"Ah..." There were gasps of surprise all around, and some of the more timid people almost fainted from fright.

Zhao Yunqi's face darkened instantly.

No one would be happy to encounter such bad luck during the Lunar New Year.

Zhang Shanhai rushed over to check, "Your Majesty, he is dead."

Zhao Yunqi took a deep breath, "Good, good! Zhao Zhong!"

They insisted on slapping him when he was happiest; did they really forget that he was the emperor?

Zhao Zhong hurriedly came out and knelt down, "Your Majesty, I have failed in my duty. I truly did not know he would be so violent!"

Zhao Yunqi pointed at Zhao Zhong, "All members of the Zhao clan, go outside and kneel down."

When the emperor was enraged, everyone knelt down, but Xiao Zhixing remained seated, watching the show with his cup in hand.

At this moment, the Empress Dowager also spoke up. She angrily said, "I will handle this matter. Starting tomorrow, all male members of the Zhao family under the age of twenty will move into my imperial estate in Zhongzhou to reflect on their actions!"

"How dare you threaten the Emperor with your death? Are you bullying me and the Emperor, a widow and orphan? Today I will go to the ancestral tablets and ask them, what kind of justice is this?"

Now all the Zhao family members panicked. They were driven out and begged for mercy, kneeling outside and kowtowing repeatedly.

The younger generation in the family was taken away, which meant their lifeline was in their hands, and they finally became afraid.

When the emperor gets angry, others can persuade him to calm down, but the empress dowager rarely gets angry, and once she does, even the emperor can't stop her.

Soon after, the Imperial Guards stormed into the various residences of the Zhao clan and took away all the young men.

The scene at the Xianyin Palace was completely silent.

After venting her anger, the Empress Dowager called to Xiao Zhixing, "Yuansheng, come with me to my palace to celebrate the New Year. I'm not going to waste time with these scoundrels. They're not very capable, but they're full of schemes. Just looking at them gives me a headache."

Everyone gave a wry smile.

Yes, yes, Xiao Zhixing is very capable.

They didn't incite the Zhao family to go mad; it was simply an undeserved disaster.

Xiao Zhixing regretted not being able to watch the play live, and obediently followed the Empress Dowager to her palace.

He kept her company, making small talk, but his attention was focused on Zhao Yunqi's live stream.

With a deathly pale face, Zhao Zhong pleaded with the emperor, "Your Majesty, please have mercy. Those little children cannot be separated from their mothers."

Zhao Yunqi suppressed his anger. "With a bunch of servants and maids, how can you not take care of a little child? The Empress Dowager's method is just right. It keeps the children away from you old folks, so as not to corrupt them."

Zhao Zhong wanted to cry but had no tears.

"Alright, you failed to discipline your subordinates. You are hereby fined three months' salary. The position of clan chief will be handed over to Prince Ze. Go back to your residence and reflect on your actions."

Zhao Yunze, who had a very low profile, stood up to express his gratitude. He was a member of the Zhao clan, but he had little contact with the people in the Zhao clan.

As the emperor's only surviving half-brother from the same father, he was honest and simple-minded. He accepted whatever the emperor offered him and was content with being granted the title of Prince. He spent his days staying in his mansion listening to operas and avoided any trouble.

In fact, his sons are the best candidates to be adopted. The oldest is eight years old and the youngest is four years old, but they haven't attracted much attention yet.

Xiao Zhixing initially thought this person was a treacherous individual, but after investigating, he discovered that he was genuinely content.

Contentment brings happiness and abundant blessings.

Therefore, the emperor and empress dowager were quite fond of him, and the emperor granted him permission not to change his name and to continue using the name Yunze.

The matter seemed to be swept under the rug.

However, given the fact that the emperor had no son, who wouldn't gossip about it in private?

Even if they speculated that Xiao Zhixing might be the emperor's daughter, it was not a fact yet. She was still just Xiao Yuanshan's daughter, and according to etiquette, she was a subject and could not be regarded as the heir.

