Yan Zheng had been wanting to ask Xie Jingyan why the Empress Dowager had helped the Yan family back then, as he felt there was more to the story than met the eye. When Xie Jingyan said those words, Yan Zheng asked directly.

Xie Jingyan did not hide anything from Yan Zheng, lest he show mercy to the heir of the Duke of Maoguo if they encountered each other in the future.

The culprit behind all this is King Cheng.

It was the Empress Dowager's favoritism and protection towards Prince Cheng.

The royal family owes the Yan family nothing; the Yan family owes no one anything.

Xie Jingyan revealed everything he knew. Even though Yan Zheng was wearing a mask, one could still feel the anger on his face. The veins on the back of his hand gripping the reins were bulging. Chen Feng glanced back and said, "Master, someone is following us. It should be the heir of the Duke of Mao's men..."

The heir of the Duke of Maoguo is truly vengeful. He was beaten so badly that even his own father didn't recognize him, yet he still wants to know where Young Master Yan is staying. He's definitely up to no good.

A cold glint flashed in Xie Jingyan's eyes as he said, "Ignore it."

The Empress Dowager's support for the Yan family had already sparked much speculation, and he wouldn't mind adding fuel to the fire.

Xie Jingyan and Yan Zheng rode their horses and soon stopped in front of the Yan residence gate.

Xie Jingyan had the entire Yan residence renovated, inside and out. The main gate was repainted, and the gilded plaque reflected a dazzling light in the sunlight.

Yan Zheng stood in front of the gate, his eyes blurry, as if he could see the lively scene of the Yan family mansion in the past, with his grandparents still alive, chasing and playing in the mansion, their laughter never ceasing.

I never thought I'd be back.

But he came back.

Grandparents, parents—they will never come back.

Yan Zheng took off his mask and stood at the door for a long time before dismounting from his horse and stepping up the steps.

What flashed through my mind was the image of my grandmother being pushed and nearly tumbling down the steps when our house was ransacked.

After returning to the capital, he didn't know how many times he had visited the Yan residence, but this was the first time he had entered the residence through the main gate.

Pushing open the gate, he saw the Yan residence, a place that was both familiar and unfamiliar to him.

The servant, who had been hiding furtively in the shadows, quickly left as soon as Xie Jingyan and Yan Zheng entered the Yan residence.

Inside the pharmacy.

The heir of the Duke of Maoguo sat there while the doctor applied medicine to him.

The heir of the Duke of Mao was badly beaten this time. Not only was his face bruised and swollen, but he also suffered internal injuries.

His eyes were like they were poisoned.

After the doctor applied the medicine, the young waiter brought over medicine for internal injuries.

The heir of the Duke of Maoguo gritted his teeth and drank the medicine, and then the servant returned.

The heir of the Duke of Maoguo slammed the medicine bowl down and said, "Why are you back so soon? Have you found out where that person is hiding?"

The servant said, "Young Master, it seems the one who hit you was the eldest young master of the Yan family..."

The Crown Prince of Maoguo's expression changed.

The tearing of the wound caused a sharp, piercing pain. "The eldest young master of the Yan family? How is this possible?!"

The servant was confident that his guess was correct. "He went to the Yan residence with Prince Ling, took off his mask and threw it away, then pushed open the gate of the Yan residence. He went in first, and Prince Ling followed behind him..."

The gates of the Yan residence are not something just anyone can push open, especially not one that is ahead of Prince Ling.

The Crown Prince of Maoguo looked extremely pale.

Xu Chuan.

The Minister of Justice who saved the Yan family happens to be surnamed Xu!

It's perfectly normal for the Minister of Justice to place the Yan family's daughter in the Wang family's care, allow the eldest son of the Yan family to change his surname and be under his protection.

The Empress Dowager only ordered the Minister of Justice to save people, but she did not order him to be so open and honest with the Yan family!

The heir of the Duke of Maoguo was so angry that he could barely breathe. Speaking made his wounds hurt, and breathing made his chest hurt so much that he wanted to kill someone.

