The elder brother, imprisoned by the imperial concubine, wept blood.

Why is that?

The two did have their peaceful and happy moments.

In Shu Commandery, during the Southern Inspection Tour, in the past...

Zhiwei's smile unexpectedly pierced Zhu Liji's heart, which was already increasingly gloomy and irritable due to his physical discomfort. Zhu Liji's heart stirred slightly, but only slightly. He stood outside the door, watching silently from a distance, forgetting to look away.

It wasn't until Pinghai coughed very softly from the side that Zhu Liji suddenly came back to his senses.

"Your Majesty, Lord Wang and Lord Jiang are already waiting in the Hall of Mental Cultivation."

Pinghai stopped short of making a point, as Zhu Liji had suggested reminding him of the time for his meeting with the ministers.

The momentary daze and infatuation in my eyes quickly faded, and for some reason, a surge of inexplicable resentment welled up in my heart, as if some boundary that should have been firmly upheld had been inadvertently crossed.

Zhu Liji suddenly flicked his sleeves, his movements revealing obvious annoyance.

"No need to go in." His voice was cold and hard. "Take the things in and give them to Consort Ling. Pinghai, let's go."

——

Inside the Hall of Mental Cultivation, the air was filled with the fragrance of incense.

Wang Miaoxiao and Jiang Qin had been waiting for a while.

Now, Wang Miaoxiao, clad in a python robe, still retains a sharp edge between his brows, but his overall demeanor is quite different.

After marrying the princess and having a son and a daughter, the violent temper he used to display was now well contained, and a hint of gentleness would occasionally flash in his eyes, a gentleness that even he himself might not be aware of.

He sat opposite Jiang Qin, the teacup beside him already half-cooled.

“Lord Jiang, now that the court is gradually stabilizing, you should also consider your marriage.” Wang Miaoxiao stroked the warm jade thumb ring with his fingertips, his tone carrying a hint of teasing from someone who had been through it all. “Only after getting married do you realize that there is another world in this world besides power and achievements. My wife often says that with the addition of a child to the household, even the stone steps in front of the courtyard seem more lively.”

Looking back on his marriage with Zhu Hua, Wang Miaoxiao thought that although their acquaintance was based on mutual ulterior motives, after they got married, they were both very straightforward and got along quite well. Especially after they had a child, Zhu Hua became more gentle and kind, and would occasionally boil water for him to bathe and add tea to help him sober up after returning from a banquet.

Wang Miaoxiao was not one to indulge in the pleasures of a gentle life; ambition and power were the underlying themes of his existence. However, his marriage to Zhu Hua, a seemingly purely self-serving fortress forged by the emperor himself, had, over time, quietly sprouted unexpected tendrils that made him feel comfortable and even attached.

He genuinely felt that this kind of life was good, which is why he patiently tried to persuade Jiang Qin.

He's almost forty, holds a high-ranking official position, and is the only son of a prestigious family. If he delays any longer, he might not even be able to have any offspring.

Upon hearing this, Jiang Qin understood the meaning behind Wang Miaoxiao's words. He could only shake his head helplessly, a faint smile curving his lips.

"Lord Wang is too kind. I have an official position and dare not slack off. As for marriage, it is not the right time and cannot be forced."

"How about I help the adults find a match?"

"This..." Before Jiang Qin could answer, footsteps could be heard outside the hall.

Zhu Liji stepped in and went straight to the imperial desk to sit down. A set of exquisite black jade Go pieces had already been laid out on the desk.

"Speak, what is it you wish to report?" Zhu Liji casually picked up a black piece and placed it on the star point, then picked up a white piece and played against himself.

The chess piece landed on the board with a crisp sound, but it also hinted at a lack of focus.

Wang Miaoxiao exchanged a glance with Jiang Qin, stepped forward, and said solemnly, "Your Majesty, I have noticed recently that the Wan family's influence in the court is expanding too rapidly."

His tone was steady, yet every word was clear: "General Wan Qi sits in the central government, and his clan has countless members and disciples. They are not prominent in the capital, but in the local areas, many people rely on the power of the Wan family and are becoming increasingly arrogant."

