He quickly looked toward the Emperor.

Seeing no extra expression on his face, he realized that his father had been prepared for this all along.

This time, he had been reckless—he shouldn’t have acted so hastily.

But what was the point of thinking about that now? He had lost.

“Guards! Arrest the Sixth Prince and detain him in the Ancestral Hall. Await further orders!”

At the Emperor’s command, the Imperial Guards immediately sprang into action.

The soldiers surrounding them were swiftly subdued, and Cheng Lixiang was also captured.

“Father! I admit my mistake! I was wrong!”

Only now did Cheng Lixiang react and start begging for mercy.

Whether it worked or not, as long as he could make the Emperor waver, he had a chance to turn things around.

In his eyes, he had done nothing wrong.

Every son of the imperial family ultimately had the same goal—the throne.

But no matter how much he pleaded, the Emperor didn’t say another word.

Cheng Lixiang was dragged away just like that.

“Take the envoys from Qi Kingdom as well. I will have a proper discussion with their Emperor about compensation for this matter.”

The Emperor frowned as he looked at the Third Prince of Qi Kingdom and that woman, Jun Chenxi.

He remained silent for a long while before finally speaking.

“Yes, Your Majesty!”

The Imperial Guards took them away as well.

Before leaving, Jun Chenxi kept her gaze locked on Li Xiaocheng, her expression one of disbelief.

If an outsider had seen it, they might have thought Li Xiaocheng had wronged her.

Once everything settled down, the night’s chaos finally came to an end.

“Alright, all of you have had a shock tonight. Go home and get some rest. There will be no morning court tomorrow. You are dismissed.”

The Emperor’s voice was steady, though it lacked the sharpness from earlier.

When the Sixth Prince was taken away, his entire demeanor collapsed.

He was no longer the ruthless ruler from moments ago.

Even though he had never paid much attention to this son, it still pained him that his own child had attempted to usurp his throne.

“We take our leave, Your Majesty!”

“We humbly take our leave!”

The officials understood the Emperor’s heavy mood. Now that the danger had passed, they hurriedly excused themselves.

Lin Yuxin and Zhao Hanya also wanted to leave, but before they could say anything, the Emperor’s voice stopped them.

“Lin Yuxin, stay behind. I need to speak with you. Madam Lin may return first—I will have someone escort Lin Yuxin home later.”

“Yes, Your Majesty!”

Since the Emperor had spoken, Zhao Hanya had no choice but to agree.

Before leaving, she gave Lin Yuxin a meaningful glance, warning her to be careful with her words.

Lin Yuxin nodded rapidly. She would behave.

[Mother is gone… I wonder why the Emperor wants me to stay? Is he going to reward me with silver? If not, that would be unreasonable. I just want to sleep! It’s so late—can’t this wait until tomorrow?]

She smiled politely as she saw Zhao Hanya off, but in her heart, she was already complaining about the Emperor.

Outside, Zhao Hanya almost missed a step and stumbled.

Fortunately, Lin Shixiao caught her in time.

His sister’s thoughts were too wild. As a grown man, even he struggled to keep up—let alone their mother.

He made a mental note to remind his sister to talk less and do more in the future.

Once the hall was mostly empty—even the Empress had been escorted back to Kunning Palace—the Emperor turned to the remaining two.

“Follow me.”

The Emperor led Lin Yuxin and Li Xiaocheng to the imperial study.

Eunuch Liu finished attending to the Emperor and stepped aside, waiting silently. The Emperor sat at his desk, gazing at them for a long moment before speaking.

“Li Xiaocheng, explain what happened tonight.”

“Your Majesty, I received word that Jun Chenxi was among the Qi Kingdom envoys. Knowing she was prone to scheming, I decided to investigate. Sure enough, I uncovered suspicious activity, so I took precautions in advance.”

Li Xiaocheng replied respectfully, though he left out Lin Yuxin’s involvement.

“I see. Last night, you sent word that there would be a show today and told me to be cautious—so this was what you meant. But tell me, if she’s so obsessed with you, why don’t you just marry her and be done with it? You’re not young anymore—it’s time to settle down.”

The Emperor gave Li Xiaocheng a look of disapproval.

Lin Yuxin also turned to him with an inquisitive gaze.

[Exactly! He’s already considered an old man here. Why hasn’t he married yet? Does he really like mens?]

“Li Xiaocheng, be honest with me—do you not like women?”

The Emperor hesitated before asking.

Lin Yuxin’s thoughts had influenced him—he was starting to suspect that Li Xiaocheng might actually prefer men.

[Wow, even the Emperor is questioning it now. Could it be true? Li Xiaocheng has a fondness for men?! Hahaha!]

Lin Yuxin lowered her head, her shoulders trembling with barely contained laughter.

The Emperor: Can you keep it down? I can hear you!

“Your Majesty, I do have someone in my heart. It is not a man!”

Li Xiaocheng shot Lin Yuxin a glare and gritted his teeth as he answered.

“Oh? Which young lady is it? Tell me, and I will help you arrange the marriage.”

The Emperor immediately perked up upon hearing that Li Xiaocheng had a love interest.

Li Xiaocheng was the son of his lifesaver, Li Changyin.

Back when the Emperor was struggling the most, Li Changyin had protected him like a brother, even sacrificing his life during a power struggle.

At the time, Li Xiaocheng was only three years old.

The Emperor had watched him grow up, but when Li Xiaocheng came of age, he joined the military and disappeared for five years.

When he was finally found, he was severely injured—barely clinging to life.

Ever since then, every wound he suffered nearly cost him his life.

The Emperor refused to let him fight anymore and defied opposition to grant him the title of Regent Prince.

Li Xiaocheng had since proven himself by handling political affairs with great efficiency.

The Emperor saw him as half a son.

“She doesn’t know yet. I want to wait a little longer.”

Li Xiaocheng avoided giving a direct answer.

The Emperor scowled at him.

“I don’t care. You’re already twenty-five—you must find a wife!”

[Wait… so he does like women? Did I misunderstand? But who’s unlucky enough to be his love interest? That ice-cold face, sharp-tongued personality, and deadly aura—does she have a death wish?]

Lin Yuxin watched their conversation with great amusement, internally ranting once again.

Suddenly, Li Xiaocheng knelt on one knee and spoke firmly:

“Your Majesty, I have thought it over. I am indeed at the age to marry. Since I have already chosen someone, I humbly request a royal decree for marriage.”

The Emperor was momentarily surprised by his sincerity but quickly regained his composure.

“Tell me, who is the lucky lady?”

Lin Yuxin became even more curious.

[Which noble daughter had caught the eye of this living grim reaper?] She stared at Li Xiaocheng intently.

Li Xiaocheng lifted his head and cast a meaningful glance at Lin Yuxin.

His gaze sent chills down her spine—a bad feeling crept over her.

Sure enough, the next words out of his mouth were:

“I wish to marry the daughter of the Lin family, Lin Yuxin. I request Your Majesty’s decree!”

“WHAT?!?!” Lin Yuxin couldn’t hold back.

She shouted in shock, her eyes nearly popping out of their sockets.