Chapter 1 The Palace, Chang Le Palace

Lü Wangshu sat gracefully in the main hall of the elegant palace, eagerly anticipating.

To avoid suspicion, she had not seen her two sons for many years.

Today, the Emperor had invited the imperial family into the palace, and although the purpose was not pure, it fulfilled one of her wishes, allowing her to reunite with her sons.

Lü Wang's beautiful eyes looked towards the entrance, her delicate face, lightly powdered, was full of complexity, seeming both expectant and worried.

After a long while, footsteps sounded outside the hall.

Lü Wangshu listened attentively, and immediately a gleam of light burst into her eyes. She hurriedly stood up, preparing to greet them personally.

But the person outside the door took the lead and entered the room, stopping her movement.

"Empress Mother, your sons have come to see you!"

As the voice rang out, two young men in brocade robes, surrounded by palace attendants, entered and knelt on the ground, paying their respects to the Empress Dowager Lü.

The Sixth Prince, Jiang Yu, was only nineteen years old.

Dressed in a navy blue brocade robe embroidered with gold thread, he was slender, but his face was very handsome, bearing a seventy percent resemblance to the Empress Dowager Lü. Apart from his slightly inferior temperament and frivolousness, he could barely be considered a prince.

The Seventh Prince, Jiang Xu, was eighteen years old.

Compared to his elder brother, he seemed much more simple and honest. His black robe was low-key and unassuming, and his eyes showed a kind of naiveté that made it hard for people to feel hostility towards him.

The Empress Dowager Lü's beautiful and dignified face rarely showed a touch of emotion, and her eyes sparkled with tears as she looked at the two brothers on the ground.

"Good, good, it puts my heart at ease to see that you are doing well."

As she spoke, she bent down and personally helped the two brothers up, bringing them into the main hall.

After everyone was seated at the table and had chatted for a few words, the tears in her eyes slowly disappeared.

She murmured sadly in her heart, "I have already seen two of the people I care about most… When will I be able to see you again?"

Seeming to notice the Empress Dowager Lü's abnormality, Jiang Xu showed a touch of concern and asked, "Empress Mother, what's wrong? Are you feeling unwell?"

The Empress Dowager Lü came back to her senses, put away her melancholy thoughts, and said affectionately, "Mother is fine, just too happy to see you two brothers suddenly."

Hearing this, Jiang Yu, who was sipping tea, also said, "Yes, Empress Mother, I didn't expect that the Emperor would issue an edict this time, summoning us to the palace for a banquet, and even specially granted us permission to see you!"

"If it weren't for the fact that the imperial edict couldn't be faked, I would have thought that someone deliberately set up a trap to harm us brothers!"

The Sixth Prince Jiang Yu's tone was surprised, and the Seventh Prince Jiang Xu's eyes were also full of shock.

Jiang Chen, this eldest son born of the primary wife, had bullied them no less when they were young, and after they grew up, he intensified his efforts, suppressing them in every way because of their status as sons of favored concubines.

Therefore, they were truly afraid of this elder brother, not daring to displease Jiang Chen in the slightest.

The Empress Dowager Lü took their performance into her eyes, and a hint of disappointment flashed in the depths of her beautiful eyes.

Both of her sons were not up to the task.

"Empress Mother, your son was already full at the palace banquet just now, can I leave first?" Jiang Yu's tone was flustered, and his face was full of fear.

His fear of Jiang Chen, this emperor brother, overwhelmed his longing for his mother. He just wanted to return to his own Prince's mansion as soon as possible, so as not to anger Jiang Chen, this tyrant.

The Empress Dowager Lü was a little sad, but she knew the quality of her son, so she was not too disappointed.

She only prepared to say a few more comforting words before sending him out of the palace.

But at this moment, Jiang Chen arrived!

He stepped into the main hall of Chang Le Palace with a smile, jokingly saying, "Sixth Brother, why are you leaving so soon after arriving?"

"Just now at the palace banquet, weren't you asking the surrounding palace attendants about the Empress Dowager's recent situation? Why not stay a little longer?"

