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

When Lingyan was about to reach the Jiangnan region, she had already sent her secret guards with her handwritten letter and the tokens of the Crown Prince to meet the garrison stationed there.

The general stationed here is surnamed Li, and he is an outstanding general who is also loyal to the imperial court.

Moreover, the army he managed was highly disciplined, obeyed orders without question, and was exceptionally brave.

Therefore, she ordered General Li to lead the army to arrest all those involved in the case, regardless of their official rank.

Jiangnan, this ancient and fertile land, with its unique gentleness and talent, has nurtured countless talented men and beautiful women.

The gardens of Suzhou, the fishing lights of Songjiang, the cultural heritage of Changzhou, the river breeze of Zhenjiang, the ancient charm of Nanjing, the West Lake of Hangzhou, and the misty rain of Jiaxing.

The moonlit nights of Yangzhou, the bamboo forests of Huzhou, and the fragrance of rice in Taicang—each place is a whisper of history and a gentle melody of culture.

These scholars from all over the Jiangnan region went to the capital to participate in the provincial and palace examinations.

Before they went to the capital, there were several exams to take.

The imperial examination process consisted of county examination, prefectural examination, provincial examination, township examination, and finally metropolitan examination and palace examination.

This selection process, with its layers of selection, is like climbing the treacherous Shu Road—extremely difficult.

How could these 65 people possibly advance through the vast army and into the imperial examination based solely on their own merits?

Did they all bribe the examiners to know the exam questions in advance?

No, it's impossible.

These 65 people came from different regions in Jiangnan, basically from every prefecture in Jiangnan.

They had to travel all the way from their hometowns to Suzhou to take the provincial examination.

Leaving aside the fact that there are three exams, are all the officials in each state just incompetent fools who have been bribed by them?

How could they possibly control all the officials in Jiangnan?

But to say the whole story, at least some people were bribed or threatened to give them the green light all the way.

Otherwise, could they have made it to the end given their actual skill level?

Do not make jokes.

Although the officials in Jiangnan didn't know which were innocent and which weren't, she ordered General Li to arrest all the officials to prevent some from escaping.

If the person is found innocent after interrogation and investigation, they will be released.

She couldn't guarantee anything else, but the Suzhou prefect, who was also the chief examiner of the provincial examination, Lord Sun, was definitely not innocent.

So when Lingyan and her group arrived in Suzhou, Lord Sun had already been imprisoned, along with his family.

General Li knew that Lingyan was coming today, so he had already led his men to guard the city gate and wait for her.

Upon receiving Lingyan and her entourage, they immediately stepped forward and bowed respectfully.

Lingyan smiled and asked them to stand up.

After exchanging a few pleasantries, they entered the city and arrived at the prefect's residence.

General Li reported on their capture operation throughout the journey.

When Lingyan heard General Li say that all the officials, big and small, in the Jiangnan region, along with their families and all the members of the sixty-five households, had been arrested and brought to the Suzhou prison, she was very satisfied.

The officials who followed her to Jiangnan also admired the Crown Princess's foresight and meticulousness.

Upon arriving at the hall, Lingyan slowly took her seat and listened as General Li below reported, "Your Highness, just in case, I have brought out all the account books and transaction records of the officials' residences from various prefectures, as well as all the family property of each prefecture, to Suzhou Prefecture. Your Highness can send someone to receive them; I have not touched a single item."

Lingyan was extremely satisfied with his competence and character.

The combined wealth of so many officials in Jiangnan must have been a very considerable sum.

But he didn't move an inch.

That takes immense willpower!

How outstanding and loyal he is!

However, it was precisely because she had investigated him beforehand that she dared to let him do this.

However, she wouldn't blame him or his soldiers for taking some subsidies during this period, but of course, anything excessive would be unacceptable.

They already work so hard, so taking a little extra money won't bother them.

But to my surprise, they were so disciplined that they didn't take a single penny.

She couldn't help but admire this general, who was nearly forty years old, even more for his remarkable management skills.

So she smiled and said gently, "Although you are disciplined, you have worked hard this time, and I cannot fail to reward you. Otherwise, wouldn't it discourage the soldiers? General, please distribute some silver and jewels to the 20,000 soldiers later. This is my reward, and you must not refuse."

General Li wanted to decline upon hearing this, but seeing the Crown Princess's resolute attitude, he hesitated.

Moreover, his words were full of care and concern for the soldiers.

Feeling grateful, he respectfully agreed: "This humble general thanks Your Highness for your consideration, and on behalf of the soldiers, I am also grateful for Your Highness's kindness."

