Ye Zemin went to the palace that very night and told Ye Jingchun about the situation at Black Ox Mountain in detail. After finishing, he embellished the story by recounting Ye Zeyu's injury.

"Your son has learned a great deal from your elder brother these past few days. He has taught me everything he knows. Your elder brother is loyal and righteous, and his heart is full of love for Father Emperor and the Qi Kingdom, but he was betrayed and harmed by a treacherous villain!"

Although the battle at Black Ox Mountain was a great victory, if another day were to pass on the battlefield, and while my elder brother was fighting desperately against the enemy, a villain were to shoot an arrow at him from behind, the consequences would be unimaginable!

Ye Jingchun frowned. "Who instigated this? Has the matter been investigated?"

Ye Zeming said angrily, "Who else could it be but the Marquis of Anyang!"

"Marquis of Anyang? Do you have any evidence?"

Ye Zeming remained silent.

He chickened out at the last minute and didn't go up the mountain. His older brother noticed his fear and told him to stay at the foot of the mountain with men to help him and prevent anyone from escaping in the chaos. So he didn't see his older brother get shot.

When he saw his elder brother again, his brother had been hit by a poisoned arrow and was unconscious.

However, many people saw his elder brother being shot by an arrow, and he had already asked around. Although there was no concrete evidence, Li Xun was definitely a man of Marquis Qiao Xiuyuan of Anyang!

"What evidence do we need? Marquis Anyang must be jealous that my elder brother married my sister-in-law. He was resentful and plotted to harm my elder brother so that my sister-in-law would become a widow!"

Ye Zeming spoke with righteous indignation.

Ye Jingchun slammed his fist on the table in anger.

"Nonsense! Without any evidence, what nonsense are you spouting! I think you've been in the Tiger-Riding Camp for too long lately, and you've become unreasonable and argumentative!"

"Get out of here right now! Tomorrow I'll have your mother teach you a lesson!"

Ye Zemin wanted to say something more, but after seeing Ye Jingchun's angry face, he shut up and left.

But after Ye Zemin left, Ye Jingchun kept pondering the words Ye Zemin had just said.

Ming'er is a simple child; he's never been good at lying. You can tell from what he just said that it's true.

So, is Li Xun really Qiao Xiuyuan's man?

He didn't think Qiao Xiuyuan had harmed Ye Zeyu for Su Muxi's sake, but the biggest beneficiary of the Bai family's downfall was probably Qiao Xiuyuan.

And was Ye Zerui's poisoning really just a coincidence?

Ye Jingchun, who was already suspicious, had a seed of doubt about Qiao Xiuyuan planted in his heart because of Ye Zemin's words, and it quickly sprouted.

So, in this imperial court, who can he trust?

"Cao Huai, send someone to the Yong'an Prince's residence to inquire about the extent of the Prince's injuries. Also, check if the antidote pills that the Yong'an Princess Consort made for me are ready."

The chief eunuch Cao Huai bowed in agreement and quietly left.

…

Time flies, and a month has passed in the blink of an eye.

However, many changes occurred in the capital during this month.

The Bai family members were executed, and the officials in the court were completely reshuffled.

Any official who had any connection with the Bai family chose to resign voluntarily, otherwise they would surely face dire consequences if the emperor dealt with them.

Pei Jian was one of those who voluntarily resigned from his official post.

Although Pei Jian resigned from his position as Minister of Revenue, his two sons continued to serve as officials in the court, though neither held a high rank.

Pei Yi, the illegitimate son, was doing alright because he had the support of his future father-in-law, Grand Secretary Shen, at the Hanlin Academy, and his life was relatively comfortable.

But Pei Yuan was not doing so well.

Because Qiao Xiuyuan not only did not allow the Ministry of Rites to treat Pei Yuan well in the slightest, but also made the Ministry of Rites to "train" Pei Yuan more.

People in officialdom are all shrewd and naturally understand that Qiao Xiuyuan wanted to give Pei Yuan, his future son-in-law, a warning.

The things Qiao Zixi said when she went crazy at the previous literary conference were still spread by many people.

Pei Yuan went to the Marquis of Anyang's residence to propose marriage because he mistook Su Muxi for Qiao Zixi. Therefore, their engagement can be considered a misunderstanding.

Now Su Muxi has become so beautiful, while Qiao Zixi has lost her appearance.

Any man would feel unbalanced, so Pei Yuan naturally did not want to marry Qiao Zixi, who was ugly.

Therefore, Qiao Xiuyuan, as the father, wanted to use this opportunity to put pressure on Pei Yuan and make him face reality.

On one side is the already fallen Pei family, and on the other side is the still prominent Anyang Marquis's mansion.

The officials in the Ministry of Rites naturally knew how to make the selection.

Those officials who had previously been suppressed by the Bai family suddenly became the emperor's favored ministers because of this incident.

However, the Marquis of Anyang, who was already highly regarded by the emperor, did not have any new official position changes and continued to serve as the Minister of War.

However, his son, Qiao Ziming, entered officialdom and became a sixth-rank official in the Ministry of Revenue.

Although his official rank was not high, he wielded considerable power.

In everyone's eyes, Qiao Ziming's position as a sixth-rank official was only temporary; it wouldn't be long before he rose rapidly through the ranks and became an important minister in the court.

However, the truth is that Qiao Ziming was not satisfied with this official position.

"Father, aren't you going to explain?! That Ye Ziyu was injured, and without any evidence, he tried to smear you, causing the Emperor to suspect you. If this continues, the Emperor will definitely lose his trust in you!"

Although the Emperor never mentioned Ye Zeyu's injury in public, rumors circulated that Marquis Anyang had ordered a poisoned arrow to be shot in the back of Prince Yong'an in order to compete with Prince Yong'an for Su Muxi, causing Prince Yong'an to be injured and poisoned.

Although many people do not believe these things, judging from the Emperor's recent attitude towards Qiao Xiuyuan, it seems that he does believe this claim.

Qiao Xiuyuan never expected Li Xun to fail, nor did he expect Ye Zeyu to think of using Ye Zeming to explain the matter to the Emperor.

Although he was unwilling, he maintained a calm demeanor on the surface.

"His Majesty did not ask me about this matter. How can I explain it? If I were to explain it, people would inevitably say that I have something to hide. I might as well let time clear everything up."

"As for your official position, being an assistant minister in the Ministry of Revenue is actually quite good. One must always climb the mountain step by step with a down-to-earth attitude. That way, when you reach the top and look back, you will feel a greater sense of accomplishment."

Seeing that Qiao Ziming was still dissatisfied with the matter of his official position, Qiao Xiuyuan's face turned cold. "Alright, let's not mention this matter again."

Qiao Ziming dared not say anything more and had no choice but to return to his own courtyard.

Unexpectedly, I saw Can'er as soon as I entered the hospital.

He hadn't seen Can'er since he took her as a maid and made her a concubine.

Because whenever he sees Can'er, he is reminded of what happened that day.

He could have taken Su Muxi that day, but Ye Zeyu's sudden intrusion ruined his plans.

As a result, Ye Zeyu cut off a section of his finger.

He would settle the score with Ye Zeyu one day for the grudge of having his wife stolen and his finger cut off!

Thinking of this, Qiao Ziming looked at Can'er with more impatience and annoyance.

"Didn't I tell you not to leave the yard normally?! Get back inside!"

Can'er shrank back, her face showing fear. She hesitated for a moment, but finally mustered up the courage to speak to Qiao Ziming: "Your Highness, I am pregnant with your child."