Father, who is both a heir and a descendant, is still biased; the bound system has gone berserk.

At the Marquis of Weiyuan's residence, Ying Hengzhi lay on the bed, crying incessantly.

Liu Xueyan looked at her red and swollen eyes from crying and was extremely anxious.

"Zhi'er, you mustn't cry anymore. People from the Second Prince's residence will come to fetch you this evening. If you keep crying like this, the Second Prince might not be pleased."

Her words only made Ying Hengzhi feel even more heartbroken.

She and the Second Prince were clearly in love, and he would have married her as his principal wife with great pomp and circumstance.

But now, how did it turn into welcoming her into the manor?

Only the lowest-ranking concubine would do this.

She refused to be a lowly concubine.

"Mother, Grandmother clearly said that she gave Ying Yufu a potion that would prevent her from having children, so why is Ying Yufu alright?"

Was Grandma lying to us?

"Impossible." Liu Xueyan said firmly.

"You child, how could your grandmother lie to us?"

Ying Hengzhi looked aggrieved. "But why is Ying Yufu alright? Didn't Physician Zhang say that the infertility-inducing medicine wouldn't cure her?"

"this……"

Liu Xueyan didn't know how to explain it.

She frowned. "This is indeed suspicious, but in any case, your grandmother didn't lie to us."

She paused for a moment, then said, "Zhi'er, listen to your mother, as long as you can be favored, what does it matter if you don't have children?"

Moreover, Ying Yufu wants to marry the Crown Prince, but doesn't she even consider whether she has the fate to do so? She's destined to share the same fate as her mother...

"When the time comes, she will give birth to the child. You can leave the child and raise it yourself."

"Her dowry will still be yours."

Ying Hengzhi raised her head, finally no longer consumed by sadness.

Liu Xueyan said, "So, Zhi'er, the most important thing for you is to capture the Second Prince's heart, so that he only has you in his heart and loves only you."

"Is it really possible to prevent Ying Yufu from marrying the Crown Prince?"

"Yes," Liu Xueyan replied without hesitation.

Hope finally rekindled in Ying Hengzhi's eyes.

She wiped away her tears, and the corners of her lips finally turned up, revealing a slight smile, when suddenly, a group of soldiers rushed in.

Liu Xueyan and Ying Hengzhi were both startled and exclaimed, "What are you doing?"

The leader's eyes flashed coldly as he stared at Liu Xueyan and said, "Take her away!"

Immediately, Liu Xueyan was grabbed by two soldiers and dragged outside.

"Why are you arresting my mother? Release her! She's pregnant..."

But how could she possibly stop these officers and soldiers?

Once outside, the cries of Old Madam Liu could be heard, but without exception, no one could stop Liu Xueyan from being taken away.

The junior officer looked at Old Madam Liu and said, "Madam, your daughter-in-law is suspected of child trafficking. We're taking her to the Dali Temple for questioning now. Do you want to know who the baby she abducted is?"

Old Lady Liu's face immediately changed, and she said in a panic, "Sir, I don't understand what you're talking about."

Upon hearing the commander's words, Liu Xueyan's heart skipped a beat, and a very bad premonition rose in her heart.

Ying Nanyao also knew about Liu Xueyan being taken away, and rushed over in his wheelchair.

"May I ask, Commander, why did you take my elder sister-in-law away? She's just a woman; she couldn't possibly have committed any crime. Is someone framing her?"

Ying Nanyao frowned; it was obvious who this "someone" referred to.

The young commander revealed a mocking smile and said, "It was a former servant of your household who confessed that she was instructed by Madam Liu to steal your infant son."

"Lord Weiyuan, that's your youngest son! Don't you care about him at all?"

Ying Nanyao remained expressionless: "This commander is unaware of the fact that my youngest son died at birth. I was afraid that Shangguan Tang would be heartbroken, so I had my elder sister-in-law take him away to deal with him. How did this become child abduction?"

There must be some misunderstanding here.

Upon hearing this, Liu Xueyan's eyes flashed, and she immediately said, "Yes, when that child died, I handed him over to the nanny to bury. I'm innocent!"

The junior commander sneered, "Whether it's a false accusation or not, we'll see in the Dali Temple prison."

Ying Nanyao's face was ashen.

Watching helplessly as Liu Xueyan was taken away, Ying Nanyao and Old Madam Liu exchanged a glance, their faces both extremely gloomy.

"I told you that you can't completely trust Granny Shen. This incident has brought us into the picture," Old Madam Liu said somewhat flusteredly.

Ying Nanyao frowned and immediately ordered someone to take him to the Dali Temple.

As evening fell, the setting sun painted half the sky red, enveloping it in a dim, golden light.

Shangguan Cheng was respectfully escorted out of the imperial prison.

Apart from his skin becoming much whiter after being out of the sun for a few days, he has hardly changed at all.

His clothes were also clean and brand new.

As soon as he stepped out of the gate, he saw a group of people waiting at the entrance.

"My husband!"

Yuan was the first to rush forward, tears streaming down her face.

Then there's Shangguan Hong.

Ying Yufu and Shangguan Tang stood there, smiling as they watched the family.

