The eldest prince sat in the pavilion of the mansion, holding a teacup and looking ahead with cold eyes.

Su Feng stood aside and reported quietly: "Master, the Second Prince sent people to investigate the plague in Jinzhou. Does he suspect anything?"

The eldest prince took a sip of tea, his lips curled up slightly in a dismissive smile. "What am I afraid of? Without evidence, what can he do to me? Even if I complain to my father, I might not win. Instead, he might anger me and accuse me of spreading rumors and causing discord among my brothers."

His tone was full of confidence and arrogance.

Su Feng hesitated for a moment. "Master, we'd better be careful. The Second Prince has been gloomy and unstable since the Emperor stripped him of his crown princeship. Such a person is even more insidious and terrifying. I'm afraid he won't let this matter go easily."

The eldest prince put down his teacup and walked to the pavilion's guardrail. Looking at the scenery in the garden, a sinister glint flashed in his eyes. "If he wants to investigate, let him investigate! The more we try to stop him, the more we must get to the bottom of it."

Su Feng nodded and said nothing more.

The eldest prince suddenly thought of Shangguan Rui, "Shu Feng, how is the training of the Third Master Navy going?"

"Master, no matter how much trouble we put in him, the Third Prince can always resolve it. It will probably take another month or two for him to return."

"Once he returns safely, my father will hand over the newly built warships and 20,000 sailors to him. My father is too partial. I am unwilling to let such a good thing fall on Shangguan Rui."

"Master, do you want to?"

Su Feng made a gesture of wiping his neck.

"If you do it, there will naturally be clues left. One wrong move and you will lose everything."

At this time, the guard came over with a letter, "Master, the Queen has sent someone to deliver a message to you."

The eldest prince quickly took the letter and read it carefully. A smile suddenly appeared on his face. "God is helping me."

"Master, what makes you so happy?"

The eldest prince handed the letter to Su Feng. After reading it, he paused for a moment and said, "Master, if we don't want the Third Prince to return to the capital safely, we don't have to do it ourselves. We can kill with someone else's knife."

The eldest prince nodded slightly and said, "Go on."

"We can use Concubine Rong's knife to kill the Third Prince. Even if we fail, it has nothing to do with us. Concubine Rong is a princess of Northern Yan, and she has the entire Northern Yan as her backing. Even if the Emperor knows it was Concubine Rong who did it, what can he do to her? Killing Concubine Rong will instantly bring the relationship between the two countries, which has just eased, to a freezing point. The Emperor will not sever ties with Northern Yan because of the Third Prince's death."

"Good idea. Tell Mother to tell Concubine Rong the truth about why she hasn't gotten pregnant in the past few years. Also, tell her which prince Father cares about the most. The rest is up to Concubine Rong to decide. When a woman gets ruthless, she's even scarier than a man."

"My master is wise."

The eldest prince showed a sly smile and whispered: "Princess Rong, please don't let me down, or I will look down on you."

The eldest prince's mother, Concubine He, has been close to Concubine Rong recently. She and Concubine Rong sat in the imperial garden, drinking tea and admiring the flowers.

"Sister, have some tea. This tea is good for your skin and is the best for women."

"No wonder my sister has skin as white as snow, it turns out she has a secret recipe."

Hepin was very angry when she heard this. What she meant was that she was old and had to rely on secret recipes to maintain her appearance, but she could only smile.

"Sister, you are the only one in the harem who has the emperor's favor. The emperor stays in your palace every night. It won't be long before you are about to have your wedding."

"Thank you for your kind words, sister."

"The entire palace knows how much the Emperor dotes on my sister. He personally ordered the Shang Pharmacy to develop spices specifically for your use. No other concubine has such an honor."

Rong Fei smiled and said, "Sister, you must be joking. How can I compare with you? The eldest prince is the eldest son of the emperor, and the youngest prince is the eldest grandson of the emperor. He is deeply loved by the emperor. You will be blessed in the future. Remember to give me some advice."

"Sister, you've been in the palace for over three years now. You should understand that the emperor values ​​the third prince the most. A few years ago, the emperor ordered Prince Mu to take the third prince to the Youzhou military camp for training. At that time, we fought a war with your Northern Yan for over a year. Otherwise, we would have never met."

"The Third Prince was injured and abandoned himself to despair, which infuriated the Emperor. He ordered him to train the navy just as his leg injury was healed, and promised him that upon his return, he would be given command of the newly built warships and 30,000 sailors."

"Concubine Qi is currently busy helping the Third Prince select his principal wife. These ladies are from prominent families in the capital. With their support, the Third Prince will surely become extremely powerful in the future. I'm afraid that by then, none of us sisters in the harem will have a place to stand."

"Sister, you still have the eldest prince to rely on, but my sister has no one to rely on."

