Now, only those closely connected know that the missing Crown Prince has long since appeared and is currently in the capital city, thus public opinion there remains at a high tide.

And as the auspicious day of the Empress’s phoenix birth approaches, this heated discussion is pushed to its climax one wave after another.

Originally, matters within the palace were not to be discussed by civilians, yet it’s rare this time that the government did not forcibly prohibit it, so everyone spoke with more boldness. Consequently, various speculations emerged one after another.

The phoenix birth is on the tenth day of October.

On the ninth day, families who received the imperial edict began preparing their attire for the banquet.

Meanwhile, various rumors from the outside world also found their way into the chambers of each household.

This is the first time in nearly a decade that the Empress is hosting a grand banquet. In previous years, the nation was not at peace, and both the Emperor and Empress lived frugally, going as far as not adding new dragon and phoenix robes for three consecutive years, naturally making it impossible to organize such feasts for themselves. Even to boost morale, they only appeared on the city walls during festivals to rejoice with the public.

Thus, this palace banquet holds significant meaning in celebrating the peace of the realm.

Coupled with the undecided issue of the imperial succession, everyone sensed that this palace banquet would certainly be extraordinary.

Those aware of Yang Yi’s existence managed to remain calm. Those still in the dark had already dispatched many to gather information from the streets and alleys.

After all, this concerns the entire court. With every new emperor comes new ministers; who wouldn’t care about who will succeed the throne in the future? How will the palace solve this dilemma? Failing that, what path should the officials of Great Zhou take? If forced to push someone forward, it’s not inadmissible, but how should they gauge his background, character, and abilities?

Thus, many memorials have been submitted to the palace these days, and civil and military officials frequently visited Qianqing Palace requesting an audience with the Emperor.

However, whether in writing or in person, the Emperor’s attitude was one of non-attitude.

To speak of any change, it would be only that the spirits and complexion of the Emperor and Empress visibly improved. Even the rumors from the Imperial Hospital suggested that the Emperor’s pulse was harmonious, having recovered to the state before the Crown Prince discord.

Before the incident of the Crown Prince, the Imperial Hospital diagnosed that the Emperor could maintain his current health for another four or five years.

That means, although King Yan can no longer inherit the throne, at least the court can remain stable for four or five more years. Perhaps in these four or five years, a solution might be found.

This possibility is of course very slim, but it seems that this is all everyone can cling to.

So, everyone watches to see if the Emperor will give any hints at this palace banquet.

And tomorrow’s phoenix birth is causing unprecedented anticipation.

The members of the Pei family prepared their attire early on. On the afternoon of the ninth day, Fu Zhen and Mrs. Pei were discussing the headpieces and jewelry they would wear, naturally filled with uncertainty about the upcoming banquet. 𝙛𝒓𝓮𝙚𝔀𝒆𝒃𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝒐𝒎

"Since His Majesty has placed guards to watch the Yi family, he surely knows their intentions. Not taking action to stop them—does he want to publicly slap the face of the Yi and Guo families for their collusion and their scheme of dividing power within the court, or does he have other considerations?"

After sending away the latest messenger, Fu Zhen couldn’t help but mutter, "The Yi family is truly odious. Her Majesty has waited so long for the Crown Prince to return, to reunite and celebrate a birthday together, and after so many years, the entire court could finally breathe and be joyful, yet they choose this opportunity to sow discord, and even if it weren’t for the Crown Prince, this would still be insolent."

They had already heard of the Yi family’s close ties with the Guo family, and as Fu Zhen and Pei Zhan expected, they indeed were among the once-rebellious Righteous Army who couldn’t initially accept the Emperor. Liang Chen went to the Ministry of War and those formerly stationed in Guangxi to inquire, and although the Guo family had contributed to fending off external threats over the years, fundamentally they remained unsatisfied with being bestowed a Second Rank general status by the Emperor back then.

During the court’s triennial convocations, they often claimed illness to avoid participating. Were it not for their lack of errors in official duties, it would have been reasonable to punish them for defying imperial orders.

Thus, seeing the imperial power wavering within the palace, it’s indeed unreasonable for the likes of the Guo and Yi families to remain inactive.

Because even if they don’t wish to act, there will often be those beneath them who incite action.

"Back in the day, founding the empire relied on power consolidated from all directions, and there are still families like the Guo and Yi that haven’t surfaced," Mrs. Pei fiddled with the pearls and jades in front of her, saying, "But the purer the water, the fewer the fish; all have emotions and desires, how can everyone be upright and moral? It is enough that they do not err in major matters."