In the thirteenth year of the Tianbao era: I became Yang Guozhong's eldest son.

The steward hurriedly stepped forward and bowed: "Princess, it's windy outside, and the air here is thick with the smell of blood. You should go back to your courtyard first. The Prime Minister has already given instructions that the eldest son should enter through the side gate and not disturb the inner quarters. He should be settled in the west wing for now..."

"I know."

Before he could finish speaking, Yanhe looked at the person on the stretcher.

She glanced at it only once, and her fingertips tightened slightly inside her sleeve.

That one glance was more important than she had imagined.

It wasn't just a few blows; he was genuinely beaten to the point of near death.

If the executioners hadn't held back a bit at the end, the person being carried in now would probably not be alive.

Yet, she showed no sign of losing her composure, only asking, "Where is the doctor?"

Cai Fan immediately replied, "I'm already waiting in the side courtyard. Hot water, clean cloths, and medicine are all prepared."

Yanhe nodded and then looked at the steward.

"Since the Prime Minister ordered that the west wing be settled first, then carry it there."

The steward, hearing her calm tone, had just breathed a sigh of relief when she continued:

"I'll go too."

"Princess!"

The steward's expression changed, and he hurriedly stopped him, saying, "This is against the rules. The young master is currently awaiting punishment before the Emperor, and the Prime Minister still has a decision to make. If you go there, what if..."

"What if what?"

Yanhe looked at him.

She still spoke softly, but so softly that no one dared to interrupt her.

"What if I get caught up in his troubles and it drags me down with him?"

The steward, sweating profusely, dared not nod or shake his head, and only whispered, "That's not what I meant, it's just... the manor is already in chaos tonight, and the Prime Minister is furious. If the Princess gets too involved in this matter, I'm afraid..."

"He is my husband."

Yanhe interrupted him.

It's still those five words.

This time, however, she didn't say it to Cai Fan in the courtyard, but rather at the side gate, in front of the steward of the Prime Minister's residence, the Imperial Guards, and a group of servants.

"Whether he is in glory or convicted today, his status remains."

"Now that the person has been brought into the Yang residence, it's not up to anyone else to stop me."

The steward opened his mouth, wanting to persuade him again, but his gaze met Yanhe's eyes, and he felt inexplicably uneasy. In the end, he lowered his head and stepped aside.

"Carry him to the west wing," Yanhe said. "Hurry."

The group then started moving again.

The stretcher was carried into the side courtyard, where the old physician was already standing at the door with his medicine box.

Upon seeing Yang Xuan's injuries, he originally intended to ask a few questions as per custom, but seeing Yan He's expression, he swallowed his words and simply said in a deep voice, "Put him on the bed, add two more braziers, and leave a sliver of ventilation in the doors and windows. Everyone else, please leave."

Soon only Yanhe, Caifan, the doctor, and two capable old women remained in the room.

The injured clothes were carefully cut open.

When the skin and flesh on her back were exposed, Cai Fan gasped, almost dropping the copper basin in her hand.

That was no ordinary caning injury.

Large patches of skin and flesh were torn open, with scabs and scraps of cloth stuck together, making the scene increasingly horrifying the further one looked down.

Even the old doctor, who was used to seeing wounded soldiers, frowned for a moment.

"The one who hit him held back in the end," the old doctor said in a low voice while washing his hands. "But the first twenty strokes were real blows. The injuries are mainly to the skin and flesh, and there's no sign of a broken spine, which is fortunate."

Cai Fan's face turned pale: "Then...then could my life be in danger?"

The old doctor didn't answer immediately. He reached out to feel the pulse, and after a long time, he said, "If you can get through the high fever tonight, and then take good care of yourself, your life should be saved."

That's a tactful way of putting it.

But everyone inside the room understood.

Whether we live or die depends on this one night.

Yanhe stood by the couch, looking at Yang Xuan's almost completely drained face, and suddenly asked, "Was he unconscious the whole time, or did he regain consciousness at times?"

The Imperial Guards who carried the man over had already left, leaving only the servant from the Prime Minister's residence who had come to fetch him to speak. Upon hearing this, the servant hurriedly replied, "Your Highness, after the beating, the eldest son only managed to say a few words at the end before fainting. He hasn't woken up on the way here."

