After being exiled with her husband and children, she returned with great power to rule the world

In Kunning Palace, the Empress frowned. Concubine An's fall from power did not cause any ripples of joy in her heart.

She knew very well that the palace was full of unpredictable events, and that the emperor must have deep intentions behind it. Concubine An always followed the lead of Concubine Rong, and the emperor always favored the eldest and second princes born to Concubine Rong, but now he wanted to kill his henchmen. The true meaning behind this was like a fog, making it difficult to grasp.

The Queen thought to herself that the Emperor's move could not be as simple as for the Crown Prince. This seemingly unexpected decision was probably the result of careful consideration and long-term planning.

The situation in the court is extremely complicated, like a huge and sophisticated chessboard. Every move made by the emperor affects the success or failure of the entire game, and it cannot be done on impulse.

When everyone in the harem saw this, they were like frightened birds, confused by Emperor Zhao's actions, and no one could understand the emperor's thoughts.

For a moment, everyone restrained their edge. The arrogance of the past had long since disappeared, replaced by the cautiousness of treading on thin ice.

The court was also in a state of panic. Officials were all in danger and were cautious in every move and every word, for fear that any mistake would anger the emperor and result in a miserable end of being punished and having their property confiscated.

Lin Yi, who was at the center of the storm, was escorted on a long journey of exile before he could pass on the secret revealed by He Hong on his deathbed.

By the time Chu Lingfeng learned the news, they had already left Leizhou City and entered the cold and lonely place of Changshanbai.

Chu Lingfeng stared into the distance for a long moment before he spoke slowly, his voice filled with immense heaviness. "Lin Yi's actions this time were all for the Chu family. He Hong is truly a formidable figure. I'm afraid he's already planned everything, just waiting for Lin Yi to get involved."

Murong Ling'er nodded slightly, a hint of admiration in her eyes: "His loyalty to the Crown Prince is admirable, but his claim that someone else framed the Chu Palace still needs to be carefully verified, so don't believe it."

Chu Lingfeng then thought that in the fight for the position of crown prince, the eldest prince was originally the strongest opponent. Now that the Chu family and the Lin family have fallen one after another, the eldest prince is only supported by the lineage of Rong Taigong. It is like a building about to collapse and is in danger.

Fortunately, Noble Concubine Rong has been deeply favored by the emperor for many years, and she is like a magic needle that stabilizes the sea, temporarily stabilizing the situation. As long as Noble Concubine Rong and Grandpa Rong hold on, the eldest prince still has a chance of survival, and this battle for the throne is far from over.

When Crown Prince Zhao Hao heard that He Hong was willing to die to save his son, he was so shocked that he was speechless for a long time. He had previously sent someone to deliver a message, asking He Hong to wait patiently and he would find a way to rescue him. However, he did not expect to wait for such a cruel ending.

Zhao Hao sighed deeply, his gaze cast into the depths of darkness, and asked softly, "Is there any news about Lord He's family?"

In the darkness, Zhao Wei's voice was steady and clear: "Master, we still haven't found any trace of him."

A sense of foreboding welled up in Zhao Hao's heart. There must be a hidden reason behind He Hong's death. What message did he want to convey to him by going to his death so resolutely? Zhao Hao fell into deep thought.

"Master, the Sun family..." Zhao Wei's voice broke the silence again.

The Sun family is the biggest winner in this turmoil in Leizhou City.

Not only did they successfully obtain the honor of presenting tribute wine, but Miss Sun also won the beauty pageant and won the first place. The tribute wine and the wine waiter were all from the Sun family. For a time, the Sun family was in great glory.

However, Zhao Wei secretly investigated and found out that the Sun family had a close relationship with the queen's family.

In order to seize a secret recipe for wine-making, the Sun family was so cruel that they destroyed an entire village. Their methods were so cruel that they were appalling.

After hearing this, a sharp cold light flashed in Zhao Hao's eyes.

He knew very well that if he had not received this news before, once the Sun family presented the tribute wine and the scandal was exposed, people with ulterior motives would take the opportunity to impeach him for many crimes, including forming a clique for personal gain, disregarding human life, and failing to govern his subordinates strictly.

The aftermath of the He Hong incident has not yet subsided, and now this thorny matter has been added. If it is not handled properly, he will surely become an incompetent and unpopular prince in the hearts of the people. In this way, the position of the prince will be in jeopardy. The road to the throne is destined to be full of thorns, and the difficulties and obstacles are far beyond imagination.

Zhao Hao took a deep breath, forced himself to calm down, and after thinking for a moment, he said, "Zhao Wei, this matter must not be made public. We need to make long-term plans. First, send people to closely monitor the Sun family's every move. Don't alert the enemy."

Zhao Wei cupped his hands and replied, "Yes, Master."

At the same time, in the Queen's Palace.

The Queen's personal maid said worriedly, "Your Majesty, the Sun family is so popular now, I'm afraid it will arouse jealousy and cause trouble."

The Queen narrowed her eyes slightly and said in a cold voice, "Hmph! I want to see how long the Sun family can prosper. However, for now, I still need them to serve me."

She ordered her personal guard to secretly summon Mr. Sun, the head of the Sun family.

"Master Sun, your Sun family is now the target of public criticism, so you must be careful," warned the queen.

Mr. Sun nodded quickly and said he was ready to deal with anything.

……

Lin Yu hurried over, with beads of sweat on his forehead. He trotted all the way to Chu Lingfeng and said nervously, "Sir, I just got the news that the prince is coming towards us. Judging from his posture, I'm afraid he's coming for you."

Chu Lingfeng raised his eyebrows slightly and became alert immediately.

He Hong's death was like a huge rock thrown into a calm lake, causing a thousand waves. Although on the surface it seemed that Lin Yi was closely related, anyone with a little insight could see that this was clearly a fight for life carefully planned by He Hong. He used his death to eliminate the Lin family, a major threat to the prince, and thus consolidate the prince's position.

At this sensitive moment, the prince came towards him without any hesitation. Wasn't he afraid that the emperor would become suspicious?

Chu Lingfeng thought to himself that based on his understanding of the prince, Zhao Hao was definitely not that reckless person.

As expected, Zhao Hao had already made plans. He arranged a substitute with a similar figure to himself, and marched towards Kyoto in a high-profile manner to attract everyone's attention. He himself disguised himself, wearing a simple cloth shirt and a conical hat with the brim pulled down very low, almost covering his entire face, leaving only his firm chin exposed.

He took a few trusted aides and galloped non-stop towards the south, avoiding the eyes of the public and moving forward cautiously.

Zhao Hao was extremely anxious and traveled day and night. Finally, he arrived when Chu Lingfeng and his group were about to cross the river and successfully stopped them.

At this time, Chu Lingfeng and Zhao Hao stood quietly by the river, looking at the surging and turbulent river. No one spoke first to break the solemn silence. The roar of the rushing river filled their ears, as if cheering for the tense atmosphere.

After a long time, Zhao Hao sighed softly and broke the silence first: "Prince Chu, how are you?" His voice was a little hoarse, perhaps due to the long journey.

Chu Lingfeng raised his head slightly, a hint of alienation and vigilance in his eyes. He asked indifferently, "I wonder why His Royal Highness the Crown Prince has come all the way to see me?"

Murong Ling'er stood aside, watching this scene quietly. She was secretly surprised that these two people who usually fought each other to the death and were incompatible in the court and the power field could now stand side by side and talk so calmly, as if all their previous grievances and hatreds were temporarily washed away by the rolling river water.

She couldn't help but wonder in which direction their conversation would develop next, what shocking secrets would be revealed, or what unexpected consensus would be reached?