Fu Yunхi sаid unhurriedly, "Thе Dеputy Мinister of thе Соurt оf Judiсiаl Review wаs present that day. If Yоur Мajеsty wishеs tо undеrstаnd the dеtаils, hе саn be summоned for questiоning." Аfter sрeaking, he glаnced mеaningfully аt thе Sеvеnth Рrinсе. "What doеs Yоur Highnеss think?"
Тhе Sevеnth Prinсе's exрrеssion stiffеned slightly. Hе forced а smilе аnd said, "Unсle is right. This Zhuang Shiуаng is trulу heаrtlеss, trеаting his оwn dаughter in suсh а mannеr. Hоwever..." Нe hеsitаtеd befоrе соntinuing, "Lord Zhuang has сontributed much to the сourt over thе yeаrs. Pеrhаps hе should be given another chance."
The Emperor frowned. "Summon the scribe. Draft an edict demoting Zhuang Shiyang to the fifth rank and deducting a year's salary."
The Seventh Prince's smile froze at the corners of his mouth. A demotion of four ranks—the Emperor's punishment was certainly not light.
Fu Yunxi remarked casually, "Your Majesty may consider tightening security in the capital recently. Yesterday, assassins appeared at Wangjiang Tower, killing many nobles. I, too, was affected."
The Emperor was startled. "I am aware of this matter, but I did not know you were present. Were you injured?"
Fu Yunxi shook his head. "I am unharmed. I only hope Your Majesty will thoroughly investigate this incident, as the safety of the capital's citizens is of utmost importance."
The Emperor pondered for a moment. "Seventh Prince, I entrust this matter to you. You must uncover the truth. I cannot tolerate such chaos in the capital."
The Seventh Prince bowed in acknowledgment.
After some further discussion, Fu Yunxi and the Seventh Prince withdrew from the study.
Once they reached the palace gates, the Seventh Prince looked at Fu Yunxi and said, "With Lord Zhuang demoted four ranks, his future in the officialdom will likely be fraught with difficulties."
Fu Yunxi raised an eyebrow. "What does that have to do with me?"
The Seventh Prince leaned closer. "Isn't Uncle pleased? You've avenged Fourth Miss Zhuang. Speaking of which, Uncle and Fourth Miss Zhuang seem to have an unusual relationship. I heard that after the Zhuang family left on New Year's Eve, Fourth Miss Zhuang remained at Wangjiang Tower. Some even saw her maid. Uncle... could it be that you have feelings for Fourth Miss Zhuang?"
Upon hearing this, Fu Yunxi turned around and looked at the Seventh Prince with a faint, enigmatic smile. "Your Highness seems unusually interested in this matter."
The Seventh Prince toyed with the jade pendant at his waist and chuckled. "Naturally. Unfortunately, Uncle may have missed your chance. Lord Zhuang has already agreed to marry Fourth Miss Zhuang to the Heir of the Wei Marquisate as his consort. The wedding will be arranged after she comes of age next year." He added with an admiring tone, "The Heir of Wei and Fourth Miss Zhuang are quite a well-matched pair. Heh."
Fu Yunxi paused briefly, then lifted the corners of his lips. "We shall see."
After Fu Yunxi had walked away, a servant in brown clothing beside the Seventh Prince spoke up. "Your Highness... now that Lord Zhuang has been demoted, what should we..."
The Seventh Prince snorted coldly. "Fu Yunxi is more troublesome than we imagined. How did Zhuang Shiyang suddenly become the target of censorial impeachment?"
The servant whispered, "Early this morning, the censors overheard commoners discussing the matter on their way out and immediately submitted a memorial..."
The Seventh Prince lowered his head in thought for a moment before revealing a smile. "We must investigate Zhuang Shiyang's daughter thoroughly. Assign someone to follow her and monitor her every move."
The servant bowed and departed.Fu Yunxi walked along the road, his expression indifferent, the Seventh Prince's words still echoing in his ears. Wei Rufeng wanted to marry Zhuang Hanyan as his consort? The image of those clear eyes surfaced in his mind once more. Even an outsider like him could see at a glance the hostility Zhuang Hanyan harbored toward Wei Rufeng. She likely had no desire for this marriage, but if Zhuang Shiyang truly agreed to the union, there would be nothing she could do. Yet, obediently marrying Wei Rufeng didn’t seem like something that little girl would do.
