"Why are you going?" Cui Yunchu glared at Cui Yunfeng.
At a crucial moment like this, she must be going just to cause trouble.
Cui Yunfeng smiled faintly. "Don't worry, Eldest Sister. I will just go and come right back. I won't cause any trouble."
Cui Yunchu thought: Looking at your posture, how can I believe that?
But since Cui Yunfeng insisted and Cui Yunchu was truly worried, she could only say to Lady Zhao, "The grand wedding is approaching, and Grandmother specifically instructed me to keep an eye on Yunfeng. Could you allow me to accompany her into the palace?"
Lady Zhao frowned and did not speak.
Cui Yunchu continued, "I can continue catching cats. Has Lady Zhao forgotten? My cat-catching skills are quite good."
"...If that's the case, Eldest Miss Cui may come along."
Holding Cui Yunfeng's hand, Cui Yunchu followed Lady Zhao onto the carriage.
Cui Yunfeng said, "Eldest Sister, you don't have to do this. I won't do anything foolish."
Cui Yunchu glanced at her outfit today. "What are you doing? Are you planning to turn from innocent to ruthless?"
Cui Yunfeng gently shook her head. "Consort Liang's birthday is not in this season."
Cui Yunchu nodded.
She had guessed it. How could there be such a coincidence?
"Consort Liang is not as dull as the Empress. She wouldn't do anything to her own daughter-in-law. Don't be afraid."
Cui Yunfeng asked, "Then why are you still following me?"
Cui Yunchu thought: I'm afraid you might do something to that mother and son.
Cui Yunfeng was not in high spirits and barely spoke along the way. The carriage soon stopped at the palace gates.
As soon as the two sisters stepped through the palace gates, they felt the atmosphere was somewhat bizarre, oppressive, dull, and cold. Even the soldiers guarding the gates didn't dare to breathe too loudly.
Cui Yunchu and Cui Yunfeng exchanged a glance and both frowned.
Lady Zhao led the two of them past the main hall and towards Consort Liang's palace. Cui Yunchu asked, "Has the morning court assembly not ended yet?"
Lady Zhao gave a brief sound of acknowledgment and said no more, clearly unwilling to elaborate.
Rounding the corridor, a figure came into view. Tang Qingwan, dressed in her Crown Princess attire, stood guard outside the palace. Her eyes were red, and she looked haggard.
Lady Zhao bowed in greeting.
Tang Qingwan's gaze fell upon Cui Yunchu and Cui Yunfeng. She frowned, but because Lady Zhao was present, she ultimately said nothing.
Cui Yunfeng said, "Lady Zhao, you may return first. I will wait here for Prince An. Once the morning court ends, we will go together to pay our respects to Her Highness."
Lady Zhao acknowledged and left.
Only then did Cui Yunchu speak up, "Cousin, why are you here?"
Cui Yunfeng also looked at Tang Qingwan.
Tang Qingwan pressed her red lips tightly together. "The Emperor is determined to execute my father, and the Liu family is pressing hard at every step. Uncle has united his subordinates and my father's disciples, and they are currently in a standoff with the Emperor."
Cui Yunchu was slightly startled in her heart.
For things to develop to this point, all pretenses had been dropped. Her father's actions were a defiance of imperial decree, and amounted to nothing less than forcing the Emperor's hand.
The arguments from within the hall could be vaguely heard. There were the sounds of ministers debating, as well as the Emperor's furious roars.
Even if they managed to save him today, she feared the Cui and Tang families would be pushed to the forefront of the storm.
"By the way, was it Consort Liang's idea for you to enter the palace?" Tang Qingwan asked.
Cui Yunfeng turned her head away and nodded, seemingly ashamed to face Tang Qingwan.
Half an hour later, the morning court finally ended. Prime Minister Cui looked exhausted. When he saw the three sisters waiting not far away, he frowned and took a step towards them.
Suddenly, someone pressed a hand onto his shoulder. "Prime Minister Cui, you were quite majestic today."
Prime Minister Cui's expression was cold. He swatted away the hand of the Minister of War, Lord Liu. "Naturally, I am a hundred times better than Lord Liu, whose face refuses to let go once he bites."
"Is that so?" Lord Liu sneered. "Inciting the officials, defying imperial orders, and coercing imperial power. For a Prime Minister to act like this, I'm afraid your time has come to an end."
The Emperor right now probably wished he could immediately take Cui Qingyuan's head.
Prime Minister Cui stood with his hands behind his back and sneered, "If so, my Cui family will serve as a warning for your Liu family, won't it?"
Lord Liu's eyes turned icy. "Then let's wait and see."
"Let's see whether you are more powerful, or the Emperor is more powerful. This empire of Great Liang, after all, carries the surname Xiao."
At the entrance of the palace hall, the two men stood at odds with each other.
Some petty officials cowered, wishing they could press themselves against the walls to leave.
Many officials quickly gathered behind Prime Minister Cui; they were all subordinates and disciples of the Cui and Tang families. Behind Lord Liu stood the royalists, as well as his underlings from the Ministry of War.
The tension was explosive, looking very much like the two sides were about to clash.
