Father and son reached a superficial reconciliation on the surface.

Yuan Ning heard the commotion and turned around, only to see Liu Qiang collapsing limply to the ground. While he was still in shock, the Fourth Prince leaped down from the tree.

"He tried to ambush you just now."

With that, the Fourth Prince pried open Liu Qiang's hand, and a stone rolled out from his palm.

Yuan Ning's eyes widened, the hatred within him reignited. Impulsively, he stepped forward, wanting to choke the life out of Liu Qiang.

The Fourth Prince stopped him, saying, "Eunuch Yuan, do you not recognize me anymore?"

Yuan Ning froze. He stared closely at the Fourth Prince—a youth in his teens, bearing such a striking resemblance to Consort Shu in her younger days. They shared the same phoenix eyes, exquisite facial features, and a distant expression tinged with a noble air. How could he not recognize him?

He simply hadn't dared to believe it. Reaching out, he wiped his tear-filled eyes and asked with trembling apprehension, "Why are you here?"

The Fourth Prince replied, "This is not the time to talk. Tie Liu Qiang up first; we can talk after I return."

Before Yuan Ning could recover from his confusion, he saw the Fourth Prince run back to the tree and call upward, "Imperial Aunt, jump down! I will catch you!"

Lin Yue stood on a tree branch, deep in thought.

"Huazheng, let me climb down slowly by myself."

"If you fail to catch me when I jump, it will be quite awkward. And if you do catch me but get injured by the impact, it will be even more awkward."

With that, Lin Yue descended two branches and simply leaped straight down.

The cloth shoes worn in ancient times were quite comfortable, with no risk of sprained ankles, allowing Lin Yue to land steadily.

The Fourth Prince said, "I will escort you back first, and deal with matters here shortly."

Lin Yue shook her head in refusal. "No need, I can return by myself. I will put in a few good words for you with your Imperial Grandmother so you can handle things privately. But do not go too far. Revenge is fine, but you must not resort to underhanded tactics, nor should you implicate innocent people."

[It was not easy for me to pull you onto the righteous path, and you've already drained hundreds of thousands of my virtue points. If you dock any more from me, sending grain and provisions to the northwest will be the least of my worries; I'll be lucky to even survive on northwest wind.]

Hearing this, a deep sense of guilt washed over the Fourth Prince. Therefore, he insisted, "I must still escort you back, otherwise I won't be at ease."

"Let's go. Eunuch Yuan will handle things here."

By this time, Eunuch Yuan had also realized that the woman before him was the Princess of Ding, the benevolent benefactor rumored to be opening a shelter on South Street to provide a place of refuge for the impoverished commoners.

He quickly chimed in, "Her Highness should let the Fourth Prince escort you. The palace may look peaceful on the surface, but crises lurk everywhere."

Realizing she could not decline further, Lin Yue said, "Very well, let's go."

Upon leaving Yining Palace, Lin Yue asked Xiao Huazheng, "What are your plans?"

Xiao Huazheng replied, "Since he has already promised to confess everything, I will give him that chance."

"How he threatened my mother back then—don't I now know the whereabouts of his two children?"

"It is time to let him taste the bitterness of an eye for an eye!"

The hatred for the murder of a mother and sister was irreconcilable. Knowing that persuasion was useless in such matters, Lin Yue simply said, "As long as you have a plan."

Xiao Huazheng nodded. After escorting Lin Yue away, he quickly returned to Yining Palace.

He purposely walked to the outer perimeter of the palace wall and, as expected, found several sets of footprints there, along with the marks left by a ladder.

Beneath it was even a hole, the surrounding soil looking freshly dug. This proved that the sudden suspicion his Imperial Aunt had voiced while in the tree was far from mere imagination.

His Imperial Father and the Empress had truly been here.

Xiao Huazheng stood up straight, knowing he could no longer remain a puppet lurking in the shadows. It was time for him to walk beneath the sunlight.

Without hesitation, he changed direction and headed toward the Hall of Diligent Government.

At that moment, the Emperor was examining the swollen bump on his forehead, which seriously detracted from his handsome visage. He touched it lightly, the pain irritating his temper.

The Empress was becoming increasingly reckless; look at this injury of his—he was almost disfigured.

Just then, Zhou Dahai entered and reported, "Your Majesty, His Highness the Fourth Prince is outside requesting an audience."

Upon hearing this, the Emperor immediately grew interested.

"Let him enter."

As soon as the Fourth Prince entered, he recounted how he had discovered the deception of Huo Renli, tracked down Yuan Ning, and learned Huo Renli's true identity.

