The next day, the sky was gloomy and windy.

The atmosphere in Ganlu Palace was particularly depressing.

Empress Zhou sat leaning back in a rosewood armchair carved with scroll patterns. Her face was ashen, and her eyes and brows showed a haggardness that no amount of makeup could conceal.

Pei Changzhou paced back and forth like an ant on a hot pot, his brows tightly knitted.

"Okay, stop for a moment, don't turn around. I'm already very upset, and your turning around makes my head hurt even more!" Queen Zhou said coldly, pressing her aching forehead with her slender fingers.

"Mother, what do you think we should do now? How did it become like this?"

Pei Changzhou stopped, looking puzzled, and said in a low voice, "There is a secret room in my uncle's house. I know it, but...what about the dragon robe? Could it be that my uncle really..."

Before he could finish his words, Queen Zhou raised a teacup and threw it fiercely at his feet.

With a crisp "bang", the teacup shattered into pieces, scaring Pei Changzhou.

Queen Zhou stared at him and said sternly, "What do you want to say? At this critical moment, you actually doubt your uncle?! For whom has your uncle been busy all these years? Don't you know what's going on?"

Pei Changzhou's eyes flickered, and he said angrily, "My son was just talking casually, how could he doubt his uncle? But the dragon robe really came in a strange way, and there were those assassins yesterday..."

Queen Zhou closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and tried to calm herself down.

When she opened her eyes again, she said in a deep voice, "Did the prince personally take your uncle to the Ministry of Justice last night?"

Pei Changzhou got a little angry when he mentioned this, and clenched his lowered hands tightly, "He is so proud now."

Queen Zhou sneered, "What a prince, what a Gu Qu, it's only been a short while since you came back, but you can't wait to take action."

Pei Changzhou was shocked and asked anxiously, "Mother, are you saying that what happened last night was arranged by the Crown Prince and the Gu family?"

Queen Zhou raised her eyelids calmly and glanced at her foolish son. "Apart from them, who else has such courage!"

Choosing to strike when the emperor married his daughter or the prime minister got married was not only a challenge to the Zhou family, but in a sense, it was also a provocation to the royal majesty.

There are many people who want to deal with the Zhou family, but who else in the court dares to go against the emperor except the Gu family?

The prince was even more fearless, as he knew very well that Emperor Zhaokang favored him.

Gu Qu stabbed Emperor Zhaokang with a sword in the past, but Emperor Zhaokang still tolerated the Gu family, not to mention Pei Yan, the only flesh and blood between him and Gu Yuan.

Gu Yuan, a dead man, made him miss him for so many years, remember him for so many years, and love him deeply for so many years!

Queen Zhou's rosy lips curled up in a hint of cold sneer. Even if Pei Yan wanted to sit on the dragon throne now, Emperor Zhaokang would probably take the initiative to give up his throne, right?

Pei Changzhou was still furious. "I knew it, how could it be so coincidental! The secret room was hidden very well, how could the soldiers find it? And those assassins, each of them is extraordinary, they are all top-notch masters... Damn it, the prince and the Gu family are so insidious to cut off the source of the trouble!"

Queen Zhou sat there in silence.

Pei Changzhou cursed angrily for a long time, and when he calmed down a little, he sat in front of Queen Zhou and asked, "Mother, what do you think father will do to uncle? Will this matter involve us?"

"It's no harm to a married woman, not to mention that I am the queen and you are the prince." Empress Zhou gave him a cold look and said in a suppressed voice, "And there are many doubts about this matter. Didn't your father send the Minister of Punishment and the Minister of Dali Temple to investigate? Don't lose your composure and get into trouble."

Pei Changzhou said sullenly, "When my son worked in the Ministry of Justice, he had some friendship with the Minister of Justice. But the Supreme Court Justice Zhao Pingyue is just a piece of stinky and hard stone... Oh, by the way, Zhao Pingyue is actually a relative of the Dingbei Marquisate, and Zhao Pingyue's youngest daughter married the sixth son of the Xu family..."

