Poisonous Goddess: I'm just lazing around in the mortal realm.

Xie Qiao was taken aback upon hearing this, and couldn't help but ask with some curiosity.

"So you mean that the girl was rescued by her master and also came to the mortal realm?"

He found it hard to believe that the plot of the story was such a coincidence.

"That's not true, because she was already dead when we met her." Hao Jing's expression was somewhat serious, and he also doubted whether he had seen things wrong.

When Shen Mu killed the monster, he specifically asked him to rescue Shi Wanyan.

But the girl in Shen Mu's arms was clearly dead.

Later, Shen Mu arranged for him to bury all the guards in the canyon, temporarily separating him from Shen Mu for half a day. As a result, he didn't know what happened to Shi Wanyan afterwards.

"If Shi Wanyan is really dead, then Zhou Jinghuai has mistaken her for someone else today. It just so happens that this girl looks somewhat like Thirteen."

After saying this, Xie Qiao walked down the corner tower. Since it wasn't Shi Wanyan, then this matter had nothing to do with his master.

Seeing this, Haojing quickly followed. He didn't dare to say anything definitively, after all, judging from Shen Mu's appearance just now, he must know something.

However, under Xie Qiao's coercion and enticement, he still tied Hao Jing up and accompanied him to the main hall.

In the main hall

Unlike the lively atmosphere at the banquet earlier, there were fewer than twenty people remaining.

It was already past 7 PM, and on a normal day, they would have already gone to rest.

Pei Zhiheng sat upright before the throne, his expression calm, as if he had been waiting for something. His dozen or so senior officials were in the same boat, quietly resting on their cushions.

Unlike her older sister, Pei Suisui didn't sit quietly. She couldn't stay still and kept looking around, thinking that since the Fourth Princess and Consort An had left together, they probably wouldn't have a chance to cause trouble for the Thirteenth Princess.

The Third Prince, Duan Yuchuan, who was closest to the dragon throne, seemed confident and was dozing off in his armchair.

He had little interest in the fire at Mingyue Palace.

However, the incident with the Western Region assassin made him realize that he had underestimated Shen Mu. According to his men, the assassination attempt seemed to be related to his maternal family, the Duke of Anguo. Remembering how his mother was always worried about the Duke of Anguo's safety, he was actually happy to see them fighting like dogs.

After all, he knew what his mother was thinking at the moment.

The Second Prince, Duan Yumou, sat opposite him, calmly savoring the fine wine and delicacies before him. It was as if everything that had just happened in the hall had nothing to do with this leisurely prince.

After all, he was not chosen from the two candidates who were most favored by everyone and were closest to the throne.

He had neither a maternal family nor a legal mother, and even after his mother's death, his father never thought to choose a foster mother for him. So, to avoid the limelight for the time being, he chose to become a dissolute prince, indulging in debauchery and neglecting state affairs.

Hearing the rustling sounds, Duan Yuchuan felt a headache coming on. He lifted his eyelids to look at Duan Yumou, who was enjoying his meal, and frowned slightly, a hint of sarcasm in his voice.

"Second brother is really carefree. Father is so angry about the fire at Mingyue Palace, and you still have the mood to eat."

The crown prince was confined to his quarters and forbidden from attending palace banquets.

The second prince had no support in the court and spent his days indulging in debauchery, making him a useless pawn in the eyes of his father, the emperor.

As the third prince, he recovered his health under the care of the thirteenth prince and became the emperor's most favored son in the court.

Taking advantage of the Crown Prince's confinement, he extensively recruited several important officials who had previously served under the Crown Prince. Now, with his status rising accordingly, he looks down on his two older brothers even more.

Duan Yumou paused, but his slender phoenix eyes were filled with a smile.

"I'm a lazy person by nature, unlike my third brother. I'm sure the Duke of Anguo's involvement must be giving you a lot of headaches."

Instead of getting angry, Duan Yuchuan laughed and said, "Second Brother, are you referring to the Duke of Anguo allowing his subordinates to set the fire?"

He knew his second brother was a smart man; his feigned ignorance and blunders were merely a way to avoid the struggle for the crown prince position. Since the more blatant his blunders, the more likely he was to survive, he certainly couldn't openly stand against either side.

After all, if his good brother really suffered, there probably wouldn't be anyone to plead for him.

Duan Yumou became interested at this moment. He scrutinized Duan Yuchuan with a probing gaze for a long time before slowly saying...

"Second brother is not as clever as third brother. If second brother gets into this mess, I'm afraid he won't be able to come up with a way to turn the tables even if he racks his brains." He seemed to be putting on a pitiful look to deliberately show it to Duan Yuchuan.

Those remaining in the main hall are all veteran officials led by Pei Zhiheng.

Pei Zhiheng originally supported the late Empress, so it is only natural that he now supports the Crown Prince.

All the ministers under the Duke of Anguo's command left the main hall to rush to Mingyue Palace to put out the fire and have not yet returned.

Duan Yuchuan's eyes narrowed slightly, a sly smile playing on his lips. His second brother was setting a trap for him.

Just as he was about to retort, an eunuch on duty at Yong'an Palace hurriedly entered the hall, temporarily interrupting the argument.

Everyone looked up and saw the eunuch who had always followed Consort An stop steadily beside Duan Yuchuan, his voice still trembling and slightly out of breath.

"His Majesty requests that the Third Prince proceed to Yong'an Palace immediately."

Duan Yuchuan suddenly turned his head and looked at the eunuch with some doubt.

"What did you say?"

"His Majesty requests that the Third Prince proceed to Yong'an Palace immediately," the eunuch repeated in a measured tone.

Duan Yuchuan suddenly remembered that his mother and sister had gone to Mingyue Palace earlier, and the Emperor and his mother had not yet returned. Why was he suddenly invited to Yong'an Palace? Could it be that something had happened?

Thinking of this, he quickly stood up and asked, "What's wrong with Mother?"

"The Imperial Concubine is pregnant. His Majesty requests that you proceed to Yong'an Palace immediately."

The eunuch's voice was not loud, but it was like a stone thrown into a lake, stirring up ripples.

Everyone exclaimed in surprise, for more than a decade since the birth of the Fifth Princess, no prince had been born in the Nanyang harem.

Duan Yuchuan, who was standing there, suddenly trembled, and a certain emotion surged in his eyes. His face turned even more ashen, but he suppressed the anger that was rising in his heart because of the stares of the crowd.

"Mother...is she alright?"

"Her Highness is alright. She just caught a chill in front of Mingyue Palace and fainted temporarily. Please go to Yong'an Palace as soon as possible," the eunuch reminded Duan Yuchuan again.

"Hmm." Duan Yuchuan was about to leave when Duan Yumou suddenly laughed again.

"Ha ha--"

Duan Yumou's overly hearty laughter immediately struck him as somewhat grating.

He glanced sideways at Duan Yumou, who was leaning back in the armchair, and said coldly.

"What are you laughing at, Second Brother?"

Duan Yumou said with a smile, "Second brother is thinking that he will soon have a fourth brother, then you will no longer be the youngest prince."

His slightly sarcastic smile seemed to suggest he wanted nothing more than to tear Duan Yuchuan's hypocritical mask to shreds.

Duan Yuchuan's talent wasn't particularly high; he was just born into a good family.

His biological mother was the most favored imperial concubine in Nanyang, and her maternal family was the famous Marquis of Anguo Mansion in Nanyang. She was even related to the renowned General Gu, who was in charge of protecting the country.