Yet, he did not mention Lin Yue even once.

Intentional or not, the thoughts of this son of his could not be underestimated.

Stroking his smooth chin, the Emperor studied the child who had grown distant ever since Consort Shu's death, and asked, "What do you intend to do now?"

The Fourth Prince answered, "Your son wishes to personally interrogate Liu Qiang, uncover the truth behind my mother's murder, and then execute him to avenge my mother and younger sister."

Hearing this, the Emperor said, "Very well, I grant your request."

"You have kept silent all these years, but in truth, you suspected that the Empress was also involved back then, didn't you? After this matter is concluded, go to the Empress and offer an apology. Regardless, she is your legal mother, and she has not treated you poorly over the years. Do not let the estrangement grow wider."

The Fourth Prince replied, "Your son will go and apologize. Thank you for the reminder, Imperial Father."

What the Fourth Prince actually wanted to say was that if not for his Imperial Father's indifference over the years, he might never have blindly trusted Liu Qiang in the first place.

However, seeing the mountains of memorials piled high on the Emperor's dragon desk, he swallowed the words back down.

Everyone had their own hardships. Besides, as a concubine-born son, the attention he received was naturally minimal. If he did not strive to step into his Imperial Father's line of sight and instead expected to be rescued by a helping hand, it would be entirely unrealistic.

Moreover, he was no saint either. Given his previous intentions consumed by hatred, his Imperial Father certainly wouldn't have fared well.

Since they were both cut from the same cloth, it was better to simply maintain a surface peace without rushing to investigate each other's sins.

At the same time, the Emperor was thinking along the exact same lines.

Although this son was not quite what he had anticipated, he could never tolerate him continuing to wreak havoc.

Fortunately, he had strayed from the path and returned, and now he was gradually regaining his human senses. Therefore, he would not pursue those uncommitted crimes.

Father and son seemed to have reached a dull, uneventful reconciliation, yet each harbored their own agenda.

When the Fourth Prince returned to his residence, he saw Liu Jian hurrying forward anxiously.

"Your Highness, that old wretch Huo Renli has escaped!"

"This slave has searched our palace inside and out, but found no trace of him."

"This slave already found him suspicious earlier. Do you think his accomplices might have rescued him?"

Xiao Huazheng asked pointedly, "Since you knew he was suspicious, why didn't you think to report it to His Imperial Father or the Empress first?"

Liu Jian plastered a flattering smile across his face. "Aren't you my master, Your Highness? Since this slave is your servant, naturally I had to consider your interests first."

In truth, he hadn't even thought of it. Besides, Zhou Dahai was the one relaying messages before the Emperor, and Liu Jian had no desire to leave Zhou Dahai with a handle against him.

As for the Empress... she held the Fourth Prince in utter contempt, and going to her would only be asking for humiliation.

Seeing Liu Jian's crafty expression, Xiao Huazheng suddenly remembered that he still needed to deal with Mu Lixin at the border, and might actually find a use for Liu Jian when the time came. Without hesitation, he said, "I have already reported the matter of Huo Renli to His Imperial Father. For showing disrespect to my mother back then and committing heinous crimes, he has already been thrown into prison."

"Go outside the palace now and bring his son and daughter in. Tell them that Huo Renli has brought them into the palace to enjoy a life of ease. Say nothing else."

Liu Jian's eyes lit up instantly. If they were going to move against Huo Renli's children, Huo Renli was bound to be done for.

Yet, a moment later, Liu Jian asked in shock, "He has children?"

Xiao Huazheng sneered coldly, "He was already married before he entered the palace."

Discontent instantly washed over Liu Jian. They were all eunuchs, so why did Huo Renli have it so good that he even left descendants?

Could it be that Huo Renli was never castrated in the first place?

Then... what about the Fourth Prince's... true parentage?

A look of sheer terror spread across Liu Jian's face; he didn't even know what to say.

Catching just a glimpse of Liu Jian's expression, the Fourth Prince guessed what he was thinking and lashed out with a kick.

"You dog, has your brain been eaten by dogs? If you let that thought cross your mind one more time, I'll dig your eyeballs out!"

Liu Jian snapped back to his senses instantly. What on earth was his mind wandering about? Even if Huo Renli had not been castrated initially, everything that needed to be investigated had been thoroughly checked after the tragedy befell Consort Shu.

Knowing he had gravely offended the Fourth Prince, Liu Jian stammered in panic, "This slave will go bring Huo Renli's children into the palace right now!"

With that, he scrambled away in a panic.

He left behind the Fourth Prince, whose face remained dark and gloomy, his eyes burning with murderous intent.