The servant was at a loss for words. His young master was incredibly unlucky, always picking on tough opponents.

First, they tried to kill the biological children of Princess Huyang and her husband, which strained the relationship between the Duke of Mao's mansion and Princess Huyang. Now, they have provoked the eldest son of the Yan family, the cousin of Prince Ling.

More importantly, Consort Chen's betrayal of the Emperor was a setup, and the Yan family was implicated and nearly wiped out. The Emperor is currently feeling guilty towards the Yan family. Even if Young Master Yan were to beat their young master black and blue and cause him internal injuries, or even break a rib, the young master would have no choice but to accept defeat.

Prince Ling and the eldest son of the Yan family are truly ungrateful. If it weren't for the Empress Dowager, no one in the Yan family would be alive. The Duke of Mao's family is the Empress Dowager's maternal family. They treated the young master so cruelly, showing no regard for the Empress Dowager's reputation. Isn't this repaying kindness with enmity?!

Are Prince Ling and Young Master Yan really that unafraid of being gossiped about behind their backs?

Everyone was already curious about who was the person who hung the heir of the Duke of Maoguo on the city wall and then beat him up with internal and external injuries under the guise of a friendly sparring match. When they learned that it was the eldest young master of the Yan family, they were all shocked.

"How could it be the eldest young master of the Yan family?" someone exclaimed in surprise.

"That's right. The Yan family was executed by imperial decree back then. If it weren't for the Empress Dowager ordering the Minister of Justice to save them, the eldest young master Yan would have died long ago. How could he not be grateful to the Empress Dowager at all and treat the heir of the Duke of Mao so cruelly?"

"That's incredibly ungrateful."

"You're wronging me. I was there when they were fighting, no, when they were sparring. Young Master Yan was avoiding the heir of the Duke of Mao and didn't want to fight him. It was Prince Ling who told him not to hold back."

"Wouldn't those who are ungrateful be..."

"So, Prince Ling, are you out of your mind? Prince Ling just saved the First Prince's life last month."

"That's true..."

The teahouses and taverns were abuzz with discussion.

The news that Young Master Yan had beaten up the heir of the Duke of Mao reached the ears of all the civil and military officials.

The civil and military officials already felt that the Empress Dowager's help to the Yan family was unusual and that there must be some unknown reason behind it. Now, Prince Ling was showing no gratitude to the Empress Dowager. No, this was not just showing no gratitude; it was clearly a deliberate provocation of the Empress Dowager.

The Prince of Ling was so intelligent that he would never do something that would give others cause for criticism; surely no one would pursue the matter even if he did hit him.

It seems that the Empress Dowager was involved in the plot that led to Consort Chen's tragic death in the Cold Palace.

As for the Duke of Maoguo, he returned home furious after being indignant at the Empress Dowager's place, only to learn that his son had been beaten up, and that the one who beat him up was none other than the eldest son of the Yan family. He was so angry that his face turned ashen and his back teeth were clenched loose.

The eldest son of the Yan family caused such a commotion upon his appearance that it was bound to reach the ears of the Emperor and the Empress Dowager.

The emperor did not react.

He, as the emperor, knew all too well how protective his son was of his own. He even confronted Shen Wan when he slammed the dragon table, which frightened her.

Consort Chen has been in the palace for more than ten years. The Empress Dowager has made things difficult for Consort Chen, both openly and secretly. Xie Jingyan didn't know this before, but now that he does, how can he not stand up for Consort Chen?

He couldn't do anything to the Empress Dowager, but she cared about many people, and the heir of the Duke of Maoguo had run into his hands on his own. How could Xie Jingyan not make things difficult for the Empress Dowager?

As expected, the Empress Dowager was displeased. She was annoyed that the heir of the Duke of Maoguo was not skilled in martial arts and was causing trouble everywhere. She was also annoyed by Xie Jingyan's deliberate provocation.

He was ostensibly slapping the face of the Duke of Mao's mansion, but in reality, he was telling the Empress Dowager something.

He will avenge his mother's death.