Once you enter Zhaoxun Gate, you'll find yourself on the longest path in the palace.

Although the Xuande Gate was busy, after the banquet, everyone went home to their own families.

But there weren't many people walking this way, and the moonlight was shining brightly, making it quite charming.

Huan Yue was sitting in the carriage, feeling a little tired.

The Crown Prince's carriages included the Golden Carriage, the Light Carriage, and the Four-Sided Carriage.

The golden carriage, red in color, adorned with gold at the ends, with multiple layers, a box painted with birds and beasts, a yellow canopy, a deer-shaped carriage platform, a dragon-shaped axle, and a golden phoenix on the platform. A dust cover was placed in front, with a red canopy and a yellow lining, and red teeth painted on the wheels... It was used for sacrificial offerings, the grand winter court, and the taking of concubines.

The light carriage, adorned with gold trim, with a purple canopy and red lining, was drawn by a single horse. It was used for the daily court audiences, banquets for palace officials, and travel. (The light carriage was a small vehicle, the kind used for ordinary riding. The daily court audiences were a temporary arrangement; the Crown Prince attended court every five days, but at other times he did not attend in person, sending an official instead. This was not a fixed rule and varied depending on the circumstances.)

The four-sided carriage was adorned with gold ornaments, its ends shimmering with purple oil and crimson silk, its canopy lined with vermilion, and its carriage drawn by a single horse. It was used for offerings during funerals.

The emperor surveyed the chariot in all directions.

And the Empress's four-sided carriage, made of vermilion, with a purple lacquered canopy and painted ribbons. It was used for paying respects at the mausoleum and for attending funerals. (The Empress's golden carriage, made of vermilion, with a purple lacquered canopy, painted ribbons, and vermilion silk netting. It was used for regular travel.)

(The terms "临吊" and "吊临" both refer to going to mourn.)

(The Crown Princess also had a four-sided carriage, used for the funeral procession.)

Xie Zhou had a car but didn't take it; instead, he came over and bothered his wife.

Everyone else, get out of the way! The Crown Prince is causing trouble.

Huan Yue ignored him.

Xie Zhou then embraced his wife and said, "Look, the moon is bright now, what should we do?"

Huan Yue glanced at him; he smelled strongly of alcohol. Should he give him another beating?

Xie Zhou sniffed himself; he smelled nice after his bath and the perfume. His wife did indeed smell good.

Xie Zhou wanted to smell it more.

The eunuch is waiting behind. Your Highness has been drinking, so be careful not to be slow to react when you get kicked.

Accidents can happen in an instant.

After entering Xuanfu Gate, another road appeared ahead.

Xie Zhou carried his wife down from the carriage. She smelled so good!

Huan Yue was sleepy, so he put his arm around his neck and didn't bother to make a fuss. He wanted to see what kind of trouble Huan Yue could cause.

Xie Zhou really wanted to make it happen, so he carried his wife to the front of the Cheng'en Hall.

Fortunately, Chaoyun was prepared.

This was not a big deal; the palace maids helped the lady with her bathing and changing.

Palace banquets aren't like farming, they're not that dirty. They're wearing nightgowns, preparing for the royal bedchamber.

Xie Zhou came over.

The palace maids hesitated, after all, His Highness was going to be beaten and should go and rest.

Xie Zhou waved his hand, "All of you, get out! Can't you see how I'm dressed?"

The eunuch behind gestured for them to retreat first, giving him a quarter of an hour. His Highness, being a man, endured the quarter of an hour.

Huan Yue sat down by the window; the moonlight outside was exquisite!

No wonder there are so many poems!

The bright moon shines on the Qing'e Palace, making it look just like a celestial palace!

Huan Yue was inspired to write a poem: "The Mid-Autumn Moon is bright, and all the immortals descend; if you wish to make a wish, it will probably not come true; all the offices are on duty, but no one is here at this time; on the Taiye Pond, the wind plays the zither; inside the Penglai Palace, I drink with the Emperor; at dawn, the phoenix cries, the pot is empty and the cup is overturned."

The palace maids retreated outside the hall, listening to the Empress's intention to go drink with the immortals.

Xie Zhou held his wife in his arms. "Isn't he good enough? Why go looking for a god?"

Huan Yue ignored his flamboyant attire, gave him a quarter of an hour, and told him to get lost.

