If Xiao Changtai didn’t know Ye Wantang was in her hands, why would he enter the capital? It could only mean Xiao Huayong had misled him – Ye Wantang was actually in Xiao Huayong’s hands. The purpose was to lure Xiao Changtai into the capital and make him let his guard down when meeting her, perfect for striking at this moment!

“Fourth Brother’s wife is in my hands.” Li Yanyan needed only this one sentence for the clever Xiao Changtai to understand the situation.

“Foolish woman, you’ve ruined me!” Xiao Changtai suddenly slammed the table as he stood up. In that moment of anger, he felt his limbs suddenly go weak. He hurriedly supported himself on the table surface, staring at Li Yanyan with disbelief and hidden viciousness.

“What’s wrong with you…” Li Yanyan was initially angry at Xiao Changtai’s insult, but seeing him suddenly stop mid-sentence, she grew worried. Just as she was about to stand and ask, she found herself becoming weak and powerless. She quickly called out, “Someone…”

Due to their emotional fluctuations, the poison they had unknowingly ingested took effect faster. Xiao Changtai immediately realized this and quickly forced himself to calm down. Li Yanyan called for help, but no one responded.

They were meeting in secret, and neither had brought many people. Xiao Changtai had come alone, never imagining this place had already been exposed. Noticing the weakening effects of the drug, he drew a dagger from his waist.

A cold glint flashed, frightening Li Yanyan pale as she collapsed onto the stone bench. Xiao Changtai stared at her intently, raised his hand but forcefully stabbed the dagger into his arm. The pain instantly cleared his increasingly foggy consciousness and seemed to give him a bit more strength.

Gritting his teeth, he turned and staggered away, supporting himself on the pavilion pillars.

Li Yanyan, untrained in martial arts, had less resistance to this Western Region muscle-weakening drug. She lay on the stone table, like a fish out of water, breathing heavily, watching Xiao Changtai leave with increasingly blurred vision.

Suddenly, there was movement in the courtyard. A figure quickly appeared before her. She struggled to open her eyes and saw that familiar stern face: “Azhen…”

Xiao Changzhen looked down at her, his gaze slowly moving away to the blood on the ground. As he turned to leave, Li Yanyan somehow mustered strength from nowhere and grabbed his sleeve: “Azhen…”

Just then, the Capital Prefecture’s people burst in, saying someone had reported a murder in the residence.

These people saw Prince Dai and his wife, and the blood on the ground. They immediately followed the blood trail, which led to a study. Inside the study, the blood trail disappeared at a wall. Everyone knew there must be a secret passage. They searched everywhere but couldn’t find it.

“Your Highness, there’s a secret passage in the Qian residence. Fourth Prince has escaped,” Tianyuan immediately reported to Xiao Huayong.

Xiao Huayong had already returned to the Eastern Palace. To avoid suspicion, whatever happened next, he would stay in the palace. Since he couldn’t act personally, it didn’t matter where he was: “Bring me the layout of the Qian residence.”

They had thoroughly investigated the Qian residence and infiltrated it, yet still hadn’t found the secret passage.

Tianyuan spread the residence’s layout before Xiao Huayong, who asked, “Where is the secret passage entrance?”

“This room.” Tianyuan pointed to the map.

Xiao Huayong’s gaze quickly scanned it, considering the residence’s location and surrounding streets. He turned to look at a huge map behind him showing the entire capital’s layout. After a few moments, he raised a slender wooden stick, pointing to a location: “Have Ling lead people to intercept here.”

“Yes.”

After Tianyuan withdrew, Xiao Huayong stood at the carved window. Outside, flowers bloomed in abundance, tree shadows swayed, and fragrance wafted in waves.

With his hands behind his back, he fingered the five-colored thread on his wrist, feeling that this time, Xiao Changtai would likely escape again.

Shen Xihe was worried about Shen Yingruo and had no attention to spare for Xiao Changtai’s matter. At this moment, the Capital Prefecture Chief brought Xiao Changzhen and Li Yanyan before the Emperor, reporting the whole situation to Emperor Youning.

Emperor Youning immediately understood his sons were scheming again: “Lady Li, why were you at the Qian residence? Who did you meet? Whose blood was that?”

“Your Majesty, your daughter-in-law doesn’t know. I was out for a walk today when someone drugged and kidnapped me. When I woke up, I was at the Qian residence,” Li Yanyan kowtowed on the ground.

“As a princess consort, you go out without attendants?” Emperor Youning coldly looked at her.

“Your daughter-in-law enjoys solitude, only bringing one maid,” Li Yanyan said.

Emperor Youning glanced at Liu Sanzhi, who bowed and called outside: “Bring them in.”

Soon two people were brought in by guards – a gatekeeper from Prince Dai’s residence and one from the Qian residence.

“Repeat what you just said,” Liu Sanzhi instructed.

The Prince Dai’s gatekeeper prostrated himself, trembling: “The Princess Consort often leaves without guards, taking only Miss Xiao’e. Sometimes during the day, sometimes late at night.”

The Qian residence gatekeeper stuttered immediately after: “This humble one didn’t know she was the Princess Consort. She often came to the residence.”

“Why did the Princess Consort come to the residence?” Liu Sanzhi questioned the Qian residence gatekeeper.

The frightened gatekeeper replied: “This humble one only guards the gate, only knows the master’s surname is Qian, never even saw the master’s face. Originally thought the Princess Consort was… was Master Qian’s lover…”

This wasn’t a lie – they were ordinary caretakers. Master Qian rarely came, but whenever he did, the Princess Consort would come too. What else could it be but a love affair? That’s what they and Old Zhang in the kitchen all thought.

They just kept quiet about it, originally thinking it was just a regular wealthy master’s romantic affair. How could they know it would involve the royal family?

Emperor Youning’s expression grew increasingly dark. Liu Sanzhi had the guards take the two gatekeepers away.

“Lady Li, do you have anything else to quibble about?” Emperor Youning asked.

Li Yanyan remained completely unperturbed. Her lips, painted with bright rouge, curved upward: “Your Majesty, you needn’t rush to charge your daughter-in-law with adultery. As the saying goes, to catch adulterers, you must catch them in bed. Whether your daughter-in-law has committed adultery, Your Majesty can ask your son.”

“Lady Li!” Li Yanyan’s nonchalant attitude enraged Emperor Youning.

But Li Yanyan didn’t care. She raised her head to look at Xiao Changzhen kneeling beside her: “Do you also think I’ve been unfaithful?”

Prince Dai Xiao Changzhen woodenly turned to look at her. Their eyes met – he was bloodshot, showing no discernible emotion. After staring at her for a long while, he slowly turned back, kowtowing to the Emperor: “Your Majesty, I believe her. She would not do anything to wrong me.”

“You…” Emperor Youning was so angered by Xiao Changzhen that he grabbed a paperweight and threw it.

The paperweight was made of jade – if it hit the head, it would at best cause bleeding, at worst instant death. Seeing this, Li Yanyan immediately threw herself at Xiao Changzhen, knocking him down.

The paperweight flew over them and hit a pillar in the great hall, creating a dent and wounding Li Yanyan’s eye.