The bright moon hangs high, beckoning him down from his pedestal.

A few days later, in the dead of night, in an abandoned mansion somewhere in the capital.

Wei Zheng clutched his shoulder, dark red blood seeping from between his fingers.

He leaned against the wall, panting, his face pale from blood loss.

He hadn't expected Shen Yinian's men to be so vigilant. He had only been in the capital for two days and had just tried to contact one of his former subordinates when he was surrounded and arrested.

The knife wound on my shoulder was so deep that the bone was visible, and it burned with pain.

He returned from this perilous journey only because he heard that his daughter, Aruo, had been bestowed the title of Imperial Concubine by Shen Wangxi.

He felt a mix of emotions, both worried and happy.

What worries me is that my daughter is in a den of wolves and tigers, but what pleases me is that she seems to have found temporary protection.

He tried every means to send a message into Yilan Palace, to tell her that she was not alone, that she still had her father, so that she would have more confidence.

But now...

Wei Zheng looked out the window at the deep night, his heart heavy.

His whereabouts have been exposed, and not only is his own life in imminent danger, but it will also likely implicate Aruo.

He must leave the capital immediately.

-

The next day, at the Golden Palace.

The atmosphere of the morning court was as usual, with several ministers reporting on frontier military affairs and grain transport matters in turn.

Shen Wangxi sat upright on the dragon throne, his face cold and aloof, listening to the reports from his ministers.

Just then, Prince Shen Yinian stepped forward steadily, his voice ringing out: "Father, I have a memorial to present."

All eyes of the ministers turned to that direction.

Shen Wangxi raised her eyes and said calmly, "Speak."

Shen Yinian's face was solemn, and his voice echoed throughout the hall: "Your subject wishes to impeach Consort Zhao, Shen Qingruo, whose true identity is the daughter of Wei Zheng, a traitor from the previous dynasty."

"Furthermore, he secretly colluded with his biological father, Wei Zheng, to pass messages, intending to commit treason, disrupt the palace, and shake the foundation of the nation."

These words caused an uproar throughout the hall.

"What?"

"Is Consort Zhao Wei Zheng's daughter?"

"Wei Zheng? That former General Wei, the one who's now gathering his remnants on the border to fight against our Great Zhou?"

"How is this possible!"

Whispers filled the air, and the ministers' faces were filled with shock.

Shen Wangxi gripped the armrest of the dragon throne tightly, but his expression remained unchanged, only his sharp eyes fixed on Shen Yinian:

"Your Highness, do you know what you're saying? You're accusing the Imperial Concubine, but where is the evidence?"

Shen Yinian was prepared and calmly took out a statement from his sleeve:

"Father, I have witnesses and physical evidence!"

He held up the confession: "This is the confession obtained by my men last night from a remnant of the previous dynasty."

"This person admitted that he was assigned by Wei Zheng to try to pass a message to Yilan Palace."

He surveyed the assembled officials, his tone growing increasingly impassioned:

"My lords, consider this! Who is Wei Zheng? He is a loyalist of the previous dynasty, a traitor who is still at the border and fighting against our Great Zhou."

"His daughter, bearing the blood of the previous dynasty, is now lurking in the harem of my Great Zhou, holding the high position of Imperial Concubine. What are her intentions in getting close to my father?"

Shen Yinian turned to Shen Wangxi, knelt down, and kowtowed heavily:

"Father! Consort Zhao's identity is unknown, her bloodline is impure, and moreover, her biological father is a major threat to the court."

"Your Majesty, I implore you to arrest Shen Qingruo immediately, so as to uphold the law and put the people at ease."

Several censors who had already been briefed by Shen Yinian stepped forward and echoed his sentiments:

"Your Majesty, what Prince Xiaoyao said is very true. The status of the Imperial Concubine is related to the foundation of the country and must not be taken lightly."

"How can the bloodline of the previous dynasty serve the emperor? This is like a hen crowing at dawn, a sign that the country is about to fall into chaos."

"Your Majesty, please investigate thoroughly and severely punish this wicked concubine!"

The court was immediately divided into two factions. One faction, led by Shen Yinian and several censors, spoke vehemently, demanding that Shen Qingruo be severely punished.

The other faction consisted mostly of Shen Wangxi's trusted veterans, such as Duke Qi Rui of Su State. Although they did not directly refute him, their brows were furrowed, clearly observing His Majesty's attitude.

Duke Zhenguo Xiao Wen stood in the queue, glanced at his son Xiao Yu beside him whose face was pale, sighed inwardly, and remained silent.

On the dragon throne, Shen Wangxi's face was ashen.

He already knew that Shen Qingruo was Wei Zheng's daughter.

But now that Shen Yinian has exposed it openly in the imperial court in this way, the nature of the matter is completely different.

In particular, Shen Yinian also produced evidence of the transmission of messages.

He knew that the evidence was mostly fabricated or far-fetched.

However, if he insists on protecting her under the watchful eyes of the public, it may provoke a backlash from ministers and even the common people, which would be detrimental to Aruo.

But how could he publicly say what Aruo had said? Even if it was just a matter of weighing the pros and cons, he couldn't do it.

Shen Wangxi remained silent for a long time, so long that the discussions in the hall gradually subsided.

He finally spoke slowly, his voice revealing neither joy nor anger: "I am already aware of this matter."

"However, the Imperial Concubine has been in the palace for a long time, and I have already investigated her background. She has no connection with Wei Zheng."

Shen Yinian said anxiously, "Father, this evidence..."

Shen Wangxi interrupted him, "I will send people to investigate the authenticity of the evidence myself."

"Until the matter is thoroughly investigated, no one may speak ill of the Imperial Concubine, nor may they disturb the tranquility of Yilan Palace."

He stood up, his posture upright and imposing, and his gaze slowly swept across the entire hall: "Dismiss the court."

After saying this, he turned around and left the Golden Palace without waiting for anyone's reaction.

He left behind a hall full of ministers with varying expressions, as well as Shen Yinian, whose face was ashen.

Shen Yinian clenched his fists as he watched his father's departing figure.

He never expected that, faced with such irrefutable evidence, his father would still so clearly favor Shen Qingruo.

Despite his anger, he understood that today's events would likely not be enough to bring Shen Qingruo down in one fell swoop.

But it doesn't matter. Can her father protect her for a while, or for a lifetime?

The stain of her lineage from the previous dynasty will forever be a sword hanging over Shen Qingruo's head, causing her to live in fear day and night, and making her child born with a burden of guilt.