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

Thinking of this, Ling Yan suddenly opened her eyes, her sharp light piercing through the night as she stared directly at the four people in front of her.

However, they found that the four people looked very unwell, with an unprecedentedly heavy and serious expression.

It seems they had thought of that too.

Without delay, Xiao Muyao immediately and decisively ordered the troops to turn around and return to the capital at full speed.

A tense and heavy atmosphere permeated the air.

At this moment, everyone understood that time was of the essence and every second counted.

While the team was preparing, Lingyan solemnly said to Xiao Muyao, "Ayao, you, Ajing, and Achuan, immediately take the army and the Imperial Guards back. You must stop this conspiracy. Ayao, the secret guards, and I will continue to Jiangnan to investigate the case. I will never let these people escape. We must find out the truth of this case!"

Upon hearing this, the three of them disapproved of her going on her own adventure and were about to try to persuade her, but Lingyan interrupted them with an unquestionable tone.

She explained her decision point by point: "I know you are worried that I will be in danger, but you can rest assured. Firstly, I am the Crown Princess of the current dynasty, and no one will dare to do anything to me. Secondly, after you leave, I will disguise the group as a merchant caravan and keep a low profile. With the help of the secret guards in the mansion and A Yao's secret guards, I will not be in any danger."

Upon hearing this, Xiao Muyao still frowned with worry and said, "But the danger will be even greater when you arrive in Jiangnan. Those people will be desperate and do whatever they want to you."

Lingyan smiled gently upon hearing this and calmly reassured him, "There are troops stationed in Jiangnan. I can use my identity to command these troops, so there will be absolutely no danger. Since you, the Crown Prince, cannot investigate them, then I, the Crown Princess, will investigate them and send them all to the executioner's block."

Seeing that she had made up her mind, the three men knew that further words would be of no use.

Therefore, all I could do was repeatedly remind them to prioritize their own safety above all else.

Ling Yan smiled and replied, "Don't worry, you must trust me. At the same time, you must be careful, and I trust you too."

All three nodded solemnly after listening.

They certainly believed in her abilities, but were just worried about her safety.

But with Chu Xiyao by her side and so many guards around, there shouldn't be any problems.

So they said no more and immediately set off, riding swiftly back to the capital.

At this point, they had no idea what the situation in the capital would be like, so they could only seize every opportunity to rush back.

Lingyan stood there watching the group leave, and it would be a lie to say she wasn't worried.

But worrying is useless.

They have their own battlefield.

She also has her own battlefield.

Her battlefield was in Jiangnan.

She is determined to investigate this case thoroughly and will not allow this prince behind the scenes to succeed.

She was determined to expose his crimes and bring all those involved to justice, leaving no one unpunished.

She intends to use ruthless methods to ensure that no one will ever dare to cheat again.

She had been standing alone in a grove of trees with a few others, but now only she and Chu Xiyao remained.

Night had fallen, and the stars twinkled in the sky.

Lingyan looked at the officials not far from them, the people from the Eastern Palace, and the servants who were serving them, all of whom looked bewildered.

They had no idea what had happened or why the large group had suddenly turned back; they all looked extremely bewildered and at a loss.

Only the fifty Shadow Envoys left behind by Lu Yanqing remained completely unchanged in their expressions.

Or perhaps they've simply become accustomed to hiding their emotions with a blank expression.

Chu Xiyao, who had been silent the whole time, finally turned to her and asked, "What are our plans next?"

Lingyan calmly replied, "The group can continue on as a caravan. Also, since it's just the two of us right now, you need to be careful about how we interact and make sure not to leave any trace. Unless there's something else going on, it's best not to be alone together."

Chu Xiyao naturally understood the gravity of the situation and replied earnestly, "I understand, I will be careful."

Ling Yan nodded and hummed in agreement.

He then walked away and went to join the other members of the group.

Chu Xiyao thought for a moment, then left without following her forward.

Lingyan walked up to the group and saw their anxious and confused expressions, as they were eager to know the reason.

In a calm yet firm voice, she explained, "Gentlemen, some matters have arisen in the capital, and His Highness the Crown Prince has returned with everyone to handle them. I will lead you to continue your investigation south to Jiangnan. Starting tomorrow, the group will be disguised as a merchant caravan heading south. Everything else will remain the same. Does anyone have any objections?"

