73: He was never a good kid.

Regarding the woman's situation, the others did not show any sympathy; they only felt... she deserved it.

No matter who Mo Yingqi was in the past, no matter his background, everything was different now. He was now the husband of the two princesses, Yong'an and Luo Yongning, and the Marquis Yongding. Even if he had been a mason or a farmer in the past, he was now an Imperial Relative and a Marquis.

Yet some people never seemed to understand this principle, and the slightly plump woman was clearly one of them. In fact, there were quite a few people in the capital who held such thoughts about Mo Yingqi, especially after the grand wedding yesterday, when Mo Yingqi's background suddenly began to circulate throughout the entire capital.

As for the person in question, was Mo Yingqi angry? Actually, he wasn't really angry. Back when he was in the Jiangsu and Zhejiang region, his cheap older brother had often latched onto this point, but so what?

Mo Yingqi had understood one thing since he was very young: you must hold onto at least one of power, wealth, or force; otherwise, you would be the fish and the meat, left for others to slaughter.

Of course, he also had to thank his good father; if not for him, he would not have needed to understand these things.

"Someone, drag her out," Qingzhu said, casting a cold glance at the woman. "How dare you gossip in front of Empress Shen's palace gate? Forty slaps to the mouth, to serve as a warning to others!"

The other noble ladies did not dare to even breathe loudly. The Empress was hosting a banquet in the palace today, and the guests of honor were the two princesses and this newly prominent husband.

But when a person is truly stupid, there is no cure. Not to mention getting caught by the main subjects, did she really think the palace servants were just decorations? Besides, Qingzhu was by the husband's side. If Eunuch Fang was the head of the eunuchs, then among the palace maids, the one with the highest status was this head maid who had accompanied the Empress since childhood.

To spout such nonsense here and discuss the Empress's new son-in-law—wasn't she just slapping the Empress in the face? It might look like just forty slaps, but from this day on, the Vice Minister of Revenue's career was completely ruined by his own wife's loose tongue.

"People are not to be feared for being bad, nor for being stupid; what is to be feared is possessing both," Qingzhu said, her eyes sweeping over the trembling noble ladies. "The husband is the husband, chosen by The Emperor and the Empress. You ladies should tend to your own backyards; as for how the husband is... it is not your place to speak!"

In truth, Empress Shen's banquet this time was largely intended to back Mo Yingqi. A husband had suddenly appeared, and now he had even been granted a marquis title; it was inevitable that some would gossip.

But Empress Shen did not care about these things. She only wanted her daughters to get what they wished for, not to mention that Mo Yingqi was truly a good husband, and she was one hundred percent satisfied with him.

Perhaps Empress Shen was different from her own mother, Nangong Wumeng, but just as Shen Xian had once told Zhang Jiawen, once the Shen Family recognized you as their family, they were extremely protective.

A mother-in-law supporting her son-in-law—even if this were argued to the ends of the earth, she felt she was in the right. She just didn't expect that before she even did anything, a fool would deliver herself to the door, and she certainly didn't expect Mo Yingqi to handle it so clearly himself.

"If she was beaten, she was beaten. A fool. The Vice Minister of Revenue has failed to manage his household strictly, and he deserves to be implicated!"

Just as everyone sat down, Qingzhu told Empress Shen what had just happened. She only let out a cold huff, the volume neither too loud nor too soft, just enough for everyone to hear.

"I invited you all to the palace for a banquet today for two reasons. First, my two daughters are newly married, and I am very happy. Second... I also want to tell you all so that you can inform your husbands when you return home," Empress Shen said, her gaze sweeping over everyone below. "I, along with The Emperor, like my son-in-law very much and are extremely satisfied with him. Therefore, I do not wish to hear the kind of talk from just now ever again."

"Very well, let the banquet begin."

Without saying another word, just a simple warning, but everyone present understood that Mo Yingqi's status was no longer that of the Zhenfu Division Banner Commander who was feared yet despised in the past.

The Empress dared to say this, and dared to protect her own so blatantly; it was clearly with The Emperor's approval.

"Sister Yongan, was that a bit too much?" Mo Yingqi whispered to Luo Yongan. "With Mother Empress doing that..."

"Yingqi, do not worry about these things," Luo Yongan said with a smile, shaking her head and picking up a piece of beef for him. "You are now the husband of the Daxing Dynasty, and all of this is what you deserve."

"That's right, Yingqi. Whether it's us, Mother Empress, or Father Emperor, we all truly treat you as one of our own," Luo Yongning said with a smile. "We want these people to know that only shallow people like them care about so-called backgrounds. We want them to know that our favoritism toward you needs no concealment and no reason."

Hearing this, Mo Yingqi felt a bit ashamed, but more than that, his heart felt warm. Luo Yongan smiled and held his hand under the table: "Yingqi, we mentioned back in the Northern Territory that we would give you the best of everything. Now, Yongning and I are simply fulfilling our promise."

That one time, Mo Yingqi had fought a pack of wolves and fell into a feverish coma after being injured. Every day, Luo Yongan and Luo Yongning would cry and take care of him without taking off their clothes to rest.

After Mo Yingqi woke up, they hugged him while crying and made him this promise: "Yingqi, when you grow up, we will give you the best of everything."

Mo Yingqi pulled his thoughts back from his memories, and looking at Luo Yongan and Luo Yongning before him, he was filled with emotion. Actually, he really hadn't cared about those things at the time; he only wanted them to survive. Moreover, he was a man, and at such a time, he had to be the one standing at the front.

"I've said it before, Sister Yongan, Sister Yongning, that was what I was supposed to do," Mo Yingqi smiled. "By the way, I heard that today... The Emperor's intention is to go and arrest Xu Fengzhang..."

"Yes, that's right. Don't worry, Yingqi, everything has already been arranged," Luo Yongning nodded. "Do you want to go? If you want to, my sister and I can take you with us."

"Ah, wouldn't that be inappropriate?" Mo Yingqi was somewhat surprised. "The Pacification Bureau is handling official business; how can they take you along?"

"It doesn't matter, Yingqi. You are on leave now, so it wouldn't be good for you to take action, right?" Luo Yongan shook her head. "We're just going to watch. Don't worry, Yongning and I will arrange everything for you, and besides, Mother Empress's place is rather boring."

Although Mo Yingqi really wanted to say that wasn't the case—after all, they had brought their husband to pay respects to their mother—he looked around, and it seemed... that was indeed the case, wasn't it?

"Then let's leave now. Would that be inappropriate?"

"Don't worry, Mother Empress won't mind," Luo Yongning said dismissively. "This isn't the first time for me and my sister. Oh, right, Father Emperor specifically emphasized that the one leading the team today is your good friend, Lu Qianyuan."

"Alright then, I'll go."

Thinking that Lu could get what he wished for today, Mo Yingqi really wanted to witness it with his own eyes. Moreover, he had never been a good boy since he was little; although it was unfair to his mother-in-law, by comparison... this matter was more important to him.

Besides, to see that arrogant Xu Fengzhang fall into the dust with his own eyes—could there be anything more exciting or interesting than that?