On our wedding night, my wife acted strangely.

Nangong Xiong was now preoccupied with how to kill Lin Yi and take back power, so he showed no mercy to the mother and daughter kneeling on the ground and crying.

He even took two steps in place before coming directly to Yang Siyu's side, grabbing her hair and pulling her up from the ground.

"Ah! Your Majesty, spare me! Waaah..." Yang Siyu cried out in pain, tears streaming down his face.

Nangong Min was terrified and rushed over to hug Nangong Xiong's leg: "Father! What are you doing! This has nothing to do with Mother!"

"Get out!" Nangong Xiong kicked Nangong Min away and pointed at Yang Siyu viciously, saying, "It's none of her business? A mother is to blame for a child's misbehavior! She raised such an unfaithful and unfilial daughter as you; she's guilty!"

Nangong Xiong stared at Nangong Min and said, word by word, "Min'er, listen carefully. If you don't agree to kill Lin Yi today, I will banish your mother to the Cold Palace tomorrow! No, banishing her to the Cold Palace is too lenient. I will demote her to a commoner and send her to the laundry department to wash dirty clothes for the rest of her life! I will make her suffer there, wishing she were dead!"

"What...?" Yang Siyu was so frightened by these words that he was immediately scared out of his wits.

She was pampered since childhood and lived a life of luxury after entering the palace. She could not bear the hardships of a place like the laundry department.

"Your Majesty! Your Majesty, spare me! I know I was wrong, I will definitely persuade Min'er! Please, Your Majesty, do not send me to the laundry department!" Yang Siyu cried her eyes out.

This made Nangong Xiong even more disgusted.

"You wretched old woman, don't think I can't be heartless!" Nangong Xiong turned to Nangong Min and continued, "And you! If you don't agree, from this day forward, you will no longer be the eldest princess of the Great Zhou, and I will no longer have you as my daughter! Even if you die outside, never call me father again! I will pretend I never gave birth to such an ungrateful wretch!"

"Father... Waaah..." Nangong Min sat on the ground, looking at her mother who was being pulled by the hair and pleading bitterly, and then at her father whose face was contorted with rage, and finally burst into tears.

She always believed that although the royal family had many rules, her father still had feelings for her.

But now he realizes that in the face of imperial power and interests, his daughter is nothing at all, and is even just a sacrifice.

No, it wasn't even a sacrifice; it was merely a commodity, a bargaining chip, a tool.

Nangong Min's heart turned completely cold. She looked up at Nangong Xiong with a desperate and numb expression.

Finally, she wiped away her tears and said, choking back sobs, "Alright, I promise Father."

Upon hearing this, Nangong Xiong loosened Yang Siyu's hair and clapped his hands.

It looks like there's dust on my hands.

"That's more like it. Don't worry, as long as you get things done, I will reward you handsomely. As for the future, whatever kind of consort you want, I will grant your wish."

"Your subject obeys."

Having achieved his goal, Nangong Xiong had no intention of staying any longer; he now felt absolutely no goodwill towards the mother and daughter.

He glanced coldly at Yang Siyu, who was slumped on the ground, and said, "Teach her properly how to do things, so she doesn't cause me any more trouble. Hmph."

After saying that, Nangong Xiong snorted coldly and strode away.

Just as they reached the door, he suddenly turned back to Cai Ming, who was following him, and said, "Pack up that venison. Damn it, we can reheat it and eat it again later."

"Yes, Your Majesty." Cai Ming sighed and shook his head.

I went over to say something to the mother and daughter, but found that nothing I said would be appropriate, so I left with the plate.

Seeing that they had all left, Yang Siyu quickly crawled over and hugged Nangong Min in his arms.

"My daughter... Waaah... My son..."

"mother……"

The mother and daughter embraced and wept bitterly.

That night, Nangong Min lay in bed unable to sleep, her mind filled with images of Nangong Xiong forcing her, and Lin Yi's handsome, cold face.

Yang Siyu brought in a bowl of calming soup, sat down by the bed, and felt very sad looking at her daughter's haggard appearance.

"Min'er, get up and have some soup." Yang Siyu handed her the soup bowl.

Nangong Min shook her head and did not answer.

This was the first time she had refused her mother.

That's right. In the past, she did whatever Yang Siyu said, just like her attitude towards Lin Yi in the Prince's Mansion.

