The entire hall of guests was stunned.

The Embroidered Uniform Guard—they answered directly to the Emperor.

When they were dispatched, it was always a matter of great severity.

The Princess Royal and the Emperor were full siblings and had a deep bond.

No one could understand why the Embroidered Uniform Guard would dare to surround the Princess’s residence.

The Princess Royal remained composed.

She stood up and said, “Everyone, stay calm. I’ll go take a look.”

Before she could take even two steps, the guards entered. Leading them was Commander Shangguan, who headed the Imperial Guards.

“Princess Royal, by imperial decree, I am here to search the residence. Please forgive the offense,” Commander Shangguan cupped his hands in greeting and then gave the order, “Search carefully!”

Over a hundred guards entered, quickly taking control of the banquet hall, then began searching the residence courtyard by courtyard.

The Prince Consort’s expression turned grim. “Why the search? At least give a reason!”

“What’s the rush, Prince Consort?” Commander Shangguan replied indifferently. “You’ll find out soon enough.”

Moments later, a guard approached holding a letter in both hands and presented it.

Before Shangguan could read it, a figure suddenly rushed out—it was Jia Gao, the Princess Royal and Prince Consort’s eldest legitimate son, and the top scorer in this year’s imperial exams.

He snatched the letter, crumpled it, and swallowed it whole.

Shangguan flew into a rage. “I am here by imperial order to seize evidence, and you dare destroy it—”

Jia Gao showed no fear. “Who can prove I destroyed anything?”

That letter contained the leaked imperial exam questions he had bought for 50,000 taels of silver. If made public, he, the top scorer, would become the biggest joke in the capital.

He was the Princess Royal’s legitimate heir and a noble.

He didn’t believe a mere commander could touch him!

“Jia Gongzi, you underestimate the situation,” Shangguan said coldly. “This is not just an exam leak. This implicates treason—collusion with enemy states. Even if I have to dig up your body, I will find the evidence. Let alone simply…”

Before he could finish, his blade flashed.

“God! He’s killed someone!”

“Jia Gao is dead!”

“He killed the Princess’s own son!”

“He’s mad—mad!”

The guests scattered in panic.

Jia Gao’s eyes were wide with disbelief.

Even in death, he couldn’t believe someone actually dared to kill him.

The Princess Royal fainted on the spot.

The Prince Consort, devastated, cried out, “Shangguan Cheng! Give me back my son’s life!”

He charged forward with a sword.

But Shangguan, commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard and a master of martial arts, didn’t regard him as a threat.

With a single kick, he sent the Prince Consort flying, who vomited blood from the blow.

Shangguan then cut open Jia Gao’s stomach and retrieved the swallowed paper. He smiled. “Prince Consort, stop struggling. With this evidence, your Jia family is finished!”

“Seal the Princess Royal’s residence. No one leaves. All guests must have a guarantor to exit!”

“Yes, sir!”

The guests were stunned in terror.

Just moments ago, the hall was full of celebration.

Now, blood was everywhere—Jia Gao’s, the Prince Consort’s. It was horrifying.

Li Zhiyue’s face turned pale.

The Princess Royal was the highest-ranking noblewoman in the empire. Yet even she couldn’t protect her own son.

One word, and he was dead.

The Prince Consort was coughing up blood. He wouldn’t last long either.

Princess Qingping held her unconscious mother and wept silently.

Guests huddled in fear.

“Don’t be afraid,” said the old Marquis, shielding his family. “Yunge didn’t pass the exam, so this has nothing to do with us. Once Yunge vouches for us, we can go home.”

Li Zhiyue nodded.

She tried to recall the events from the book.

Was this part in it?

Maybe.

Maybe not.

All she remembered was that from this point on, more and more noble families would be executed—confiscated and decapitated—on the flimsiest of charges.

Then came a voice: “The Marquis of Xiangyang—I vouch for them.”

It was Cheng Changyan.

He stepped forward and addressed Shangguan.

Shangguan, the Emperor’s confidant, held immense authority in the capital.

That he could kill the Princess Royal’s son without hesitation spoke volumes. But when facing Cheng Changyan, his arrogance vanished.

He waved at the Li family. “Put your fingerprints here. You may leave.”

The old Marquis let out a long sigh of relief.

The Princess Royal’s residence was in chaos, now fully under guard control.

Some guards would likely take advantage of the moment to cause trouble. Every minute they stayed increased the danger—leaving early was the best option.

The Marquis bowed deeply to Cheng Changyan. “Lord Cheng, I will never forget your kindness. I will come personally to thank you another day.”

All the remaining guests looked at the Li family with envy.

Lu Jingxue trembled.

She was from a poor family, unconnected.

The Song family didn’t care about her, and her only reliance was the Fourth Prince.

But the princes had been escorted away at the first sign of trouble.

She looked at the Li family with hatred.

They were supposed to take her with them! Had they forgotten her family once saved theirs?

At the palace gate, Li Zhiyue looked back.

This place, once the most glamorous in the capital, had turned into a prison in the blink of an eye.

The banquet guests weren’t released until midnight.

The next day, Li Zhiyue finally learned the full story.

It turned out an exam official had leaked the imperial questions.

Among the buyers was a scholar with Yue blood.

After drinking, he spilled the secret, and another scholar reported it to the Shuntian Prefecture.

When Shuntian Prefecture investigated, they realized the scale of the scandal and reported it to the court. When the Emperor heard Yue people were involved, he handed it over to the Embroidered Uniform Guard.

Their raid on the Princess Royal’s residence was to retrieve evidence—the letter would reveal which official had leaked the questions.

That letter was so crucial that when Jia Gao swallowed it, the Guard literally cut him open to retrieve it.

“Thank goodness I didn’t pass…” Li Muyun wiped cold sweat. “They say every top scorer was searched that night.”

Bai Ruzhu shook her head. “The Embroidered Guard is out of control. The Princess Royal had only one son, and now he’s dead… just like that.”

The entire capital was in an uproar.

Reports said 48 examinees were involved.

Without even investigating thoroughly, all were executed after autumn.

Those with Yue ancestry suffered even worse—drawn and quartered.

Li Zhiyue pressed her lips together.

When it came to corruption, the Emperor did nothing—because it harmed only the common people.

But if Yue was involved, he became ruthless—because a Yue invasion threatened royal power.

This Great Wei Dynasty was rotten to the core.

Caught in the storm of the imperial court, could the Xiangyang Marquis family truly stay untouched?

Li Zhiyue had one strong desire: leave the capital.

Go far, far away.

As winter approached, the uproar gradually died down.

The Prince Consort, after taking that brutal kick, didn’t survive either.

The dead could no longer cry out for justice.

For the living, however, this turned out to be a blessing.

Because of the leaked exam, this year’s imperial exams were nullified.

Examinees had to wait two more years.

And for the nobility, this was excellent news—fewer qualified candidates meant more available posts, and they now had a chance to snatch them.