"Mengtong, how are you feeling?"

Shangguan Cheng held Yuan's hand with concern.

Tears streamed down Yuan's face as she recalled what Fu'er had said about her dream, and she felt a deep sense of dread.

"I'm alright, my husband, I'm so glad you're alright."

Shangguan Hong also said excitedly, "Father, it was that traitor Shen Shan who imitated your handwriting to frame you. He colluded with Duan Yuqing."

"Father, Duan Yuqing has been imprisoned and will be executed soon. Not only him, but his entire clan is implicated. His whole family has been arrested."

Shangguan Cheng nodded, glanced gently at his wife and children, and then looked at Shangguan Tang and Ying Yufu.

His gaze lingered on Ying Yufu.

Ying Yufu smiled slightly: "Congratulations on escaping danger, Second Uncle."

At the same time, the Empress hurriedly ran to the Imperial Study.

However, he was stopped by the guards stationed outside.

"Your Majesty, please return. His Majesty has matters to attend to and cannot see you."

With tears welling in her bright eyes, the Empress lifted her skirt and knelt down.

She called out loudly, "Your Majesty, I request an audience!"

Inside the Imperial Study.

The second prince knelt on the ground, while the crown prince leaned lazily against a chair, glancing at the second prince indifferently.

Emperor Cangxuan stared at the Second Prince below with an unfathomable gaze.

"Mingze, do you think I should release Duan Yuqing?"

The second prince, pale-faced, knelt on the ground, not daring to raise his head, and said, "Father, perhaps Shen Shan is framing my cousin. Shen Shan is Shangguan Cheng's servant, so his words cannot be trusted."

"His words are unreliable, but are these things also unreliable?"

Emperor Cangxuan threw a stack of letters away.

It landed right in front of the Second Prince.

The second prince stared wide-eyed as he opened the letters and read them one by one. The more he read, the paler his face became.

These letters are all secret communications between Duan Yuqing and Shen Shan over the years, and each one contains information about the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion.

They were also discussing how to scheme against Shangguan Cheng.

"Duan Yuqing dared to collude with mountain bandits, embezzle official funds, and frame court officials. I don't need to elaborate on his crimes, do I?"

"Father..."

"Anyone who pleads for him is guilty."

Just then, a guard's report rang out from outside: "Your Majesty, the Empress has run into a wall."

Emperor Cangxuan stared blankly toward the door, his eyes filled with a sinister light.

The second prince saw this and his heart skipped a beat; his father seemed genuinely angry.

The kind of person even the Empress Dowager couldn't appease.

A hint of mockery and sarcasm flashed in the Crown Prince's eyes.

He said, "Father, the Empress even banged her head against the wall; it seems she's determined to see you."

The two princes suddenly looked at the crown prince, and seeing his smug expression of enjoying the spectacle, they gritted their teeth in hatred.

He glared at the crown prince with resentment.

The crown prince gave him a smiling, amused look.

The second prince gritted his teeth inwardly.

Just then, Emperor Cangxuan, who was seated at the head of the table, spoke up, "Please invite the Empress in."

Soon, a commotion arose outside, and before long, the door to the Imperial Study was opened. The Empress, dressed in plain clothes with her long hair disheveled and tears welling in her eyes, knelt down as soon as she entered.

"Your Majesty, I am guilty."

Emperor Cangxuan stared at her expressionlessly.

The Crown Prince sat up straight in surprise and said, "Is Your Majesty removing your hairpin to plead guilty? But may I ask what crime Your Majesty has committed?"

The Empress looked up in surprise and saw that the Crown Prince was also there.

"Empress, what crime have you committed?" Emperor Cangxuan's eyes grew increasingly terrifying.

The second prince was pale and sweating profusely, fearing that his mother would anger his father.

But then the Empress said, "Your Majesty, the Duan family, as my maternal family, has committed such a heinous crime. I am also guilty of failing to properly supervise them, and I beg Your Majesty to punish me!"

Emperor Cangxuan said, "The Empress is the mother of the nation and is very busy. It is understandable that she cannot control the Duan family. How could I punish the Empress?"

"Thank you, Your Majesty, for your gracious mercy!"

The Empress knelt and kowtowed deeply, but then said, "Although Your Majesty has not punished me, I am still uneasy. That is why I have come to see Your Majesty and beg you to punish Duan Yuqing according to the law and not to show him any leniency."

Emperor Cangxuan raised an eyebrow, somewhat surprised. "The Empress is very understanding and righteous, which greatly pleases me."

The second prince looked at the empress in surprise, his face full of disbelief.

The Empress, however, seemed not to notice his expression and continued, "Your Majesty, Ze'er is young and loyal. Please forgive him for pleading for the Duan family."

"Your Majesty, I know that Duan Yuqing's crimes are heinous and will bring ruin upon his entire family. However, Duan's daughter, Linglong, is already Ze'er's concubine. Although she is not yet married into the family, she is a royal daughter-in-law. I beg Your Majesty to grant her leniency and allow Linglong to enter the Second Prince's residence ahead of schedule."

The second prince stared blankly at the empress.