"Whoever is more powerful, it won't be you. Who is Lord Liu barking for?" A frivolous voice carried a hint of gloominess.
Xiao Yi stood with his hands behind his back at the palace entrance, which was blocked by the Cui and Liu factions.
He was already in a terrible mood today. Naturally, he couldn't offend Prime Minister Cui, so Lord Liu was practically offering himself up as a punching bag.
"A man surnamed Xiao is standing right here. What do you think you are?"
With a cold face, he rolled up his sleeves, stepped forward, and pinned Lord Liu to the ground. His fists rained down like a storm. "How dare you block my path? Who gave you the nerve?"
"You damn lackey, do you think I'm easy to bully?"
"It wasn't me! I said it wasn't me! It wasn't me!"
He kept muttering a mess of incomprehensible things, but his fists didn't stop either, specifically aiming for the man's face. Lord Liu's miserable screams echoed through the grand hall.
Many officials stepped back as they watched, wincing in sympathy.
"What's wrong with Prince An?" someone asked in a low voice.
"He must have been provoked by something."
"Wasn't he fine just a moment ago during the morning court?"
"Hard to say. Prince An has always been temperamental. He's probably just in a bad mood today, and Lord Liu happened to be at the wrong place at the wrong time."
Xiao Yi's reputation had never been good. At a time like this, no one wanted to invite his wrath. Who knew if he would just find a random excuse to beat them up too?
With a whole hall full of people, surprisingly not a single one dared to step forward and pull him away.
It seemed they were afraid that Xiao Yi would reach out, drag them over, and pin them to the ground as well.
Prime Minister Cui frowned slightly as he watched Xiao Yi, who had one leg pressing down on Lord Liu, beating him senseless.
Not only did he show no signs of stopping, but it seemed he was getting angrier the more he hit.
"Your Highness the Crown Prince," an official from the Ministry of War whispered, "if he keeps beating him, Lord Liu might not survive."
After all, Lord Liu was somewhat considered the Crown Prince's father-in-law. Xiao Yi's behavior was no different from publicly slapping the Crown Prince's face.
The Crown Prince frowned and could only slowly open his mouth to intervene. However, before he could speak, a tranquil voice suddenly rang out, "Your Highness, the Crown Princess seems to be waiting for you at the door."
As soon as the words fell, the Crown Prince immediately closed his open mouth and stood quietly to the side.
Shen Xiabai crossed his arms over his chest, watching the scene leisurely, as if the person who just spoke wasn't him.
In the end, it was Xiao Yi's maternal family who stepped forward to stop him. "Your Highness, if you continue, he will die."
It was good enough to let the anger out, saving them from suffering it later.
Only then did Xiao Yi slowly get up. He shook his wrist fiercely, stepped over Lord Liu's dead-fish-like body, and walked outside.
"I... I want to see the Emperor." Lord Liu crawled up from the ground, his face covered in blood.
But before he could even finish his sentence, Xiao Yi, who had just left, turned back around. His heavy footsteps and tall figure were enough to send chills down anyone's spine just by looking at him.
Lord Liu shrank back and instantly fell silent.
The Crown Prince said, "Lord Liu, be more careful in the future. Do not bump into my royal brother again." He then ordered his men to support Lord Liu and escort him away.
Bump into?
Who bumped into whom?
Lord Liu had never suffered such an inexplicable beating in his entire life.
Today's court assembly was truly unusually lively.
When the crowd had mostly dispersed, Prime Minister Cui finally walked over to Tang Qingwan, Cui Yunchu, and Cui Yunfeng.
The Crown Prince consciously kept his distance, standing silently to the side.
Shen Xiabai raised an eyebrow slightly. "Why doesn't Your Highness go over? Is there no lady among them that catches your fancy?"
The Crown Prince remained speechless.
"Today, I must thank Lord Shen for speaking up on behalf of Grand Tutor Tang."
Shen Xiabai replied, "I would not dare disobey Your Highness's instructions. However, a few mere words may not be of much use. Your Highness should make further plans as early as possible."
The Crown Prince nodded.
Shen Xiabai cast a sidelong glance at the young lady not far away before slowly walking out of the imperial palace.
"Uncle, what is the verdict?" Tang Qingwan asked anxiously.
Prime Minister Cui shook his head. "I rallied the officials to exert pressure, but it only temporarily delayed the Emperor's decree to execute your father."
To actually save him would likely be as difficult as ascending to the heavens.
"Within the next three to five days, your father will be safe, but to completely resolve this matter, we need to think of another way."
Tang Qingwan's eyes darkened slightly. "Speaking of which, the ones stirring up trouble in this matter are none other than the Liu family. As long as we get rid of them, your subordinates, Uncle, and my father's disciples will cover half the court. If Prince An and the Crown Prince do not intervene, and Lord Shen does not get involved, the Emperor will have no one to rely on. Then, there will be room to turn this situation around."
"That makes sense," Prime Minister Cui nodded, casting an almost imperceptible glance behind him. "But the Crown Prince is the heir to the throne. Right now, he is only considering you. If something truly happens, he will not stand idly by and watch someone threaten the imperial power."