After he finished speaking, the servants and attendants had no objections and dared not object.

The fifty Shadow Envoys had no objections, as they were already used to simply following orders and never asking questions they shouldn't.

As for the officials who went south with them to investigate the case, and the officials from the Eastern Palace, most of them had no objections.

Only a few people looked unconvinced.

Lingyan keenly noticed their subtle emotional changes, and a smile that wasn't quite a smile appeared on her lips.

Her tone suddenly turned cold as she said, "Do you gentlemen not want to follow a woman like me? In that case, I will not force you. You may leave now. However, if you do not leave now, I will not give you another chance. You must keep your dissatisfaction to yourself and obey my orders completely, or you will bear the consequences!"

Although her words were not harsh, each one struck like a hammer blow to everyone's heart.

The officials who had initially shown dissatisfaction immediately became serious upon hearing this, and hurriedly lowered their heads, no longer daring to voice any objections.

This place is a desolate wilderness with no houses, and it's nighttime. How could these scholars have the courage to leave at this time?

Besides, even if they leave safely, once they return to the capital, everyone will know that they were rejected by the Crown Princess and that's why they rushed back.

Then their careers have come to an end.

Therefore, they dared not utter a word or leave at this moment.

Seeing this, Lingyan looked at them with mockery and disdain.

I thought they were so powerful, but aren't they just a bunch of blustering bullies who are all bark and no bite?

Why did Emperor Jingzhao choose these people to accompany him on his journey south?

She really wanted to kick all of these people out of the group.

But there were other officials present.

If she were to deal with them now, it would inevitably make others feel a sense of shared misfortune, thinking that she couldn't tolerate their opinions and thus affecting the important matter at hand.

So let's keep them for now and deal with them after we return to Beijing.

Anyway, there are only a few paper tigers, so I doubt they'll dare to cause any trouble.

After Lingyan finished speaking and left, the officials wiped their sweat and cautiously raised their heads.

At this moment, Lord Feng, a middle-aged, shrewd, and reserved official under the Eastern Palace, stepped forward to comfort and warn them, saying, "I really don't know how you guys can be so stupid and unable to see yourselves clearly. Why do you think His Highness the Crown Prince would send the Crown Princess to Jiangnan alone to investigate the case? Is His Highness really just infatuated with beauty and neglecting state affairs? Do you think His Highness is that kind of person?"

The others replied in unison, "No, His Highness the Crown Prince always puts the country first."

Upon hearing this, Lord Feng continued, "So, the reason His Highness the Crown Prince sent the Crown Princess to investigate the case is naturally because he trusts her abilities! Besides, do you really think the Crown Princess lacks the ability? It's not that I'm praising the Crown Princess, but her abilities probably exceed your imagination, and even His Highness the Crown Prince might not be able to match her."

Upon hearing this, the group was instantly horrified.

They stared at Lord Feng in disbelief.

He's not joking, is he?

Otherwise, how could we hear such an unbelievable story?

No matter how capable the Crown Princess is, can she compare to His Highness the Crown Prince?

Lord Feng could tell what they were thinking just by looking at their expressions.

Faced with their doubts, he said in a solemn tone: "Whether you believe it or not, this is the truth. The Crown Princess is so powerful and ruthless. You have no idea how powerful she is. She only needs to use a few tricks to destroy you. It is laughable that you are so arrogant and unconvinced. You are extremely stupid!"

After saying that, he ignored them and left.

He said these words for their own good, just consider it a moment of kindness on his part to prevent them from ruining their own lives.

He had said all he could; any more would displease the Crown Princess.

The rest is up to them to experience.

After hearing Lord Feng's admonition, the group believed what he said.

After all, this Lord Feng was an official of the Eastern Palace, so he naturally had frequent contact with the Crown Princess.

So the Crown Princess was really that scary?

They had always known that the Crown Princess was capable, but they had always looked down on her because of her gender and did not think she was very capable.

But now we realize they were completely wrong.

She was actually quite terrifying.

Now we just ignore them, otherwise the consequences would be unimaginable.

The cool night breeze made them all shiver.