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

Tonight is the first time that all of them have gathered together.

So they began their wonderful nine-day experience in the mansion's bathhouse.

Nine days passed in the blink of an eye, and Chu Xiyao had been recuperating at the Crown Prince's residence for some time.

Staying any longer might invite criticism, so he moved out of the Crown Prince's residence the day after they parted ways.

However, I will still come over in the evening to chat with the others.

At this time, the mastermind behind the assassination attempt on Lingyan also came to light.

It wasn't a particular prince, but an imperial concubine.

The Eighth Prince's mother and concubine.

Although the Eighth Prince was not involved, he was still aware of the situation.

Lingyan recalled her impressions of Consort He from the previous banquets, only to find that she had absolutely no recollection of her.

Such a meticulous and ruthless person has disguised himself as an ordinary and unremarkable existence over the years.

These concubines in the palace were indeed all masters of disguise and acting.

Who would have thought that Consort He, who seemed so inconspicuous, was actually hiding so well?

Consort He came from a Hanlin Academy, a family of scholars with a long tradition of learning and outstanding literary talent.

In the past, no one had ever taken her and the Eighth Prince seriously.

Because she herself was nobody, while the Eighth Prince always seemed timid and cowardly.

Who would consider two people like these as rivals?

But you don't know until you check, and what you find is shocking.

It turns out that Consort He had been targeting the princes all these years.

None of them were fatal, and she did them very cleanly.

In addition, she would frame others, so no one would easily suspect her, and she has been able to keep up this pretense until now.

She also deliberately framed the fourth prince for this assassination attempt.

She originally thought that even if she failed, she could still get away with it and shift the blame elsewhere.

However, she didn't know that Ling Yan and Xiao Muyao would never suspect the Fourth Prince.

There's no other reason than that he wouldn't do that.

They knew that the Fourth Prince must also harbor resentment, but he would not resort to such underhanded tactics.

If he's going to fight for something, he'll do so openly and honestly.

So even though they pointed the clues to the Fourth Prince, they still didn't believe it.

Instead of following the clues they deliberately left behind, they went off on their own to investigate the other princes.

That's why it was found out so easily!

Consort He has really stumbled in the gutter this time.

It was Consort He, not the Eighth Prince, who attacked Lingyan this time.

Therefore, she directly instructed Xiao Muyao to report this matter to Emperor Jingzhao and to present conclusive evidence and witnesses.

Emperor Jingzhao would certainly not have allowed such a venomous snake to live any longer.

She didn't need to do anything herself at all.

Don't be fooled by Emperor Jingzhao's soft heart and inability to be ruthless towards his children.

However, he was ruthless towards his concubines.

Look at Consort Rong, then look at Consort Shu.

Consort He's fate was naturally similar.

After Consort He is dealt with, she will publicize this matter in a big way.

So even though the Eighth Prince is safe and sound this time, everyone knows that his mother has committed a heinous crime, and he himself has always known about it, but he has just tacitly agreed and stood by.

He will be condemned by everyone and his reputation will be ruined. How can he have a good life then?

Then it would be perfectly normal and logical to poison him and drive him insane, without arousing any suspicion.

After all, many people would probably go crazy after experiencing this, which is perfectly reasonable.

At this moment, Emperor Jingzhao sat at the head of the table, his teeth grinding as he looked at the evidence and details presented by Xiao Muyao.

It says that during the height of summer, the palace had a custom of seeking refuge from the heat.

Therefore, Consort He would instruct her trusted eunuchs to deliberately place flowers and plants that easily attract mosquitoes around the princes' palaces.

They also secretly applied special fragrances to the princes' tents to attract mosquitoes.

This caused the princes to have difficulty sleeping at night, leaving them physically and mentally exhausted, which affected their health.

Furthermore, during festivals and banquets held in the palace, Consort He would tamper with the princes' meals.

She would bribe the chefs in the imperial kitchen to add trace amounts of slow-acting poison to the princes' soups.

This poison does not take effect immediately, but it slowly damages the princes' internal organs, gradually weakening their constitution.

While the princes were learning riding and archery, Consort He would secretly have someone tamper with the saddles.

This made it easy for the princes to fall off their horses while riding, causing them to be injured and frightened.

Even the charcoal fire used to warm the princes' palaces during the cold winter was something Consort He could interfere with.

She would have people mix in low-quality charcoal, which would release harmful gases when burned.

The princes, living in such an environment for a long time, would experience difficulty breathing and their health would deteriorate.

Even worse, when the princes went out to play, Consort He would send people to ambush them along the way and create all sorts of accidents.

They might deliberately spill oil on the road to make the princes' carriages slip, or set traps in the woods to injure the princes.

However, perhaps by divine favor, these princes were able to escape death each time.

However, he suffered immense physical and mental torment and trauma.

When Emperor Jingzhao read about these things, he was furious.

His imposing face instantly darkened, and his eyes blazed with furious flames, as if they could burn everything to ashes.

He gripped the memorial tightly in his hand, his knuckles turning white from the force, and the memorial was crumpled and wrinkled.

His chest heaved violently, and his heavy breathing was particularly clear in the silent palace, revealing the raging anger within him.

"How dare such a vicious person commit so many evil deeds right under my nose!"

Emperor Jingzhao roared, his voice echoing like thunder in the palace, frightening the surrounding palace maids and eunuchs into kneeling and trembling.

He suddenly stood up, and with a flick of his wide dragon robe sleeves, the writing brushes, ink, paper, and inkstones on the table scattered all over the floor.

"By imperial decree, Consort He is immediately imprisoned in the Imperial Prison. The Shadow Division is ordered to conduct a thorough interrogation. I will make her pay a heavy price for her actions!"

Emperor Jingzhao said through gritted teeth, his tone filled with determination and authority.

She hasn't given herself away despite all these years and events, which must involve many people.

He wants to find all these people and tear them apart by five horses!

He then paced back and forth in the palace, his thoughts a jumbled mess.

Thinking of his innocent princes who had suffered so much, his eyes revealed deep guilt and pity: "My princes have suffered such hardship; I am ashamed to be a father!"

Emperor Jingzhao sighed deeply, his voice filled with helplessness and self-reproach.

Then, suddenly remembering something, he looked down at Xiao Muyao and his heart clenched.

Thinking of the vicious Consort He, I couldn't help but wonder if the sixth prince might have also suffered at her hands.

Thinking of this, Emperor Jingzhao's breathing became rapid, and the veins on his forehead bulged.

He immediately shouted, "Guards! Summon the imperial physician immediately! Quickly!"

The sound was deafening, filled with urgency and anxiety.

Xiao Muyao understood his father's worries at this moment, even though he knew he had not been affected by Consort He's vicious methods.

But I imagine that without the imperial physician's treatment, my father would not be at ease.

So he stood quietly and did not stop them.

After several imperial physicians rushed over and treated Xiao Muyao,

Emperor Jingzhao asked anxiously, "How is it? Is there something wrong with the Crown Prince's health?"

The head imperial physician hurriedly knelt down and replied respectfully and slightly nervously, "Your Majesty, after our careful examination, His Highness the Crown Prince is not in any serious condition and is in excellent health."

Upon hearing this, Emperor Jingzhao's heart, which had been hanging in suspense, finally settled down. He let out a long sigh of relief, and his tense expression gradually relaxed.

He looked at Xiao Muyao with gentle eyes and murmured to himself, "It's good that nothing's wrong, it's good that nothing's wrong."

His tone was full of relief and peace of mind, as if he had survived a disaster.