Lingyan said there was no need to be polite, and then instructed, "Take it from Lord Sun's property, since he is definitely a criminal, and these properties will become the property of the court after being confiscated, so it is reasonable to take it. As for the other officials, it is still uncertain. Perhaps we will have to return them to them intact later."

General Li naturally understood, and upon hearing this, he solemnly replied, "This subordinate obeys the order."

After General Li withdrew, Lingyan looked at everyone in the hall and immediately instructed, "The matter is urgent. I order you to interrogate, investigate and collect evidence within half a month. With Lord Feng as the leader and the others assisting, especially the members of the Shadow Division, who will surely be a great help to you. So half a month should be enough time."

Upon hearing this, everyone in the hall immediately replied solemnly, "We will certainly not fail in our mission."

Some of them felt that there might not be enough time, but they dared not say it aloud.

I imagine I won't be able to get a proper rest for the next two weeks.

While everyone was busy getting things done, Lingyan, Chu Xiyao, and Yunmeng went to the prison.

Chu Xiyao behaved himself the whole way, but only during the day.

Even if he had to camp in the wilderness, he would sneak into her tent after everyone else had fallen asleep.

Of course, considering that she had to travel every day, we didn't tire her out or go to such extremes.

Aside from necessary exchanges, the two rarely uttered a word in public.

The moment I stepped into the prison, a cold and damp atmosphere hit me, and the air was filled with oppression and despair.

The prison guards had already learned of the Crown Princess's arrival and were all filled with trepidation.

They were carefully led through a series of heavy iron doors until they arrived at the interrogation room.

Upon arriving at the interrogation room, Lingyan instructed the jailer, "Bring out Prefect Sun of Suzhou. I wish to interrogate him personally."

Upon hearing this, the jailer dared not delay in the slightest and immediately hurried to do as instructed.

Yunmeng then wiped the chair and invited Lingyan to sit down.

After Lingyan sat down, she looked at Chu Xiyao.

Seeing this, Chu Xiyao smiled gently and said, "Please sit down. I don't want to sit, I'll just stand behind you."

Soon after, Lord Sun was roughly dragged in by two burly jailers and thrown to the ground like a lamb to the slaughter.

He collapsed to the ground, and slowly raised his head in the dim candlelight of the cell.

The moment his gaze fell upon Ling Yan, fear surged forth like a tidal wave, completely overwhelming him.

His eyes were wide open, filled with terror and despair, as if he had already foreseen the fate that was about to befall him.

His body involuntarily shrank back.

Seeing his reaction, Lingyan chuckled and said, "It seems you recognize me. In that case, just confess everything to save time and avoid suffering any physical pain."

However, upon hearing this, Lord Sun seemed to be nailed to the spot, his lips pressed tightly together, and he remained silent.

Seeing this, Ling Yan's smile gradually faded.

Instead, a chilling aura emanated from her: "What? Does Lord Sun wish to experience the taste of torture instruments? However, I have never liked bloodshed. I have heard of Commander Lu's 'Eagle-Taming Torture,' and I have upgraded it further. If we add excruciating poison, it will certainly be even more unbearable."

"This poison is called Soul-Devouring Powder. When it enters the human body, it initially causes a slight stinging pain, as if countless extremely fine needles are gently piercing the skin, and then it will quickly spread to the surrounding area."

Soon, the stinging pain will intensify, turning into an excruciating pain as if being repeatedly branded with a red-hot iron, with every nerve feeling like it is being frantically pulled and twisted, and the muscles will involuntarily spasm.

Then you will feel as if your bones are being gnawed by countless insects, experiencing this pain from the depths of your bone marrow. Then your internal organs will feel as if they have been thrown into a raging furnace, your liver will feel as if it has been slowly tortured by sharp blades, your stomach will churn, your intestines will be tightly twisted together, then suddenly loosened, and then twisted together again.

Like a tide, wave after wave, it feels as if a million drums are beating in your head at the same time, buzzing and making noise. Various strange hallucinations will begin to appear before your eyes, sometimes as if you are in a raging fire, and sometimes as if you have fallen into an abyss of ice.

Even if one tries to struggle to escape this pain, the body is as if under a spell, weak and powerless, only able to endure this endless torment, making every minute and every second feel incredibly long.

The Soul-Eating Powder is like a demon; it makes one wish for death but cannot die. No matter how much one struggles or screams, one cannot escape the excruciating pain and endless torment that penetrates to the bone marrow. One can only sink deeper and deeper into this abyss of suffering, seemingly without end.

After speaking, Lingyan looked at Lord Sun, who was almost going crazy, and asked with a smile, "How about it? Lord Sun, would you like to try the taste of this Soul-Devouring Powder?"