Hearing the commotion, the commoners stepped back one after another, making way in the crowd.
Nan Gong Liuyun walked through with his head held high, looking supremely proud.
But he could hear the whispers and see the pointing fingers in the crowd. Although he couldn't make out what they were saying clearly, he had a hunch that it had something to do with him. Just as he was about to say something in annoyance, he spotted the man standing in the crowd.
It was none other than Nan Gong Tianci!!!
The moment he saw the man coming, he immediately rushed over and shouted at his father, "Father, a commoner offended me!"
The direction he pointed at was a couple in commoner's clothes. On closer inspection, one could see that the woman had tear - streaks on her face, and the man was filled with indignation.
"You're despicable! You tried to abduct a civilian woman in broad daylight, and it was my wife! How can you say you were offended?!" the man shouted angrily.
Nan Gong Liuyun was a bit annoyed upon hearing this. After all, having been in a high - ranking position for so long, he couldn't stand others speaking to him so disrespectfully.
But he could tell from the situation that his son had done something disgraceful. So he put on a kind - looking expression, told the guards beside him to help the couple up, then raised his hand and slapped his son hard, scolding, "You brute!"
Nan Gong Tianci looked at the man in front of him in disbelief. He knew that his father had always doted on him, but now he didn't even care about his face and slapped him in front of so many people.
Suddenly, his eyes were filled with annoyance, and he shouted again, "Father, why did you hit me?!"
"Shut up! After doing such a shameless thing, where will you put our Nan Gong family?!" Nan Gong Liuyun glared at him and scolded.
He had his reasons for doing this. They were right under the nose of the imperial city, among the emperor's subjects. His stupid son had dared to cause trouble here. What would happen to his prestige? So the only way now was to stage a show of punishing his own son in front of everyone.
As expected, the commoners around, who had been full of hatred for the Nan Gong family, now began to appreciate his actions. They even shouted, "Lord Nan Gong, you're so mighty."
Hearing these words, he finally curled his lips. Then he took out his money bag from his bosom and handed it to the couple in the distance, saying, "I'm sorry. I've failed to educate my son well. Please accept this."
After that, he led his useless son out of the crowd.
Immediately afterwards, there was a cheer from behind, and even the couple looked extremely grateful, holding the money bag with shining eyes.
On the other hand, after the Nan Gong father and son walked to a place where they wouldn't be noticed, Nan Gong Tianci said unhappily, "Father, just now..."
Before he could finish his question, he felt a sharp pain on his face. It turned out that his father had slapped him again.
"What are you doing?!" he asked, his eyes wide open.
"You fool! Who taught you to cause trouble in the capital?!" Nan Gong Liuyun shouted angrily, his eyes filled with disappointment.
If he hadn't run into this incident just now, by tomorrow, rumors about the overbearing Nan Gong family would surely spread in the capital. He knew how fast rumors could spread, especially in the imperial city.
In the countryside before, it was okay for his son to act like a tyrant. After all, the emperor couldn't see it, and no one would spread the news. But now, he still dared to cause trouble arrogantly.
Thinking of this, he couldn't hold back his anger, but there was nothing he could do about his useless son.
Even though Nan Gong Tianci was arrogant, he could sense his father's anger at this moment. So he immediately lowered his head and admitted his mistake obediently.
Seeing his son like this, Nan Gong Liuyun's anger subsided a bit. Then he frowned and sighed, waving his hand at the guard beside him and ordering, "Go and take care of that couple just now."
After a pause, he added, "Do it cleanly. Leave no trace."
The guard took the order and left. Then he led Nan Gong Tianci towards the prime minister's mansion.
Meanwhile, in the palace.
As night fell deeper, the palace was completely silent. But it was not so quiet in Concubine Chu's palace.
She had heard the news today that Nan Gong Liuyun was leaving. She knew that once he left, it meant she would lose her backer. But before he left, he had left her a crucial piece of information.
On a piece of paper, there were a few words scribbled, saying, "Minister Dong is one of us."
The so - called Minister Dong was Concubine Dong's father. He had always been on the side of the emperor - loyal faction and was an able assistant to Prime Minister Dongfang. Now, unexpectedly, he had defected.
Thinking of this, the corners of her mouth couldn't help but curl up. She remembered that Concubine Dong seemed to have a very close relationship with Dongfang Yi on the surface. Now she would be her eyes beside that woman.
So, in the coming days, she had to get better acquainted with Concubine Dong.
On the other hand, in the queen's palace.
Dongfang Yi was sitting on the couch, on the verge of falling asleep. Her eyes were a bit droopy, clearly exhausted, but she still remembered that Helian Qi had said he would come to see her, so she didn't dare to fall asleep.
Donghua, who was beside her, felt a bit sorry for her. Frowning, she advised, "Your Majesty, if you're sleepy, go to sleep quickly. Maybe the emperor is still busy!"
In recent days, she had watched this woman stay awake at night. Finally, today she could relax and have a good sleep, but now she was still forcing herself to stay awake.
"It's okay, it's okay," Dongfang Yi said, shaking her head, trying to drive away her drowsiness.
Just then, the door of the bedroom suddenly opened, and a somewhat out - of - breath man walked in.
It was Helian Qi. He didn't even wear his cloak. It was obvious that he had rushed here in a hurry, and his whole body was exuding cold air.
When Dongfang Yi saw him, her drowsiness instantly disappeared. But seeing his current state, her brows couldn't help but frown tightly. Then she stood up from the bed, picked up a blanket, and walked over to drape it over him.
"Why are you in such a hurry?!" she said a bit unhappily.
It was so cold, and he had come in such thin clothes. How could she not be angry?
Helian Qi, however, smiled gently, reached out his hand to stroke her hair, and said, "I'm sorry I'm late."
He remembered that he was supposed to come to the queen's palace today, but once he started looking at the official documents, he lost track of time. When he looked up again, it was already night. Even Ru Yi had forgotten to remind him. So he had rushed here in a hurry, for fear that the woman in front of him had been waiting for too long.