Once, Old Master Jiang could never have imagined that the prince his niece married would have any connection to the throne.

How could a wild prince, raised outside the palace and burdened with the reputation of being unlucky for the Emperor, possibly become Crown Prince or even ascend to the throne?

It was utterly unexpected how quickly the situation had changed. Prince Yan had somehow become one of the four unscathed princes, inevitably sparking speculation.

If the Dongping Earl’s household became part of the imperial clan, his elder brother would be granted a title, freeing up the Dongping Earl’s title—

Thinking of this, Old Master Jiang trembled with excitement, secretly drinking an entire pot of wine in his room to calm his nerves.

Meanwhile, Prince Lu, who had returned home to boast to Princess Lu, was banished to sleep in the study for a night. As a result, he was still fuming the next morning at breakfast.

“Women just don’t understand men’s hardships. Why did I rush back to tell you this good news? It was because I feared you’d feel inferior among your sisters-in-law. But look what happened—you didn’t even consider how tragic my day was yesterday. You gave me the cold shoulder and banished me to sleep in the study. Is there any justice…” Prince Lu grumbled, feeling increasingly wronged as he spoke.

Princess Lu slammed the table, her face dark. She raised an eyebrow and said, “Your Highness, don’t flatter yourself. My status among my sisters-in-law hasn’t improved at all.”

“How can that be? Eighth Brother has been demoted to a commoner!”

Princess Lu cut to the chase: “The Eighth Prince isn’t married.”

Prince Lu was instantly embarrassed.

He had been so eager to assert himself in front of his tigress wife that he had momentarily forgotten this fact, even though a little voice seemed to constantly remind him of it when facing the Eighth Prince.

Seeing that Prince Lu still hadn’t figured it out after a night of cooling off, Princess Lu said irritably, “Your Highness, do you think I care about that? Haven’t you realized that yesterday you were used as a pawn by Prince Yan?”

Upon hearing this, Prince Lu shook his head again. “I’ve already said that I brought Erniu. How did Seventh Brother get involved?”

Thinking about how bringing Erniu had caused such misfortune for the Eighth Prince, he still felt proud. How could he let Seventh Brother take credit for this achievement?

Princess Lu’s eyebrows stood on end, wishing she could pinch some sense into Prince Lu. “Your Highness, think about who Erniu’s master is. If Prince Yan intentionally brought it along and gave it a slight hint, Erniu would have latched onto you…”

Prince Lu gasped, “Is Erniu that clever?”

It didn’t seem right. Was Erniu’s threatening behavior on the road just an act?

Princess Lu paused, resisting the urge to say that Prince Lu might not be as clever as Erniu. Instead, she earnestly advised, “Your Highness, be more vigilant in the future. Don’t let others take advantage of you and then help them count their gains.”

“I understand,” Prince Lu responded listlessly. Thinking of Yu Jin’s lazy smile, he cursed silently.

Bah, so Seventh Brother was no good either!

In Prince Qi’s study, a lone candle flickered. Prince Qi hadn’t slept all night, and when he rose in the morning, dark shadows hung beneath his eyes. It took a maid rolling a peeled hard-boiled egg over them for quite some time before they showed any improvement.

“You may leave,” Prince Qi said to the graceful and beautiful maid, no longer in the mood for dalliance.

In the past, when Madam Li arranged everything, all he saw were ordinary women. He suppressed his male instincts for the sake of his virtuous reputation, often indulging in fantasies. Now that Madam Li was confined and couldn’t leave her courtyard, he could do as he pleased, yet he had lost interest.

How could any maid, no matter how beautiful, compare to Prince Yan’s wife? Besides, with countless beauties in the world, what was there to be excited about a few pretty maids?

Compared to now, he would rather it was still the time when Madam Li managed the household, keeping everything in perfect order and sparing him many worries.

Prince Qi closed his eyes, and the image of a large dog appeared in his mind.

Yesterday, when the Eighth Prince’s incident came to light, this dog played the most significant role, and the outcome undoubtedly developed in a direction favorable to the Seventh Prince.

Thinking further, the Seventh Prince had more than just Erniu’s support. His daughter had gained a title from the Emperor as soon as she was born. As she grew older, she might curry favor for her father through her charm. Not to mention Prince Yan’s wife repeatedly showing goodwill towards the Empress. It could be said that Prince Yan’s wife played a crucial role in the Seventh Prince becoming the Empress’s adopted son.

The Seventh Prince had his wife, daughter, and even his dog to assist him, but what did he have?

His birth mother’s health had been ruined by the Seventh Prince, Madam Li was useless yet still occupied the position of Princess Qi, and even the Eighth Prince, who was close to him, had been reduced to a commoner…

The more Prince Qi thought about it, the more depressed he became, his gaze gradually turning cold.

This wouldn’t do. He couldn’t let Madam Li continue to hold her title and drag him down. It was time to consider letting her “die from illness.” Then he could use his wife’s death as an excuse to lie low for a while, preferably instigating a conflict between the Sixth and Seventh Princes so he could watch from the sidelines.

Having made up his mind, Prince Qi quickly began to make arrangements.

With the Eighth Prince’s recent incident, it would be too conspicuous for Princess Qi to suddenly “die from illness.” Prince Qi set the date for action one month later, just when people’s discussions about the Eighth Prince would be dying down.

There was always gossip in the capital, but people were ultimately forgetful.

On the day Prince Qi decided to act, after some hesitation, he ultimately chose not to arrange for Miss Yuan to see Princess Qi one last time.

Since Madam Li had been confined, Miss Yuan had seen her mother only a handful of times. Prince Qi worried that his daughter was becoming more aware now. If she were suddenly arranged to meet with Madam Li, only for Madam Li to die soon after, it might plant seeds of suspicion in his daughter’s heart.

It was better to avoid unnecessary complications. This final meeting was unnecessary.

Once Madam Li was dead, he would need to seriously consider which noble family’s daughter would be most suitable to pursue.

Prince Qi sat in his study, turning his head to look out the window, waiting for the bright daylight to fade.

He had always been cautious. Even in his mansion, even when dealing with a woman who had lost everything, it was safer to act quietly at night rather than during the day.

It was March, and spring was in full bloom. It was the most beautiful time of the year, yet this spring beauty failed to reach the most remote courtyard in Prince Qi’s mansion.

No matter how beautiful the spring, it seemed to lack the strength to encompass every corner when approaching its end.

The courtyard was eerily quiet, devoid of any human presence. Only a lone apricot tree in the corner had already shed its blossoms.

Suddenly, an old woman emerged from behind a curtain, spitting on the ground. “Pah! She still thinks she’s the high and mighty princess. She should take a good look at herself. How dare she throw a tantrum—”

As she spoke, an emaciated woman appeared at the door like a ghost.

The old woman cried out, clutching her chest and cursing, “What are you playing at, pretending to be a ghost? Your day to become a real ghost will come soon enough!”

“Go tell His Highness that I want to see Miss Yuan,” Princess Qi said calmly, deaf to the old woman’s insults.

The old woman sneered, “Oh my, you still think it’s like before? That the young miss still comes to pay her respects to you morning and night?”

“Go tell His Highness that I want to see Miss Yuan!” Princess Qi emphasized, “I am Miss Yuan’s mother. I want to see her!”

“Stop dreaming,” the old woman said, rolling her eyes as she went over and shoved Princess Qi back into the room.

Outside was the thin spring light; inside was a decaying chill.

The old woman’s voice grew increasingly shrill, “Xiao Hong, if you don’t keep a better eye on this madwoman, you’ll be in for it!”

A maid said softly, “Princess, please go inside and rest.”