There's no need to guess; the rumors naturally originated from the banquet. Those spreading these stories are all prominent noblewomen, so there's no need to doubt their veracity.

If someone doesn't believe it and asks, they will say that they saw it with their own eyes and heard it with their own ears. How could it not be true?

Even officials in the imperial court remonstrated that the Grand Master Mei had not educated his daughter well. It was one thing for a woman to go out and show her face in public, but to keep Prince Jing hanging on like this was a disrespect for imperial authority.

Many people wanted to curry favor with Prince Jing, thinking that he must be very angry about being tricked, so they stood up and criticized Mei Lanyi. As a result, they were beaten up by Prince Jing on the spot.

The court was instantly thrown into chaos.

Prince Jing was fined a year's salary, and the other troublemakers were also punished accordingly. Prince Jing was still not satisfied and said to those who defended Mei Lanyi in court: "You are not allowed to say anything bad about her again. I was the one who provoked her first. If you have anything to say, come at me. What kind of skill is it to bully a young lady!"

After the banquet incident, Prince Jing never went to see her again. He had a vague feeling that it was impossible for him and her to be together. He was both annoyed and sad. He never expected to see her being smeared with dirty water when he went to court. He was disgusted.

The emperor was also disgusted by these people using a woman to make a fuss. On the surface, they were talking about Mei Lanyi, but in reality, they were also talking about Prince Jing and even implying something about the royal family. So the emperor punished everyone involved in the matter.

The emperor intervened and temporarily suppressed the matter, but the position of Chancellor Mei was still somewhat shaken. He said that his daughter's reputation had recently suffered, and that his position as Chancellor was also bringing disgrace to the Imperial Academy, so it would be better for him to step down and give way to a more capable person.

The emperor was once a student of Master Mei and knew his character, so he would not easily replace him. Moreover, if he agreed at this time, it would be kicking someone when they were down and would definitely discourage the other veteran officials.

So he looked at the person who had suggested abdicating and giving way to a more worthy person and said, "Come, I will give you my seat, and you can sit in my place."

The man was so frightened that he immediately knelt down, and the others followed suit. Lu Baichuan dozed off in the crowd, his mind filled with thoughts of going back to his wife after court; he didn't want to get involved in anything else.

The emperor originally wanted to call him out for a chat, but seeing that he could barely open his eyes, he immediately thought that he was taking care of a pregnant woman and had to get up early for court, which was really not easy for him. So, he had a change of heart and decided not to call him.

"How many times have I told you to focus your energy on the people and the country, to do more for the people and to care more about the development of the nation? But what have you all done? Fighting amongst yourselves all day long, and now you won't even spare a woman! It's truly an eye-opener for me! You want to abdicate and give way to a worthy successor? I think it's you who need to abdicate and give way to a worthy successor!"

The crowd knelt on the ground, pleading with the Emperor to calm his anger, but they were genuinely worried.

After the emperor ascended the throne, he had been recruiting talents. In a short period of time, many new faces appeared in the court. The old ministers were walking on thin ice. If they did not show their true abilities, they might really be replaced.

For a time, no one dared to speak of the Mei family anymore.

When Consort Zhao saw that the matter had quickly faded from public attention, she was very annoyed and felt that she couldn't let the Mei family get away with it so easily.

So she summoned several noble ladies, but this time their attitude was not as firm as before, probably because they had been warned by their elders.

However, Consort Zhao was quite shrewd. She didn't openly discuss the Mei family's affairs, but instead mentioned Prince Jing's marriage, reigniting the noble ladies' longing for the position of Prince Jing's consort.

Once a person develops a desire, they will want more, which leads to jealousy and the urge to take action.

Among these noble ladies, Consort Zhao set her sights on one person, the second daughter of a third-rank minister, named Zuo Shanshan. She had a good social standing and was also quite bold. Consort Zhao decided to personally teach her a lesson, and if she could handle the matter well, she would arrange for Prince Jing to marry Zuo Shanshan.

So, on her way back to her hometown of Chengzhou to relax for a while, Mei Lanyi was ambushed by a group of assassins.

Jiang Jiuniang's men had been secretly watching, and when they saw that things were not going well, they immediately went back to inform Jiang Jiuniang. Jiang Jiuniang then sent a message to Prince Jing, telling him to deal with the trouble he had caused himself.

With Jiang Jiuniang's help, the assassins, though pressing forward relentlessly, did not gain much advantage. Moreover, their goal was not to kill Mei Lanyi, but to take her to a secluded place, ruin her reputation, and then spread the news, so that the Mei family would never be able to hold their heads high again.

Mei Lanyi could have avoided being arrested, but when she saw her personal maid fall behind, she tried to help her, but someone took advantage of the situation and took her away.

Jiang Jiuniang's men hurriedly followed, determined to ensure Mei Lanyi's safety and hold out until Prince Jing arrived.

Fortunately, when Prince Jing heard that Mei Lanyi had encountered assassins, he did not throw a tantrum. Without saying a word, he left the city and, with the guidance of Jiang Jiuniang and the others, quickly found the forest where Mei Lanyi was.

"Don't come any closer, or I'll kill myself!"

After being captured the whole way, Mei Lanyi realized that these people did not want her dead, but only wanted to humiliate her. Although she could not guess who was behind it, she was sure that it was related to Prince Jing.

She now truly hates Prince Jing; he is the starting point of her life's tragedy.

The group exchanged glances, and one of them said, "It's no use making trouble for us. Blame yourself for offending the wrong person."

He was referring to Consort Zhao, but Mei Lanyi interpreted it as referring to Prince Jing.

So, is it wrong to dislike him?

If you can't have it, destroy it?

That's really interesting.

Mei Lanyi sneered, feeling that life was meaningless. The hairpin in her hand was already embedded in her flesh, but she seemed to feel no pain at all, preparing to end her life like this.

"stop!"

Prince Jing rode up on his horse, and a small stone flew from his hand, knocking the hairpin out of Mei Lanyi's hand. He angrily shouted, "Are you crazy!"

Never hurt yourself, how could this woman be so stupid!

Seeing him at this moment, Mei Lanyi was not happy at all, because he hadn't even made a move, and those assassins had already disappeared without a trace. Who would believe that they weren't his men?

She rubbed her swollen hand as she stood up, looking disheveled, and asked Prince Jing, "Does Your Highness find this amusing?"

Since she's not even afraid of death, why would she be afraid of this damned Prince Jing?

Prince Jing was stunned for a moment, then instantly realized what she meant, and said in disbelief, "What? You don't suspect that this was arranged by me, do you?"

The question made Prince Jing laugh.

This damned woman! I rushed to save her in such a hurry, and this is what she thinks of me?

But that's exactly what Mei Lanyi thought. Her eyes were fixed on Prince Jing as she said, "Isn't that right? Your Highness Prince Jing is truly a master strategist. To get revenge on me, you've orchestrated such a grand scheme! Yes, you hold a high position and power, and you treat human life like dirt, so you don't care at all about the lives of those below you, including me, is that right?"