Jingzhao Yin was kneeling on the ground, his baggy clothes rippled with his movements, and the unpleasant smell of urine spread under him.

Helian Yu felt that he had done something wrong, so he held the small wooden stick and poked Jingzhao Yin's forehead a few times, feeling very disappointed. "You won't resist? Just accept it like that? Maybe if we kill all of us who know about it, you can survive?"

Jingzhao Yin shook his head frantically, with fear in his eyes. He smiled tremblingly and begged for mercy with a pale face: "Miss, please spare me! Your Highness, please spare me! I dare not! I absolutely dare not!"

Helian Yu felt very bored. She had thought that with so many soldiers, she could have a fight with Jingzhao Yin, but she didn't expect that the other party didn't even have the slightest intention of resisting.

Helian Chi ordered the soldiers to capture Jingzhao Yin and his men and took them back to the capital.

Helian Yu was brought back to the Imperial Master's Mansion by Chang Zuo. Before parting, Helian Yu was reluctant to leave and grabbed Helian Chi's robe, refusing to get off his carriage.

"Fourth brother, I also have a share of your merit. If you get the reward, you should give me some!"

"……knew."

"Words are not enough, you need to provide written evidence!"

"……good."

Helian Yu took the credentials and followed Chang Zuo back to the Imperial Master's Mansion.

Arriving at the main courtyard, Helian Yu discovered that there were more maids dressed in red and green, as well as capable servants in short clothes, in the mansion.

She tilted her head towards the chief, "Master is very efficient."

"The young master has always been like this." Chang Zuo felt proud of it.

Helian Yu ran into the main hall happily, thinking that only Xie Rangchen was there drinking tea, reading, or playing chess for fun, but the seats in the hall were full of middle-aged and elderly uncles and grandpas in court robes.

Helian Yu's smiling expression disappeared in an instant. He straightened his waist and took small steps, looking very dignified.

When the guests in the hall saw Helian Yu coming back, they all stood up and bowed to her.

"Your subjects greet Princess Zhaoyang."

Helian Yu had a bewildered look on his face, and looked for Xie Rangchen.

Xie Rangchen waved at her, and saw her walking quickly towards him.

"Master, what are they doing here?"

The leading minister replied, "Your Highness, we are here on His Majesty's orders to explain to you the procedures and etiquette of the return ceremony. In addition, Your Highness needs to rush to Luoxia Temple in the suburbs of Beijing the day after tomorrow. At 1:00 a.m. on the 28th, a grand procession will go to Luoxia Temple to welcome you back to the palace."

Helian Yu's eyes were clear and he looked towards Xie Rangchen with some uncertainty.

Xie Rangchen gently pressed her shoulders and said, "Chang Zuo will protect you by your side. After the palace ceremony, there will be a palace banquet hosted by the Imperial Master to welcome you back. If you want to leave the palace then, you can come with me."

"good."

Within the palace walls, smoke from incense burners curls up.

"Your Majesty, please think twice!" Zheng Xuan fell to his knees.

"Lord Zheng, do you think I did something wrong?"

Helian Su slammed the teacup heavily on the table, and the water stains soaked the ink.

Lu Jing, who was standing nearby, also knelt down quickly to smooth things over, and did not forget to step on Zheng Xuan.

"Your Majesty is a wise and holy ruler, how could he be wrong? It must be that Lord Zheng is pedantic! There are many historical books that slander women, but few that praise women. Your Majesty is willing to set a precedent, which further demonstrates our wisdom! Moreover, although Your Majesty is an emperor, he is also a father. It is a parent's painstaking effort to give good words and praise to his beloved daughter! Your Majesty is so good for his daughter, and he is even better for the people! It is a blessing for the people!"

Zheng Xuan was so angry that he said "Pooh", "You are taking things out of context and distorting the facts!"

"Master Zheng, don't talk nonsense!" Lu Jing bowed to Helian Su with a respectful tone and a serious face, "Master Zheng, are you denying your majesty's achievements? Are you insulting my king and saying that he is not a saint?"

"You are—nonsense!"

