Dad, look how mighty your son is now!

As night fell,

The State-Guarding Eldest Princess's Residence.

"Your Highness, we've found it."

The Black-Clad Mysterious Person knelt on one knee and said.

"Explain."

While embroidering the picture, Xiao Zhaohuang casually asked a question.

"When His Majesty Capital left the capital to quell the rebellion, His Majesty secretly established a new department called the Eastern Depot."

"The Eastern Depot is directly controlled by His Majesty and overseen by eunuchs. Its duty is to supervise all officials, and it has the power of investigation, arrest, and interrogation. It is not subject to the control of the Three Judicial Offices and only obeys His Majesty's orders."

The Black-Clad Mysterious Person spoke.

"The Eastern Depot? It seems my father no longer trusts the Pacification Investigation Office."

Xiao Zhaohuang smiled and said.

Although the Pacification Investigation Office) was nominally only responsible to the emperor, she had long since taken control of most of it, turning it into her eyes, ears, and henchmen.

My father was just sick and old, but he was never senile.

She must have realized the problems with the Pacification Investigation Office ago, so after she left the Capital, she immediately established a new agency to replace it.

"Have you thoroughly investigated the backgrounds of the Eastern Depot's personnel? Where did Father Emperor find these people? They've even been investigating your Pacification Investigation Office for so many days."

Xiao Zhaohuang then asked.

"Your Highness, I have investigated and confirmed that these people mainly came from the Beiping Prefecture."

The Black-Clad Mysterious Person answered.

Beiping Prefecture was the place where the Xiao Household rose to power. After Emperor Taizu seized power, he moved the capital to Jinling Prefecture, established the Daliang Kingdom, and then built a temporary palace and ancestral temple in Beiping Prefecture.

No wonder even the Pacification Investigation Office couldn't find out their backgrounds so quickly.

It turned out that the emperor had secretly transferred all the eunuchs and guards who were responsible for guarding the ancestral temples to the Capital.

He's really suspicious and cautious; he's even wary of his own daughter.

The imperial family truly has no familial affection whatsoever.

But Father!

What is the point of you doing this?

Xiao Zhaohuang couldn't understand it.

The Temporary Palace Villas on Jade Spring Mountain were all filled with people from the Eastern Depot. Father Emperor wanted to monitor all the officials, but he was clearly monitoring the Immortals.

Does Father really intend to harm the Immortals?

But what gives Father Emperor his confidence?

Immortals possess Divine Ability power and supernatural abilities; with a mere wave of their hand, they can destroy cities and overturn rivers. How could mortals possibly challenge them?

Even the emperors of the mortal realm could only bow their heads and obey orders.

Is the allure of immortality really that great?

It was so powerful that it could drive an emperor mad, making him reckless and willing to risk even the Xiao Household's vast empire.

No,

Absolutely not.

I must stop my father's foolish actions.

The Xiao Household's ancestral legacy must not be squandered in the hands of the Emperor.

Even if another coup is launched at Xuanwu Gate, we cannot allow the Emperor to make a grave mistake and commit an unforgivable crime of treason.

Anyway, that's what my father did before, and my father's father did it too.

This is a tradition of the Xiao Household.

This is also the fate of the Xiao family.

Father Emperor

Don't pressure your daughter.

My daughter doesn't want to go down that path.

Wouldn't it be better to smoothly hand over the throne to his daughter and then live as a respected retired emperor?

This will surely become a timeless tale, remembered for generations to come.

Why make a mistake at the end?

Why would someone deliberately drive themselves to their doom?

"Investigate! Continue the investigation! Mobilize everyone in the Capital City Investigation Bureau to thoroughly investigate everyone who has recently visited the Imperial Palace and met with the Emperor, regardless of their rank or status. Even if it means turning the entire capital upside down, I must find out what the Emperor's trump card is!"

Xiao Zhaohuang paused slightly in his hand holding the silver needle, his face revealing decisiveness and coldness.

The difference between how he appeared in front of the Immortals and how he appeared in public is like night and day.

This is the real her.

