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

First, Xiao Fang requested an imperial decree and rose to become the head of the Inspectorate in one fell swoop.

Then he led that group of good-for-nothing playboys into the Ministry of War and stole the uniforms of the Longxing Guard.

They seized the Ministry of Revenue's vast sums of silver and then forcibly occupied the southern prison of the city to carry out large-scale construction.

The entire city of Kyoto was stunned by this unreasonable momentum.

The construction of the government office will take some time, and the sounds of ramming earth and shouts can be heard all day long in the southern prison.

The hearts of all the civil and military officials were also stirred up by this sound.

The Censorate, a newly established office by the emperor, became a sword hanging over the heads of all court officials.

The first to become restless was the Prince Yi's residence.

The Wing King sat upright behind his desk, his face ashen.

The room was filled with staff members, and someone tentatively spoke up.

"Your Highness, a bunch of纨绔子弟 (sons of wealthy and powerful families) gathered together are nothing but a rabble. There's really no need to worry so much."

The Wing King raised his eyes, and the gentle smile that was always on his face completely disappeared, his gaze becoming as cold and sharp as if it had been tempered with ice.

The staff member being stared at involuntarily took a half step back.

"idiot."

The Wing King's voice wasn't loud, but it silenced the entire room.

"What do you know? What Xiao Fang holds in his hands is not an official position, nor wealth, but absolute power."

He slammed the teacup he was holding onto the table with a heavy thud.

"The old emperor could no longer wield a sword, so he kept a sword as a pet."

Do I need to tell you that this blade isn't sharp?

The room full of staff members fell silent, none daring to utter a sound.

It was rare for the Wing King to show such a serious expression. He slowly stood up and his gaze swept across everyone's face.

"Pass on the message—everyone, be careful with your words and actions."

Let's observe for a while and see who this knife will ultimately fall upon.

At this moment, the knife was lying quietly under the eaves in the backyard of the Zhenbei Prince's Mansion, dozing off with its head resting on Yun Shuyao's lap.

Meanwhile, the scene was quite different in the mansions of various aristocratic families.

When Prince Qing'an returned to his residence after the morning court session, he hadn't even changed out of his court robes when he bumped into his son walking towards him.

He was stunned for a moment.

The Crown Prince of Qing'an was dressed in a brand-new black official robe today, with a fine sword he had seized from the Ministry of War at his waist, and his official hat was worn properly on his head.

The boy was already handsome, and this outfit gave him a rare air of heroism.

Looking at his son, who had been crippled for twenty years, Prince Qing'an felt an indescribable awkwardness in his heart.

He had grown accustomed to his son's irresponsible and uneducated ways and had long since resigned himself to his fate.

I just feel that my son's life will just end like this.

But now—this kid, following Xiao Fang around, has actually risen to become the powerful Deputy Commander of the Censorate.

He suddenly remembered that this morning after the court session, several old ministers who usually ignored him had actually bowed to him for the first time, with fawning smiles on their faces.

"Prince Qing'an is a good father."

"The young prince is young and promising, and his future is limitless."

"I will definitely pay you a visit another day to ask Your Highness for advice on raising children."

Those smiling faces were still flashing before his eyes when Prince Qing'an experienced for the first time what it meant to say: "For the first thirty years, people look to their fathers to respect their sons; for the next thirty years, people look to their sons to respect their fathers."

He was lost in thought when the Crown Prince of Qing'an suddenly appeared in front of him.

With that disrespectful smile on his face, he patted his father's shoulder and then slapped his own chest loudly.

"Father, if anything happens in the future, just tell your son. From now on, I will protect you in the court."

Prince Qing'an looked down at the hand on his shoulder, then looked up at the grinning face in front of him.

She slapped his hand away in annoyance and kicked him in the butt.

"No respect for elders!"

He snorted, flicked his sleeves, put his hands behind his back, and strode away.

The Crown Prince of Qing'an was kicked by his father and stumbled, but he wasn't angry. He just rubbed his bottom with a grin.

As he watched the old prince's departing figure, he couldn't help but feel that his father's steps seemed much lighter than usual.

Humming a little tune, Prince Qing'an felt quite pleased with himself.

The same scene played out repeatedly in various mansions throughout the capital.

The most extravagant was the Duke of Fuguo's mansion.

The Duke of Fuguo and his son brought two jars of aged wine and, along with a few side dishes, drank until the wee hours of the morning in the study.

