An eight-year-old kid emptied his scumbag father's warehouse and followed his grandparents into

The New Year's Day court meeting had just concluded, and the vermilion palace gates slowly opened, allowing civil and military officials to file out. A bitter cold wind, carrying the remaining snow, swept across the palace walls, but it couldn't dispel the whispers from the crowd.

"Your Majesty actually threw down his teacup in court today and rebuked the Crown Prince for his 'lack of moral character'—this is the first time in the history of the dynasty that this has happened!"

"Alas, what a pity. With so many noble ladies in the capital, he didn't choose any of them. How many women can he have in the future?

"I thought he was a good person, but he chose to follow others and keep a mistress. I really misjudged him. How can the emperor not be angry?"

"So, even when I urged him to take a concubine, he kept making excuses. I'm afraid they had already gotten together when they were in Lingnan, and he just took the opportunity to bring her back this time."

The official in the peacock robe gathered his sleeves and winked at the person next to him.

Another man twirled his beard and sneered, "For a Lingnan girl, he didn't hesitate to offend Prince Jing's Mansion and the General's Mansion. Now even Princess Anping has refused to see him. I'm afraid he'll never be able to enter the Rong En Marquis' Mansion again."

The teahouses on both sides of Suzaku Street were already filled with servants from various households who were looking for news.

In the private rooms on the second floor, several servants of the Shangshu family pricked up their ears, overhearing the whispered conversation of several important officials and retainers next door. "I heard that the girl is the daughter of a small merchant from the south, with no parents to raise her. When the High Prince was supervising the construction of a rubber workshop in Lingnan, he placed her in the other courtyard..."

"On the night of the Lantern Festival, someone saw His Highness personally holding a lantern for her, while Prince Jing's carriage passed by without a trace."

"What's that? His Highness the Crown Prince stays in the west of the city at night, and he's been encountered several times."

The gossip in the marketplace was even worse. Old men singing in taverns would spin anecdotes into songs, singing something like, "The subtle fragrance of southern jasmine wafts through the air, enchanting the son of a dragon to abandon his official duties."

The woman carrying a basket at the vegetable market entrance gossiped, "I heard Princess Anping was originally fond of him and always cared about him, but she never expected him to be such a treacherous person. Princess Anping is such a good person, it's a good thing she didn't entrust him with anything."

The upright people who had originally been optimistic about the Grand Prince now shook their heads: "Looking at how diligent he was before, it was all just a facade?"

Several veteran officials who had strongly recommended the crown prince were even more heartbroken: "Your Majesty has ordered him to reflect on his mistakes behind closed doors. This is clearly blocking his path to the Crown Prince!"

Most intriguingly, the old and new factions, once locked in fierce contention, now tacitly distanced themselves from the Wude Hall. The memorials drafted overnight by the Censorate piled high on the desk, each one demanding the "rectification of the imperial family's principles."

The noble ladies who were originally preparing to participate in the selection of the prince's consort now changed into hairpins and shawls with flowers, and invitations to various spring banquets flew in like snowflakes, and the purpose of holding these banquets was to make other plans for their own daughters and granddaughters.

Before and after the New Year, that is, during the time when Xu Zize brought the Jiangnan woman named Qin Ailian back to the capital, the number of people from the southern states heading north for various reasons unknowingly increased.

Especially after the Lantern Festival, this phenomenon became more and more obvious. Roughly speaking, there were at least thousands of new faces pouring into the capital and its suburbs.

Some claimed they came to the capital to meet friends, some said they were visiting distant relatives, and more came in large groups of escort teams and caravans.

Not only did these people arrive earlier than the same period in previous years, the size of their teams was also larger than before, with often hundreds of people, and the teams were full of strong men.

As a result, all the inns in the capital were overcrowded, and even the woodshed was full of people.

The happiest people were those who had idle houses to rent out. The rents had risen sharply, almost double the rent during the three-yearly spring imperial examinations when candidates from all over the country came to Beijing for the imperial examinations. They were so happy that they couldn't stop smiling.

