Fu Xiao knew that such a sinister and cruel tactic was merely the method of scoundrels.

What was his mother thinking?

Zhou Xie had been treated well by the Fu family.

What on earth did he want to do?

“Do you realize that from today onward, my reputation, my son’s future, and the Fu family’s reputation for generations have been ruined by your kneeling?”

Old Lady Fu was startled by this and trembled with a pale face. “How could this be? His Majesty has always treated the Fu family well.”

Fu Xiao closed his eyes in despair.

Did his mother really not know?

His Majesty’s favor towards the Fu family was because the future Crown Princess was from his family, Fu Zanying.

He looked at his frail and collapsing mother lying on the stone road, his gaze both sorrowful and cold, his eyes reddened as he sighed deeply.

“Fine, Mother gave birth to and raised me. Today, I will give up my official title and go to the Emperor to plead for mercy, hoping to save Mother.”

He couldn’t think of anyone else who could make the Grand Marshal withdraw his troops.

Right now, he could only hope for the Emperor’s mercy.

“Son!” This word struck Old Lady Fu like a talisman, causing her soul to shiver.

She had planned her entire life for the Fu family’s descendants to rise to greater heights, for the family to flourish generation after generation.

Her eldest son was to be honored in the imperial temple, her favored servant was to hold high office, and her youngest was to be a trusted minister to the Crown Prince.

This was the way it should be.

Resigning from the official position was like having her heart ripped out.

“Don’t go, don’t go! You are the vice minister, a pillar of the court,” Old Lady Fu, unable to stand, reached out and struggled to crawl a few steps forward, crying out, “Why don’t we seek out the Wang family? The Wang and Fu families are in-laws; can’t we ask Wang to intercede? Or else, I’ll apologize to A Ying. Yes, apologize. She has a soft heart and wouldn’t ignore the Fu family’s plight.”

Fu Xiao turned his back to her, ignoring her completely.

He removed his headgear and official sash, heading towards the carriage where the stunned coachman waited.

Just as he was about to board, another carriage arrived, bringing Fu Ze’an, who had left his post midway through a lecture at the Taixue upon hearing of the incident at Wuyi Lane.

He hurriedly came over.

Seeing his youthful and elegant nephew, the tear that Fu Xiao had been holding back finally fell.

He placed a heavy hand on the shoulders of the pale Fu Ze’an, his voice choked with emotion.

“Ze’an, the Fu family…” He could not continue, only shaking his head.

Fu Xiao then boarded the carriage and headed towards the imperial city.

Fu Ze’an, stunned, approached his grandmother, who was lying on the ground, and looked down at the despairing old woman. “Grandmother, is it true? Did you really force A Ying? Did you mean to drive her to death?”

“Ze’an!” Old Lady Fu, now facing disaster, had lost the arrogance from earlier and was crying pitifully on the ground. “Go after your uncle quickly. Don’t let him go to the palace to resign.”

Fu Ze’an looked at his grandmother with pity, turning his gaze to the long and magnificent slate-tiled alley.

He neither understood how his grandmother could be so blind nor dared to imagine how A Ying must be feeling upon hearing those words.

The regret he felt from calling her “an illegitimate child” that day paled in comparison to the cruel and merciless situation A Ying faced today.

In Fu Ze’an’s mind, his grandmother had always been loving and decisive.

Even if she had a bit of a hard edge, it was merely an old lady’s stubbornness, not malice.

But today, her use of such a coercive tactic, forcing the younger generation, felt like she had torn away the facade of peace and harmony.

It made Fu Ze’an realize that the family had always treated Zan Ying with such casual disregard.

From his grandmother to his uncle and then to himself, deep down, they had always believed that Zan Ying was obedient and docile, only listening and never defying them.

Thus, they took her for granted, exploiting her step by step like silkworms eating through leaves.

Fu Ze’an’s fingers dug into his palms, and he averted his gaze in shame.

In that alley, there was his fiancée and his sister, but he was too embarrassed to plead on their behalf.

He looked at his grandmother and, biting his lip, bowed to the soldiers on guard. “I implore the soldiers to show leniency. My grandmother is old and frail, and cannot endure such hardship. I am willing to take her punishment and kneel as long as necessary. Could you please show mercy?”

He knew that today’s incident was due to his grandmother’s mistake, but he could not stand by and watch his elder suffer in silence.

The middle-ranked officer, Lin Rui, grinned slightly. “This sounds a bit familiar. Oh, yes, that night outside the imperial palace, Mr. Fu pleaded for his sister with the same rhetoric. How did I respond then?”

“Mr. Fu could not persuade us then. If you want to join her, you’re welcome to.”

So that night, Fu Ze’an had accompanied Fu Zhuangxue step by step back home.

Fu Ze’an lowered his eyes.

After a moment of silence, he silently removed his official robes and cap, neatly folding them to the side.