Marquis Dingbei has remained neutral for the past two years, but is now gradually leaning towards the East Palace.

Pei Changzhou felt that a big part of the reason was because of the personal relationship between that woman Tao Ti and the eldest daughter of the Xu family. Now, Princess Jingyang and her family were also leaning towards the Eastern Palace, and Qinghe had also formed a marriage relationship with the Xu family.

In this way, Dingbei Hou's faction has become a strong force in the East Palace.

Thinking of this, Pei Changzhou felt so depressed that he wanted to vomit blood.

If he had known that Tao Ti had such a powerful ability to win people's hearts, he should have found a way to make her his own woman and take her virginity without worrying that she would refuse to marry him.

Even if the emperor values ​​the marriage contract arranged by Gu, he will not let a disloyal woman marry into the Eastern Palace... As for me, at most I will be scolded or beaten.

Pei Changzhou gritted his teeth. Now Pei Yan had taken advantage of him for nothing. It was really hateful!

Queen Zhou saw through Pei Changzhou's philandering ways at a glance, and said in a tired tone, "Okay, you've been staying here for quite a long time, it's time to leave the palace."

Pei Changzhou was stunned, "Mother, what about my uncle?"

Queen Zhou said, "Let's wait and see for two days to see what the court and the Ministry of Justice are like, and then make plans."

After a pause, she stared at Pei Changzhou and said, "You should stay in your house and don't make any moves in the next two days. Wait and see what happens, and then act accordingly."

Pei Changzhou was extremely anxious, but he couldn't think of a solution. He could only suppress his emotions, lowered his head and said, "Son knows."

Queen Zhou waved her hand, signaling him to leave.

The head maid came in and bowed, "Your Majesty, you didn't sleep all night last night. Why don't you lie down on the bed for a while?"

Queen Zhou responded softly, then slowly stood up and walked towards her bedroom.

As she sat in front of the dressing mirror and took off her hairpin, she stared at her no longer young face in the mirror and couldn't help but touch her temples. "I seem to have aged a lot in the past two years."

The chief palace maid hurriedly spoke nice words to comfort her.

Queen Zhou curled the corners of her lips and covered her eyes again.

She narrowed her eyes and whispered softly, "In the past, His Majesty loved my eyes the most."

He said she had beautiful eyes.

When she heard this for the first time, her heart began to beat fast and her face turned red.

Later, when she saw Gu Yuan, she realized that her eyes were very similar to hers.

However, Gu Yuan's eyes were always distant and cold when he looked at the emperor, while her eyes were full of obsession, admiration and love.

During that time, for Gu Yuan's sake, he stopped touching other women in the harem and stayed with Gu Yuan wholeheartedly.

Later, for some reason, he and Gu Yuan had another quarrel, and she took the opportunity to climb into his bed.

That night, he was very drunk. He kissed her eyes, pressed her down, and kept calling her "Yuanyuan".

She felt hatred and jealousy in her heart, but she was also grateful that she became pregnant.

She hated the fact that her eyes were similar to Gu Yuan's, but she used this similarity to get close to the emperor and please him.

The memories came to an abrupt end. Queen Zhou's eyes were filled with a sinister light and her fingers were clenched tightly.

Gu Yuan, I will never give up until the last moment.

Absolutely not.

——

The Ministry of Justice Prison.

It was dark and damp, with snakes, insects, rats and ants everywhere. The air was filled with a lingering moldy smell. The prisoners' wails, cries and pleas for mercy were audible and terrifying.

In the interrogation room, Left Prime Minister Zhou Pinglin was tied to a rack, his hair was disheveled and he looked haggard, but there were no injuries on his body.

Although he was guilty of rebellion, he had not yet been convicted, and the jailers did not dare to torture him easily. After all, there was an empress and the third prince in the palace. Who knew if there would be a sudden turn of events and a reversal in the future.

However, the jailers did not dare to take action, but someone else did.

Pei Yan held the sword and made two graceful movements, and Zhou Pinglin's white upper body was exposed in the big prison in November.

