It wasn't until dawn that Qin Su finally washed up and went to bed refreshed. But Yu Shuo couldn't rest any longer; he had to go to the morning court to see how Emperor Mingyang would deal with the Empress.

The empress was someone listed in the imperial genealogy. Even if she were to be deposed, it wouldn't be a matter of the emperor's word. It would have to be confirmed by officials before the emperor could decide to depose her.

Therefore, in the stories, the emperor's actions of banishing the empress to the cold palace on the day of their wedding, and deposing the empress, are all extremely unreasonable.

It seems that some people in the court have also noticed that something is amiss today, and everyone is on high alert.

When they saw Prince Chen arrive, some people bravely approached and cautiously asked, "Does Your Highness know what happened in the palace last night?"

Officials of the fifth rank and above all attended the banquet, but nothing noteworthy happened. Yet, the atmosphere felt strangely off.

In particular, they heard that the eunuch Xi, who served the Empress, wanted to leave the palace, but was stopped by someone.

More people gathered around, and Yu Shuo looked closely and saw that it was the Grand Censor, who held the same position as the Vice Grand Censor and served the same purpose.

However, it's clear that he's different from Xue Huai'an. Xue Huai'an is obsessed with climbing the ranks, but the officials who truly impeach others don't care about official positions or money. They only want to be remembered in history, so these are the most upright and incorruptible.

"May Your Highness inform me?" The Imperial Censor approached. He was tall but thin, and the snow wind made his wide sleeves look like huge bulges.

Yu Shuo also noticed a gaze. He followed it and saw that the person was also wearing an official robe, with the distinctive insignia for civil officials on the chest. Even without the light-colored robe, he exuded an air of elegance and refinement.

Perhaps noticing that Yu Shuo was looking over, Xue Huai'an nodded slightly to him before shifting his gaze elsewhere.

"Your Highness? Your Highness?" The Imperial Censor was still calling out to Yu Shuo, hoping to get something out of him.

Yu Shuo didn't give the Empress any face, or even Emperor Mingyang, and said directly: "Yesterday, someone bribed a palace maid by the Empress Dowager's side to try to take away the little princess. She was strangled to death by the pool."

His words were heavy and filled with murderous intent.

Even though Yuanyuan was alright, his chest was still throbbing with unbearable anger, and his murderous intent was raging, like a trapped beast about to break free of its cage.

His words were like a drop of water splashed into a hot oil pan, quickly triggering a strong reaction.

The officials gathered together and discussed the matter animatedly. Among them, the most vocal was a middle-aged man. He was dressed in official robes, but his official rank did not appear high. However, he was the quickest to jump around.

"Who?! Who wants to harm my granddaughter?!"

This man was none other than Qin's father, the Marquis of Loyalty and Righteousness.

Although Qin's father was a marquis, he did not actually hold a particularly high official position; "marquis" was merely a title. Therefore, he always sat in a corner during the morning court sessions, and Qin's father not only did not resent this but was actually quite satisfied.

When Qin Su married Yu Shuo, Emperor Mingyang secretly approached him, openly and covertly offering to promote him to a higher official position. He said that his current position was not worthy of the princess's father, but Qin's father waved his hand and refused.

He felt that the position of Marquis was good enough, and climbing higher was too troublesome.

Emperor Mingyang dropped the matter. In reality, he didn't want Qin's father to rise too high.

"Yes, yes, who is it? Who is so bold?" These words were naturally spoken by the Imperial Censor, who seemed to be the benchmark in the crowd, and everyone was counting on him to get the truth out of Yu Shuo.

A man dressed in military robes stood anxiously in the crowd; this man was none other than the current empress's father.

He knew the Empress might be in trouble, but he also felt that things shouldn't be that serious.

After all, she was the Empress; a small matter wouldn't shake her position.

But what did Prince Chen say today? To plot against the young princess? This…this shouldn't be! It shouldn't be!

He tried to calm himself down.

But the next second he froze on the spot.

"The Empress."

Yu Shuo's handsome face remained expressionless, but his gaze swept across the crowd, landing precisely on the military general in the group.

This man was a general, but only a third-rank official. He was not as prestigious as the Grand General who protected the country, but he was still the emperor's brother-in-law. Since his daughter became empress, his family's status had risen and they had attracted much attention.

But he never imagined that there would be something even more attention-grabbing than his daughter becoming empress.

“Your Highness, you must provide evidence before you speak,” he said to Yu Shuo, mustering his courage.

Indeed, his talent was only mediocre, and he dared not offend his colleagues in his daily life. He spoke with a sense of trepidation.

I don't know how someone like that could raise such an arrogant and domineering daughter.

“This… General Xuan Yang is right, Your Highness Prince Chen, this matter is of utmost importance.” Although the Imperial Censor’s eyes were shining, he still insisted on not impeaching others without distinguishing right from wrong and asked Yu Shuo for advice.

Yu Shuo's lips curled down. "Would I, the King, lie about my own daughter?"

"And the other party is the Empress?"

Everyone remained silent, but their hearts were filled with turbulent emotions.

Why would they want to murder the young princess? They simply couldn't understand it.

Even if the empress is wicked, she only plotted to harm the emperor's child; she couldn't possibly interfere with Prince Chen's affairs.

There is absolutely no conflict of interest between the two parties.

No matter how these people think, they really can't figure it out.

The eunuchs swung the gates of the Hall of Diligent Governance wide open, and the officials had no choice but to suppress their raging emotions and enter one after another.

As usual, the officials, each with their own concerns, presented important matters to Emperor Mingyang. These were all reports on the situation in various regions; anything that could be discussed in court was no small matter.

Yu Shuo remained silent, like a great Buddha standing at the bottom of the steps, his presence making people dare not be careless in the slightest.

After the official business was over, Emperor Mingyang gestured to Deng Quan.

Deng Quan stepped forward and announced loudly, "His Majesty has an important matter to discuss at today's court assembly. Last night, the young princess of the Prince Chen's residence was nearly murdered." He paused, then continued, "An investigation has revealed that it was the Empress who committed the crime, and she is also guilty of the following offenses..."

Emperor Mingyang's ability to get Deng Quan to reveal everything surprised Yu Shuo greatly. Ultimately, whatever the Empress Dowager does is a matter of national importance, but it is also a matter of the Emperor's family.

As the saying goes, "Don't wash your dirty linen in public," but Emperor Mingyang has really exposed his dirty laundry.

Since he was behaving this way, Yu Shuo naturally wouldn't stop him. He kept his eyes down, calmly waiting for Deng Quan to finish speaking.

"I intend to depose the Empress. What do you, my beloved ministers, think?" Emperor Mingyang had also given this matter much thought.

The empress's plot to harm the children of several concubines is an act that endangers the stability of the country and cannot be dealt with lightly.

Emperor Mingyang did not value women, but he valued offspring, believing that only with children could there be a future.

"The Empress must be deposed! If this wicked empress is not removed, she will surely bring disaster to the other imperial heirs!" The Imperial Censor was the first to jump out and say this. He spoke with a strong voice and righteous indignation, as if he would immediately smash his head against a pillar in the Hall of Diligent Governance if Emperor Mingyang rejected his proposal.