Tang Peiyi already blamed himself immensely for He Jingyuan's death. Though he had no desire to be entangled with the Li Faction, upon hearing their demands to hold Wei Yan accountable, he immediately knelt down with a sweep of his robes: "This general also implores Your Majesty to thoroughly investigate Prime Minister Wei's collusion with the rebels, to give justice to the soldiers fighting on the frontlines and the people of the realm!"

Once Tang Peiyi knelt, the military officers who had accompanied him to the Golden Luan Hall for their commendations naturally all followed suit.

Qi Sheng leaned his elbow on the armrest of the dragon throne, pressing his temple with visibly displeased expression: "What is the meaning of this? Have you all learned to pressure your emperor now?"

Grand Tutor Li, holding his ceremonial tablet with white hair and beard drooping low, said hoarsely: "We dare not, Your Majesty. But how can we appease the loyal souls beneath the springs if traitors remain unpunished and grievances unresolved? If this old minister does not remonstrate, I would be unworthy of wearing these official robes and receiving Your Majesty's stipend—better to retire and return to my hometown!"

Fan Changyu looked at Grand Tutor Li's thin, bamboo-like back. Had she not known about the Li family's collusion with Qi Min, she might have truly believed that Grand Tutor Li, like He Jingyuan, was a good official concerned for the nation and its people.

A loud "bang" echoed through the hall.

Qi Sheng had grabbed a stack of memorials from the Dragon Desk and hurled them down. He laughed in extreme anger: "Remonstrate if you must, Grand Tutor, but why threaten me with retirement?"

Grand Tutor Li bent his spine even lower: "This old minister dares not!"

In the past, the emperor and Grand Tutor Li had always worked in tandem to suppress Wei Yan. Now, with Grand Tutor Li denouncing Wei Yan while the emperor fiercely protected him, the entire court witnessed such a scene for the first time.

The sharper-minded officials quickly recalled the recent rumors, silently wondering if the news about finding the descendants of the Chengde Crown Prince was true.

The Wei Faction, previously silent, now sensed the emperor's stance and immediately stepped forward: "The Prime Minister has toiled with great merit, exhausting himself for the Great Yin's realm all these years. Now, worn out by work, he is bedridden at home. Is this how you slander him?"

The Li Faction angrily retorted: "It was the man recommended by the Prime Minister to the army who let the Chongzhou rebels escape, nearly costing us Lucheng! The captured rebel advisor also testified that Wei Yan indeed colluded with them. With both witnesses and evidence present, what more is there to quibble about?"

"Lu Dayi was vainglorious, acting without orders and falling into the rebels' trap. At most, the Prime Minister is guilty of misjudging character—yet you would pin the crime of colluding with rebels on him? Your hearts are vile! How can the words of a rebel advisor be trusted? What if this is the rebels' scheme to sow discord?"

"All your clever words mean nothing! The evidence is irrefutable—you refuse to yield until you see the coffin!"

The two factions in the hall argued fiercely, their shouts nearly escalating to physical blows. Qi Sheng, seemingly plagued by a headache from the noise, bellowed: "Enough!"

The quarreling officials, who had been on the verge of rolling up their sleeves to fight, immediately restrained themselves and returned to their positions, holding their tablets.

Qi Sheng's expression was dark: "What kind of spectacle is this? Do you mistake the Golden Luan Hall for a marketplace?"

The ministers bowed their heads, none daring to speak another word.

Qi Sheng pressed his throbbing temple and declared: "All witnesses in the case of Wei Yan's collusion with rebels shall be temporarily held at the Court of Revision and subjected to a Joint Trial by the Three Supreme Courts. Court dismissed!"

With that, Qi Sheng flicked his sleeves and strode out of the hall first. The eunuch attending the throne cried out in a shrill voice, "Court dismissed!" before hurrying after the emperor.

The civil and military officials below knelt toward the now-empty dragon throne and chanted: "Long live His Majesty, ten thousand years, ten thousand times ten thousand years!"Fan Changyu rose along with the other court officials, frowning slightly as she glanced at the lacquered golden dragon throne atop the grand hall.

Would the trial of Wei Yan proceed smoothly?

