As Qingying listened to the eunuch's report, she gently stroked the jade ring on her hand and suddenly burst out laughing.

The laughter was both hearty and eerie.

"Your Majesty?" The little eunuch lowered his head, not daring to look at her, and only tentatively called out.

Qingying simply waved her hand, "Tongxia, reward her."

"Yes." Tong Xia led the eunuch away and gave him a reward.

At this time, there were hardly any servants left in Baoyi Palace. Tongxia sent the palace maids who were sweeping the courtyard away, then entered the palace and closed the door.

"Your Majesty, what's wrong?"

Qingying had been staring blankly at the jade ring in her hand, and only reacted when she heard the sound.

"Tongxia, do you know why the Emperor punished Liu Chengfeng but not me?"

"Is it because the Emperor loves the Empress and can't bear to see her suffer?"

She scoffed lightly, "He wouldn't be that nice. He's not Ah Xu."

"What is Your Highness saying?" Tong Xia asked, puzzled.

Wei Huaixu was clearly the emperor, and the emperor was Wei Huaixu, so why say that he wasn't?

Qingying did not explain, but said: "The Emperor punished Liu Chengfeng because he cheated on the Emperor. The child who died after being framed for me was not a royal offspring, but a monster born from their incestuous relationship."

Tong Xia was so shocked that she covered her mouth to keep herself from exclaiming.

After a long while, she finally caught her breath, "This...this...how can this be..."

"Liu Shushu herself was terrified, which is why she couldn't wait to abort the child. But she was unwilling to accept it, so she framed me for the child's death. She really made the most of me."

Tongxia also understood, "The Emperor must know about this, but he is the Son of Heaven after all, and such a shameful thing cannot be known to others. So we can only temporarily ask Your Highness to bear this blame."

“Yes, he is the emperor now…” Qingying slowly shifted her gaze to the window, murmuring to herself, “What will he do next?”

She knew that the person was very petty and wouldn't easily swallow this insult.

...

Now that Liu Chengfeng is not only the heir of the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion, but also the Left Censor-in-Chief of the Censorate, the court officials would naturally not allow Wei Huaixu to deal with him so hastily.

For several days in a row, court officials submitted memorials urging Wei Huaixu to let Liu Chengfeng go, so as not to disappoint the ministers.

However, Wei Huaixu seemed determined this time, stubbornly refusing to budge.

Liu Shushu was as anxious as an ant on a hot pan in Fengqi Palace.

"How could this be... Could it be that he knows something?" The more she thought about it, the more frightened and panicked she became.

Wei Huaixu has refused to see her for the past few days. She wanted to plead for him, but she couldn't even get into the Yuqing Palace.

"No, I can't just sit here and wait to die."

Subsequently, Liu Shushu sent someone to deliver a letter to Liu Yu.

The next day, they replied.

She immediately felt relieved.

Liu Chengfeng was, after all, Liu Yu's only son, so he naturally couldn't just leave him to his own devices.

Then, a few more days passed.

Battle reports arrived from the border.

A year ago, Yuchi Wuyou, the second prince of the Northern Yue Kingdom, successfully ascended the throne and became the new emperor of the Northern Yue Kingdom. After taking the throne, he eliminated dissidents, implemented new policies, and achieved excellent results.

Now that the Northern Vietnamese army is strong and well-equipped, they have launched a southward offensive to attack the border of the Eastern neighboring country.

Liu Yu was appointed commander-in-chief to lead troops to the northern border to fight the enemy. In the court, he broke down in tears, saying that he was worried about his child who was suffering in prison.

The meaning is clear.

Wei Huaixu had no choice but to relent and release Liu Chengfeng.

However, just as Liu Yu was about to express his gratitude, Wei Huaixu suddenly changed the subject, "General Liu is getting on in years. When you go to the northern border, I will assign a few capable people to assist you."

"Which generals will His Majesty appoint?"

"General Liu will remain the commander-in-chief this time, with General Zhenwei Chu Lingyu and General Cheqi Lin Ji serving as his left and right deputies. Liu Chengfeng will go with him as a centurion to make amends for his past mistakes."

Although Liu Chengfeng was skilled in martial arts, he had never been on the battlefield. Swords and blades have no eyes, so Liu Yu hesitated.

However, seeing Wei Huaixu's resolute attitude, he dared not refute it and could only agree.

He then thought that perhaps this wasn't such a bad thing. With his protection, Feng'er should be safe at the front lines. If she could also achieve a few more military merits, not only would all the past be wiped clean, but she could also be promoted and ennobled.

Thinking this way, he felt much more at ease.

At this moment, Wei Dongchen stepped forward, bowed, and said, "Your Majesty, I voluntarily request permission to go to the front lines to fight. I hope Your Majesty will grant my request."

Wei Huaixu looked at him and said, "I know that General Zhenbei is loyal and devoted, but you have just returned from dealing with floods in Jiangnan. I cannot bear to see you working so hard. Moreover, Prince Yu has already asked me to grant you a marriage. So you should stay in the capital for the time being."

Wei Dongchen frowned, and after a moment, he replied in a deep voice, "Yes."

...

Phoenix Palace.

When Liu Shushu heard the news reported by Xiao Shunzi, she couldn't help but gasp.

She trembled as she grabbed the pillar beside her to keep from falling, her mind a jumble of panic.

Why did Yin Shuli suddenly send Liu Chengfeng to the battlefield?

Given his ruthless and vicious ways, Liu Chengfeng's journey is likely to end in grave danger.

"He must know something..."

She dismissed the palace servants before daring to shed tears.

She murmured, "Brother, you love me so much, you would be willing to die for me, right? Go in peace..."

Liu Yu was unaware of the inside story and thought that Wei Huaixu was simply neglecting Liu Shushu and favoring Liu Qingying, which was why he blamed Liu Chengfeng for his frank advice.

He gave Liu Chengfeng a stern scolding and concluded by saying, "The new emperor is autocratic; you must never act so recklessly again."

"yes."

Liu Chengfeng spent half a month in prison, where he was hungry and cold, and lost a lot of weight, looking haggard.

He naturally dared not tell Liu Yu the real reason for his imprisonment, and he vaguely guessed that Wei Huaixu might already know something. However, he still held onto a glimmer of hope, thinking that the matter was not honorable, and the emperor would not bring it up in the open. He believed that once he went to the front lines and made meritorious contributions, he could cover it up and not implicate Shushu.

Little did he know that this journey would be his last.