The Dark Moonlight returns to the capital, and the mad prince is accused of forcing love.

Xu Qianhui fell silent.

Chu Yunci did not come to see her before he left.

Perhaps it was to avoid disturbing her recovery, or perhaps it was to know that what she needed least right now was a formal farewell.

Princess Fu'an seemed to guess what she was thinking and said softly, "General Chu left a message. He said that when he returns, he will invite you to eat at Zuixiangju Restaurant."

Xu Qianhui lowered her eyes and smiled after a long while.

"it is good."

No sooner had he finished speaking than the sound of hurried footsteps came from outside.

"Your Highness, His Majesty summons you to the Imperial Study immediately."

Princess Fu'an's expression changed slightly. She turned and walked out, but turned back at the door and said, "You should focus on recovering first. The trouble in the palace hasn't been completely resolved yet, so don't try to be brave again."

Xu Qianhui watched her leave, her gaze falling on the snow outside the window.

The palace coup seemed to have subsided, but Xiao Shicheng's audacity in leading alien warriors into the Forbidden City suggests that there is still much unseen turmoil brewing beneath the surface.

......

Inside the Imperial Study, the charcoal fire burned brightly.

As soon as Princess Fu'an stepped inside, she saw a familiar jade pendant on the table.

That was something she had lost before, and it was also something she had tricked Xiao Huaijin out of.

The emperor sat behind his desk, tapping the tabletop lightly with his fingertips.

"You found out?"

Princess Fu'an stepped forward and knelt down: "Your subject has discovered that the jade pendant was sent out from the Grand Tutor's residence. The steward of the Grand Tutor's residence secretly met with the attendants of the Prince of An's heir three days ago. On the night of the palace coup, several strangers were brought in by a carriage from the Grand Tutor's residence through the West Corner Gate."

The emperor did not speak immediately.

Princess Fu'an looked up and continued, "Your Majesty, I also found a letter written by Prince An in a secret compartment in the Grand Tutor's residence. The letter mentioned that over the years, the Grand Tutor has been cultivating relationships with officials and placing imperial guards in the capital on behalf of Prince An. In this palace coup, the Grand Tutor was responsible for providing internal support, while Xiao Shicheng was responsible for forcing the emperor to abdicate."

The eunuch presented the emperor with a letter stained with sealing wax.

After the emperor finished reading, his fingertips slowly tightened.

"Arrest them."

With just two words, the imperial guards standing outside the palace immediately obeyed and left.

That night, the Grand Tutor's residence was completely surrounded.

When Qin Miaoyun was brought out of the room, she was only wearing a thin cloak.

She stood in the snow, watching the Imperial Guards carry out a box of letters, seals, and privately hidden weapons from the mansion, her face drained of all color.

She didn't know what her grandfather and father had done.

All she knew was that when the commander of the Imperial Guards announced the decree, he read out that they had colluded with rebels and assisted Prince An in his rebellion.

No one in the Grand Tutor's mansion, including the women, escaped unscathed.

It wasn't until Qin Miaoyun was imprisoned that she truly understood that the life she thought was secure had actually been teetering on the edge of a cliff from the very beginning.

A few days later, the prison doors opened.

The jailer led her through the cold, dark corridor and stopped outside a cell.

Qin Miaoyun looked up and saw a familiar person sitting inside.

Lin Zuo'an, dressed in prison clothes, leaned against the wall with a blank expression on his face.

After the downfall of the Duke's mansion, he was also imprisoned. The once dashing second young master now wore heavy iron shackles on his wrists.

Hearing footsteps, he looked up.

Qin Miaoyun lunged at the wooden railing, her fingers gripping the bars tightly.

"Zuo An."

Lin Zuo'an did not move.

"Please help me." Tears welled up in her eyes. "My father must have been framed. He wouldn't rebel. Go and beg the Crown Prince, beg the Second Prince. I heard Xu Qianhui is on good terms with the Second Prince. Please put in a good word for me, save my father, save my whole family..."

Lin Zuo'an looked at her without speaking for a long time.

Qin Miaoyun cried and trembled, as if she were grasping at the last piece of driftwood.

"Zuo An, aren't we getting married soon? You can't tell me what to do."

Lin Zuo'an lowered his eyes and looked at the shackles on his wrists.

"Qin Miaoyun," he said softly, "look at me now, what can I do?"

Qin Miaoyun was stunned.

Lin Zuo'an raised his head, his eyes showing no resentment or hatred, only exhaustion.