Outside the hall, Grand Tutor Li's expression was grim. His eldest son followed closely behind and whispered, "Has His Majesty turned to Wei Yan for protection again?"

Having served as Qi Sheng's teacher for over a decade, Grand Tutor Li understood this emperor—who had been forced onto the throne as a child—better than anyone. He shook his head. "This isn't the first time he's done this."

When Qi Sheng first ascended the throne, he was merely a child. While the court officials outwardly revered him, none truly regarded the powerless young emperor with any real respect. To secure his position, Qi Sheng had once obeyed Wei Yan's every command.

As he grew older and realized he was nothing more than a puppet emperor, he began drawing closer to Grand Tutor Li in an attempt to wrest power from Wei Yan.

Perhaps it was precisely because he had never truly held imperial authority that Qi Sheng could no longer tolerate anyone sharing power with him. He had grown too impatient. Before Wei Yan had even fallen, he had already begun guarding against the Li family at every turn—ultimately driving them to ally with Qi Min. Only then did panic set in, forcing him to turn back to Wei Yan in desperation.

As long as Wei Yan remained standing, even if he continued as a puppet emperor, the throne would still be his.

Li Yuanting, Grand Tutor Li's eldest son, sneered. "After scheming against Wei Yan so many times, does he really think Wei Yan will still protect him? When the time comes, they'll both be nothing but defeated strays!"

Grand Tutor Li paused mid-step and cast a measured glance at his son. Realizing his slip, Li Yuanting quickly surveyed their surroundings. The ministers were dispersing in small groups, with no one nearby. He exhaled slightly in relief.

"Remember," Grand Tutor Li said coolly, "careless words invite disaster."

Li Yuanting bowed his head in acknowledgment.

Ahead, at a white marble staircase, Fan Changyu, Tang Peiyi, and a group of rebel-suppressing generals descended. Minor officials offered Tang Peiyi their congratulations as the group walked and conversed, their expressions carefully polite.

Grand Tutor Li's gaze lingered for a moment longer on the red-robed, silver-armored female general, radiant as the sun.

Li Yuanting, already aware of Fan Changyu's true identity, lowered his voice. "They say Wu'an Marquis refused an imperial marriage proposal for this woman, then personally led the Xie family cavalry to rescue her in Lucheng—all while his father's death still hung over him. Truly bewitched."

Grand Tutor Li remained silent. After a few steps, he suddenly asked, "Still no word from Huaian?"

Li Yuanting shook his head. "We've sent more men to search."

With a noncommittal hum, Grand Tutor Li continued forward.

Fan Changyu, Tang Peiyi, and the others were not capital officials and had no residences in the city. The Ministry of Rites arranged for them to stay at the Office of Presentations.

According to Great Yin's official protocols, regional lords summoned to the capital resided at the State Guesthouse, while provincial officials stayed at the Office of Presentations. Though Fan Changyu's group had received official rewards, whether they would remain in the capital or be reassigned still awaited imperial decree.

If retained in the capital, the emperor would either bestow official residences or allocate land for private construction. If reassigned, they would proceed to their provincial posts.

As a third-rank official, Fan Changyu was assigned a private courtyard. Even with Aunt Zhao, her husband, Changning, and Bao'er moving in with her, the space remained far from cramped.Zhao Mu Jiang was now a formally registered army doctor in the military. Originally, he should have been on duty in the Jizhou army, but with the war over, he felt he had little use staying there. Since Fan Changyu was heading to the capital to receive her imperial appointment, he resigned and accompanied her on the journey.

During the half-day Fan Changyu spent in the palace, the elderly couple, accompanied by Xie Wu and Xie Qi, had already taken Changning and Bao'er for a stroll through the capital's bustling streets.

When Fan Changyu returned, she saw that the snacks Changning had bought nearly covered the entire round table. Before she could scold her, Changning excitedly began gesturing about all the novel things she had seen on the street.

"Big sis, big sis! There were yellow-bearded men who could breathe fire on the street! And people twirling spears, and others smashing big rocks on their chests..." Changning's eyes sparkled as she counted off on her chubby fingers, almost running out of digits.

