Lu Jin looked at Zhong Shaozhong and gently shook his head: “What I’m referring to is Prince Liang…”

At this moment, Prince Liang sat before his desk with a small, dim lamp glowing in front of him. Having stayed awake all night, azure stubble had sprouted on his chin, and his eye sockets appeared even more sunken. His gaze wasn’t like the timid look he showed before others in normal times, but instead revealed a ruthless severity filled with decisive killing intent.

“Did Prince Xian personally go to examine the corpse?” Prince Liang asked.

Hong Qiao, kneeling on the ground, nodded: “Indeed. This servant watched from afar and saw Prince Xian appear relieved. That headless corpse should be Fu Ruoxi, after all, Fu Ruoxi had a severed arm… this point is indisputable, and it’s not such a coincidence that another person with a severed arm would die at this time!”

“What about the clothes on the body? Did you look carefully?” Prince Liang asked again.

“Prince Xian’s people guarded very tightly, so this servant couldn’t examine closely. However… in this servant’s opinion, it should be Fu Ruoxi!” Hong Qiao spoke with complete certainty.

Prince Liang let out a long breath. As long as this great matter was settled, after he ascended the throne, his priority… would be to make the entire Bai family fall into disgrace and die without a burial place.

“Your Highness, there’s one more matter. Last night, the County Princess intended to send someone to assassinate Princess Zhenguo, but was stopped by Prince Xian, who flew into a great rage,” Hong Qiao said.

Prince Liang could easily imagine that Liu Ruofu, Prince Xian’s only daughter, had been spoiled by Prince Xian. With her reputation as the greatest beauty of Great Jin, in the territory of the Southern Capital… she could have whatever she wanted, more honored than even a princess! Last time at the palace banquet, when the Great Liang prince mistook her identity and caused Liu Ruofu tremendous humiliation, since Liu Ruofu couldn’t blame the Great Liang prince, she naturally hated Bai Qingyan to the bone.

Hong Qiao looked up at the thoughtful Prince Liang and kowtowed: “This servant must return before the County Princess awakens. This servant will take leave first.” Hong Qiao kowtowed to Prince Liang.

Because Prince Liang was to marry Liu Ruofu tomorrow, Hong Qiao had been sent over early by Liu Ruofu to tell her about matters in Prince Liang’s mansion. Mainly… Liu Ruofu still favored Hong Qiao’s hairstyling skills. With Hong Qiao around, she could always create distinctive and beautiful hairstyles for Liu Ruofu.

“You may go!” After Prince Liang spoke, he lowered his voice to instruct Hong Qiao, “These past few days… have you been giving Liu Ruofu the medicine?”

Hong Qiao nodded solemnly: “Your Highness, rest assured. This servant mixes the medicine into the scented hair oil daily. The County Princess’s unborn child will miscarry before full term. Even if that fetus can survive until full-term birth, the offspring born will certainly be deformed. Your Highness, rest assured!”

Prince Liang nodded: “You’ve worked hard, Hong Qiao. Now… only you remain by this prince’s side!”

Hong Qiao going to Liu Ruofu’s side was Prince Liang’s design…

Prince Liang absolutely could not let the child in Liu Ruofu’s belly be born safely. Otherwise, once a male child was born, Prince Xian’s ambitious nature would likely turn murderous toward him.

“Your Highness must never disparage yourself so! Your Highness is the true dragon son of Heaven… destined to ascend the imperial throne. This entire realm belongs to Your Highness!” Hong Qiao spoke these words with complete sincerity.

After Hong Qiao left, Prince Liang rose and called for someone to help him change clothes.

Fully dressed, Prince Liang stepped out from behind the carved screen and stood under the covered walkway, gazing at the sky that was just beginning to show the faintest glimmer of light. He could see dark clouds rolling ominously—the weather was about to change.

Prince Liang’s lips curled in a smile. What Second Imperial Brother had failed to accomplish back then, he would accomplish for Second Imperial Brother!

The pain that the Bai family had inflicted upon Consort Tong and Second Imperial Brother, he would make the Bai family repay a hundredfold.

