Situ family might not be able to sit still and might rebel.