Seeing her so thrilled, Fan Changyu couldn't bring herself to reprimand her. She merely pinched Changning's rosy cheeks and said, "When you go out to play, don't be mischievous or wander off. Stay with Aunt Zhao and Uncle Xiao Wu, understand?"

Changning nodded hastily, then hugged Fan Changyu's arm and started swinging it. "Big sis, big sis! When will you have time? Let's go play that hoop-tossing game—if you win, you can take home a little rabbit!"

Fan Changyu smiled and asked, "You want to raise a rabbit?"

Changning nodded vigorously. "Feed it until it's fat, then give it to the falcon!"

The answer left Fan Changyu both amused and exasperated. Back when Xie Wu was with her in the army, the gyrfalcon had been fed by Xie Qi and Changning. Later, after Xie Wu was injured and recuperating at home, he also helped with feeding.

Both of them knew how to train gyrfalcons. If Changning overfed the bird during the day, Xie Qi would take it out at night to let it fly longer.

During Fan Changyu's recovery in Lucheng, Aunt Zhao, unable to stay idle, had bought a brood of chicks at the market to raise near the wounded soldier camp, hoping to nourish the injured soldiers. Occasionally, eagles and falcons would swoop in to steal the chicks, leaving Aunt Zhao distressed. She would sigh deeply every evening upon returning to their courtyard. Later, Xie Qi often had the gyrfalcon patrol the camp area. Whenever other raptors came to snatch chicks, the gyrfalcon would chase them off, sometimes plucking half the feathers from their wings.

Aunt Zhao praised the gyrfalcon's intelligence and promptly rewarded it with a pile of chicken giblets.

After arriving in the capital, to avoid drawing attention, even Xie Qi and Xie Wu dared not take the gyrfalcon out for flights at night. With Aunt Zhao and Changning constantly feeding it, the bird had inevitably grown rounder.

Fan Changyu remarked, "If you keep feeding it like this, your falcon will be too fat to fly."

Aunt Zhao chimed in, "Listen, Ning Niang. We're staying in an official residence here in the capital, without our own place. Raising a rabbit isn't practical. If we leave the capital later, inanimate things are easy to take, but live animals aren't."

Only then did Changning lower her head, twisting her plump fingers in resignation.

Aunt Zhao and her husband pulled Fan Changyu aside to ask about her audience with the emperor. Having lived in a border town most of their lives, they had never imagined setting foot in the capital. Hearing that Fan Changyu had been granted a high-ranking position, they wept and laughed, wiping their tears as they vowed to burn paper offerings to Fan Changyu's parents to share the good news.

Changning squatted outside the door, drawing circles in the dirt with a small stick, her lips pouting as she still thought about the snow-white rabbit in the vendor's cage.A pair of small embroidered boots appeared in her line of sight as Yu Bao'er stood before her and said, "I'll help you win the rabbit."

Changning pouted unhappily, "You don't even know how to play pitch-pot, and Uncle Xie Qi and Uncle Xiao Wu refused to help me..."

Yu Bao'er replied, "Give me two days. I can learn."

Children's emotions are remarkably sensitive. Without comfort, she might have held it together, but Yu Bao'er's words made Changning's eyes well up. The cold weather had Aunt Zhao bundle her up in thick layers, and now she crouched on the ground like a soft, round little dumpling—almost resembling a plump rabbit herself. She sniffled, "But what if someone else wins the rabbit today?"

Yu Bao'er said, "The vendor will have other rabbits."

Changning's eyes reddened further as she wiped them and insisted, "But I only want that one little rabbit from today."

Yu Bao'er suddenly asked, "Weren't you just going to feed it to your falcon? Any rabbit would do, wouldn't it?"

Changning hung her head silently, her long lashes glistening with tears, looking utterly pitiful and aggrieved.

Yu Bao'er studied her for a moment before relenting, "Fine, I'll win that exact rabbit for you today. But you have to promise to keep it as a pet and not feed it to your falcon."

Changning thought it over and decided the little rabbit was indeed quite cute, so she nodded vigorously.

"How will you win it?" she asked.

Yu Bao'er replied, "Don't worry about it."

After chatting with Aunt Zhao and her husband for a while, Fan Changyu saw the elderly couple out and intended to ask Xie Wu how to contact Xie Zheng in the capital—only to find him missing.