"What's more, in several places, branches of the Wan family have close ties with local powerful families, and there's a hint of collusion between them..."

Upon hearing this, Zhu Liji paused slightly in the hand holding the chess piece.

When he plotted to seize the throne, he took advantage of the local forces. After ascending the throne, he suffered even more from the local forces becoming too powerful to control. No one knew better than him what the consequences of collusion between local forces and powerful clans would be.

Thinking of this, Zhu Liji's brows furrowed deeply.

Jiang Tan, standing to the side, clasped his hands in a gesture of respect and said, “Your Majesty, it is true that some members of the Wan family have behaved improperly and caused disturbances in the local area. However, in my opinion, this is due to the immaturity of a few individuals, and they should be punished according to the law. General Wan has served the country loyally for many years and has made great contributions. He should not be implicated by such a trivial matter.”

"Implicated?" Zhu Liji finally raised his eyes, raising an eyebrow at Jiang Qin. "Wan Qi, as the head of the family, is not strict in managing his family. How can he govern the army and the country? He allows his clansmen to be arrogant and collude with local forces. Is this a small matter? Do we have to wait until they have grown strong enough to cause a major disaster?"

Jiang Qin's heart skipped a beat, and he lowered his head: "Your subject dares not."

Seeing Jiang Qin's discomfiture, Wang Miaoxiao smiled and spoke again: "Your Majesty is wise. The Wan family has been officials for generations, their influence is deep and their roots are intricate. If we want to ensure that the trunk grows straight, necessary pruning and cutting off some stray branches are inevitable." Wang Miaoxiao paused, implying, "If we indulge them too much, we may harm the foundation of the nation."

Jiang Qin finally couldn't help but retort: ​​"Lord Wang, this action will likely chill the hearts of loyal and virtuous officials! General Wan, he..."

“Loyal and good?” Wang Miaoxiao interrupted him calmly, but no longer looked at Jiang Qin. Instead, he turned to Zhu Liji and lowered his voice. “Your Majesty, I understand what Lord Jiang means. However, local matters cannot be ignored. It would be better to find a clever pretext to both warn Wan Jia and avoid causing immediate and violent unrest. Coincidentally, I have thought of a good ‘opening’.”

Zhu Liji finally stopped unconsciously playing with the chess pieces and looked directly at Wang Miaoxiao: "What are your thoughts, my dear minister?"

A barely perceptible chill flickered across Wang Miaoxiao's lips as he slowly uttered two words: "Li Tai."

Zhu Liji's gaze darkened: "You want to use Li Tai as a pretext?"

“Exactly.” Wang Miaoxiao nodded. “Li Tai has close ties with Wan Qi and previously attempted to frame me. There is already evidence of this. Your Majesty only needs to demote Li Tai, and then, under the pretext of ‘investigating Li Tai’s cronies,’ investigate Wan Qi’s dealings with Li Tai. In the meantime, you can strip Wan Qi of some of his military power and take the opportunity to deal with the rampant Wan family’s influence in the region. In this way, you can deal with Li Tai, weaken the Wan family’s influence in the region, and it won’t make people think that Your Majesty is deliberately targeting Wan Qi. Wouldn’t that be killing three birds with one stone?”

Zhu Liji remained silent, his fingertips beginning to manipulate the chess pieces again. The hall was quiet except for the soft clatter of the pieces.

After a long silence, he finally spoke calmly: "Do as you say."

.

The imperial decree arrived swiftly. Three days later, Li Tai was stripped of his position in the Imperial Guard and demoted to the post of assistant magistrate of a county in a remote area, on the grounds of "having private dealings with important officials and intending to frame a court official." He was ordered to leave the capital immediately. When the news spread, although there was some discussion in the court, it was generally considered that Li Tai had only himself to blame.

However, just a few days later, Zhu Liji issued another decree: temporarily removing Wan Qi from his post in the court and ordering Wang Miaoxiao to conduct a full investigation into Wan Qi's social interactions and governance, including his military supply allocation on the frontier and his correspondence with local officials.