Fu Yunxi felt somewhat dazed. At first, he had merely found it amusing—the little girl from his memories had grown into such an unexpected figure. Now, helping her time and again was only to repay the kindness from back then... But marriage—this matter seemed beyond the scope of what he should involve himself in.
When the imperial decree demoting Zhuang Shiyang arrived at the Zhuang residence, Zhuang Shiyang was in bed, sharing an intimate moment with Madam Zhou.
Concubine Mei was now with child and naturally could not attend to him, while Concubine Wan would never take the initiative to serve Zhuang Shiyang. Only Madam Zhou seized this opportunity, dressing herself up meticulously. When Zhuang Shiyang saw her, passion ignited like dry wood meeting fire, and he immediately engaged in a heated entanglement with her, even in broad daylight.
Even after the eunuch had finished reading the decree, Zhuang Shiyang remained kneeling on the ground, stunned and unable to believe what had just transpired.
"Lord Zhuang, receive the decree," the palace eunuch said with displeasure. Only then did Zhuang Shiyang, trembling, accept the decree with both hands. Slowly turning his head, the viciousness in his eyes made Madam Zhou shudder involuntarily. "Master..." she began, but before she could finish, Zhuang Shiyang kicked her in the stomach. Madam Zhou clutched her abdomen in pain, collapsing to the ground. Without regard for the others present, Zhuang Shiyang began to beat and kick her relentlessly. "You wretch! It’s all your fault! You blocked my path to promotion. Now look—I’ve been demoted, all because of you! You wretch, you jinx!"
As a man, his strength far exceeded that of a woman. Madam Zhou was beaten until she was dizzy and disoriented, curling up in agony, clutching her stomach as she pleaded for mercy.
Zhuangshan threw herself over Madam Zhou, shielding her, and knelt on the ground, weeping and begging. "Father, please don’t hit Mother like this... Father, please..."
Her words only made things worse. Zhuang Shiyang remembered that the root of all this lay with her. If Zhuangshan hadn’t been kidnapped by bandits, Madam Zhou wouldn’t have publicly harassed Han Yan, nor would she have been reported to The Emperor by the imperial censor, and he wouldn’t have been demoted. The more he thought about it, the more his rage burned. He kicked Zhuangshan away. "Get lost! You’re just like that wretch. Why didn’t the bandits finish you off..."
Concubine Mei watched from the side, gloating with schadenfreude, yet also feeling a sense of dread. Zhuang Shiyang was so ruthless—one moment he was intimate with Madam Zhou, the next he wished to beat her to death. He was truly heartless and ungrateful. Could it be that one day she, too, would end up like Madam Zhou? The thought sent a shiver down her spine.
Han Yan, however, sighed inwardly. Having lived with Zhuang Shiyang for two lifetimes, she understood him all too well. No matter how much he doted on Madam Zhou, once his career was affected, he could turn on her in an instant. Now that Zhuang Shiyang had been demoted because of Madam Zhou, he would surely unleash his fury and place all the blame squarely on her. It was likely that Madam Zhou would not regain Zhuang Shiyang’s favor for a very long time.Zhuang Qin, Concubine Wan, and Zhuang Hanming all watched the scene before them with cold indifference, as if completely detached. The eunuch delivering the imperial decree, however, had never encountered such a situation before and felt even more contempt for Zhuang Shiyang. To commit the disgraceful act of favoring a concubine over his wife, shift all blame onto the women, and even brutally beat his concubine in front of his own children—truly, he was no man at all. Then, he saw Han Yan step forward gracefully and slip a pouch of silver into the eunuch’s hand. “Thank you for your trouble in making this trip. However, matters in the household are rather chaotic, so we won’t detain you for tea.”
The eunuch observed Han Yan’s dignified and courteous demeanor. Among the concubines and children, she stood out like a freshly bloomed camellia—pure and elegant. He couldn’t help but sigh inwardly: truly, she was a noble young lady born of the legitimate wife. With such grace, it was no wonder the concubines envied and bullied her. He weighed the pouch in his hand and smiled. “Fourth Miss Zhuang is indeed as wise and refined as orchids. This humble servant still has official duties to attend to and must return to report to The Emperor. Farewell.”
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