Even in several towns near the outer city of Beijing, such as Qinghe Town and Lugouqiao Town, there were many unfamiliar faces for no apparent reason. These strangers lived in seclusion, behaved cautiously, and had little interaction with the locals.

"How is it? Have our people been settled?"

In the pitch-black night, in an inconspicuous little house in the inner city, a tall man dressed in a noble brocade robe sat facing the window, his back to a man in black standing hunched behind him, and asked questions in a low and stern voice.

The man in black was in his thirties, and his demeanor was extremely respectful. Upon hearing this, he immediately replied, "Your Majesty, everything has been properly arranged, leaving no trace. I have strictly ordered them to stay out as little as possible to avoid attracting unnecessary attention. Now we are just waiting for your final call."

"What's going on with that loser? Is there any movement in the palace?" The man in brocade robes suddenly turned around. His face, which was still very young, looked ferocious at this moment. He gritted his teeth, as if he was suppressing great anger.

"Replying to the king, that idiot was so bewitched by the beauty that he lost six of his seven souls and indulged himself in the land of pleasure all day long. After the New Year, he no longer assisted in the Qinzheng Palace, and spent his days living a life of drunkenness and debauchery with the beauty. He was completely unaware of the abnormalities in the capital and had no defenses at all."

The man in black replied respectfully, "He even brought a beautiful woman to the palace to meet the emperor the other day. According to reports from our spies, I think she will soon be able to secure the position of the prince's concubine."

The man in black turned his body slightly after he finished speaking. The weak light from the window shone on his face, which was obviously rough and weathered, and obviously much older than his actual age. However, it still couldn't hide his handsome features, and gave people an inexplicable sense of familiarity.

"The one in the palace must have thought that his rule was stable and he could rest easy, so he wasn't at all prepared for the sudden influx of so many people into the city." The man in black continued to report, "However..."

He paused and continued, "Because there had been two heavy snowfalls a few days ago, that person had ordered many officials and yamen runners to set up porridge stalls in and around the city to distribute porridge. Our people mingled with the refugees to get the porridge, and not only did they fill their stomachs, but each of them also received a thick cotton coat."

He raised his head, looked at the man in brocade clothes with flattering eyes, and said again, "He is very merciful. Just because of these two heavy snowfalls that have not been seen in decades, he ordered the Spring Examination, which was supposed to start soon, to be postponed. At the same time, he also relocated all the students who were stranded in the capital to several famous academies for temporary accommodation. It is said that the court also paid for the food and lodging of these candidates, without spending a penny."

"Hmph! How can this be called mercy? It's nothing more than buying people's hearts." The man in brocade robes snorted coldly, a fierce look flashing in his eyes. "When I return to the palace, I will make him pay for his blood debt with blood, double the amount!"

The man in brocade clothes twirled the ring on his finger. "Bribing people? He's not qualified! He's just pretending." He suddenly lowered his voice. "Did those scholars... arrange for our people to sneak in?"

The man in black bowed quickly and said, "Don't worry, Your Majesty. Seventeen people have already infiltrated the four major academies. They are dressed like talented scholars from Jiangnan, and their writings and poems can withstand scrutiny. Some of them are disguised as book boys."

A hint of sarcasm curled up the corner of his mouth. "Ironically, it's thanks to those two snowfalls that the candidates are huddled together, making it easier for us to pass on information."

Suddenly, the night watchman's clapping could be heard from outside the window. It was already three o'clock in the morning. The man in brocade clothes walked to the window and looked at the night sky illuminated by the snow. "Are you sure Qin Ailian is reliable?"

"Your Highness," the black-clad man took two steps forward, "the lives of her entire family are in our hands. Moreover..." He paused meaningfully, "that idiot still doesn't know that the beauty who saved him from the 'bandits' in Jiangnan was all our setup."

The man in brocade clothes finally revealed a genuine smile, but that smile was colder than the snow outside the window: "Very good. Let my good brother enjoy himself for a few more days, and when he is bewitched by beauty--" His words were interrupted by a sudden knock on the door.