When he was young, the Duke of Fu was a playboy who never made any achievements in the court.

When others meet him, they are polite to his face, but behind his back they all sneer.

Now that his son has become successful, he's ready to retire and rely on his son to swagger around in the capital.

The heir of the Duke of Fuguo also took full responsibility, patting his chest loudly and repeatedly saying, "Father, don't worry."

As they drank, the Duke of Fuguo suddenly began to sob.

The heir of the Duke of Fu was startled.

"Dad, what's wrong?"

The Duke of Fu wiped away his tears, looking as aggrieved as a child.

"The Vice Minister of the Ministry of Personnel...that old bastard, he has humiliated me more than once!"

When we were young, he always looked down on me and opposed me in everything.

Ever since I married your mother, he's been giving me even more trouble!

Over the years, I've suffered a lot of mistreatment from him...

Your dad isn't good with words, he can't win an argument with him...

"You, you help me teach him a lesson!"

Upon hearing this, the heir of the Duke of Fuguo, fueled by alcohol, slammed his hand on the table, causing the wine bowl to bounce three times.

"He's gone too far! Tomorrow I'll have Xiao Zhong lead us to ransack his house!"

He stood up, his expression one of boundless pride.

"Dad, tell me, what do you like about their family? I'll bring it home for you tomorrow!"

The Duke of Fu immediately stopped crying and smiled, waving his hand.

"Hey, I wouldn't even bother with your dad's lousy stuff."

Our family has been a prominent family for centuries; we don't lack those little things.

You should slap him hard across the face, preferably with a loud slap!

"Let everyone in Kyoto know that he's inferior to me."

"Alright!"

The heir of the Duke of Fuguo thumped his chest loudly again.

"Father, this is the first time you've asked, I'll make sure you're satisfied."

"Your son hasn't done anything for you all these years, so just you wait and see!"

The Duke of Fuguo laughed until tears streamed down his face.

In contrast, the Crown Prince's Eastern Palace was a completely different kind of tranquility.

The warm sunlight shone on the blue bricks of the palace garden, casting a pale golden glow.

The Crown Prince, pushed by his Crown Princess, sat in a wheelchair and slowly basked in the sun in the courtyard.

His face was pale, he was wrapped in a thick cloak, and his figure was so thin that it was heartbreaking, but his eyes and brows exuded a gentle and peaceful aura.

"I heard that Xiao Fang has now entered the imperial court as an official."

The crown prince, as if remembering something, suddenly laughed.

"He was still young then, and he would follow me around every day, calling me 'Crown Prince Brother, Crown Prince Brother,' which was really annoying."

The Crown Princess, pushing her wheelchair, smiled upon hearing this and said softly:

"Yes, time really flies."

"Maybe in two years, their children will be running all over the place."

The crown prince's gaze fell on the distant palace walls, a faint smile playing on his lips, as if he were imagining that scene.

He paused, then added softly.

"It would be best to wait a while, but not two years."

The implication was that she was afraid she wouldn't be able to wait that long.

The Crown Princess paused slightly, a fleeting look of pain flashing in her eyes.

She bent down and pulled the blanket up over his lap, saying gently:

"Your Highness, you've been in the sun for a while, why don't you go back? The wind outside is still a bit strong, don't get too sweaty."

"Sit a little longer."

The crown prince raised his hand and grasped her hand; his palm was slightly cool, but his grip was very gentle.

He looked up at the Crown Princess, his gaze deep and serene.

"You've suffered these past years."

They took care of me, someone who has been ill for many years... brewing medicine every day and staying by my bedside every night.

The Crown Princess should have enjoyed endless glory, but you alone have suffered alongside me.

The Crown Princess's eyes were slightly red, but she smiled and shook her head.

"Your Highness is too kind. Being able to stay by Your Highness's side is my greatest blessing."

The prince gently patted the back of her hand, looked up at the sunlight filling the garden, and slowly exhaled.

"I'm in a good mood today and want to sit outside a little longer."

At this moment, the Phoenix Palace was in complete disarray.

A hairpin inlaid with pearls from the East China Sea was violently thrown to the ground and shattered into two pieces.

Consort Zhao sat upright before her dressing table, her face ashen, her chest heaving violently.

"The heir of the Prince of Zhenbei killed my younger brother, and the Emperor didn't utter a single word of blame from beginning to end!"