Shocking! Five men are in love with the same woman!

But whatever the outcome, the result is already before her, so she has to accept the consequences.

…………

A few days after tonight, Chu Zhan set off to return to Western Chu.

Therefore, Chu Xiyao no longer needed to have any scruples, and he would pester Ling Yan even during the day.

Compared to Xiao Muyao's need to investigate cases, He Jingchuan's need to train troops, and Lu Yanqing's need to be available at any time, Chu Xiyao was practically doing nothing.

So he monopolized Lingyan for several days.

Of course, only during the daytime.

She also told Chu Xiyao about the sterilization pill she had taken.

Chu Xiyao's reaction was very calm, and it could even be said that he had expected it.

He replied, “I didn’t know before, but I guessed it when the four of us first served you in the hot spring. If you were really pregnant, you wouldn’t know who the father was, and you couldn’t have been unaware of that. Neither could the other three, but you all seemed indifferent. So I guessed it then.”

Ling Yan was speechless.

These four people are all incredibly clever; they all guessed it in advance.

Then she pressed on, "Now that you know, what are your thoughts?"

Chu Xiyao looked at her and smiled gently, "Having children is dispensable to me. It would be great if I had them, but I wouldn't regret it if I didn't. After all, I like you and want to be with you, but it's not for you to bear me children. I simply love you and want to spend my life with you. Besides, it doesn't matter that I don't have children. I'm just a carefree prince."

After saying that, he gently brushed a strand of hair that had fallen onto her face and said, "So I am very clear-headed and rational. I know what I want. From beginning to end, I only want you. I don't care about anything else. Do you understand?"

After listening, Lingyan felt a surge of emotion, like a lake touched by a spring breeze.

It seems like I have a thousand words to say, but I feel that words are not powerful enough.

So she expressed all her feelings, her gratitude, and her reward to him through her actions.

………………

After nearly a month of investigation, Xiao Muyao had successfully uncovered all the details of the Second Prince and Consort Shu's affair and presented them to Emperor Jingzhao.

Emperor Jingzhao read it word by word, and with each line he read, his anger grew, while an indescribable heartache spread through him.

After reviewing the presented evidence, the crime of breaking the tenth prince's leg seemed the least egregious.

The memorial first clearly and in detail explained the events surrounding the tenth prince's broken leg.

It says that the Second Prince thought the Tenth Prince was stupid and had no chance of winning the throne.

However, the tenth prince was outspoken and didn't think before he spoke. He had offended him before, but he never found a chance to retaliate.

So this trip out of Beijing gave him an opportunity.

He sent men disguised as bandits to rob the prince and broke his leg.

In addition, the memorial also explained when the Second Prince ordered these people to be dispatched, when they were mobilized, and how many people were dispatched.

Furthermore, they were all assassins secretly kept by the Second Prince.

Finally, there was the confession of the Imperial Guard, which provided a more detailed account than the letter.

After reading it, Emperor Jingzhao was filled with rage and heartache.

I don't understand why this son is so dark and vicious.

Just because Xiao Shi offended him with his words, they want to break his leg?

That's his own younger brother!

Why is he so cruel, showing absolutely no regard for brotherhood?

Why did he become like this?

Do not!

He didn't become like this; he was always like this.

It's just that we were pretending all along.

And Consort Shu, that wicked woman, has always been pretending to favor him.

He was so blind that he thought Consort Shu was a gentle and kind person.

How ridiculous!

Looking at the numerous things that Consort Shu and the Second Prince had committed over the years, he felt nothing but rage.

Maintaining a private army, misappropriating military funds, and manufacturing weapons privately...

How dare they!

How dare?

These actions that crossed his bottom line instantly enraged him, causing his eyes to widen, become bloodshot, and burn with a fierce rage, as if he wanted to incinerate everything in front of him.

His hands gripped the memorial tightly, his knuckles turning pale from the excessive force, and he trembled slightly.

Those once majestic eyes were now dull and lifeless, as if swallowed by endless darkness.

His lips trembled slightly as he murmured to himself, "How could I have been so foolish, deceived by them until now..."

At this moment, an endless chill spread from the depths of his heart, as if he were in a bottomless ice cave.

His heart felt as if it had been slashed by countless sharp blades, the pain making it hard to breathe.

Emperor Jingzhao sat there blankly, his anger, disappointment, heartbreak, pain, and shock all tangled together, instantly shattering his once tall and majestic image.

At this moment, he was just a pitiful person who had been completely hurt by betrayal and deception.

At the same time, he felt a strong, sweet, metallic taste surge up his throat, and the intense emotional stimulation made it impossible for him to suppress the surging of blood and qi in his body.

"puff!"

A mouthful of blood spurted from his mouth, splashing onto the table in front of him like a blooming, eerie flower.

The scene before my eyes began to blur, and I felt dizzy and disoriented.

Then his eyes rolled back, and he fell straight backward, plunging into boundless darkness.

The palace maids and eunuchs present were immediately thrown into chaos by fright.

The palace maids turned pale and screamed, "Your Majesty! Your Majesty!"

They were so frightened that they collapsed to the ground, trembling all over, tears streaming uncontrollably from their eyes.

The eunuchs were also in a panic. Yuan Gonggong, the personal eunuch of Emperor Jingzhao, forced himself to remain calm and shouted in a trembling voice, "Quickly! Summon the imperial physician!"

The young eunuchs seemed to wake from a dream, and stumbled and ran towards the Imperial Physician's Office, almost falling along the way.

When the head physician and several imperial physicians rushed over, their foreheads were covered with fine beads of sweat, and their expressions were tense and solemn.

He secretly prayed that His Majesty would be alright, otherwise his own life and fortune would be in danger.

Just as the head physician arrived at the imperial bedside to take the pulse of the unconscious Emperor Jingzhao, a large group of people rushed over upon hearing the news.

Upon receiving the news, the Empress was extremely anxious. Without even finishing her makeup, she rushed over with the help of her maids.

Her hair was slightly disheveled, and her eyes were full of worry and anxiety. Her usual dignified and composed demeanor was completely disregarded at this moment.

As she hurried along, she kept repeating, "Your Majesty must not be harmed, Your Majesty must not be harmed."

Her heart was in her throat, and she hurried along, wishing she could fly to Emperor Jingzhao's side immediately.

When she finally arrived at Longteng Palace, the concubines from all the palaces also rushed over.

Upon seeing the Empress, all the concubines bowed to her in turn.

The Empress ignored them completely and rushed to Emperor Jingzhao's bedside with unsteady steps.

Meanwhile, the concubines each had their own thoughts.

Some concubines feigned weakness, lightly covering their mouths with handkerchiefs, but their eyes revealed a barely perceptible schadenfreude.

She secretly wondered if her and her son's chance would come if something happened to Emperor Jingzhao.

Some, however, were genuinely moved, weeping with tears streaming down their faces, their expressions full of concern, truly worried about Emperor Jingzhao's safety.

There were only a few concubines like that.

Consort Li appeared to be the most worried.

Some looked indifferent and expressionless, as if Emperor Jingzhao were a complete stranger to them.

This is most evident in Consort Liang.

At this time, the princes who had not yet left the palace to establish their own residences and were still in the palace also rushed over.

A moment later, the princesses arrived as well.

After a stick of incense.

The princes outside the palace had all arrived, and the palace was immediately packed with people.

The eldest prince looked grave, his brows furrowed, pondering how the situation would change if something happened to his father, and how he should maximize his own interests.

The second prince looked panicked, his eyes darting around, seemingly lost in thought.

The fourth prince was genuinely worried about Emperor Jingzhao's health and didn't think much about it at the moment.