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

The court session in the Great Zhao Dynasty was held at Mao Shi, which is from 5 a.m. to 7 a.m.

However, civil and military officials generally had to get up around four o'clock to prepare.

Besides getting up early to wash up, there's also the time spent on the road.

Although the officials who could attend court generally lived not far from the palace, even the closest carriages took twenty minutes to travel there.

Not to mention those who live further away may have to get up even earlier to prepare.

Moreover, it's only officials who wait for the emperor when attending court; it's not the other way around.

Therefore, everyone would rather arrive early and wait outside the main hall than arrive on time or later than the emperor.

Some officials who were less daring or who were very cautious would arrive even earlier.

So going to court is really a grueling thing!

But these officials didn't find it torturous at all; on the contrary, they felt it was only right and proper.

After all, being qualified to attend court already represents a symbol of status and position.

They naturally felt very happy and superior.

Besides, it's like this every day, and over the years we've gotten used to it.

Therefore, getting up early to attend court did not present them with any difficulty.

But for Lingyan, who was attending court for the first time, it was truly torture.

I didn't get back home until almost 1 a.m. last night.

In addition, we were delayed for some time, and by the time we finally rested it was almost 2 a.m.

But she got up at four o'clock to start washing up and getting ready.

Moreover, it's still winter, and the sky is very, very dark and very, very cold.

Even though Xiao Muyao prepared a cloak, hand warmer and other warm things for her, she was still cold.

She absolutely had to get Xiao Muyao to change his court attendance time in the future, otherwise it would be really hard to bear.

Once they were on the carriage, Xiao Muyao had already ordered people to prepare hot tea, pastries, and some breakfast.

Seeing that she was very sleepy, he said softly, "Have some hot tea and some breakfast to tide you over, otherwise I'm afraid you'll get hungry later."

Although Lingyan felt it was too early and she had no appetite, she still forced herself to eat something.

After that, she leaned against Xiao Muyao and fell asleep.

Although she was a playboy in her past life, she was also a workaholic and a womanizer.

I spend a lot of time working every day and have a lot of energy.

Moreover, they adapt very well to this fast-paced and stressful work environment.

This applies to both learning from a young age and working later on.

So at the beginning of her life, she only thought about living a carefree life and not wanting to work hard.

Having enjoyed a comfortable life for over a decade, the sudden shift back to a nine-to-five routine is quite disorienting.

Once you get used to slacking off, it's really hard to get back into that work rhythm.

But she knew she could definitely achieve the same state as before.

It's just that I haven't gotten used to it yet; I'll definitely get used to it after a while.

The carriage swayed and rocked its way to the palace gate.

Their carriage could enter the palace directly, so Xiao Muyao gently woke Lingyan only after they reached the second gate.

After being woken up, Lingyan immediately patted her face to wake herself up.

Then, with strong willpower, he regained full consciousness and returned to a refreshed state.

Xiao Muyao felt very sorry for her, but he also knew that this was Yan'er's choice and she would not give up on her.

Therefore, he could only feel sorry for her in his heart. After tidying up her appearance, he led her down from the carriage.

After getting off the carriage, Lingyan remained energetic and in high spirits.

She looked completely different from how sleepy she had been just moments before.

Of course!

She can be in a bad mood when no one can see her.

But today is her first time attending court, and she must present her best self in front of everyone.

We must not make mistakes, we must not lose face, and we must not be dispirited and become a laughing stock.

Therefore, the officials who had arrived in front of the main hall to wait for the court session saw the Crown Princess, full of energy and with a beaming smile, walking towards them and greeting them.

They all returned the greeting respectfully.

At this moment, they all nodded in approval as they looked at the Crown Princess.

Her appearance seemed to breathe life into the dull night, and it made everyone's mood brighten up unconsciously.

Ling Yan then stood in the front row with Xiao Muyao.

Behind them were civil and military officials dressed in solemn court attire.

The color and style of court robes also varied depending on the official rank.

At this point, they were arranged in order of their official rank.

Civil officials are on the left, and military officials are on the right.

Standing at the front were high-ranking officials such as the Three Dukes and Nine Ministers.

As high-ranking officials of the first rank, they naturally wore purple court robes embroidered with crane patterns, highlighting their noble status.

Following them were officials of the second and third ranks, dressed in scarlet court robes embroidered with golden pheasant patterns, exuding an air of authority.

The rest were officials dressed in green court robes embroidered with peacock patterns.

Although it is not as noble and majestic as the crane or the golden pheasant, it has its own unique freshness and elegance.

This symbolizes that these mid- to low-ranking officials also held an indispensable position in the imperial court.

Lingyan was also dressed in her Crown Princess court dress, looking very dignified and elegant.

The court robe was predominantly bright yellow, embroidered with exquisite phoenix patterns. The phoenix feathers were clearly defined, lifelike, as if they could take flight at any moment.

Her face was calm and confident, and her eyes revealed wisdom and determination.

Standing next to her was Xiao Muyao, who was also dressed in the same color imperial robes, looking very dignified and imposing.

It is embroidered with a dragon pattern, the dragon baring its fangs and claws, with a majestic and imposing presence.

A golden belt, inlaid with beautiful jade, was tied around his waist.

He stood tall and straight, with a stern face, and every gesture he made exuded a kingly aura, inspiring awe in everyone.

The two looked very well-matched standing together, like a match made in heaven.

Their auras intertwined, radiating a powerful force that made people feel very safe and secure.

Lingyan then smiled and greeted the Third Prince, Fourth Prince, Fifth Prince, and Ninth Prince beside her.

All four of them were dressed in the robes of princes.

The others returned the greeting in turn.

At this moment, the only prince who hadn't greeted Lingyan snorted coldly from the side.

Ling Yan raised an eyebrow after hearing this.

I really had forgotten about him.

The reason why Consort Hui embarrassed her in public at that New Year's Eve palace banquet was because she was instigated by her good son, the First Prince!

He wasn't at the banquet at the time, and with so many things happening afterward, she had long forgotten about him.

But now that he's come crashing into us, she can't blame her for being impolite.

Thinking of this, a sinister smile crept onto her lips.

Xiao Muyao and He Jingchuan both noticed it.

Both of them looked at her with doting eyes, waiting for her next move.

At that moment, they saw Lingyan smiling as she slowly walked towards the eldest prince.

Then he walked a few steps away from him, stopped, and greeted him with a smile, saying, "Elder Brother, how have you been?"

The eldest prince was very surprised to hear this.

She actually took the initiative to greet him; hadn't she always completely ignored him?

What's going on now?

Is it because they are about to enter the court that they have come to make friends?

After thinking about the reasons for next year, he wanted to put on airs and give a lecture as an older brother.

Little did anyone expect that she would turn around and leave at that moment.

He was really angry!

Then he suddenly smelled a fragrance.

It has a sweet fragrance.

But he didn't pay attention, assuming it was Ling Yan's scent.

Lingyan successfully accomplished something, and her mood returned to normal.

Xiao Muyao exchanged a glance with her and smiled happily as well.

The third, fourth, fifth, and ninth princes standing next to them also smiled in a very ambiguous way.

Besides them, there was He Jingchuan, and several other military generals.

They all understood each other implicitly and didn't say a word.

Apart from Xiao Muyao and He Jingchuan, the others turned a blind eye and kept silent mainly because they also disliked the eldest prince.

On the other hand, it was also because they admired Lingyan.

So even if they saw her secretly poisoning the eldest prince, they pretended not to see it.