Remarried to a top-tier playboy, her reborn ex-husband is filled with regret.

Prince Yi learned yesterday that the Censorate was investigating the Zhao family.

Although he was angry, he didn't think it was anything serious.

The Zhao family's mess was nothing more than embezzling some money and seizing a few acres of land.

In practice, the worst that could happen is that some of their property would be confiscated and they would be given a few words of reprimand.

He then told his mother to cry in front of the Emperor, and that would be the end of it.

As he thought this, the smile on his face grew even more composed.

"Rise, my subject. You have something to report."

Xiao Fang presented the bloody evidence of his crimes to the old emperor's desk.

Looking at the stacks of signed confessions, not a single official dared to step forward and say a word in support of the Zhao family.

Xiao Fang stood in the hall, looking rather lazy, as if he had just done something insignificant.

The old emperor flipped through the confessions, raised his eyelids to look at the expressions of the officials below, and his lips curved into a barely perceptible smile.

The knife was even sharper than he had expected.

"Please elaborate, my dear minister."

Xiao Fang unfolded the memorial, his voice clear and resonant, echoing throughout the hall.

"The Zhao family seized farmland, oppressed the people, and, relying on the power of the imperial concubine, ran rampant in the countryside..."

The officials listened with varying expressions; some nodded secretly, while others showed disdain.

They had heard about these things before; they weren't anything new, but no one dared to mention them.

At that moment, Xiao Fang suddenly changed the subject.

In the autumn of the seventeenth year of Yongning, seven households, including Zhou Daniu, tenant farmers in the suburbs of Beijing, had their land seized by the Zhao family.

They jointly wrote a petition in blood, intending to go to Beijing to file a complaint.

When they reached the post station thirty li west of the city, they were ambushed and killed.

The seven households, totaling forty-three people including men, women, and children, along with the old scholar who wrote their petitions, were all killed.

Xiao Fang's voice suddenly turned cold.

The expressions of all the civil and military officials changed instantly.

The shrewd and calculating Marquis of Yong'an, Gu Yan, was so stiff that he began to tremble uncontrollably.

Seizing land is one thing, intercepting and killing people who come to file complaints is another.

The former is greed, the latter is evil.

According to the laws of the Great Liang Dynasty, intercepting and killing someone who is filing a complaint is considered the same crime as treason.

"I have here the confession of Zhao Huan, the eldest son of the third branch of the Zhao family."

Xiao Fang took out another document from his sleeve and held it high.

"Zhao Huan confessed that the assassination was carried out by assassins hired by the Marquis of Yong'an."

The silver was withdrawn from the Zhao family's account. But the mastermind behind it all was someone else—”

He turned to look at the Wing King.

This time, he didn't laugh.

"Your Highness Prince Yi," Zhao Huan wrote in his confession, "this matter was personally instructed by Prince Yi."

Sun Mao, the chief attendant of the Prince of Yi's residence, went to the Marquis of Yong'an's residence to deliver a message.

There were twelve assassins involved in the ambush, four of whom were personal guards of the Wing Prince's residence.

Gu Yan knelt down with a thud, his mind a jumble of thoughts as he frantically searched for a way to save himself.

The smile on the Wing King's lips did not disappear, but the fingers holding the jade tablet tightened almost imperceptibly.

He quickly calculated in his mind—Zhao Huan confessed, and Sun Mao was implicated, but these people could all be separated.

As long as he stubbornly denies it, no one can convict him based on just one confession.

The Wing King quickly regained his composure, cupped his hands in a gesture of respect to the old emperor, and spoke in a calm and unhurried tone.

"Father, I knew nothing about this matter."

Zhao Huan is a distant relative of the Zhao family, and I have never had any dealings with him.

As for why he implicated me in his confession, I dare not presume to know.

However, it would be difficult to convince the public to accept a prince's guilt based solely on one side's account.

Xiao Fang raised an eyebrow, glanced back at the Wing King, and smiled slightly, but said nothing.

But his expression clearly said: Keep going, I'll just watch you act.

The old emperor remained silent for a moment on the dragon throne.

His gaze fell on the Wing King, then on the confession in Xiao Fang's hand, and finally he spoke slowly.

"Imperial decree: The Zhao family has been lawless and disregards human life. All members of the Zhao family shall be stripped of their titles and ranks, and all their property shall be confiscated."

