He remarried after his mother's death, seized power over the world, and slept on the emperor�

Half an hour later, in the Empress Dowager's courtyard.

Su Wanqing was talking with the Empress Dowager when she suddenly felt a sharp, churning pain in her stomach.

An untimely, strange noise made her face turn red instantly.

She couldn't hold back any longer, clutched her stomach, and rushed out.

His disheveled appearance was a far cry from his usual calm and dignified demeanor.

When Su Wanqing returned to the Empress Dowager, her face was deathly pale and her eyes were filled with tears.

It looked like it was about to collapse.

"What's wrong?" the Empress Dowager frowned.

"Wanqing... Wanqing doesn't know either..." She knelt down with a thud, tears streaming down her face. "Wanqing doesn't know if she did something wrong, if she blocked someone's way... Falling into the water a few days ago was an accident, Wanqing never intended to get in anyone's way... But..."

She didn't say anything explicitly, but instead looked at Jiang Bingning, who was sitting quietly to the side, with her tearful eyes.

At this moment, everyone's eyes in the room turned to look.

The implication couldn't be clearer!

"This is outrageous!"

The Empress Dowager flew into a rage. "Zhang Mama! Go and investigate!"

"Search every single courtyard thoroughly! I want to see who has the audacity to resort to such despicable tactics right under my nose!"

Zhang Mama left to carry out her orders, and chaos erupted within the Prince's mansion.

Su Wanqing knelt on the ground, a cold smile hidden at the corner of her mouth.

Before long, Granny Zhang came out carrying a handkerchief, on which was placed a paper packet that was exactly the same as the medicine packet given by Su Wanqing, with a little bit still left!

"The Dowager Consort found it under Miss Cousin's pillow."

The color drained completely from Su Wanqing's face.

She was completely stunned.

How could that be?

How could he possibly be in her room?!

"Su Wanqing!" The Dowager's voice was as cold as ice. "What else do you have to say?"

Su Wanqing snapped back to her senses and kowtowed frantically, "It wasn't me! Your Highness! It really wasn't me! It was my maid! It must have been my maid who couldn't stand me being outshone by others and acted on her own! Yes! It must have been her!"

She grabbed her terrified personal maidservant and cried out, "Was it you! Was it you, you wretched servant, who tried to harm me?!"

The maid was speechless and was eventually gagged, dragged away, severely punished with thirty strokes of the cane, and sold out of the mansion.

The farce thus came to an end.

Jiang Bingning didn't say a word from beginning to end, only glancing at Su Wanqing briefly at the very end.

Back in the courtyard, Chuntao closed the window for Jiang Bingning.

"Girl, you're amazing! How did you know she would pull this stunt?"

Jiang Bingning smiled slightly.

"Ever since the day she fell into the water, I've had you keep a close eye on everything in each courtyard. Her maid has been sneaking around peeking into our courtyard these past two days."

"I expected her to make a move, but I didn't expect her to use such a low-level method."

"You did a great job today," Jiang Bingning praised. "I had you hide the medicine packet she had prepared in our courtyard to frame her, and then return it intact to her own pillow. This trick is called 'returning the item to its rightful owner.'"

Su Wanqing, you want to fight?

Jiang Yuerong might have fallen for her tricks in her previous life, but how could she be so foolish as to be fooled in this life?

Su Wanqing's courtyard was in a complete mess.

"Jiang Bingning!"

She gritted her teeth as she uttered the name, her eyes blazing with boundless hatred.

She was completely and utterly fooled!

She turned sharply and growled at an old servant who emerged from the shadows.

"Go! Go investigate!"

"Investigate Jiang Bingning's background thoroughly! I need to know everything about her—her time in Da Zhou, her time in the Jiang family, her journey to Bei Di!"

"I refuse to believe she's really that clean!"

-----------------

Meanwhile, in the Golden Palace.

The atmosphere was somber.

On the throne, the emperor's voice revealed no emotion.

"Proclaim the imperial decree."

The eunuch's high-pitched voice broke the silence.

"By the grace of Heaven, the Emperor decrees: Prince Ji Yunhan, of virtuous character and conduct, is hereby appointed 'Commissioner of Grain Supply for the Northern Frontier,' a third-rank official, to oversee the distribution and supervision of military grain supplies for the three northern prefectures. This is the imperial decree—"

Before he finished speaking, a man stepped out from the ranks.