Yanhe nodded and asked no more questions.

She turned around, rolled up her sleeves to reveal a section of her snow-white wrist, took the clean cloth from the old woman, wrung it in hot water, and handed it to the old doctor.

The old doctor was taken aback: "Princess, such a bloody matter should be left to the servants..."

"You just focus on treating the patient."

Yanhe's voice was not loud.

The old doctor wisely kept quiet.

Soon, only the hushed instructions of cleaning wounds, stopping bleeding, and applying medicine remained in the room.

Yang Xuan was not at ease in his drowsy state.

When the powder was sprinkled on the wound, his brow twitched violently, his whole body tensed instinctively, and his breathing became rapid, as if he had been pulled up from the bottom of deep water.

Yanhe grabbed his wrist.

That hand was terribly cold, but the palm was covered in cold sweat.

She glanced down, her fingers paused slightly, but she didn't let go in the end.

In his hazy state, Yang Xuan seemed to hear many sounds.

There was a sound of a cane.

There was a clanging sound of the armor plates colliding.

There was also a woman's voice, unhurried and slow, as if it came from a great distance, which gradually relaxed his nerves that had been stretched to the point of breaking.

But he never woke up.

The high fever started after midnight.

First, my forehead felt hot, and then even my breathing became hot.

After taking his pulse, the old doctor pondered for a moment, prescribed a medicine to relieve both the fever and pain, and ordered someone to bring strong liquor to wipe his body down to reduce the fever.

The lights in the side courtyard were kept on all night.

The news naturally reached the main courtyard very quickly.

When Yang Guozhong returned, it was already late at night.

He changed into casual clothes, but his face looked even worse than it had been outside the Hua'e Xianghui Tower.

His knees were numb from kneeling for so long, and his shoulders and back were heavy from the shock and anger of the night. But what truly weighed on his heart were the endless gazes from the Emperor.

he knows.

After tonight, everyone in Chang'an will remember this scene of father and son killing each other.

I remember how his son dragged him into this mess, and I also remember how he knelt before the emperor begging for severe punishment.

What's even more hateful is that the more he thought about it, the more he felt that the thirty strokes of the cane weren't delivered by him, but rather that the wicked creature used his hand to cut a way out for him.

"Prime Minister."

The trusted steward stepped forward in a low voice, "The person has been taken to the west wing, and the princess... the princess has also gone there."

Yang Guozhong paused slightly.

"What did she do in the past?"

"It is said that...it is said that since the eldest son is her husband, he should go and see him."

Yang Guozhong gave a cold laugh, but there was no warmth in his smile.

"Husband?"

"There are still people in this mansion who remember him as her husband."

He flicked his sleeves, strode into the main hall, and sat down. His first words were, "Where's the family tree?"

The steward presented the scorebook with both hands.

Yang Guozhong did not immediately turn the page; he simply placed his hand on the cover and closed his eyes.

Removing the eldest son from the family genealogy is not as simple as just putting pen to paper.

This means that he wants to transform tonight's separation from a performance staged for the emperor and his ministers into a real rule within the Yang family.

Only in this way can he prove to the sage, to the court and the public, and to all those watching him that Yang Xuan's actions today have absolutely nothing to do with Yang Guozhong or the Yang family.

After a long silence, he finally spoke: "When will the official documents be issued tomorrow?"

"According to custom, it should be by tomorrow noon at the latest," the steward replied in a low voice. "But there's already word from the palace that His Majesty's anger hasn't subsided, and this case won't be delayed for long. We should have a definite answer before dawn most of the day."

"it is good."

Yang Guozhong nodded.

He remained silent for a moment, as if he had finally made up his mind.

"Once the palace issues its approval, we will draft the document immediately."

"First, I hereby report to the Court of Imperial Clan Affairs and the Prefectural Government of Jingzhao that I, Yang Guozhong, have failed in educating my son and am ashamed of the Emperor's grace. I request to be relieved of all duties of the Yang Xuan Prime Minister's residence and no longer consider myself a son of the Prime Minister."

Second, prepare a letter of divorce.