Moreover, the scene from more than 20 years ago is still vivid in my mind, and those ministers who opposed Xiao Yan's ascension to the throne are still in the court.

How could they possibly allow Xiao Zhixing to ascend to the throne?

The Emperor System said, "Hurry up and choose the Crown Prince, I'm getting annoyed to death."

"So you're finally willing to choose Yuansheng?"

The Emperor System scoffed, "Let's take another look."

His tone wasn't so stiff.

Zhao Yunqi stopped pressing it for answers.

Just as rumors were about the emperor having no children and possibly being unable to conceive were about to burst out of control, news broke that two of his concubines were pregnant.

"The two women are faking their pregnancies," Yin Yi reported, his words tinged with difficulty. "They themselves are unaware that the Emperor personally sent someone to secretly administer false pregnancy drugs to them."

"This drug will cause them to experience miscarriage symptoms four to six months later."

Xiao Zhixing could only say one word: Absolutely brilliant!

Even though these two knew the truth about their fake pregnancy, they dared not reveal it and would instead search the entire palace to find out which concubine was behind it.

Who would have thought that the emperor was the mastermind behind it all?

Zhao Yunqi's acting was very convincing. He immediately promoted the two women to the rank of concubine, sent them a steady stream of gifts, and assigned experienced nannies to take care of them, showing his special attention and anticipation for their pregnancies.

Thus, the rumors were dispelled, and the Zhao family became obedient, living a quiet and unassuming life.

The court officials were overjoyed, and the families of the two concubines were also ecstatic.

Xiao Zhixing was a little disappointed; why didn't the play last a little longer?

At this moment, Bai Feng suddenly contacted her, "Something's not right with that formation. I almost damaged my own essence after studying it a little more closely!"

Xiao Zhixing asked worriedly, "Are you alright?"

Bai Feng said, "I'm fine. Luckily, my consciousness was severed quickly. Xiao Xing, this thing probably has a very powerful background."

That's even stranger. How could such a super thing exist in a low-level martial arts plane?

It even showed signs of having been used not long ago.

Xiao Zhixing suppressed his surprise and asked Bai Feng to stop the research.

She had a feeling that she would figure this out sooner or later.

On the tenth day of the first lunar month, Xiao Zhixing went to attend a wedding banquet.

Yes, Li Jun has finally gotten married peacefully, and an invitation was sent to her for her wedding today.

Regardless of his status as a high-ranking official or his friendship with his classmates, Xiao Zhixing had to make the trip.

“Li Wenxiu’s wife was a daughter of a collateral branch of the Li clan, which was related to the Empress Dowager. Her father was Li Tongye, the prefect of Huzhou. Li Tongye’s mother was from the Li clan, and was a collateral branch of the Li clan of Huzhou.”

Therefore, the two are related by blood.

"I heard that this Miss Li Weining is a well-known virtuous woman in Huzhou. She takes care of her bedridden mother, manages the backyard, and educates her younger siblings. She is a role model for women in Huzhou."

Everyone in Junziyuan received an invitation, so they agreed to set off together for the Li residence.

Li Wenxiu, being well-informed, had already found out the bride's identity.

Xiao Zhixing already knew all the information about the other party, but since she found what she said interesting, he played along and pretended that he had just heard this information.

This time, unusually, they didn't ride horses. The girls rode in her luxurious prince's carriage, which resembled a small house, while the men rode over on their own.

Lin Ruxin couldn't help but gently pinch her cheek, "Little know-it-all, how can you find out so much about someone who's all the way to Huzhou?"

Li Wenxiu covered her face and said, "Hehe, I have friends all over the world, and I also have friends over there who communicate with me."

They love to gossip.

Zhao Xianyin was sitting next to Xiao Zhixing, reading the same book with her, when she heard this, she said, "Miss Li Weining is a famous 'perfect woman' in the south. I've heard of her reputation even in Suzhou."

Li Wenxiu immediately leaned closer, "Do you know how she and Li Wenxiu were paired up?"