"As expected, the Empress has not disappointed me. I have already issued a decree to bestow Lady Duan upon Ze'er as a concubine. However, Lady Duan is a criminal and is no longer suitable to be a concubine. Therefore, she shall be demoted from a concubine to a maidservant."

"Thank you, Your Majesty." The Empress was not surprised and rose to express her gratitude.

The second prince knelt there, stunned.

The queen stared at him.

The second prince finally realized what had happened and kowtowed deeply, saying, "Thank you, Father. I know I was wrong. I will take my leave now."

The Empress and her son left the Imperial Study together, leaving it in complete silence.

"laugh!"

The silence was broken by the Crown Prince's mocking sneer.

Emperor Cangxuan looked at him, and seeing the mocking expression on his face, his own face darkened. "What kind of reaction is this? What did the Empress do to offend you this time?"

The Crown Prince said indifferently, "The Empress is truly cunning. Knowing that the Duan family is no longer useful, she comes to kick them while they're down."

In order to improve her image in her father's eyes.

Emperor Cangxuan looked at him disapprovingly and sighed, "Crown Prince, I know you have many complaints about the Empress, but this time, the Empress did not do anything wrong."

The Crown Prince looked at Emperor Cangxuan, his beautiful phoenix eyes scrutinizing him from head to toe, making Emperor Cangxuan feel quite uncomfortable.

Then the crown prince said, "Ha, men!"

Cangxuan Emperor: ?

The crown prince stood up and walked out: "Father, just you wait and see, the Hai family will soon be bustling with activity."

The door to the Imperial Study was quickly closed again.

The crown prince has left.

Emperor Cangxuan roared, "Why bother repaying? Look at him, look at him! He completely disregards me!"

Eunuch He wiped the cold sweat from his brow and said cautiously, "Your Majesty, isn't His Highness the Crown Prince's behavior a sign of his closeness to you?"

Is it because he's close to you that he's so...casual?

Upon hearing this, Emperor Cangxuan seemed to understand something, then nodded, "What you said makes sense."

Grandpa He immediately breathed a sigh of relief.

"However, he still has such a strong prejudice against the Empress. What does he mean by saying that the Hai family is going to become lively?"

Could it be...?

Seeing that Emperor Cangxuan seemed to be deep in thought, Eunuch He's expression turned cold again, and he quietly retreated to the side.

Upon returning to the central palace, the second prince asked impatiently, "Mother, why did you say those things in the Imperial Study just now?"

Are you really going to give up on the Duan family?

The Empress shook her head. "Ze'er, you must know that your cousin's crimes cannot be absolved this time. He has no choice but to die."

The second prince's eyes widened.

The Empress said, "Only when he dies can you be clean."

The second prince froze.

"He's dead. At most, His Majesty can trace the matter back to Qinghuang Mountain," the Empress said.

The second prince panicked. "But what if they try to frame me if we don't save them?"

The Empress smiled faintly, "I have already sent them a message, promising them that I will protect Pengju and Linglong. As long as Pengju and Linglong live, the Duan family still has hope."

The Second Prince frowned. "Mother, we can let Duan Linglong go, but Duan Pengju is the only legitimate son of the Duan family. How can we protect him? It's simply impossible."

The Empress gazed wistfully out the window. "Nothing is impossible. I've already sent a letter to your maternal grandmother."

The second prince left the empress's palace and returned to his own residence.

At this moment, two sedan chairs arrived one after the other in front of the Second Prince's residence.

Upon seeing the Second Prince return, the Grand Steward stepped forward respectfully and said, "Your Highness, Concubine Duan and Concubine Ying have arrived."

The second prince glanced at the two sedan chairs and his brows furrowed slightly.

There were really only two sedan chairs. Duan Linglong was out of the question, as she was already the daughter of a disgraced official.

However, there was no dowry at all behind Ying Hengzhi's sedan chair.

That's just like the behavior of a concubine.

If it were Fu'er, there would surely be a grand wedding procession of ten miles...

There's no comparison.

He gave a slight smirk and said calmly, "Carry it inside."

Two sedan chairs entered through the side door, one after the other.

Ying Hengzhi lifted the sedan curtain and glanced outside.

The second prince was in a state of agitation when the chief steward cautiously approached again, holding a bill in his hand.

"Your Highness, this is the bill that Miss Ying delivered today."

The second prince's heart skipped a beat. He grabbed the bill and looked at it. Sure enough, it contained the money and gifts that Ying Yufu had given him over the years.

"She actually treated me like this just to curry favor with the Crown Prince?"

The second prince angrily swept the teacups and teapot off the table and onto the floor.

Just then, a somewhat familiar-looking maid knelt outside and said, "Your Highness, my young lady has fainted. Please come and see her."

The second prince raised his head, his eyes red, and looked at the maid.

After looking at her carefully for a while, he recognized that the maid was Cuiyu, Ying Hengzhi's personal maid.

The Second Prince immediately scoffed. So, Zhi'er was nothing special after all; once she entered the inner quarters, she knew how to use such tricks to curry favor.

A pang of regret welled up in his heart, but he said aloud, "She's fainted? Alright, I'll go check on her right now."