The Princess Who Guards the Nation of the Liang Kingdom, the invincible commander of the three armies.

Everyone has two faces.

Who can truly know which face they wear?

Or perhaps,

They have two faces.

"Yes, sir."

The Black-Clad Mysterious Person accepted the order and left, feeling a strange sense of relief.

I'm back.

Her wise, powerful, and decisive prince has finally returned.

After the Black-Clad Mysterious Person left,

Xiao Zhaohuang's needle and thread began to weave across the canvas once more.

The figure in the canvas is dressed in a blue robe.

Although the facial features have not yet been embroidered, the aloof, refined, and detached temperament is already palpable.

At the same time,

Zhang Residence.

Zhang Erhai, the Minister of the Ministry of War, was sitting in his study with a furrowed brow and a heavy heart.

The Capital's defenses consisted of: the Imperial Guards, the Capital Garrison, the Five-City Military Commands, and the Pacification Investigation Office.

During the years when His Majesty was seriously ill and bedridden,

The Eldest Princess and the Imperial Eldest Grandson vied for power, engaging in both overt and covert struggles.

Although the majority of the Capital's garrison was controlled by the Eldest Princess, the Imperial Eldest Grandson, with the help of civil officials, still managed to create a balance of power with the Eldest Princess.

But ever since His Majesty was brought back from the dead and his injuries were healed,

The His Majesty immediately revoked the Imperial Eldest Grandson's power, his influence crumbled, and his support scattered, leaving him with only the empty title of Crown Prince.

Anyone who isn't a fool can see that His Majesty wants to regain control of the court and rule the world.

Logically speaking,

At this time, the most important thing for Her Highness the Eldest Princess to do is to keep a low profile, remain patient, and bide her time.

Keep a low profile and wait for the right opportunity.

Because His Majesty and the Eldest Princess are not only ruler and subject, but also father and daughter.

As the saying goes, if a ruler commands his subject to die, the subject has no choice but to die; if a father commands his son to die, the son has no choice but to die.

Whether from the perspective of etiquette or righteousness,

Even Her Highness the Eldest Princess was at a disadvantage.

But His Highness did not do that.

On the contrary, they act in a high-profile manner and do things in a flamboyant way.

For several days in a row, they invited Immortals into their mansion, where they would stay for an entire day at a time.

This caused a great uproar, with rumors spreading like wildfire.

It's being said that...

The Eldest Princess desires to don the yellow robe and ascend the throne as empress.

But His Majesty is still on the throne.

Without an edict of succession, without an announcement to the world,

That Eldest Princess's actions constitute treason and usurpation.

Too hasty

Her Eldest Princess is too anxious.

If this continues,

They will bear eternal infamy and be remembered with disgrace for ten thousand years.

"Father, I'm back."

Just as Zhang Erhai was filled with worry, his son suddenly shouted loudly from outside.

Moment,

Zhang Erhai's face turned as black as the bottom of a pot.

This unfilial son,

They actually dared to come back.

He took the Immortals to eat, drink, gamble, and indulge in pleasure, causing the entire Zhang Household to become a laughingstock and criminals in the Capital.

Not only did they not repent, they even dared to run away from home.

All I did was beat him up.

They didn't actually kill him.

He didn't go home for several days in a row.

Doesn't he know the meaning of a father's love being as vast as a mountain?

I hit him for his own good.

Now that you know you're back,

It's too late.

Zhang Erhai grew angrier the more he thought about it, then grabbed a military baton and stormed out of the study.

But after getting outside,

He was suddenly stunned.

Who are you?

Under the moonlight,

A muscular, well-defined physique with broad shoulders, a narrow waist, and strong bones, combining power and beauty, comes into view.

"Dad, don't you even recognize your own son?"

Zhang Qingyan, shirtless and posing in a superhuman, athletic stance, looked at his father's shocked and confused expression.

His tightly clenched lips couldn't help but curl into a smile.

"Dad, look how powerful and awesome your son is now!"

"Clatter--"

Upon hearing this,

The military baton in Zhang Erhai's hand fell to the ground.