Those members of the Zhao family involved should be punished according to the law; those who should be executed should be executed, and those who should be exiled should be exiled. There should be no leniency!

The Yong'an Marquis's mansion participated in intercepting and killing ordinary people who came to file complaints; their crime is unforgivable.

Marquis Gu Yan of Yong'an hired a murderer, a heinous crime. He was stripped of his marquisate and demoted to a commoner.

He was immediately imprisoned in the Ministry of Justice's jail and executed in the autumn.

The remaining members of the Gu family, though not directly involved, were found to have concealed the incident and will never be employed again.

The entire court of civil and military officials knelt down and shouted "Long live the Emperor!"

Execution after the autumn harvest?

Gu Yan was completely dumbfounded.

Will the Wing King protect him? Obviously not.

He's followed the Wing King for so long, how could he not understand his ways of doing things?

But can he argue? Faced with irrefutable evidence, any defense is meaningless and might even be considered deceiving the emperor.

He simply wanted to secure a chance for his declining family to rise to power, and his choice was correct!

Gu Yan's mind was in complete chaos; he even recalled the scene when Gu Jinghuai was just born...

The Wing King stood in the court, a smile still on his face, but the veins on his hand holding the jade tablet were bulging.

The Emperor did not pursue the matter, not because there was no evidence, but because the Emperor did not want to touch him yet.

But this signal is dangerous enough.

Xiao Fang destroyed the Zhao family and the Yong'an Marquis's mansion in less than the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, effectively severing one of their arms.

This Xiao Fang has really forced him to get serious.

After the court session ended, Prince Yi did not return to his palace, but went directly to the inner palace.

Consort Zhao was dressing up in front of the mirror in her palace.

She is in her early forties, but she is very well-maintained. Her skin is still fair and smooth, and the charming allure in her eyes is as strong as ever.

She saw her son's face in the bronze mirror, put down the jade comb in her hand, and dismissed those around her.

The Wing King recounted the events that had transpired at court.

He spoke calmly, as if he were recounting something that had little to do with him.

But Consort Zhao knew her son too well; the calmer he was, the more serious the situation was.

When Yi Wang said that Xiao Fang looked back at him, a hint of suppressed irritation finally crept into his voice.

"The Zhao family is ruined. The Yong'an Marquis's mansion is also ruined."

"Xiao Fang's Censorate came directly at me."

He abandoned all pretense in front of his mother, reaching for the teapot on the table, taking a sip of cold tea, and a sinister glint slowly seeping into his eyes.

"Father Emperor's attitude toward his son is very firm."

If this matter is not handled properly, all my previous efforts will be in vain.

"Last time Father was in the Imperial Study, he had already started discussing the matter of establishing an heir with me..."

Consort Zhao placed the ivory comb on the dressing table, stood up, and walked to the window.

He gazed at the crabapple blossoms in full bloom outside the hall and remained silent for a moment.

"I'm going to see the Emperor."

Consort Zhao's intentions were very clear.

"Even if you have to kneel and beg, you must dispel His Majesty's dissatisfaction with you."

The Wing King raised his head and looked at his mother, his expression full of filial piety, and even a tear hung in the corner of his eye.

Consort Zhao turned around and was deeply moved when she saw her son's appearance.

He quickly offered words of comfort.

"Your father is the kind of person who responds better to gentleness than force."

I went to remove my hairpin and apologize, telling him that neither of us knew anything about the Zhao family's affairs; it was the Zhao family's own lawlessness.

"If your father softens his heart, this matter can be delayed, and there will be a turning point."

The Wing King remained silent.

Consort Zhao walked over, raised her hand to straighten his collar, her movements were very gentle, and her tone was even softer.

"rest assured.

"Your father has doted on me for over twenty years; he'll always give me this much face."

The Wing King lowered his head, and after a long while, he mumbled a "hmm".

Consort Zhao patted his shoulder and turned to pick out clothes.

She chose a plain white dress without any patterns, removed all the jewels and ornaments from her head, and took off all the gold and jade hairpins, leaving only a simple hairpin in her hair.

Consort Zhao looked at herself in the bronze mirror. Her face was bare and her clothes were simple, and she did look rather pitiful.

With that expression on her face, she stepped out of the palace gate and headed towards the imperial study.