All the mansions in the capital received invitations to Concubine Qi's birthday, and Prince Mu's mansion and the Third Prince's mansion were no exception.

Shen Rou came to the Third Prince's residence to see how her sister was doing. At this time, a servant came over with Concubine Qi's birthday card.

"Princess, Princess, this is a letter sent from the Qifei Palace."

Shen Xue opened it and saw that it was a birthday invitation. "Sister, Concubine Qi invited me to the palace to attend her birthday banquet. You must be among them."

"This Concubine Qi, recently she looked like she had lost all hope in life because the Second Princess married a seventh-rank civil servant. She even missed the birthday banquets of several concubines in the palace. How could she be in the mood to celebrate her birthday after just a few months? Has she come to her senses, or is she reminding herself that she is getting old?"

"Big sister, will Concubine Qi be furious when she hears what you say?"

"I wish I could die of anger. She's not a good person. I can still vividly remember what she and Zhuang Shiwan did to you on New Year's Eve. Although she wasn't the mastermind, she knew the inside story a long time ago and waited for the right moment to take the emperor to "catch the adulterer." She never expected to catch the emperor in the act and make him wear a green hat."

"The Emperor chose a powerless consort for the Second Princess, as a lesson for Concubine Qi. I wonder what her intentions were in holding a birthday banquet for her."

"Since she invited me, I have to go. I'll act accordingly."

"That's all it can do."

When the Emperor learned of Concubine Qi's birthday, his face darkened and he whispered, "This is your last birthday, and also your last dignity and honor as a consort. If you want to celebrate in the future, you'll have to go to the underworld and spend it with your family!"

Chen Fu was unmoved when he heard the emperor's words. Xue Fan's trap indirectly killed the eldest prince, and the emperor had been brooding over the pain of losing his son.

Now he has set his sights on the Fourth Prince and the Imperial Palace. His evil ambitions are obvious to everyone. The Emperor will not tolerate such a thing happening. Anyone who has anything to do with Xue Fan must pay the price.

He quickly noticed something was wrong after the Fourth Prince's two guards were replaced by Xue Fan's men. His expression was cold, and his gaze swept over the two men like a torch. He gripped his sword tightly in his hand, the scabbard gleaming coldly in the moonlight.

"Who are you? Did Xue Fan send you here? What does he want to do by replacing this prince's guards? Where are Mo Lin and Mo Xuanren?"

The voice was low and full of unquestionable authority.

The two "guards" exchanged a glance. The fake Mo Lin still had a look of fear on his face. He said anxiously, "Master, we are your guards, Mo Lin and Mo Xuan! We have followed you for many years and have never had any second thoughts."

As he spoke, he deliberately revealed the scar on his arm that was left from protecting the Fourth Prince.

However, the Fourth Prince remained unmoved and sneered, "Do you think you can fool me with such a small trick? They have served me for many years, and their gait and sword-holding are all fixed. Your tone of voice and manner of doing things are indeed very similar to theirs, but don't forget that they have been by my side for many years, and I know their every word and action."

"Master, you really misunderstood. I am Mo Xuan, the subordinate who has protected you for many years!"

The Fourth Prince drew his sword and said coldly, "If you don't tell the truth, don't blame me for being ruthless."

Seeing no further deception, the guard threatened, "Your Highness is truly exceptionally intelligent. You saw through my plan so quickly. Even if you did, it would be useless. Do you dare to complain to the Emperor? These two charges of failing to raise a child and colluding with a foreign man are enough to condemn Concubine Hui to death."

"You are talking nonsense, when did Concubine Hui ever collude with a man outside her family?"

The guard tore off the human skin mask on his face and sneered, "I went to Concubine Hui's palace and stayed with her in the bedroom for one night. Do you think the emperor knew what the result would be? It doesn't matter if I die, after all, I have long put life and death aside. But it would be a pity if the young and beautiful Concubine Hui died."

The Fourth Prince yelled, "Crazy...you are all crazy. Concubine Hui has no grudge against you. Why do you want to harm her?"

"We are not trying to harm Concubine Hui. Her safety depends on your attitude, Your Highness."

"Can you just watch Concubine Hui, who loves you like her own daughter, suffer because of you? And the young Fifth Princess is so innocent, following you around every day, calling out, 'Fourth Brother... Fourth Brother...'"

"Your Highness, your decision concerns the safety of mother and daughter. Think twice before you act. Don't let your loved ones die with regrets."

The Fourth Prince's eyes were red with anger, and his hand gripping the sword was shaking constantly. He was extremely upset that a thirteen-year-old boy had to make such a difficult decision.

If he didn't report them, he couldn't imagine colluding with them to do such things. If he reported them, Concubine Hui would be the victim, making the Fourth Prince's decision difficult.

He was extremely panicked at this time. No matter how smart he was, he was still an inexperienced child. He didn't want to see Concubine Hui, who loved him, being implicated, and he didn't want to be manipulated by others. He couldn't calm down for a long time.

But he had to weigh the pros and cons. His hand gripping the sword trembled slightly, and his eyes were full of struggle and pain.

After a moment, he slowly put down his sword and said in a cold voice, "You'd better not play any tricks, otherwise this prince will not let you and Xue Fan go."

"Your Highness is wise and has chosen a person with a bright future. I will be loyal to you till death."

The Fourth Prince was furious and shouted, "Get out...get out! This prince doesn't want to see you."

The two men left the hall, but the Fourth Prince was unwilling to be manipulated like this. He had to come up with a best of both worlds to get rid of Xue Fan's entanglement and save Concubine Hui and her daughter.

He quickly wrote on the paper, stuffed it into his sleeve pocket, and waited until he went to the Imperial College tomorrow to give it to Shen Nan, asking him to give it to the Ninth Prince to find a way to help him escape from the clutches of the devil.

The person who was monitoring the Fourth Prince was hiding on the roof of another palace. Although he did not hear the content of their conversation, he heard the Fourth Prince's roar and the expressions of the guards who were driven out.

The shadow guard quickly came to the emperor's chambers and reported, "Your Majesty, the Fourth Prince is furious in his own palace and has angrily driven the guards out. I believe the Fourth Prince has discovered that the guards have been replaced, and that's why he's angry."

The Emperor's face was gloomy, and he said coldly, "It's only a matter of time before he discovers the clues. After all, the two guards have been following him for many years. If he can't even notice this, he must be either stupid or dumb."

The emperor paused for a moment and said, "Continue to monitor. I want to see how the fourth brother reacts."

"I obey your orders."

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