Even the most obtuse person could see that His Majesty's move was aimed at Liu Bang—the Emperor was about to provoke countless families.

When the news reached the Eastern Palace, Zhu Sheng was practicing his sword. Upon hearing it, he paused, his sword tassel sweeping across the ground, kicking up a cloud of dust. He looked at the eunuch who had delivered the message, his face darkening: "I understand. You may leave."

After the eunuch left, Zhu Sheng tightened his grip on the sword hilt. He knew that Wan Qi was a loyal minister, and that his father's actions were clearly intended to use the Li Tai incident to eliminate the Wan family's power. However, he was still inexperienced and powerless to stop his master's predicament; he could only watch helplessly.

Wan Qi himself, however, remained remarkably calm.

After being suspended from his post, he neither wrote a letter to defend himself nor contacted court officials in private. He simply closed his doors to visitors and spent his days reading and practicing calligraphy at home, as if everything was none of his business.

——

That evening, Zhiwei had just finished dealing with the affairs of Yonghua Palace and was about to hand over her duties and return to her room when a young maid she didn't recognize quietly approached and whispered, "Aunt Yan, the Imperial Concubine requests your presence at Chuxiu Palace."

Zhiwei was slightly surprised. Ever since Consort Ling became pregnant and was officially granted the title, Wan Zhen'er had lived a secluded life, rarely appearing in public. Now, she was suddenly summoned…

She dared not delay and followed the palace maid to the rather deserted Chuxiu Palace.

With Siyu absent, only one lamp was lit in the hall, casting a dim, yellowish light. Wan Zhen'er sat alone on the couch, dressed only in her everyday clothes, without any makeup, her face revealing an unconcealable weariness and anxiety.

Upon seeing Zhiwei enter, she dismissed her attendants, leaving only the two of them in the hall.

The next moment, something shocking happened to Zhiwei. Wan Zhen'er actually stood up, walked to Zhiwei, bent her knees, and knelt down!

"Your Majesty!" Zhiwei was so shocked that she took a half step back. She had never seen Wan Zhen'er like this before, and hurriedly reached out to help her up. "What are you doing? Get up quickly."

Wan Zhen'er stubbornly remained kneeling, raising her head with pleading eyes and a choked voice: "Zhiwei, I know this request is presumptuous and may even implicate you, but I really have no other choice!"

Wan Zhen'er gripped Zhiwei's sleeve tightly, her knuckles turning white from the force: "Please, take advantage of the opportunity to go out of the palace to buy things every five days, and send a letter to my brother for me!"

Zhiwei's hand paused.

Sending a message? This is no small matter; if discovered, the consequences range from demotion to death. She frowned: "Your Majesty, this..."

“I know this is risky,” Wan Zhen’er interrupted her, tears streaming down her cheeks, “but my brother has been suspended from his duties and is under investigation, and I can’t even see him. Wang Miaoxiao is investigating very closely, even the servants of the Wan family are being monitored. Only you can go out of the palace to buy things without anyone daring to stop you, and only you won’t harm my brother.”

Wan Zhen'er took out a series of neatly sealed letters from her sleeve and stuffed them into Zhiwei's hand, her fingertips icy cold: "Don't worry, these letters only contain my advice to my brother to stay put and not act rashly, there's nothing else. Zhiwei, we've known each other for so many years, this is the only time I'm asking you!"

Zhiwei held the letter, looking at Wan Zhen'er kneeling on the ground. She remembered that although Wan Zhen'er was spoiled and willful, she had never been so humble before. Then she thought of Wan Qi, who had been stationed on the frontier for many years and was loyal and devoted, but now he had fallen to such a state. Her heart softened.

But she quickly came to her senses. Given her current status, she couldn't afford to take any more risks. Finally, she shook her head and pulled her hand away from Wan Zhen'er's tight grip: "I'm sorry."

She dared not risk her life to help her.

Unexpectedly, Wan Zhen'er wiped away the tears from her eyes with one hand, like a bird driven to a dead end, making a sound like it was crying blood.

"If you don't help me, I will never let you leave the palace for the sacrificial ceremony five days from now!" Wan Zhen'er said tearfully.