At the third quarter of the Si hour, Ling Qiyan absentmindedly strolled into the Palace of Phoenix Grace. He waited for a moment in the main hall, and just as he was stretching and yawning, Lady Shen finally appeared. She sat in the main seat and commanded with a cold face, "Kneel."

Ling Qiyan pursed his lips and reluctantly knelt down.

Since he was enfeoffed as a prince and established his own manor outside the palace at the age of twelve, he hadn't set foot in the Palace of Phoenix Grace for more than four years. If Lady Shen hadn't specifically sent someone to his manor to summon him this time, he wouldn't have come at all. He knew that upon entering this door, a scolding was inevitable.

Lady Shen's face was full of anger. "What great airs you put on. I had someone summon you to the palace, yet you deliberately dragged it out until this hour. Is it that you have no respect for me at all?"

Ling Qiyan was unconcerned. "Mother Empress doesn't have much respect for your son either. You could have just said what you wanted to say. Why bother with so much nonsense?"

"Insolent!" Lady Shen scolded angrily. "You dare talk back! What did you do at the estate of Duke Wei's Manor yesterday? Do I need to remind you?!"

"Oh," Ling Qiyan drawled, speaking brazenly, "The ladies of Duke Wei's Manor and the Count of Huainan's Manor submitted their tablets to enter the palace first thing in the morning to complain about your son. Mother Empress listened to their one-sided story and, without giving your son any chance to defend himself, has already decided it's your son's fault. In that case, what is there to say?"

He had already heard on his way here. As soon as the palace gates opened in the morning, the mothers of Shen Xingyao and the lad whose tongue he had cut out went weeping to the Palace of Phoenix Grace and fiercely complained about him before the Empress. Upon hearing this, Lady Shen immediately sent someone to his manor to summon him to the palace for a reprimand.

Seeing his attitude, Lady Shen became even more furious and slammed her hand on the small table. "Are you not in the wrong?! The Count of Huainan's Manor has been loyal for generations, yet without a second thought, you cut out the tongue of their legitimate son! Shen Xingyao is your older male cousin, and you kicked him so hard he vomited blood and fell unconscious! What else is there for you to defend?!"

Ling Qiyan was defiant. "They first abducted a retainer from your son's manor and then publicly slandered your son with foul language. It wasn't just your son's reputation they shamed; they showed no respect for the imperial family. What's wrong with your son teaching them a lesson?"

"Don't you dare use the imperial family as a shield for your vile actions! What retainer? What kind of proper retainer could someone like you possibly take in?! Even if others said unpleasant things, you brought it upon yourself! If you behaved properly, what could others possibly slander you with?! It is you who is dissolute day in and day out, attracting all that gossip, that truly brings shame upon the imperial family!"

Ling Qiyan curled his lips into a cold smile. "Mother Empress, you're wrong about that. Wen Ying is the Minor Triple First Scholar from Jizhou, a talent praised by every scholar-official in the Imperial Academy as potential top scholar material. He couldn't be more proper. As for that good nephew of yours, he frequents brothels, contracted a filthy disease, and was expelled from the Imperial Academy. Who exactly is the dissolute one? I think the Shen family's reputation has truly been utterly shamed by that dear cousin of mine."

"Shut your mouth!" Utterly furious, Lady Shen stepped forward and slapped Ling Qiyan across the face. Her sharp nail guards scraped two bloody lines across his fair cheek.

Ling Qiyan was stunned for a moment by the blow. After coming to his senses, he let out a derisive laugh, his eyes filled with contempt and mockery as he looked at Lady Shen.

Provoked by his expression, Lady Shen grew even more enraged. She raised her hand for a second slap, but as it came down, Ling Qiyan forcefully grabbed her wrist and pushed her back.

Caught off guard, Lady Shen staggered back two steps. If not for the senior maids and palace maids behind her who caught her, she would have fallen to the ground.

After steadying herself, Lady Shen was already trembling with uncontrollable rage. Her face, steeped in rage and hatred, was nearly twisted into a ferocious expression. "Fine, just fine! You dare to lay a hand on me now. I will beat you to death today! I'll act as if I never gave birth to you, you beast!! Someone! Bring me a whip!"

The Sixth Prince, Ling Qining, who was eavesdropping outside the door, was startled upon hearing this. He gritted his teeth, turned, and ran in the direction of the Palace of Tranquil Longevity.

The chief eunuch of the Palace of Phoenix Grace brought over the whip they usually used to beat offending servants. He knelt on the ground, trembling as he tried to persuade Lady Shen, "Your Majesty, His Highness's constitution is weak, you cannot use this..."