Yang Siyu sighed, placed the bowl on the table beside him, took Nangong Min's hand, and said earnestly, "Min'er, don't blame your father. He was forced into a corner. Lin Yi is now pressing forward relentlessly, even daring to seize the palace's supplies. If your father doesn't find a solution, the Great Zhou dynasty will truly be lost."

Nangong Min looked at her mother, her voice cold: "So, for the sake of his empire, he can force his own daughter to kill someone? He can use your life to threaten me?"

"Min'er, this is the fate of us women. Born into an imperial family, we enjoy the glory that ordinary people don't have, but we also have to bear the responsibilities that ordinary people don't have to bear. Your father has it tough too; he has to deal with so many messes every day, and the pressure is too great. Please try to understand him."

Nangong Min pulled her hand back, turned over, and looked at the wall.

"I understand him, but who understands me? He forced me to marry a man condemned by the whole world as a traitor, and I've already accepted my fate! I just want to live out the rest of my life peacefully. But why won't he even leave me that option?"

Yang Siyu didn't know how to respond to that, so he could only sigh.

"Sigh... Min'er, try to think positively. As long as Lin Yi is dead, everything will be alright. Your father promised to find you a good husband."

Nangong Min closed her eyes, tears sliding down her cheeks onto the pillow, and did not answer her mother's question.

She lay there in the palace, heavy with worries, until dawn.

As soon as the clapper sounded, she got up to pack her things and took Liying and Shishi back to the palace, not wanting to stay in the cold palace for even a moment longer.

......

Just as Nangong Min was returning to her residence by carriage, the morning court session began.

Inside the Zichen Hall, civil and military officials stood in neat rows, bringing back the lively atmosphere to the once empty hall.

The bigwigs who spearheaded the strike, including Liu Wentao, Linghu Lan, Zhang Zenan, and Qian Deguang, are all here today.

Each of them, dressed in court robes and holding a ceremonial tablet, stood in their respective positions, their expressions shifting between light and shadow.

Although they came, they were extremely frustrated.

They originally intended to use the strike to force Lin Yi to make concessions and put some pressure on the emperor. But to their surprise, Lin Yi didn't buy it at all and even threatened to replace them with a group of low-ranking officials from humble backgrounds.

What's even more infuriating is that Emperor Nangong Xiong actually sent Sun Fu to warn them that if they didn't attend court, the Great Zhou dynasty would be overthrown.

After weighing the pros and cons, Liu Wentao had no choice but to grit his teeth and bring everyone back to work in order to protect the interests and positions of the civil service group.

This time, they've really lost face.

Nangong Xiong strode up to the dragon platform, sat down on the dragon throne, and looked down at the court officials standing in large numbers.

He'd been bullied by Lin Yi for the past few days, and he was seething with anger with nowhere to vent it.

Seeing these civil officials, who usually liked to contradict him, slinking back to work, he gave a cold smile.

"Ah, my beloved ministers, quite a few people have come today."

None of the ministers dared to respond.

Nangong Xiong sneered as he looked at Liu Wentao and the others: "A few days ago, the Prime Minister caught a cold, Minister Linghu was critically ill, Vice Minister Qian's facial injury hadn't healed, and the Duke of Xun was at home taking care of him. What? Did the illness heal so quickly? Completely cured overnight?"

Liu Wentao blushed and quickly stepped forward to answer with a bow.

"Your Majesty, I have taken some medicine at home these past few days, and my condition has greatly improved. I am concerned about the affairs of state and dare not rest for long, so I have come to the morning court today to share Your Majesty's burdens."

Linghu Lan quickly added, "Your Majesty is blessed with boundless good fortune. I have been fortunate enough to be cured of my illness thanks to Your Majesty's blessings."

The insincere flattery made Nangong Xiong very uncomfortable.

He thought to himself, "A bunch of old foxes. They can't handle Lin Yi, but they're first-rate at changing their tune depending on the wind."

"That's good." Nangong Xiong leaned back on the dragon throne. "I thought you ministers felt the atmosphere in the court was unpleasant and wanted to go home and hold your grandchildren."

Liu Wentao immediately knelt down: "This old minister is terrified! This old minister's loyalty to the Great Zhou and to Your Majesty is as clear as day! As long as this old minister has a breath left, I will never leave the court!"

The other ministers also knelt down in unison, shouting in unison.

"We are terrified! We swear to serve Your Majesty to the death!"

Nangong Xiong remained silent for a few seconds, knowing that he should just give these people a warning and not push them too far.

After all, he still needed these civil officials to deal with Lin Yi.

"Get up, everyone." Nangong Xiong raised his hand.