The cold and fear gave him goosebumps all over his body. Zhou Pinglin suppressed his panic and stared at Pei Yan, "Your Highness, what are you going to do?"

Pei Yan was wearing an ivory-white brocade robe, and his elegant and refined demeanor was totally out of place in this filthy environment.

Hearing Zhou Pinglin's question, he did not answer immediately. He slowly put the sword aside, walked slowly to the hot charcoal stove, and picked up a long branding tool.

When Zhou Pinglin saw him walking towards him with a red-hot iron, the muscles on his face twitched uncontrollably.

Pei Yan stopped in front of him, a smile appeared on his handsome face, gentle and harmless, "What am I going to do? Can't Prime Minister Zhou guess it?"

Zhou Pinglin's tone changed. "You are abusing lynching. If His Majesty knew...Ah!!!!"

He had only said half of his words when the rest of his words turned into a terrible wail.

The red-hot iron was imprinted on his chest, the intense pain was maddening, and the air was filled with the smell of burning flesh.

Zhou Pinglin's face was distorted and beads of sweat the size of beans rolled down his face. In this boundless pain, he saw Pei Yan's smile becoming more gentle.

The face of a bodhisattva, the heart of an asura.

He frowned and said calmly, "Even if I abused private punishment, so what? Does Prime Minister Zhou still want to get out of here?"

Zhou Pinglin's lips trembled, "It's you, it's you who did it, you and the Gu family framed me!"

The curve of Pei Yan's thin lips widened even more, and there was a cold look in his black eyes.

He increased the force of his arms, and Zhou Pinglin let out another heart-wrenching scream.

"My uncle also suffered this in the past. Now I will teach you how it feels."

Pei Yan was a little tired from holding his hands up, so he threw the branding tool aside with a disinterested look, took out a clean handkerchief and wiped his fingers carefully, and said in a cold voice, "You said I framed you, you must produce evidence."

Zhou Pinglin looked down at his chest and saw a large piece of flesh that was red, rotten, and bloody. He almost vomited when he saw it.

He raised his head and glared at Pei Yan with hatred, "Even if His Majesty favors you, he won't listen to your one-sided words!"

Pei Yan snorted and laughed, "One-sided story? When the wall falls, everyone pushes it; when the tree falls, the monkeys scatter. Haven't your Zhou family done enough evil things over the years? You can't give me any reason to frame you, but I have a lot of evidence against you."

Zhou Pinglin also understood at this time that Pei Yan and the Gu family might have started secretly planning a long time ago.

Yesterday’s changes were fast, accurate and ruthless.

Those skilled assassins, those palace soldiers who quickly rushed in to search, and that dragon robe that appeared out of nowhere...all of these things are closely linked to each other, and it is not something that can be arranged in a short time.

He suddenly realized something and stared at Pei Yan with wide eyes, "Are you not sick at all?"

Pei Yan smiled at him.

Zhou Pinglin was shocked at first, then angry and frightened, and finally he fell into deep self-doubt. He seemed to have lost all his energy and spirit, and became listless.

Pei Yan watched his changing expression like watching a play, with a half-smile on his face.

After a long while, Zhou Pinglin raised his head and burst into laughter. This unbridled laughter was particularly terrifying in the dark and damp cell.

He stared at Pei Yan's young face, with admiration and regret in his eyes.

Such cunning and scheming, such forbearance and perseverance are truly extraordinary.

What a pity, why is he not his nephew?

After a brief silence, Zhou Pinglin suddenly thought of something, forced out a sly smile, and said maliciously, "If the Crown Prince wants to accuse me of rebellion, then the Yongwei Marquis' Mansion will not be able to escape the consequences. I heard that the Crown Prince and the Crown Princess are deeply in love, and I wonder if the Crown Prince will be so ruthless when facing his father-in-law? Tsk, if the Crown Princess knew that you attacked her father, I'm afraid she would hate you, right?"

