This news reached Liu Qingxi, who was staying at the Eastern Palace.

Upon receiving the news, she instructed the kitchen to make some pastries and carried them to visit: "Crown Prince, Qingxi has come to see you."

She walked in gracefully.

During this period, her diligent care allowed her to recover fully, and coupled with her beauty, she and Li Changnian consummated their marriage last month. She was brought out from prison secretly as she was in disgrace and had no official status within the Eastern Palace.

Liu Qingxi was imprisoned for offending Chancellor Shen and became a disgraced person. The Liu Mansion had already abandoned this illegitimate daughter; she had nowhere else to go except the Eastern Palace.

Hatred is endless.

What is left in her mind now is revenge, never allowing Shen Chen and Ye Zhi to have peace. Ha ha, just wait and see.

Li Changnian was troubled. Upon seeing her, his expression improved somewhat, and he gritted his teeth: "Originally, I wanted to severely punish that Ye Zhi, but who knew things would escalate so much, even reaching Father Emperor. Now I can’t go out for a month; I can only stay in this small Eastern Palace."

Liu Qingxi set down the food box, gently arranged the pastries, and said softly:

"Many ministers have filed impeachments against you. I suspect it is under Shen Chen’s orders. Be wary of him. His depth is profound, none of you are his match. What you need to do is recruit talented people to contend with him."

Li Changnian took her hand, kissed it, and said: "Yes, I am aware of this situation. It’s hard on you to follow me without a name or title. When I one day rule the world, the position of Empress will be yours and yours alone."

Just as he finished speaking, a sudden rush of footsteps sounded outside the door.

Soon, a person entered; it was his personal eunuch.

The eunuch, gasping for breath, hurriedly said: "Crown Prince, it’s not good, Empress is coming, she’ll be here soon."

The two people inside panicked.

The matter of Qingxi being there is a secret; his mother must not know. Li Changnian quickly hid her in a secret room and instructed her to make no sound.

After ensuring she was settled.

Empress Jinlan stormed into the study, furious, and the first thing she did upon entering was smash things.

After destroying all the pastries on the table, she began to scold: "You useless thing, getting agitated for no reason and causing trouble with that wench? Do you think you’ve sat on the Crown Prince’s position for too long?"

"So many eyes are watching you now. Your grandfather has already fallen from grace, weakening our power. It was already unstable, and you’re trying to infuriate me even more?"

She shouted sternly, showing no face to her son.

Li Changnian did not retort. This was his miscalculation, and now there was no room for redemption.

Empress Jinlan proceeded to give her son a lengthy reprimand, thoroughly explaining the power dynamics in the court, urging him to endure and not act impulsively anymore.

The Crown Prince obediently agreed to each of her points.

As she was leaving, Empress Jinlan reminded once more: "At this crucial moment, you must not make any more mistakes, or even I can’t protect you."

"Yes, I understand, Mother," he replied.

After receiving a satisfactory response, she swept her gown and stepped out.

Chen Gui waited by the door. As the Empress left, he followed her, having grown accustomed to such scenes. The decline of the Crown Prince Faction was underway.

Chen Gui’s mind also wandered far, considering that if the timing is wrong, it’s best to flee rather than continue to endure the master’s volatile temper.

If something goes wrong, it could cost lives.