Helian Su picked up the teacup and let the two ministers curse at each other, then he picked up the pen and wrote the word "Zhaoyang" on the paper.

The twenty-fourth day of the first lunar month.

Chen Sili, Shaoqing of Dali Temple, was beheaded on March 3, and all 178 members of the Chen family were immediately exiled to Lingnan.

Those who were in cahoots with the Fang family of Duke Feng and the Xue family of Duke Rong and made profits of more than 10,000 taels will be beheaded, and the execution will be postponed to March 3rd. The children of the two families will not be allowed to take the imperial examinations within three years.

As soon as the notice was posted on the Imperial Street, the people of the capital cried for joy.

Vegetable sellers, cloth sellers, grain sellers, and errand runners all ran around to congratulate each other.

There is more news -

"I heard that Princess Zhaoyang is returning to the capital! God is afraid that she can't stand the chaos in the capital, so he wants to clean up the atmosphere and give her some peace!"

"Who is Princess Zhaoyang?"

"Princess Zhaoyang was born to the late queen. It is said that the late queen passed away after giving birth to Princess Zhaoyang. The princess was weak, so His Majesty announced that the princess had passed away. In fact, she was sent to a Buddhist temple to practice meditation. Now the princess is in good health and is gradually getting better, so she was brought back to the capital!"

Helian Yu was confused when he heard these rumors.

At this time, she had already arrived at Luoxia Temple, and was surrounded by many beautiful and pretty palace maids.

The person who told her these rumors was a palace maid named Xingchun, who was about twelve or thirteen years old, with a young face and was very smart.

"Brother Chang Zuo, they are really good at making up stories."

Helian Yu fiddled with the Nine-Ring Chain out of boredom and sighed to Chang Zuo who was wiping his sword nearby.

Chang Zuo turned his head and said, "Today, I will go to West Street to buy you plum blossom cakes. The rumors are getting more and more intense, saying that Princess Zhaoyang is born with a phoenix destiny, and whoever gets Zhaoyang will get the world."

Helian Yu was even more confused. "The people who spread the rumors are not the same group. One group falsely spread rumors about my life experience, and the other group fabricated my fate."

"There are some rumors." Chang Zuo looked sympathetically, "Daxia is about to fall, and the disaster started in Zhaoyang."

The palace maids who were serving were so frightened that they knelt on the ground and trembled.

Helian Yu paced the room angrily, "Bullshit! Whether Daxia dies or not has nothing to do with me!"

"Do I have the final say on whether Daxia will perish or not? The whole family of the person who spread rumors about me will die!"

Helian Yu stamped his feet in anger.

Chang Zuo shook his head, lowered his head to wipe his sword and said, "Your Majesty has already sent people to search, and the young master has also said to the public that this matter is completely false."

Helian Yu took a deep breath and saw that everyone in the room was bowing their heads and trembling. "All of you, get up."

The rumors in the capital city became more and more intense, even reaching the backyards of every household.

Liu family.

Liu Qiyue pinched the maid Xiaoli's shoulders, her face horrified: "Princess Zhaoyang? Did the late queen really give birth to Princess Zhaoyang?"

Xiaoli was so frightened that she couldn't speak. Only after Liu Qiuyue called out to her several times did she respond by shaking her head in confusion.

"Miss, I don't know what's going on in the palace!"

Liu Qiyue then let go of Xiaoli, feeling flustered. How could there be a Princess Zhaoyang, born with the fate of a phoenix? Then what was she? What was she, a stranger from another world? While Liu Qiyue was thinking, a domineering figure rushed into the courtyard.

"elder sister."

Liu Qiyue came back to her senses after being called "sister". She stood up and looked at the girl in green clothes, and bowed to her: "Sister Qixia, is there something wrong?"

"Sister, have you heard the rumors about Princess Zhaoyang?" Liu Qixia's eyes were defiant. Apart from her usual arrogance, there was now an air of superiority about her.

Liu Qiyue had a feeling that something was wrong with Liu Qixia, but she didn't know what was wrong. "Of course I heard about it."

(End of this chapter)