After the eldest sister-in-law of a fishing family became a widow, her disabled younger brother-in-l

Xie Jinbo's smile made Pei Jingchuan realize that he was missing several teeth, which didn't seem to have fallen out naturally, but rather... were knocked out by someone.

"Jiang Yuyue? Then they're all dead, of course."

Xie Jinbo still smiled eerily, "Young Master Pei still remembers her? It's such a pity you couldn't witness this scene. I heard they were burned so badly that you couldn't recognize them. But if you ask me... they died for good!"

Pei Jingchuan was already heartbroken over Jiang Yuyue's ordeal. Hearing Xie Jinbo's arrogant words, the veins on his forehead bulged, and his face instantly turned gloomy and terrifying.

Before Xie Jinbo could react, he kicked him hard in the chest, sending the broken bowl in Xie's hand flying several feet away.

This action drew gasps of surprise from passersby.

Seeing a richly dressed young master beating a disabled beggar, passersby turned their heads and whispered among themselves about Pei Jingchuan. But he was in a fit of anger and didn't care about what others thought.

"I advise you to watch your mouth."

Pei Jingchuan's anger lingered in his chest. He stomped on Xie Jinbo's chest, who was lying on the ground, and said, "You're in such a miserable state now, you're nowhere near as good as them. If you dare to say anything offensive again, I won't hesitate to cut off both of your hands!"

After saying this, Pei Jingchuan seemed to feel that it wasn't enough to vent his anger, so he kicked Xie Jinbo hard in the face, causing Xie Jinbo to bleed from his mouth and nose and faint.

Seeing how easily he could take a beating, Pei Jingchuan didn't bother arguing with him anymore. He sneered and left.

As for Jiang Yuyue, just two days after New Year's Eve, she urged Jiang Huanxi to leave.

"Sis, can't you really let me stay for two more days?"

Jiang Huanxi really didn't want to leave. "I've only been back for a few days. I've really made arrangements for my parents. Everything will be fine!"

"No."

Jiang Yuyue refused decisively, stuffing the prepared bundle directly into his arms. "I can't rest easy without you by my side. You can stay as long as you want after these things are settled, but you have to leave now."

Xiao Liu chimed in, "Young Master, please rest assured and go. We, Jasmine and Steward Xiang, are here to look after Miss. You can rest assured."

Jiang Huanxi sighed helplessly. Seeing her sister's determined look, she knew she couldn't keep up the act and could only take the bundle, accepting her fate.

"That's a good girl." Jiang Yuyue stepped forward to straighten Axi's clothes, and then whispered, "Go back to the capital first to confirm your parents' safety, and then go to the water town to check on how my two shops are doing."

"Does our family really need the revenue from your two shops...?"

Jiang Huanxi was dissatisfied and couldn't help but mutter this.

Jiang Yuyue didn't hear clearly and asked, "What?"

"nothing."

Jiang Huanxi shook her head and said earnestly, "Sister, you must take care of yourself. Now that you are heavier and have difficulty moving around, you must go out less. If anything happens, you must send me a message immediately!"

"understood."

Jiang Yuyue smiled and pushed him toward the door, saying, "You should set off soon."

Although Jiang Huanxi was really reluctant to leave, she still left with many turns back.

……

Meanwhile, things haven't been peaceful in the imperial court in the capital either.

"Cough cough..."

Emperor Wende, Song Zhenghong, sat on the dragon throne with graying hair and an extremely haggard appearance. His coughs sounded very strained, which was truly worrying.

One of the bolder ministers immediately stepped forward and submitted a memorial, saying, "Your Majesty, as the saying goes, the foundation of the nation must be established early. Now that all the princes have come of age, we beseech Your Majesty to prioritize the well-being of the country and establish a crown prince as soon as possible!"

"I second the proposal!"

Once someone started, the other officials followed suit, pleading, "Your Majesty, please establish a crown prince as soon as possible to reassure the people!"

Seeing that so many ministers were proposing the establishment of an heir, the emperor's coughing intensified, startling the eunuch Liu, who quickly patted his back to help him catch his breath.

"Even before I've breathed my last, you people are already so impatient to have me designate an heir!"

Emperor Wende's face was filled with anger. "Is it because you see that I am getting old that you have formed your own factions and are only concerned with scheming for the throne for the princes you serve, completely disregarding my life and death!"

These words immediately caused a large number of court officials to kneel down, saying in unison, "Your Majesty, we dare not!"

Prime Minister Li Daocong looked at these people with disdain in his eyes, took a step forward, and bowed to the emperor.

"Your Majesty, I believe that Your Majesty is still in the prime of life and there is really no need to establish the heir to the throne too early. Throughout history, there have been many instances of brothers killing each other because of the struggle for the crown prince. If an heir is established too early, it may lead to infighting among the princes, which would be detrimental to the stability of the court."

"If Your Majesty has a chosen prince, there is no need to announce this matter widely. It would be better to follow the example of the previous dynasty and secretly establish an heir, so as to avoid trouble. However, if Your Majesty does not have a candidate in mind for the time being, then this matter is not urgent."

Li Daocong's words were somewhat more agreeable, and Emperor Wende's expression softened slightly. He said in a deep voice, "These are the words of a minister who truly cares about me! There's no need to mention the matter of establishing an heir again. I have my own decision. If anyone dares to speak rashly again, don't blame me for being ruthless!"

After saying this, Emperor Wende rose and left, and Eunuch Liu immediately shouted, "Court adjourned—"

Upon hearing this, the officials immediately bowed down again. After everyone stood up, Zhang Ziqing, the Minister of Revenue, who was standing to the side, glanced at Zhao Daocong.

"What Prime Minister Li said just now sounded truly upright and incorruptible at first glance."

After the court session ended, Zhang Ziqing walked up to Zhao Daocong and said with a hint of sarcasm, "If I didn't know what Prime Minister Li was planning, I would probably have to admire his loyalty."

Upon hearing this, Li Daocong frowned. "What does Minister Zhang mean by that?"

"What do you mean? Is Prime Minister Li pretending to be ignorant while I know the truth?"

Zhang Ziqing lowered his voice and sneered, "Do you really think I don't know you want to rise to power by relying on Prince Jing? Let me make it clear to you today: His Majesty's three sons are all outstanding. Even if our Prince Ding doesn't get the throne, it will never be Prince Jing's turn as his uncle!"

"As your colleague of many years, I advise you to stop clinging to Prince Jing. Your daughter's engagement to him was just a joke. If you keep her in the manor any longer, she'll become an old maid. You should give up your dream and find another husband for your daughter!"

Upon hearing this, Li Dao snorted coldly and ignored him, flicking his sleeves and quickly leaving.