She stopped Xie Qi, who was tidying the courtyard: "Xiao Qi, where's Xiao Wu?"

Xie Qi leaned on his broom and answered, "The young master said he needed to buy some things and asked Fifth Brother to accompany him."

Given Yu Bao'er's sensitive identity, while Aunt Zhao and her husband still called him Bao'er, Xie Wu and Xie Qi referred to him as "young master."

Concerned about potential mishaps, Fan Changyu pressed, "Only Xiao Wu is with him? Do you know where they went?"

Xie Qi quickly reassured her, "Don't worry, General. The young master said they'd only visit the two streets they went to this morning. General Tang also has people secretly following them."

Fan Changyu relaxed slightly, though she still felt awkward about Xie Qi so readily addressing her as "General." She murmured, "That's good," then asked, "Do you know... where he is right now?"

Though she didn't specify, Xie Qi immediately understood she meant Xie Zheng. "The master entered the capital in secret. We haven't received any messages from him yet. While the Xie family has an estate here, the master is always cautious and likely won't stay there. The generals who quelled the rebellion are temporarily lodged at the Office of Presentations. For now, we can only wait for the master to contact us."

Fan Changyu recalled the figure she'd glimpsed in the tavern window when entering the city. Had he been there specifically to watch the army's arrival?

Noticing her distraction, Xie Qi asked, "Is it urgent, General? Do you need to find the master?"

Fan Changyu shook her head. "It's nothing pressing. You may go back to your work."

Her main concern was Xie Zheng's next steps. The imperial grandson had vanished without a trace, and Yu Qianqian's whereabouts remained unknown.

The emperor was clearly favoring Wei Yan now. With the Joint Trial by the Three Supreme Courts underway, who knew what the outcome would be?

Whether the Li Faction or the Wei Faction won, Fan Changyu thought the court was rotten to the core.

She returned to her room and closed the door, heaving a quiet sigh—only to hear a deep voice ask, "What did you need me for?"

Startled, she looked up to see a figure leaning against the bedpost, arms crossed.She exclaimed in surprise, "When did you get here?"

Xie Zheng replied, "I've been here all along."

Seeing the lingering confusion in Fan Changyu's eyes, he raised the disguise mask in his hand.

The bed curtains cast dim shadows, and it wasn't until he stepped forward that Changyu noticed he was wearing the uniform of an Office of Presentations guard.

He had actually disguised himself as one of the guards here!

Before Changyu could speak, he tossed another set of guard uniforms to her. "Change into this. I'm taking you to meet someone."

With so many eyes watching the Office of Presentations when out-of-town officials entered the capital, every movement and meeting would be reported in detail to the palace.

To avoid those prying eyes, they naturally had to disguise themselves to slip out unnoticed.

Changyu glanced at Xie Zheng. Without the mask, his face remained strikingly handsome, yet she sensed something was off about his mood.

In truth, she'd noticed his unusual demeanor back when she saw him at the tavern upon entering the city, which was why she'd deliberately flashed him a smile as she passed by.

Now holding the guard uniform, Changyu set aside questions about who he wanted her to meet and asked hesitantly, "What's wrong? Did something go wrong with your arrival in the capital—"

Before she could finish, she was pulled into a firm, cold embrace.

Xie Zheng did nothing else but hold her tightly, burying his face in the crook of her neck like a drowning man clinging desperately to a lifeline.

Changyu froze momentarily, her arms still occupied by the uniform, leaving her unable to return the embrace.

She tried to free one hand to gently pat his back and ask what was wrong, but before she could, he pulled her even closer.

"Don't move. Let me hold you for a while."

Xie Zheng's voice carried exhaustion and hoarseness.

For a fleeting moment, it gave Changyu the illusion that he seemed... fragile.

She couldn't quite describe the feeling in her chest, only that it was as if a large hand had clenched around her heart, squeezing it with a dull ache.

Letting the guard uniform drop to the floor, she wrapped her arms around his slender, firm waist. In the same soothing tone she'd used to comfort Changning during countless nights after their parents' passing, she murmured softly, "Don't be afraid. I'm here."