Of course, Xu Changyue had also rewarded him handsomely.

As someone who was practically considered family through his wife’s side and with whom he had vested interests, Zhou Fushan had silently allowed his beloved second son to address a mere merchant as "uncle."

Xu Changyue wasn’t just his financial backer—because of his extensive travels as a merchant, he had wide connections and occasionally handled some of Zhou Fushan’s dirty work.

The ties of interest between them ran too deep. Now that the Minister of the Court of Judicial Review claimed Xu Changyue was a spy for Beili, cold sweat broke out on Zhou Fushan’s back, and he couldn’t find a reasonable way to distance himself from the man.

Emperor Mingxi remained unmoved, ignoring Zhou Fushan’s protests and instead turning to Wei Ping. "Minister Wei, do you have concrete evidence?"

Wei Ping bowed. "Your Majesty, I have already apprehended the personal maid and nanny of Lady Hu, the wife of Marquis Changqing. They have confessed to being Beili natives. Both were ordered by Xu Changyue to conceal their identities and remain by Lady Hu’s side—one to monitor her, the other to gather military intelligence from our court."

Though Zhou Fushan had fallen out of favor in recent years, he was still the Capital Garrison Commander and had access to some military secrets.

Wei Ping cast a pitying glance at Zhou Fushan, whose face had turned ashen. "According to their testimonies, the second young master Zhou Ping'an and the third young lady Zhou Xiuan are actually Xu Changyue’s biological children."

"Impossible! Absolutely impossible! Minister Wei, you must be mistaken! Huinang would never deceive me! How could Ping'an and Xiuan not be my children?"

Had this not been the imperial court, Zhou Fushan would have roared in outrage. The mother and children he had poured his heart into—now he was being told they weren’t even his own.

The only reason he didn’t collapse in fury on the spot was that he needed to stay conscious long enough to uncover the full truth. Otherwise, he wouldn’t even faint in peace.

It had to be said—compared to his neglect of his eldest son Zhou Qi'an, allowing his stepmother to bully him, Zhou Fushan had truly been a doting father to Zhou Ping'an and Zhou Xiuan.

Wei Ping ignored Zhou Fushan’s crumbling state and drove the knife deeper.

"Furthermore, the two also confessed that Concubine Hua, whom Marquis Changqing took in a little over a year ago, is Xu Changyue’s illegitimate daughter. The father and daughter have already acknowledged each other."

He gave Zhou Fushan another look of pity. "Lady Hu, Concubine Hua, and Zhou Ping'an met with Xu Changyue over two months ago. The four of them conspired to eliminate Zhou Qi'an, secure Zhou Ping'an’s control over the Marquis Changqing estate, and, once he inherited the title, turn the household into a Beili stronghold within Dayan."

As for how two servants knew so much—on one hand, their secret discussions were always guarded by these two trusted attendants, who naturally overheard parts of the conversations.

The other reason was that these two had their own allegiances. They didn’t truly serve Xu Changyue, the illegitimate son of Grand Preceptor Ji. One was loyal to the Grand Preceptor himself, the other to the Emperor of Beili.

Grand Preceptor Ji had sent Xu Changyue’s childhood maid—now Nanny Huang, who served Lady Hu—to monitor him. She had married and settled in Dayan, her husband a steward in the marquis’ household, her son a junior steward.

For the sake of her family’s lives, she dared not withhold the truth.

As for Xirui, she had been sent by the Emperor of Beili to seduce and spy on Xu Changyue.

Xu Changyue was an interesting man—whether intentionally or not, he had placed both his father’s and the emperor’s spies right beside Lady Hu, assigning them the same tasks of surveillance and intelligence gathering.

Xirui, though trained for years in Beili, had grown accustomed to the comfortable life in Dayan. She neither wanted to die nor return to hardship.

After Wei Ping promised her substantial rewards, she talked even faster than Nanny Huang.

To Zhou Fushan, every word was a dagger—especially the phrase "the four of them." He staggered back, clutching his chest.

His face was deathly pale, sweat dripping in large beads. His lips trembled, but no words came out—only a faint, disbelieving whisper: "Impossible… I refuse to believe it… How could Concubine Hua be Xu Changyue’s daughter? My Ping'an… my Xiuan…"

The officials behind him quickly retreated three steps. Not one dared to step forward and steady him.

It wasn’t that they lacked camaraderie—but the scandal surrounding Marquis Changqing’s household was too severe.

Zhou Fushan might not even keep his life, let alone his title, which would likely be stripped.

That was what those unaware of his inner thoughts assumed.

But those who could hear his thoughts knew the truth—Zhou Fushan would eventually betray his country. His son’s invention would fall into enemy hands, and Beili would use it to attack Dayan.

This man deserved death ten thousand times over!

Even if he hadn’t yet committed treason, his close ties to Beili spies were undeniable. His household harbored enemy agents, and he had raised Beili’s wolves as his own.

Perhaps he could escape execution—but he would not escape punishment.

Emperor Mingxi nodded. "Minister Wei, continue."

Wei Ping complied. "Your Majesty, the eldest young master Zhou Qi'an recently developed a new repeating crossbow called the 'Water-Linked Crossbow.' He claimed to have given the prototype to his father, Marquis Changqing, to present to Your Majesty…"

He paused meaningfully, locking eyes with the emperor. Both ruler and minister understood—and so did the shrewd officials around them.

Emperor Mingxi’s voice was icy. "We have received no such item from Marquis Changqing in recent days."

His gaze turned to Zhou Fushan, his expression unreadable but his tone terrifyingly cold. "Marquis Changqing. Explain yourself."

Zhou Fushan dropped to his knees, kowtowing violently until his forehead bled. "Y-Your Majesty… This humble servant… gave the item to my second son, Zhou Ping'an…"

"Why would you give it to Zhou Ping'an? Zhou Qi'an entrusted it to you to deliver to Us. Yet you handed it to Zhou Ping'an instead. Zhou Fushan—do you harbor treasonous intentions?"

Such an accusation was lethal. Zhou Fushan crawled forward, weeping. "Your Majesty, I dare not! I would never betray you!"

He kowtowed again, blood now staining his forehead. "Your Majesty, I was blinded by greed! I wanted to claim the credit for my second son… That’s why I gave it to him—so he could study its mechanism and avoid exposure if questioned.

"Recently, Zhou Ping'an told me he had dismantled it by mistake… I was waiting for Qi'an to make another before presenting it to Your Majesty…"

Wei Ping, ever the master of delivering the final blow, interjected. "Your Majesty, Nanny Huang testified that the Water-Linked Crossbow was already handed over to Xu Changyue by Zhou Ping'an."

Zhou Fushan’s vision darkened. He dug his nails into his thigh, forcing himself to stay conscious. If he fainted now, there would be no one left to defend him.

His colleagues kept their distance, treating him like the plague. Not one would risk association.

In the mansion... even his wife, children, and most beloved concubine belonged to someone else. At this moment, he truly stood alone—a man utterly forsaken.