Although Jiang Chen's tone was gentle, the majesty of the emperor around him revealed an inviolable sternness, making everyone tremble and bow their heads.

The Empress Dowager Lü restrained her expression the moment he appeared, and respectfully got up to salute.

Jiang Yu and Jiang Xu's reactions were even more exaggerated. When they saluted, they kept their heads lowered, not daring to look at him, like lambs under a tiger's claws.

Jiang Chen had begun to observe these two younger brothers, whom he barely remembered, at the palace banquet just now.

He found that one of them was frivolous and timid, and the other was dull and honest, making it difficult to associate them with the mastermind behind the scenes.

A hegemon like Mei Wenshi probably wouldn't look up to these two guys… However, it couldn't be ruled out that they were pretending, so he should observe them further.

As his thoughts raced, Jiang Chen put on a kind expression and said slowly, "Sixth Brother, Seventh Brother, relax a little, this *zhen* won't eat people, why are you so afraid?" (*Zhen* is the formal "I" used by emperors)

As he spoke, he patted the two of them on the shoulders and said with a smile, "This *zhen* held this palace banquet to give you a reason to see the Empress Dowager, you must not disappoint this *zhen*'s expectations!"

The two were chilled by Jiang Chen's gentle tone, and their whole bodies turned cold.

After getting up, they unexpectedly hid behind the Empress Dowager Lü.

This scene left Jiang Chen speechless, and his intention to test them was greatly diminished.

He walked to the table and sat down, letting the Empress Dowager Lü and the two of them sit down as well, putting on the airs of the head of the family and asking:

"Seventh Brother, what have you been busy with outside the palace recently?"

Jiang Xu's black robe was mostly soaked with cold sweat, and he said in fear, "Reporting to Emperor Brother, this subject is just reading books at home, occasionally going out for a stroll, very leisurely."

Jiang Chen nodded, his gaze falling on Jiang Yu, lingering for a few seconds before slowly saying, "Sixth Brother, what about you?"

Jiang Yu felt his hairs stand on end from his gaze, and said in fear, "Reporting to Emperor Brother, this subject has no official position and is carefree. He usually just watches some singing and dancing at home, occasionally goes to the pleasure boats, very leisurely."

"Just that?" Jiang Chen raised his eyebrows.

Jiang Xu was so frightened that he lowered his head, not knowing how to deal with the Emperor's刁难 (diāo nàn, deliberately making things difficult), and looked to the Empress Dowager Lü for help.

He answered incoherently, "Yes, yes, that's it, not daring to deceive Emperor Brother."

Suddenly!

Jiang Chen's face sank, and he said sternly, "Humph, how dare you, the matter has already been exposed, and you still dare to deceive this *zhen*!"

The sudden outburst frightened everyone in the room.

Jiang Yu was so shocked by this interrogation that he fell from the凳子 (dèng zi, stool) to the ground, and a look of shock also flashed across the Empress Dowager Lü's face.

As for the Seventh Prince and the palace attendants serving around, they had not yet reacted to what had happened, and their eyes were dazed.

This was the effect that Jiang Chen wanted. He took advantage of the situation and pursued, "Sixth Brother, for the sake of our past brotherly affection, as long as you confess the truth, this *zhen* can punish you lightly."

"Remember, there is only one chance for forgiveness, you better cherish it!"

The Sixth Prince Jiang Yu on the ground looked bewildered and knelt on the ground with a thud: "Emperor Brother, Emperor Brother, this subject really didn't do anything!"

"There must be some misunderstanding, Emperor Brother, you must investigate clearly! This subject is wronged!"

Looking at Jiang Chen's determined appearance, a trace of fear flashed in the Empress Dowager Lü's eyes. Could it be that he had found out something?

No, impossible! I can't lose my composure!

Her expression quickly calmed down, and she put on a look of doubt, saying softly, "Your Majesty, what exactly happened to Yu'er?"

"This child is someone I know well. He is timid by nature and not a great villain. You must not wrong him."