Xie Zhou then held his wife and admired the moon in his arms; it was a wonderful way to quietly enjoy the moon.

There is a breeze, the fragrance of flowers, and birdsong.

A bird perched on the Qing'e Palace and sang quite beautifully.

Xie Zhou's dear wife, is it alright if we just sleep under the covers at night?

**

Kunyu Palace.

It was still as gorgeous as ever, but it had lost its color.

Cui was still the same person, but she was no longer beautiful.

She stood in the main hall, her face contorted in a ferocious expression.

Princess Huayang arrived, equally gloomy, though she had tidied up and rested.

Cui looked at her, her feelings extremely complicated.

Lady Cui had four children, the most in her harem. But Xie Zhen betrayed her! Yong Mu betrayed her! Now Xie Zhu has turned against her too! Can Lady Cui trust that Hua Yang won't? The Xie family's offspring are all the same!

Princess Huayang was seriously injured. Suddenly, she noticed that her mother's gaze was strange. After thinking about it, she flew into a rage!

Cui sneered; she had guessed right. Not a single one of them could be trusted!

Although she was gentle, she was stubborn at heart: "Without me, without the Cui family, would you be where you are today? You ate the Cui family's food, so you have to give it back?"

Princess Huayang was truly enraged: "Your heart is actually with the Cui family! Then why aren't you with the Cui family? What are you doing here in the royal family?" Pointing at Kunyu Palace, she said, "All of this was given to you by the Cui family. Doesn't Father Emperor have any affection for you at all?"

Cui screamed, "You saw him have feelings for you?"

Princess Huayang said coldly, though unwillingly, "I used to be the most favored. If you weren't after the wealth and status of the imperial family, and your Cui family is better than the Xie family, what are you doing here in the Xie family?"

Cui went mad: "You ungrateful wretch! Get out! Don't ever come here again!"

Princess Huayang replied firmly, "Fine!"

Anyway, her mother didn't get much benefit either.

Her mother has fallen out of favor. If that village girl in Qing'e Palace can regain favor on her own, why can't she do it on her own?

Princess Yongmu wanted to gain favor through her own efforts, and Princess Huayang couldn't just sit idly by and wait for her fate, as there were too many people vying for her affections.

Princess Changning and Princess Guangning were both favored by the emperor.

Enraged, Cui started smashing things!

She'd rather smash up the entire Kunyu Palace than let anyone else benefit from it!

She doesn't care! Her son and daughter have betrayed her, so don't expect anything from her either!

Cui smashed the things outside, carrying a stick and smashing things everywhere, not caring about the late night or the hardship.

Smashing things requires physical strength.

The Cui family has so many good things that they could smash them all up even if they did it all day long.

Neither the palace maids nor the confidants dared to stop them.

The attempt to stop them was poor, and several people have already been beaten.

Being beaten is nothing, but Cui is feeling too aggrieved. It's good to let her vent, since it's something anyway.

As long as he adjusts his mindset, regaining favor is not impossible. If he uses other methods, there's still the Cui family to rely on.

The Cui family had many ruyi scepters, but none of them satisfied them. So, they smashed them all.

Unable to cry, she set fire to all the clothes and silks!

Early in the morning, today's people come here.

When Cui saw him, she rushed to his side and wept bitterly.

I feel so wronged, waaaaaah...

The eunuchs were busy putting out the fire.

Although the Cui family had a lot of belongings, they couldn't burn them all at once. But what could be burned was quite a large fire.

A morning breeze was blowing, bringing with it heat and thick smoke.

Silk and satin may look nice when worn, but they don't smell good when burned.

Cui turned pale, collapsed to the ground, and fainted from crying.

We're standing here now, waiting for the fire to be brought under control. It seems like a lot of things were burned down by the Cui family.

When Cui woke up, she looked at the man with a sorrowful expression.

The present day laments: "Since you have been given so much favor, you don't appreciate it."

Cui burst into tears.

The current ruler is cold-blooded: "The royal family is not as good as the Cui family. The only place you can stay is the Fu Cui Palace. You are demoted to a commoner and will recuperate peacefully in the Fu Cui Palace. You'd better take care of yourself."

The emperor then issued another decree: "Kunyu Palace should be cleaned up and sealed off."

Everyone understood that Cui could no longer live in Kunyu Palace. In any case, the once magnificent Kunyu Palace was now in ruins.