"The Duke's mansion is gone, my brother sent the whole family to prison, and I can't even save myself."

He paused, his gaze falling on her tear-streaked face.

"Besides, no one can save someone from the crime of treason."

Qin Miaoyun slowly opened her hands.

She stood there, as if she had suddenly lost all her strength.

The jailer stepped forward and took her away. She glanced back at Lin Zuo'an, but Lin Zuo'an had already leaned back against the wall and closed his eyes.

The sound of the prison door locking echoed, crashing heavily into the passageway.

......

Xu Qianhui recuperated in the palace for half a month, and finally regained the ability to move her injured shoulder and back.

When she first checked into the hotel, the pain from her wound made her break out in a cold sweat.

Xiao Huaijin wanted to carry her back directly, but she grabbed his hand.

"I'm not a porcelain doll."

"You're more troublesome than a porcelain doll now," Xiao Huaijin said with a stern face. "A porcelain doll can be pieced back together after it breaks, but if you get injured again, do you even want my life?"

Xu Qianhui looked at him and suddenly burst out laughing.

Xiao Huaijin's ears burned from her laughter. He turned his face away but stubbornly continued to support her.

Just then, Princess Fu'an strode in, but her expression was not as relaxed as it had been in the past few days.

"The case involving the Duke's mansion has been resolved."

Xu Qianhui's smile faded.

Princess Fu'an said, "The evidence in the case of Madam Fu murdering the old lady is conclusive. The Duke's lineage is unclear, and the eldest branch's title has been completely abolished. However, considering that Minister Lin took the initiative to beat the Dengwen Drum to expose the old case of the Duke's mansion, and cooperated in investigating the secret line between the Grand Tutor and Prince An, the Emperor pardoned him and released him from prison."

Xu Qianhui remained silent for a moment.

"What will he do after he gets out?"

Princess Fu'an looked at her and said, "Hold a funeral for the old lady."

......

Three days later, white banners were hung in front of the Rongguo Duke's mansion.

The once magnificent mansion had already been sealed off once; now the vermilion paint on the gate was peeling off, and snow had accumulated on the steps.

Few people came to pay their respects. Occasionally a few carriages would stop, but they would only offer a stick of incense before hurrying away.

Lin Zuoqing, dressed in mourning clothes, stood in front of the mourning hall.

He had lost a lot of weight, and the wounds on his face had not fully healed, but the aggressive coldness in his eyes was gone.

The smoke from the incense burner rose slowly, and the old lady's memorial tablet stood in the center, with the old Duke's memorial tablet placed beside it.

One harmed countless people, while the other was personally driven to his doom.

Lin Zuoqing looked at it for a long time, and finally bent down to put the last three incense sticks into the censer.

Footsteps sounded behind me.

Qingyan stood outside the door and whispered, "Young Master, everyone else in the manor has arrived."

Lin Zuoqing turned and went to the front yard.

Dozens of servants huddled in the snow, their faces filled with fear.

Some of them were elderly people who had been in the mansion for decades, while others were young maids who had just entered the mansion.

The Duke's mansion committed a serious crime, and they originally thought that even if they were not exiled, they would be trapped here for the rest of their lives.

Lin Zuoqing instructed Qingyan to distribute the silver and indentures one by one.

"From this day forward, the Duke's mansion will no longer keep anyone," he said. "You may all leave. Those who can return to their hometowns may do so, and those who wish to seek a living elsewhere may do so."

The group looked at each other in bewilderment.

An elderly steward, his eyes red, knelt down: "Your Highness, and what about you?"

Lin Zuoqing looked at the silent mansion behind him.

"I'm leaving too."

As night deepened, the last person left the Duke's mansion.

Lin Zuoqing stood alone in front of the main courtyard gate, holding a tinderbox in his palm.

The wind swept through the long corridor, making the white banners flutter.

He remembered the first time he wore the crown prince's robe when he was young, remembered his grandfather patting him on the shoulder and praising him for his potential, and remembered Xu Qianhui standing outside the door, crying and begging him to believe him just once.

But all of that was like a ridiculous dream.

The tinderbox fell onto the oil-soaked curtain.

The flames started small, then quickly rose up, engulfing the doors and windows, the plaque, and the high wall that had trapped so many people for their entire lives.

Lin Zuoqing stood in the fire without turning back.

The fire illuminated half the night sky.

Ah Fen...

From then on, all grudges were settled.