A young eunuch coming to report entered the courtyard gate. Seeing Prince Liang standing under the walkway, he quickly bowed: “Your Highness, Prince Xian has sent someone requesting Your Highness to quietly visit his mansion. The carriage is already waiting at the side gate.”

Originally, even if Prince Xian hadn’t sent someone to summon Prince Liang, Prince Liang would have gone anyway. He nodded: “Good, we’ll leave through the side gate!”

Prince Xian had also stayed awake all night. Prince Xin and Zhong Shaozhong had made their move one day earlier than Prince Xian had anticipated.

Prince Xian had estimated that Zhong Shaozhong and Prince Xin would act on Prince Liang’s wedding day, taking advantage of the chaos.

But just now, Prince Xian received news that Zhong Shaozhong’s most loyal subordinate, the Imperial Guard general called Bi Heng, had already led Imperial Guards toward the imperial palace under the banner of rescue, preparing to attack the Imperial City.

Moreover, Prince Xian’s people had gone to investigate and found that Bi Heng’s forces were thoroughly prepared—breaking through Wude Gate was only a matter of time.

The Imperial Guards, led by Bi Heng, were already fighting with the Imperial Guards of the Imperial City.

Besides this, Bi Heng had ordered part of his forces to go to the Crown Prince’s mansion to capture the treasonous Crown Prince who sought to usurp the throne. Currently, the Crown Prince’s mansion was being protected by the patrol battalion, and their next move was unknown. But Prince Xian could no longer sit still and decided to first quietly bring Prince Liang to his mansion. When the patrol battalion and Imperial Guards had exhausted each other in mutual combat, and both Prince Xin’s and the Crown Prince’s forces were mostly spent… when both men and horses were weary, that would be the time for the Southern Capital troops hidden within the capital to strike unexpectedly as the mantis stalking the cicada.

However, if Prince Xian wanted legitimacy, he still needed Prince Liang, who was an imperial prince, to justify.

When the time came, they could claim… that Prince Xin had killed the Crown Prince and Emperor, and Prince Liang, wanting to restore order, had arrived too late to rescue them.

Even if Prince Xin hadn’t yet killed the Crown Prince, their Southern Capital army would send the Crown Prince, Prince Xin, the Emperor, and Empress all to the western paradise together. Who would dare say Prince Liang wasn’t legitimate? That he couldn’t ascend the throne?

Although, if tomorrow’s wedding banquet had proceeded as planned, controlling the official families who came to offer congratulations would have been foolproof.

But with sudden developments and circumstances already changed, they had to adapt accordingly.

Liu Ruofu had risen early today. Not seeing Hong Qiao, she had already thrown a tantrum. Then, hearing that the Imperial Guards were fighting with the Imperial Guards defending the palace, Liu Ruofu immediately ordered someone to help her dress and went to the front courtyard to find Prince Xian.

“Father!” Liu Ruofu lifted her skirts as she entered the hall.

Prince Xian, who was discussing this major affair with the Southern Capital military generals, saw his daughter enter and quickly stopped speaking, coming out to greet her while scolding the maidservant beside Liu Ruofu: “What’s wrong with you? Don’t you know how to support the County Princess?”

The maidservant was frightened and quickly stepped forward to support Liu Ruofu’s arm.

“Greetings to the County Princess!” The Southern Capital soldiers bowed to Liu Ruofu.

These generals in the hall could be said to have watched Liu Ruofu grow up. To Liu Ruofu, they were like family, so she didn’t put on airs at all: “Greetings to all uncles!”

Prince Xian smiled at Liu Ruofu: “The sky isn’t even light yet—why are you up so early?”

“I could hear shouting and fighting from my room, with our mansion’s guards coming and going constantly. How could your daughter sleep peacefully?” After Liu Ruofu finished speaking, she continued, “Father, now that the capital is in chaos, can your daughter finally take advantage of the disorder to send someone to take Bai Qingyan’s life? Bai Qingyan is currently under the Crown Prince’s command. If we don’t eliminate her… she might bring the twenty thousand soldiers of the Anping Great Camp outside the city into the capital, and Father’s plans would come to nothing.”

Prince Xian gently patted his daughter’s hand: “You should focus on taking good care of your health now and prepare to be your empress. Leave Bai Qingyan to Father to handle. Father will make you satisfied!”