Ling Qiyan clenched his fists tightly and gritted his teeth.

Lady Shen took the whip herself, gritting her teeth. "All of you, shut up! No one is to plead for this beast! Today, I will beat this beast to death!"

Ling Qining ran to the Palace of Tranquil Longevity as fast as he could. Disregarding etiquette, he burst in, covered in sweat, shouting as he entered, "Grandmother, quickly go save Big Brother! Mother Empress is going to punish Big Brother!"

The Empress Dowager was resting with her eyes closed. At his words, she opened her eyes with a frown. "Ning'er, what are you saying?"

Ling Qining wiped the sweat from his forehead and said anxiously, "Grandmother, you must quickly go persuade Mother Empress. She's going to whip Big Brother!"

The Empress Dowager's face immediately darkened. "How outrageous! Has she gone mad?!"

In the Palace of Phoenix Grace, Lady Shen raised the whip and lashed it viciously towards Ling Qiyan's back. Ling Qiyan reacted extremely quickly, ducking and rolling on the ground, but was still caught by the wind of the whip. A searing pain immediately flared up on his back.

Her anger still not abated, Lady Shen's hatred intensified at the thought that this brat had been a curse to her since birth, was devoted to that old woman, and now even dared to raise a hand against her, his own mother. She was about to strike a second time when the Empress Dowager, surrounded by a retinue of servants, stepped through the door and commanded sternly, "Take the whip from her hand!"

A stout senior maid from the Palace of Tranquil Longevity stepped forward and snatched the whip away. Lady Shen looked up with red eyes and glared fiercely at the Empress Dowager. The Empress Dowager ordered a eunuch by her side to help Ling Qiyan up and asked coldly, "Yan'er is your own son, after all. Did you really intend to beat him to death?"

Lady Shen said resentfully, "Since Mother Empress knows he is my biological son! He has done such an outrageous thing! Do I not have the right to discipline him?!"

Her words made the Empress Dowager furious. "When Yan'er was summoned by you to the palace, I already knew what had happened. I deliberately waited a while before coming over, to give you a chance to discipline him. I thought you would reason with him properly, but I never imagined your so-called discipline would be to take a whip used on servants and try to beat him to death. If I had come any later today, would I have been collecting my grandson's corpse?!"

Before Lady Shen could argue, the Empress Dowager scolded angrily again, "Do you even remember that Yan'er is also your biological son? But your favoritism is too extreme. Favoring Ling Qiyu and Ling Qining is one thing, but now you want to beat Yan'er for the sake of your nephew from your maiden family. An Empress like you, who can't even be a good mother, how can you talk of being a model for the realm!"

Tears instantly streamed down Lady Shen's face, and her body swayed. The Empress Dowager's words were extremely harsh, even questioning her ability to be a model for the realm and her fitness to be the Empress. She was filled with grievances and indignation, but she could not talk back to the Empress Dowager.

Ling Qining, who had followed her in, cautiously tugged on the Empress Dowager's sleeve and pleaded, "Grandmother, Mother Empress didn't mean to..."

Ling Qiyan was helped to a seat at the side, his head lowered, saying nothing.

The atmosphere in the hall was tense for a moment, until a eunuch's announcement was heard from outside: the Emperor and the Crown Prince had arrived.

Ling Qiyu entered beside the Emperor. His gaze swept over Lady Shen, who was tightly clutching a handkerchief with eyes full of indignation, before landing on Ling Qiyan, whose expression was unclear with his eyes downcast. He paused slightly.

The Emperor greeted the Empress Dowager and explained sheepishly that he and the Crown Prince had been in the front court discussing matters with officials and had only come over to see what was happening after hearing the message from the person Ling Qining sent. "Mother Empress, why must you be so angry and come all the way to the Palace of Phoenix Grace..."

The Empress Dowager angrily interrupted him, "If I hadn't come personally, Yan'er would have been beaten to death by your good Empress!"

"The Empress was just anxious to discipline her son..."

"Anxious to discipline him means she can treat Yan'er the way one beats and scolds servants?! What does she take Yan'er for?!"