It was none other than Lin Wei, the current prime minister.

"Your Majesty! Absolutely not!"

Lin Wei's voice and expression were both stern.

He bowed and said, "His Highness Prince Xin has been confined to the palace for many years, idle and ignorant of military affairs and provisions. The northern border's military provisions are the lifeblood of the nation, concerning the lives of hundreds of thousands of soldiers. How can we entrust them to His Highness Prince Xin! This is utterly childish!"

Behind him, Lin's cronies echoed his sentiments.

"Prime Minister Lin is absolutely right! Please, Your Majesty, reconsider!"

"The northern border is treacherous; no idle prince is fit for this task!"

The emperor leaned back on the dragon throne.

He didn't look at Lin Wei, but his gaze slowly swept over the group of people kneeling below.

After a long while, he chuckled softly.

"Lin Aiqing is right."

Lin Wei was overjoyed.

"Precisely because it is the lifeblood of the nation," the emperor's voice suddenly turned cold, "that problems keep arising!"

"My soldiers are risking their lives for the country on the front lines, yet the grain supplies at the rear are stale and mixed with sand, causing repeated delays! No matter how I investigate, some minor officials always come out to take the blame!"

The emperor suddenly sat up straight and thrust his weapon at Lin Wei.

"I think it's time to use our own people!"

The words "our own people" struck Lin Wei like a resounding slap across the face.

The entire court was completely silent.

Everyone could tell that this was the emperor giving a warning to the Lin family.

Lin Wei's expression changed instantly.

"Court adjourned!"

The emperor turned and stood up, not looking at him again.

-----------------

Xinwangfu.

Ji Yunhan had just changed out of his court robes when the Empress Dowager rushed over.

"Han'er! How could you accept this imperial decree!"

The Dowager Princess grabbed his arm.

"What kind of place is the Northern Border? The Lin family's influence is deeply entrenched, cultivated for over a decade, and impenetrable! This isn't a favor; it's clearly putting you on the hot seat!"

Ji Yunhan helped the agitated Dowager Consort to a seat on a grand chair.

"Mother, don't worry."

His voice was calm yet firm.

"This is the fire my son has been waiting for."

The Empress Dowager looked up at him in astonishment.

In Ji Yunhan's eyes burned a flame she hadn't seen in a long time, bright and scorching.

"Over the years, I have been called a carefree prince, but in reality, I am a walking corpse. I have been living a life of debauchery in the capital, barely surviving under the protection of the Prince Xin's mansion."

"I can't keep going on like this."

His words were firm and resolute.

"This cancerous growth in the Lin family needs to be removed by someone. It's time for me to play this game myself."

In the back garden, Liu Jingyi was talking to Jiang Bingning.

Ji Yunhan walked over.

"Jingyi, the imperial decree has been issued, and I will be setting off north in three days."

Liu Jingyi's heart tightened suddenly.

"The journey is long and arduous, and the future is uncertain..." Ji Yunhan paused, a hint of pleading in his voice, "Would you... be willing to come with me?"

Liu Jingyi nodded vigorously without the slightest hesitation.

"I do."

After Liu Jingyi went to prepare her luggage, Jiang Bingning walked to Ji Yunhan's side.

Her expression was somewhat solemn.

"Your Highness."

"Um?"

"When you go to the northern border, the Lin family will definitely try to sabotage your supplies."

Jiang Bingning lowered her voice, her mind flashing back to the tragic scene in her previous life where the Northern Border Camp had been without food for three days, almost leading to a mutiny.

"Using inferior goods as superior ones, cutting corners, colluding with bandits to fabricate robberies, and even... directly setting fire to grain."

Ji Yunhan listened quietly, his face showing no worry, but rather a smile.

"I know."

He looked at Jiang Bingning.

"That's exactly what I've been waiting for them to make a fuss about."

"If they don't move and stay put, wouldn't my trip have been a waste?"

"If I don't act, how can I obtain evidence of their crimes? If I don't act, how can I eradicate their influence in the North?"

After Ji Yunhan finished speaking, he turned and left.

Jiang Bingning stood still, her delicate brows slightly furrowed.

The Lin family has been entrenched in the northern border for many years, and their ruthlessness far exceeds imagination.

Can we really let them slip up so easily?

No.

Jiang Bingning's eyes sharpened.

It would be best to discuss this matter with Ji Ling.