The words that the palace was teeming with the king's henchmen soon reached Shang Changze's ears.

The imperial study was quiet, with invigorating incense curling gently from the gilded incense burner.

Shang Changze was multitasking, grunting a faint "hmm" while reviewing memorials.

Having Feng Yu exonerate those in the imperial prison was also part of his strategy; he never did anything in vain.

As for the purpose, it was naturally to balance his reputation after he went on a killing spree.

reputation……

Shang Changze paused as he put down his pen, remembering something very important.

The New Year has just passed, and the weather is still very cold.

Shang Changge is afraid of the cold, and when he doesn't have anything important to do, he usually sleeps until the sun is high in the sky before getting up.

After waking up naturally, she sat up in bed wrapped in a quilt, her beautiful eyes still sleepy, in a state of being fully awake but not quite.

"Creak!"

It was Qingyao who heard the noise, pushed open the door, and peeked inside. When she saw her princess sitting up, the little maid's eyes lit up.

However, Qingyao was a well-trained maid, and she forced herself to remain calm and greeted him softly as usual:

"Princess, are you getting up?"

Shang Changge usually doesn't go back to sleep once she's awake unless she's extremely tired, so she nodded.

The next second, she watched as Qingyao appeared before her like a gust of wind, her face full of joy.

Shang Changge: "?"

Qingyao: "Princess, good news!"

"His Majesty sent people to post an imperial edict today explaining why the Empress Dowager is seriously ill, and now everyone outside is talking about it!"

Shang Changge's muddled mind cleared slightly from the cold wind Qingyao brought in, and she yawned with a touch of elegance, her interest waning.

"What are they talking about?"

Qingyao went on and on, saying nothing but nice things.

Shang Changge was puzzled; he didn't believe that a single imperial edict could convince the people.

After all, the Empress Dowager's condition did improve after their engagement was dissolved, and the old emperor made a big fuss about it for quite some time.

But judging from Qingyao's appearance, it didn't seem like she was just saying nice things to make her happy, and a guess began to form in her mind.

Shang Changge: "They didn't just post imperial edicts, did they?"

Qingyao: "Yes, there are also the confessions of Consort Shu and the Imperial Observatory. The Emperor pushed the blame for the Empress Dowager's poisoning onto Consort Shu."

Consort Shu? Shang Meng's mother.

Before the younger brother of the beauty ascended the throne, the father of Consort Shu was a staunch supporter of Shang Rui.

Shang Changge was unaware of the power struggles among the concubines in the harem when the old emperor was still alive, but knowing this was enough.

Since there was no antidote for the poison inflicted on the stepmother, it no longer mattered who poisoned her.

Just pin the blame on the right people and make the officials and common people believe it.

Obviously,

Consort Shu was the right person, and also the 'lucky one' chosen by the handsome younger brother.

The Dowager Consort Shu's maternal family were staunch supporters of Shang Rui, and Shang Rui's followers...

Not long after the beauty's younger brother ascended the throne, he convicted and executed everyone who could be convicted.

Consort Shu has only one son and three daughters. Her eldest daughter is Shang Meng, who is only 16 years old this year, having just celebrated her birthday.

The other two daughters are twins, and they will be ten years old this year after their birthdays.

As for his son, he is 14 years old and his name is Shangping.

He was as mediocre as his name suggested, and not only that, he was also timid and cowardly, making him the emperor's least favorite son.

Consort Shu is now isolated and helpless; she must have made some deal with the beauty's younger brother to willingly take the blame.

As for what kind of deal it was, it's not hard to guess: they were asking the beauty's younger brother to give them, her mother, and her three children a way out.

Such a deal was very worthwhile for Shang Changze, since he pinned the charge of forcing Shang Rui to abdicate on him.

Since they didn't want to be branded as traitors and murderers, they couldn't slaughter their father's concubines and children.

Keeping him under house arrest in the palace, right under their noses, is the best option. Furthermore,

Shang Changze had no children yet, and he couldn't just kill all his brothers indiscriminately, regardless of their character or the circumstances.