They've already breached the palace, yet all they ask of me is an edict of self-reproach.

Half an hour later, Empress Qi reluctantly got up from Zhao Ji's embrace, left the imperial study, returned to the palace to prepare the rewards, and then left the palace in a grand procession with a group of palace maids and eunuchs.

Meanwhile, at the Duke of Qi's residence.

This once powerful Duke's mansion is now deserted, and even the stone lions in front of the gate seem to be covered in dust, looking desolate.

At this moment, on the steps in the courtyard stood a middle-aged man with a refined appearance, who looked somewhat haggard, perhaps because of his unkempt appearance.

This man was none other than Qi Yuanqing, the heir apparent of the Duke of Qi.

Below Qi Yuanqing stood a group of martial arts practitioners dressed in various styles.

These were all retainers kept by Qi Yuanqing.

At its peak, the Duke of Qi's mansion had nearly a thousand retainers under Qi Yuanqing's command, but now only these remain.

Qi Yuanqing cupped his hands to the crowd and said in a deep voice:

"Fellow heroes, Yuanqing thanks you all for your unwavering support over the years. However, I fear the Qi State Duke's Mansion will never recover. You are all heroes of the martial world, and staying here will only waste your time. I cannot bear to see your talents buried like this, so I have decided to disband the Juxian Mansion and will no longer recruit retainers. Go to the steward later to collect some travel expenses and seek better opportunities elsewhere."

Since the Empress was banished to the Cold Palace, the Qi family has been kicked out of the power center of Dali.

At first, Qi Yuanqing did not admit defeat, but secretly accumulated strength, hoping that one day His Majesty would change his mind and give his Qi family a second chance.

But after waiting for so many years, and with his retainers gradually leaving, Qi Yuanqing became somewhat disheartened.

After this purge of the court's inner circle, His Majesty, in a fit of rage, killed so many ministers and made a series of disastrous decisions, which made Qi Yuanqing even more hopeless.

Qi Yuanqing simply gave up the idea of ​​returning to the imperial court, dismissed his retainers, and from then on became a recluse who cared nothing for worldly affairs.

"Ugh!"

The retainers also sighed.

Their lord was such a talented man, yet he has now fallen to such a state.

He truly had unfulfilled potential.

"My lord, since His Majesty does not trust you, why don't we go south and seek refuge with the Prince of Zhennan? The Prince of Zhennan has always valued talent and has tried to recruit you many times. If he doesn't want us here, there are plenty of other places that will. Why should you hang yourself on one tree?"

One of the retainers suggested.

"Yes, take the initiative. With your talent, my lord, you will surely be regarded as an honored guest by the Prince of Zhennan."

"Although we follow our lord for fame and fortune, we want to do something great by his side."

The other retainers also chimed in.

Qi Yuanqing's methods and abilities are obvious to all. Back then, the Empress was able to stabilize the court, and Qi Yuanqing's contribution was indispensable.

"I know you all mean well, but let's not bring this up again. My Qi family has been favored by the emperor for generations, and we would never do anything to bring shame to our ancestors."

Qi Yuanqing looked serious.

His father was a veteran of three reigns, and the title of Duke was hereditary. His sister was the current Empress. Although she had been banished to the Cold Palace, as long as His Majesty did not depose the Empress, his Qi family was the most prominent maternal relatives in the Dali Kingdom on the surface.

"My lord..."

Some of the guests wanted to say something more, but a servant rushed in anxiously, his face full of excitement.

Qi Yuanqing frowned slightly: "What happened? What's with this panic? Didn't I tell you? No one is allowed to enter this courtyard without my permission?"

The servant, though reprimanded, remained calm and quickly said, "Young Master, Her Majesty the Empress has arrived. The Duke sent me to inform you to hurry out of the manor to greet her."

"What? What did you say?"

Qi Yuanqing was momentarily stunned.

The same was true for the group of retainers below.

Wasn't the Empress banished to the Cold Palace by His Majesty long ago?

