The whole family is obsessed with love? The princess woke them up one after another.

The eunuch at the door bowed to King Wu and said, "Your Highness, this servant will see you off here."

The King of Wu didn't look at his seemingly insane mother inside the room. Instead, he stared intently at the eunuch and asked through gritted teeth, "Did Father really send me here on his own initiative?"

The eunuch smiled obsequiously and said, "It was indeed His Majesty's decree."

The King of Wu sneered, "Prince Rui is discussing matters with the Emperor. How could he possibly remember me amidst his busy schedule?"

He had already left the palace when he was summoned back.

He didn't believe that Prince Rui wasn't involved!

The eunuch just smiled and didn't say anything.

What could a servant like him possibly know?

He just does whatever his master tells him to do.

Besides, even if we knew, what could we do?

The King of Wu knew he wouldn't get anything out of him by asking, but he still wanted to speak.

If the Emperor knew, he would realize that Prince Rui was behind all of this by playing dirty tricks!

He's not stupid!

After King Wu finished speaking, he flicked his sleeves and strode into the house.

The eunuch bowed silently and then went back to report.

The King of Wu went in and coldly ordered all the palace maids to leave.

He went over himself and helped Consort Wei to a chair.

"Your father, your father has demoted me to the rank of Zhaoyi." Consort Wei clung tightly to the King of Wu's arm, as if grasping at the last straw.

"I know," King Wu said reluctantly.

"You know? If you know, why didn't you ask your father, the Emperor?" Consort Wei was shocked.

"And what exactly did the imperial edict say? I didn't do anything!"

This is what she feels is most wronged.

What did she do to be suddenly demoted?

King Wu took a deep breath and patiently recounted the events: "...Mother, under those circumstances, we can only admit that you have been too lenient with the Wei family."

"Otherwise, all other paths lead to dead ends."

"Qi Zhiyu's goal is to cripple you."

Consort Wei looked at King Wu as if he were a stranger, her voice trembling with extreme grief and anger: "So, you sacrificed me?"

"You're just going to turn me from a Consort De into a Lady Zhaoyi who has to live in a side room?"

"Mother!" King Wu frowned, "This is the only way out, the best option!"

"Do you even know that Consort Wei will never be able to see your father again?" Consort Wei's question was heart-wrenching. "Even when I was Consort De, it wasn't easy for me to see your father."

The King of Wu looked at his mother incredulously: "To see Father?"

"Mother, do you know that if you don't make a sacrifice, I'm finished, and the Wei family will be finished too?"

"All our years of hard work will be in vain."

"I'm completely cut off from that position!"

"But I've become a Zhaoyi..." Consort Wei cried uncontrollably.

King Wu stared at Consort Wei in shock, his emotions churning violently, causing him immense pain.

On the other side, after Prince Rui had finished tidying up his things, he was about to leave when a eunuch knocked on the door and came in to report on what had happened with Consort Wei.

Emperor Kangwu waved his hand to dismiss the eunuchs, then asked Prince Rui, "When did I issue the imperial edict ordering Prince Wu to go and see Consort Wei?"

"On the way to the palace, my son encountered the King of Wu," Prince Rui said unhurriedly.

"My son is thinking, with such a serious matter concerning Consort Wei, how can the King of Wu, as her son, leave alone without offering any words of comfort?"

"On the way, the son sent someone to invite the King of Wu to Wei Zhaoyi's place, so that the mother and son could have a good talk."

"Elder, do you know what the consequences are for falsely conveying an imperial edict?" Emperor Kangwu leaned forward, resting one hand on the table, staring intently at Prince Rui.

"Father, you jest. How could this be a false imperial edict?" Prince Rui refused to believe it.

He cupped his hands and said, "Father is benevolent, but Consort Wei must find it difficult to bear such a great calamity."

"At this moment, only her own son can offer her any comfort."

"King Wu is a filial son; how could he bear to see his mother so grieving?"

"It's just that Father Emperor has many political affairs to attend to, and the matter with Qi Kingdom is urgent. Your son has simply taken care of what Father Emperor needed to do ahead of time."

"I suppose Father Emperor knew how considerate I was, which is why he didn't ask any further questions."

Prince Rui spoke with utmost seriousness.

If Emperor Kangwu hadn't been involved, he would have truly believed it.

Emperor Kangwu looked at his eldest son, whose face remained calm and composed, and pondered a question.

When he was the same age as the boss, was he this shameless?

"Don't you think the mother and son might develop a rift?" Emperor Kangwu asked.

Prince Rui was greatly surprised: "Why?"

"Could it be that the mother and son feel that the other doesn't prioritize them, which is why they blame each other?"

"Aren't they mother and son?"

"How could this happen?"

Emperor Kangwu was truly amazed when he saw Prince Rui's shocked expression.

"Boss, you look absolutely flawless."

If he didn't know what kind of person the boss was, he would have been completely fooled by the boss's seemingly genuine demeanor.

The transition from shock to bewilderment on Prince Rui's face was truly natural.

Emperor Kangwu pressed his forehead and gave him only one word: "Get out!"

His eyes hurt, and he didn't want to see that shameless bastard, the boss.

"Yes," Prince Rui readily agreed.

He was a dutiful son, and when his father didn't want to see him, he immediately made his way away.

After Prince Rui left, Emperor Kangwu laughed and cursed, "What a despicable scoundrel!"

Prince Rui strolled out of the palace, taking a considerable amount of food with him from the imperial kitchen.

His daughter loves to eat it.

Prince Rui happily rode his carriage back to his residence.

The Third Princess's side had already caused a huge uproar.

"What exactly do you want?" Qi Yanhe looked at the broken pieces all over the floor, feeling extremely annoyed.

The third princess was so tired that she sat in a chair, panting heavily.

She smashed everything in the room, from vases and screens to flowerpots.

Not only that, she also tore up calligraphy and paintings, shredding everything she could to shreds.

After all that commotion, she was still angry, but... she had no energy left.

Hearing Qi Yanhe ask this, she felt a deep sorrow: "What am I supposed to do?"

"All these years, what have I been to you?"

"You own a dog? A domesticated dog?"

Qi Yan closed his eyes briefly and said helplessly, "You actually believe Qi Zhiyu's words?"

"Have you forgotten what the King of Wu said about her?"

"She's a shameless scoundrel, vicious and insidious."

"After she came back, she immediately kicked the baby girl who had been switched at birth out of the house. She also attacked her aunt and even her maternal grandfather."

How can you believe what someone like that says?

The Third Princess wouldn't listen at all: "I don't care whether what Qi Zhiyu said is true or false."

"Haven't I been living like this all these years in Qi Kingdom?"

"What she said is exactly the same!"