"Prime Minister Zhou, please do not worry about the affairs of the Eastern Palace. You should still worry about the 561 people in your Zhou family... Oh no, including Pei Lingbi who married into the Zhou family yesterday, it should be 562 people..."

Pei Yan narrowed his eyes, a cold light flashed in his dark pupils, and he revealed a cruel and cold smile.

Zhou Pinglin's face turned pale instantly, and he felt as if the blood in his heart had turned cold.

………

East Palace, Yaoguang Hall.

The night was as dark as ink, and the wind was stronger and cooler at night.

Tao Ti stood at the door, rubbing her hands, craning her neck, and looking eagerly.

Linglong came forward with a silver-white cloak with emerald patterns, put it on her, and said softly, "Crown Princess, it's cold at night. You should go back to your room and wait, or you will freeze yourself."

Taoti wrapped her cloak tighter and muttered in confusion, "It's so late, why hasn't His Highness come back yet? Is he not coming back tonight?"

Such a big change happened in the court, and she hasn't seen him for almost two days and one night. She has been feeling worried and anxious.

Linglong soothed, "I guess he got delayed on the way, don't worry, Crown Princess."

Tao Ti nodded and reminded Linglong, "Go and see how the astragalus chicken soup on the stove is doing... Forget it, I'll go and see it myself."

Just as she was about to go to the small kitchen, she saw the eunuch guarding the door rushing in, "Here he comes! Here he comes! Crown Princess, His Highness is back."

When Tao Ti heard this, her eyes lit up instantly. She didn't care about the chicken soup at all. She just picked up her skirt and ran to the door.

Everyone in Yaoguang Palace watched, and they didn't think it was wrong at all. Instead, they thought the deep affection between the Crown Princess and the Crown Prince was really touching.

Pei Yan sat on the sedan chair, supporting his forehead with one hand and closing his eyes to rest.

He was busy outside the palace all day today, and didn't return until the palace gates were unlocked. He originally wanted to go directly back to Yaoguang Palace so as not to worry his little girl. But thinking that he had been to the Ministry of Justice today, his body was inevitably stained with some unclean smell, so he went back to Zixiao Palace to wash up, changed into a clean robe, and then hurried to Yaoguang Palace.

"Your Highness, the Crown Princess is out to greet you." Fu Xirui, who was following the sedan chair, reminded softly.

Pei Yan slowly opened his eyes and looked forward.

Not far away, under two bright yellow palace lanterns, he saw a petite figure standing at the door, looking at him eagerly.

Pei Yan felt a warm feeling in his heart.

When the sedan chair stopped, he got off.

Tao Ti came forward in a hurry, her face slightly reddened by the cold wind, her dark eyes particularly bright under the light, "Your Highness, you are finally back."

Pei Yan lowered his head and smiled at her tenderly, "Well, I'm back."

Tao Ti walked up to him and took a look at him. After making sure that he was fine, she finally felt relieved.

Pei Yan saw her relieved look, his eyes softened, and he raised his hand to ruffle her hair, "It's windy outside, don't wait at the door next time."

Tao Ti hummed lightly.

Pei Yan took her hand and walked inside together.

Tao Ti's little mouth never stopped, asking all kinds of questions: What happened yesterday, were you scared, did you sleep well at Gu's house last night, Your Highness, are you hungry? Are you thirsty?

She asked a series of questions in rapid succession, and Pei Yan didn't know how to answer.

As soon as the two of them walked into the inner hall, Pei Yan suddenly turned around, stretched out his long arms, and pressed Tao Ti directly against the door.

Tao Ti was stunned, "......?"

Wall, wall-dong?

It's not appropriate to do it against the wall at this time.

She blinked, and before she could say anything, Pei Yan suddenly bent down and hugged her tightly.

The clear and pleasant smell of cold pine resin enveloped Tao Ti. His head was buried in her shoulder, and his breath was hot.

Tao Ti was suddenly held tightly by him, and said in a daze, "Your Highness."

"Don't move."

Pei Yan closed his eyes, his pleasant voice was filled with fatigue and a hint of pleading, "Let me hold you for a while, just a while."