"Your Highness, the Empress has arrived. The Duke has ordered..."

Before the servant could finish speaking, Qi Yuanqing had already rushed out of the courtyard, leaving behind a group of retainers looking at each other in bewilderment.

……

Outside the Duke of Qi's mansion.

Led by the Duke of Qi, all the servants in his mansion had already knelt down.

In the distance, an extremely luxurious phoenix palanquin slowly approached.

There were sixteen people carrying the palanquin.

He was followed by hundreds of palace maids and eunuchs.

Outside the carriage, a large number of imperial guards, holding long halberds and with swords at their waists, followed solemnly, their presence causing the surrounding people to bow and give way.

Upon arriving and seeing this scene, Qi Yuanqing hurriedly knelt beside his father to welcome Empress Qi's imperial carriage.

Soon, as the imperial carriage stopped at the gate of the Duke of Qi's residence, the Duke of Qi hurriedly led all the servants in the mansion to kowtow and pay their respects.

"Your humble servant pays respects to Your Majesty the Empress. May Your Majesty live a thousand years!"

Empress Qi lifted the curtain and saw the white hair at her father's temples and her elder brother's weathered face. She couldn't help but want to shed tears, but as the empress, she represented the majesty of the royal family when she went out, so she held back the urge to cry.

"Father, elder brother, please rise quickly."

After Empress Qi alighted from the imperial carriage, she stepped forward to help the two of them up.

"Thank you, Your Majesty."

Seeing Empress Qi's tearful appearance, the father and son's eyes also reddened.

"This is not the place to talk, Your Majesty, please come inside."

Duke Qi stepped aside.

"it is good."

Empress Qi looked at the place where she had grown up and was filled with emotion.

Since entering the palace, she has never returned.

Fortunately, things haven't changed and people haven't changed.

"Your Majesty the Empress, please rise!"

The eunuch shouted.

……

Soon, news of Empress Qi Daimei's return to the Duke of Qi's mansion spread throughout the capital.

Various rumors began to circulate.

However, one thing is certain: the Duke of Qi's mansion will regain its status as the most prominent maternal relatives in the capital.

At this moment, in the main hall of the Duke of Qi's mansion.

Empress Qi sat in the main seat, with Duke Qi and his son Qi Yuanqing accompanying her.

The servants in the mansion were all dismissed and sent outside.

"Father, elder brother, I'm the one who has burdened you all these years and caused you suffering."

With no outsiders around, Empress Qi could no longer hold back her tears.

"Your Majesty, please don't say that. You have suffered far more than we have over the years."

Qi Yuanqing quickly comforted his sister.

Empress Qi wiped away the tears from the corners of her eyes, then smiled and said, "Father, elder brother, don't worry, from now on no one will dare to bully our Qi family again."

Duke Qi and Qi Yuanqing exchanged a glance but did not respond.

They were filled with doubt, but dared not ask.

Empress Qi noticed the doubt in her father's and elder brother's eyes, so she told them that His Majesty had asked her to take over the reins of the harem.

"This time, Your Majesty has been able to repent and correct his past mistakes, which is a blessing for all the people. However, Your Majesty must remember that the inner palace must not interfere in politics."

The Duke of Qi warned that he was worried his foolish daughter might whisper in His Majesty's ear for the sake of their future. If she was right, all would be well, but if she was wrong, she might be sent back to the Cold Palace.

"Your daughter will remember your teachings."

Empress Qi nodded. Although she was the empress, she did not want to be so estranged from her family.

Duke Qi did not offer any discouraging corrections.

He was heartbroken to see his daughter after so many years, unaware of the suffering she had endured in the cold palace.

Thinking of this, the Duke of Qi felt as if sand had gotten into his eyes, and he couldn't help but want to shed tears.

Qi Yuanqing had always doted on his younger sister Qi Daimei since childhood. Now that Qi Daimei had regained control of the harem, Qi Yuanqing's first thought was not happiness, but heartache for the suffering she had endured over the years.