He turned his back to Wuyi Alley and knelt beside his grandmother.

“An’er, don’t kneel!” Old Lady Fu cried out, “Quickly go back. Don’t be seen here. I’m fine, really. But you still have a long road ahead. You are a promising young man, everyone praises you and admires you.”

Old Lady Fu’s voice was hoarse and sorrowful, like a crow crying out in blood. “Please, An’er, don’t stay here.”

Fu Ze’an closed his eyes amid his grandmother’s anguished cries.

He knew he couldn’t rescue his grandmother, and seeing her kneeling while he stood made it even harder for him to bear.

To kneel with his grandmother felt unbearable.

Turning his back to the alley was full of guilt.

Hearing his grandmother’s suffering, he thought about how, although she had made mistakes, she had given all her tenderness to himself and to Zhuangxue, but had given none to Zan Ying.

Even though he had only known Zhuangxue for a few months, he had poured all his affection into making it up to her, but had given not a single bit to Zan Ying.

Fu Ze’an’s eyes suddenly reddened.

When Xu Shi returned to report to the palace, Wei Yu was sitting on the top of the white jade steps outside the hall, lost in thought.

The blazing sun illuminated him, as if casting a dark golden hue on his imperial blue robe.

Xu Shi recounted everything that had happened in Wuyi Alley, including the vicious words of the old lady and the retort from the young mistress, without leaving out a single detail.

Wei Yu, holding a bronze spearhead, lazily sat there as if basking in the sun, not responding for a long time.

“How was her demeanor? Did she feel wronged?”

Xu Shi had anticipated this question and had been keeping an eye on the situation. He sighed slightly and said, “She seemed quite happy when she saw it. She even asked if the Grand Marshall had also come.”

Wei Yi was silent for a moment. “Did she say anything else?”

Xu Shi shook his head. “She only admired the polo club, touching it fondly. I asked twice, but she didn’t complain and asked me to thank the Grand Marshal on her behalf.”

However, when he entered, he had clearly seen her resting her head on the wolf’s neck, her posture silent and somber.

“It didn’t have to be so complicated,” Xu Shi said, his tone carrying the weight of restrained frustration. “The General had someone keeping an eye on both the palace and the Fu residence. We knew in advance that Old Madam Fu would go to Wuyi Lane. Why didn’t we intercept her? Why let Miss Fu hear those dirty words? Why wait for her to decide before taking action?”

Wei Yi suddenly raised his dark eyes and asked coldly, “Are you losing your composure out of concern, Military Advisor?”

Xu Shi was taken aback and speechless.

Wei Yi continued with a grim tone, “What’s the difference between being in the palace cage before and being in my cage now?”

“Can’t you see? The girl doesn’t want this.”

Wei Yi tightened his grip on the bronze scepter, his flesh-and-blood hand squeezing the metal until it creaked.

Yet, even as he squeezed tightly, he eventually let go with a faint sigh.

The way to protect a young eagle is not to prevent it from flying.

Xu Shi held his breath, slowly releasing the tension from his chest.

He knew his concern was affecting his judgment, but if the Grand Marshal weren’t concerned, he wouldn’t have such a murderous look in his eyes.

…..

“Is Old Madam Fu mad or something?”

In the Xianyang Palace, when Empress Yu heard about the farce at Wuyi Lane, she spilled half a cup of tea onto the floor, her eyes quivering slightly in a mix of amusement and disbelief.

While she had pressured the Fu family to exert pressure on Fu Zanying, she had not expected them to use such useless and lowly tactics.

Especially in front of several prominent families, making a grand display and rolling around like this would only bring shame upon themselves.

Empress Yu’s chest trembled a few times, and she sighed with the same sense of dismay as Old Madam Wang. “The Fu family is no longer useful.”

“Your Majesty,” the head maid Guan Ju said anxiously, “I heard that Master Fu, after hearing about the incident, went to the Taiji Hall to resign from his position and plead with His Majesty for forgiveness for his mother’s ignorance and misconduct. His Majesty sent Grandpa Yuan to Wuyi Lane, but it seems he was not there to help the Fu family, but to comfort Miss Fu. Grandpa Yuan was holding a box.”

Empress Yu felt a sense of foreboding. “Do you know what it was?”

“Your Majesty,” at this moment, She Xin came in from outside the palace, looking alarmed. “I found out that Grandpa Yuan was holding the land deeds for two royal estates in the south of the city.”

Empress Yu sprang to her feet, her well-maintained fine lines around her eyes and nose seeming to split open. “Is the Emperor compromising? He’s using the royal estates to make up for it?”

She laughed twice, her laughter filled with reluctance and discontent. Guan Ju, seeing the Emperor’s dark expression, felt a chill and reminded her softly, “Your Majesty, Miss Fu said that the fifth day, which is tomorrow, is the last day. What should we do here?”

Nothing had been sorted out yet.