"Grandmother, please calm your anger," Ling Qiyu interjected in a low voice. "Mother Empress must have been overcome with anger and acted without thinking. Your grandson was also present for yesterday's events. It was our cousin and the others who were in the wrong first, saying some nasty things to slander and defame Big Brother. But Big Brother's reaction was indeed a bit excessive, kicking our cousin until he vomited blood and fainted, and also cutting out the tongue of the Count of Huainan's son. The ladies of the two manors came to the palace early this morning to cry to Mother Empress. If Mother Empress doesn't punish Big Brother, it would be difficult to give them an explanation, and if word of this gets out, it will also harm Big Brother's reputation."

"I don't care about any of that," the Empress Dowager said angrily. "I only know that Yan'er is my grandson. Those boys from Duke Wei's Manor and the Count of Huainan's Manor brought it on themselves. How you compensate and appease them is your business, but laying a hand on my grandson is not allowed!"

The Emperor was extremely exasperated. "Mother Empress, this is... unreasonable of you..."

"Am I the one being unreasonable, or are you?! Fine. You're the Emperor now, your wings have grown strong, I can't control you anymore. You all find Yan'er displeasing and have long wanted to drive him out of the capital, do you think I don't know? Issue the edict now, give Yan'er a fiefdom, and I'll go with him! From now on, the two of us, grandmother and grandson, will depend on each other! We won't be an eyesore to you any longer!"

The Emperor was greatly alarmed. "Mother Empress, you can't do that! What are you doing? Why must you be like this? Can't we discuss things properly?"

"There's nothing to discuss. That's the end of this matter. If any of you dare to touch a single finger on Yan'er again, this old woman will fight you to the death!" With those words, the Empress Dowager ordered her own servants to help Ling Qiyan up and left without paying any more attention to the others.

Once outside the gates of the Palace of Phoenix Grace, Ling Qiyan sat in the sedan chair with the Empress Dowager, and only then did he start wincing and whining in pain. The Empress Dowager held his hand and kept wiping her tears. "Next time your Mother Empress summons you to the palace to lecture you, just come straight to Grandmother's place. Say that Grandmother called for you. Ignore her."

"Your grandson is fine now. Grandmother dotes on your grandson, so your grandson is not afraid." Ling Qiyan put on a clever and obedient act to coax the old Empress Dowager, and the anger in his heart finally subsided a little.

The Empress Dowager touched his face. "My poor child. If Grandmother doesn't dote on you, no one will."

Back at the Palace of Tranquil Longevity, an imperial physician was already waiting to apply medicine and bandage Ling Qiyan's wounds.

He had dodged the whip quickly, so the injury wasn't severe. But his skin was fair and tender, so the red mark was still quite conspicuous. Some medicine was also applied to the scratches on his face.

The Empress Dowager looked as if she was about to cry again and couldn't help but chide him, "You child, I don't know who you get this temper from. Why don't you know how to restrain yourself a little, insisting on getting into conflicts with those rascals? You didn't get anything good out of it. And that retainer, what's that all about? Is it really as others say?"

"Of course not," Ling Qiyan lied through his teeth. "Wen Ying is skilled in both literary and martial arts; he brings credit to your grandson. Your grandson simply appreciates talent. It's all because Shen Xingyao and his lot are incapable of saying anything good. Shen Xingyao himself had designs on Wen Ying, but the man was unwilling, so he tried to use force. As if things would go so smoothly for him."

As for him and Wen Ying embracing and doing that last night, Ling Qiyan had absolutely no intention of admitting it.

"Is that man really the Minor Triple First Scholar from Jizhou?"

"Yes, his knowledge is profound. Every scholar-official in the Imperial Academy praises him. He is sure to pass the examinations with high honors next year."

Since Ling Qiyan said so, the Empress Dowager was reassured. "Then it's good for you to associate with him. You can also study more with him."

Ling Qiyan chuckled, feeling a little guilty.

The Empress Dowager sighed for a while, then brought up another matter. "You're not young anymore. It would be best to settle your marriage soon to avoid outside gossip. If you were already married, how could others make up these things about you? Originally, that girl Xihua was the best choice, but your aunt doesn't seem very willing..."

"Don't," Ling Qiyan hastily interrupted her. "Grandmother, please have mercy, don't push Xihua on me. If I really marry her, she'd tear down my entire manor. How would I have any peaceful days for the rest of my life?"

The Empress Dowager was amused by his words. "Is it that exaggerated? I thought you two got along quite well when you were children. That girl seemed to like you a lot too."

Ling Qiyan pursed his lips. 'Like hell she likes me. It's true she wants to snatch someone from me, though.'

Seeing his distressed expression, the Empress Dowager had to drop it. "Very well. You can't force a relationship. I'll keep looking. I'll be sure to pick a good one for you this time."