"Oh, right."

Seeing the atmosphere fall silent, Empress Qi took the initiative to break the silence.

"His Majesty has granted me permission to leave the palace this time. Besides visiting my father and elder brother, His Majesty also gave me a task."

Upon hearing this, the Duke of Qi and Qi Yuanqing's expressions immediately became serious.

"Your Majesty, if you have any orders, my entire Qi family will gladly die for you."

The Duke of Qi immediately expressed his opinion.

Once His Majesty is involved, we must take it seriously.

Empress Qi nodded, then regained her imperial dignity and solemnly told her father and elder brother about Zhao Ji's plan to establish an inspection bureau.

It emphasizes the importance of the Supervisory Department.

Upon hearing this, the father and son's expressions immediately became very serious, while at the same time, a hint of joy rose in their hearts.

His Majesty intends to reinstate him to the Qi family.

After Empress Qi finished speaking, she looked at Qi Yuanqing with a solemn expression:

"Brother, His Majesty intends to appoint you as the Director-General of the Censorate. Are you confident that you can handle this position well? If not, please let me know in advance, and I will explain it to His Majesty."

Although Empress Qi hoped that the Qi family would regain its former glory, serving the emperor was like walking on thin ice. If her elder brother messed up this matter, His Majesty would probably not let the Qi family off easily. Therefore, she hoped that her elder brother would think it through.

"The Censorate oversees the entire realm and reports directly to the Emperor. Its power is terrifying. However, with great power comes great risk. Serving the Emperor is like serving a tiger. One wrong move and my Qi family could be doomed."

The Duke of Qi had such keen insight that he was able to analyze the pros and cons based on just a few words from the Empress Qi.

Empress Qi remained silent, naturally understanding the implications of the situation.

However, this is the fastest way to restore the Qi family to its former glory, and she believes that with her eldest brother's abilities, he is capable of serving as the head of the Inspectorate.

Qi Yuanqing's heart was pounding wildly.

Director-General of the Inspection Department!

This position seemed tailor-made for him.

No one knows a son better than his father. Seeing the change in Qi Yuanqing's expression, the Duke of Qi knew that his son was interested.

"Yuanqing, I know you have the ability, but you need to think this through. The Censorate is like a sword hanging over the heads of all officials. If you become the head of the Censorate, my Qi family will become the common enemy of all the nobles, and there will be no way out."

The Duke of Qi reminded him again.

The reason why the Qi family was able to withdraw from the power center of Dali back then was entirely because they did not threaten the interests of those powerful families, so they were not purged. Otherwise, how could the Qi family have survived until today?

"I have thought it through, Father, that I should be loyal to the emperor even though I am paid by him."

Having said that, Qi Yuanqing suddenly stood up, knelt before Empress Qi, and cupped his hands, saying:

"Now that the Great Li is in turmoil, we, as subjects, should serve Your Majesty with utmost devotion, even unto death. Please tell Your Majesty, Your Majesty, that your subject Qi Yuanqing will absolutely not fail to live up to Your Majesty's grace."

"Brother, have you thought this through? If you mess this up, I won't consider our sibling relationship."

Empress Qi's expression turned cold.

Empress Qi was gentle and tender in front of Zhao Ji, but in front of others, she remained the high and mighty empress, the most noble woman in Dali.

"Your Majesty, rest assured, Qi Yuanqing will absolutely not betray His Majesty's and Your Majesty's trust."

Qi Yuanqing's expression was resolute.

"That's enough."

The Duke of Qi sighed, then suddenly smiled with relief:

"My Qi family has long shared the glory and the ruin of the royal family. It is a blessing for my Qi family to be able to serve as His Majesty's weapon."

Empress Qi paused for a moment, looked at her father and elder brother, and said seriously:

"Father, elder brother, after the purge of the court of corrupt officials, I can feel that His Majesty has changed a lot. Believe me, His Majesty will definitely not let the Qi family down!"

"I am willing to die for Your Majesty."

The father and son said in unison.