three main rooms of Old Master Zhao's house also became clean and bright.The veterans fell asleep on the heated kang, covered in clean quilts that smelled faintly of soap. They were both happy and mo...Before noon, the grand assembly finally dispersed.

Civil and military officials successively walked out of the palace gate, each with a grim expression.

Some were anxious, some frowned, and some pretended to be calm but lost their composure.

Outside, the parents and drivers all waited anxiously. They were careful and subservient, afraid of making any mistakes and incurring the displeasure of their masters during this clearly important occasion.

Several officials, unable to contain themselves any longer, took a carriage and whispered amongst themselves.

"Looking at the current situation, it doesn't seem like a spur-of-the-moment decision!"

Of course, what else could it be That which had been brewing for who knows how long finally came to a head today.

"This is going to be a complete break with the Empress Dowager!"

"If you wanted to completely sever ties, why were you so eager to defend the Empress Dowager just a moment ago"

In another carriage not far away, Li La Er, Mr. Wen, and Liu Zhiheng were also talking about this matter.

Li Laoer also looked bad, letting out a long sigh.

The Emperor is even more meticulous now. Everyone in the world knows that the Empress Dowager has been in power for many years, usurping the throne. Now that the Emperor has concrete evidence, wanting to punish the Empress Dowager is justified.

But he just had to be greedy for the virtue of "filial piety" and wouldn't leave a single blemish on his historical record.

“Yes, just watch. Tomorrow, the day after tomorrow... even for the next ten days and a half month, people will continue to file petitions, urging the Emperor to uphold justice and punish the Empress Dowager. Only then will the Emperor reluctantly take action…” Mr. Wen smiled with a hint of irony.

Liu Zhiheng also said, "Before, I thought our emperor was a benevolent ruler, even righteous and affectionate, unlike the emperors of old. After all, he tolerated the Empress Dowager for so many years, and he treated the Marquis, ministers, and common people well."

But now it seems he didn't like "benevolence," but had to be "benevolent." Now that his days are numbered, he no longer wants to be "benevolent" anymore.

"Who knows what will happen in the future"

The three of them were in a complex mood, worried not only about the political turmoil and the inability to protect their own families.

What worries me more is that after the purge of the court is complete, the next target of the Emperor's schemes will be the Duke in Jiangbei...

The carriage rattled along, soon reaching the crossroads. Liu Zhizhen jumped down and hurried home to report to his elderly father, taking the opportunity to seek advice as well.

Li Laoer and Mr. Wen returned to the Earl's Mansion, the long-brewing storm of blood and violence was about to break.

To avoid startling the family, I always have to give them a heads-up beforehand.

At this time, try to lower your presence as much as possible. Be careful not to get caught in the crossfire when someone gets struck by lightning.

Fortunately, Jiahuan runs a wine shop and has nothing to do with the imperial court.

The academy has already been sealed off, Li Laosan and Mao Ge'er, the Zhimin Xiujie brothers, and Guo Wenyuan are all staying put and unaffected.

At the Earl's residence, Wan'er directly feigned illness, refusing to see guests or leave her chambers. She kept all servants under strict control.

At Broken Gold Beach, the village elder keeps watch. The hot springs have run dry due to the drought, and with the water flow dwindling, the business has shut down. They've sealed off the entrance, making Broken Gold Beach a self-contained little world—the safest place imaginable...

It's not just the Li family, at this moment, all the aristocratic families and powerful clans in the city, both civil and military officials, are in a state of panic and disarray. They're all flustered!

The Li family were just newcomers, refugees who had fled their home. They didn't know many people here, and even those they did know were mostly farmers from the village.

But they're not!

For many years, in order to survive better and enjoy more rights and wealth.

His son married his daughter, his niece married his nephew, and even his cousin-in-law was sent to the Shangguan family as a concubine...

Occasionally, we get a little wild and go out for some flower wine, brag a bit, it's not impossible!

Now, these things have all become the source of their fear.

Who knew that the people drinking together were secretly in cahoots with those three families who had been ostracized

Who knew who had been bought by the Empress Dowager and joined the secret camp beforehand, they were immediately dealt with!

Who knows who has a screw loose, jumping up to steal the spotlight at this time only ends up incurring the emperor's displeasure.

The tree, with its deep roots and wide branches, enjoys more sunlight and rain. But it also catches more wind!

As if in an instant, the bustling streets of Xindu City fell silent.

A young lady shopping lost her embroidered shoes, while a dandy with a fan flung his gold belt.

As reckless as one was in the past, so hurried they are now.

The street vendor carefully dodged under the eaves with his burden, afraid of being knocked over.

What's wrong today, is the opening way incorrect

White clouds, as always, were packed with customers. As noon approached, the young man squeezing jade melon juice was whirling his wrists like fans to keep up.

After a while, the guests in the second-floor private rooms came down one after another and quickly settled their bills and left.

Some guests didn't even get their juice, but they paid in full anyway.

The young lads didn't know what was going on and were about to run quickly to the backyard to report when Mr. Peng came out and greeted everyone, "Clean up a bit, there won't be many customers this afternoon. Shout outside, the snacks at the counter are half price! Sell them early and make a quick profit, so they don't go bad overnight."

The young lad was full of curiosity and wanted to ask more questions, but Peng, the shopkeeper, slapped him on the back of the head.

"Get to work quickly, go home early tonight, and bring two catties of milk cakes back for your mother. Consider this my way of being filial to her."

"Oh! Thank you, shopkeeper!" The young man didn't dare say much, smiling and quickly ran off to shout.

In the new capital, Baiyun Guan is like a shining golden sign. If it weren't for the high price of their pastries, specifically designed to fleece the rich, every other pastry shop would probably be forced to close down by them.

As soon as the news of the half-price sale spread, not only passersby who didn't know what was going on came rushing over, but even neighbors from left and right also ran to join in the excitement.

In less than half an hour, the snacks at the counter and in the back kitchen were sold out.

Similarly, the hot pot restaurant and fruit stand not far away had also closed for business early.

At this point, news finally reached every household on the street, and the world fell silent.

There is never a secret in the palace, that is everyone's consensus.

Even in Zhi Lan Palace, Jia Yin and the Third Princess, despite having their maidservants and eunuchs under their control and shutting themselves inside to enjoy their own little lives, still heard about what had happened in the previous court.

The third princess twirled her skirt and ran around wildly.

"Father, are you going to war with the old hag She has been acting arrogantly for so many years, won't she outsmart Father! What can we do"

She grabbed Jiayin's arm and begged, "Jiayin, please help your father, okay"

Jia Yin was so surprised she almost split apart on the spot. "Big sister, I may have a bit of wit, but I'm alright playing pranks with you. But getting involved in something this big I wouldn't even be enough to fill a fox's teeth! Please spare me!"

The Third Princess deflated, slumped onto the rocking chair beside her, and dejectedly said, "You don't know, I heard Mother say... but who knows if it's true or not.

"

"It seems like before I was born, my father had a dispute with that old hag. As a result, my father lost, and my elder brother and his mother were killed at that time. Of course, this wasn't made public, but they were tricked by the old hag."

"My father has been wronged for so many years, but he remained peaceful. Now I don't know why, they are fighting again."

"No wonder Father wanted me to marry quickly before, he must have been afraid that I would be like the eldest prince..."Mo Xiang Has this kid run off to play somewhere""No, he wouldn't dare. I reckon it was just because too many people bought fruit drinks, and there was a bit of a queue." Another voice chimed in, about...