"Sister, the Emperor has taken away your sister's title of Imperial Concubine, and the eldest prince is not favored by the Emperor, so where can you rely on? Sister, it's different. As long as you give birth to a prince as soon as possible, you will have the support of the entire Northern Yan and a promising future. Don't forget to support your sister when the time comes."

After hearing what Concubine He said, Concubine Rong smiled slightly and said, "Sister, you are joking. After all, I am a married princess. His Majesty of Northern Yan would not care so much for the benefit of both countries."

"His Majesty of Beiyan is your biological brother. Your status in the Daqi royal family is crucial to the future of both countries. He definitely has no reason to support you."

On the way back, Concubine Rong kept thinking that Concubine He couldn't have mentioned spices for no reason. She also knew that the spices were prepared by the Shang Pharmacy under the order of the Emperor, and the spices for other concubines were provided by the Ministry of Internal Affairs. At first, she thought it was the Emperor's favor, but now she thinks it may not be a good thing.

She had been in the palace for three or four years but had not yet gotten pregnant. The imperial physician had checked her pulse every now and then and said that she was in good health and that pregnancy was a matter of time. The emperor often stayed overnight in her palace. Why had she not conceived an heir for so long? This made her ponder.

After thinking for a moment, he ordered: "Yutong, send someone to take this spice outside the palace to check if there is any problem."

"The slaves obey."

Yutong came back and glanced at Rong Fei, wanting to say something but stopping herself. Rong Fei saw that she had something to say and ordered, "All of you go wait outside the palace."

The servants left the bedroom one after another. Yutong whispered a few words in Rong Fei's ear, but it was like a thunderclap exploding in Rong Fei's ears.

Her eyes widened instantly, and she looked at Yutong in disbelief. She asked in a trembling voice, "What did you say? There's musk in this spice?"

Yutong nodded, a trace of pity flashing in her eyes: "Your Majesty, this spice was specially ordered by the Emperor to be carefully developed by the Shang Pharmacy. Do you think it was done by the Shang Pharmacy, or..."

Concubine Rong's face turned pale in an instant. She thought of the efforts and pain she had put in over the years to conceive a royal heir, but no one understood.

She was so angry that she tore the handkerchief tightly with her hands. Her eyes were fierce and angry. She gritted her teeth and said, "She dares to be the head of the pharmacy?"

Yutong was shocked and asked, "My Lady, could it be?"

Concubine Rong sneered, and tears streamed down her face as she laughed. "You may think I'm the most favored concubine in the harem, but the truth is, the emperor doesn't want me to get pregnant, let alone give birth to a prince. If you don't want me to have a good life, then no one else should."

"Your Majesty, who are you going to leave the throne of the Great Qi Crown Prince to? I will not let you succeed."

"My lady, what should I do with these spices?"

"Pretend you don't know for now. Wait until I've thought it over before making a decision. Don't tell anyone about this."

"The servant understands."

Concubine Rong's heart was filled with hatred, and she said viciously, "He wants to use me to control Northern Yan, but he doesn't want me to have a prince. He wants me to die of old age in the palace. How can such a thing happen? I will not be bullied."

"Shangguan Mo, just wait and see!"

At this moment, she remembered Concubine He's words, especially those about the third prince.

Rong Fei's eyes turned, revealing a vicious look, "Yutong, go and find out about the Third Prince's schedule. I want to give him a good 'entertainment'."

Meanwhile, the eldest prince, upon hearing the news, was secretly pleased. "Concubine Rong will definitely take action against the third prince. No matter what the outcome, I will reap the benefits."

The Third Prince was completely unaware of the impending danger and was still concentrating on naval training, preparing to return to the palace to report as soon as possible.

The maid quickly got the news and reported, "Your Majesty, the Third Prince will be returning to the capital in a month or two. Upon his return, the Emperor will hand over 30,000 naval troops to him, making him Admiral of the Navy, in charge of the entire sea area and military operations."

Concubine Rong showed a ferocious expression and said viciously, "Shangguan Rui, you caused the deaths of my second and third brothers, as well as my father. You also caused me to marry far away and become an orphan. This hatred must be avenged."

"If you die, Shangguan Mo will be sad, but I will be happy."

"Yutong, tell Concubine He that she wants to use me to get rid of the Third Prince. I can't risk my life for nothing. I want to discuss the future with them. If he agrees, I will find a way to help him reach the top. Otherwise, who knows who will be the one to take the blame."

"Send a message to my mother, and ask her to send an experienced doctor from Northern Yan to treat my health. Without a prince in the harem, there is no future for me."

The servant stood by and said worriedly, "Your Majesty, please think twice before you act. You must proceed with caution. If the Emperor finds out, the consequences will be disastrous."

"Does he dare to kill me? How can he explain to Beiyan if he kills me? Unless he disregards the interests of both countries and the people in order to avenge his son and stirs up trouble again. But although Shangguan Mo is not a good husband, he works diligently to be a good emperor."

"The slaves obey."

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