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

After listening to him, Lingyan felt that the Empress was very magnanimous and tolerant to be able to sit face to face with her and talk calmly.

She was probably seen as a femme fatale in the Empress's eyes.

Not only did she make Xiao Muyao abandon other women who could benefit him and only want her, but she also caused the mother and son to drift apart, and almost made Xiao Muyao give up the country.

Isn't she a femme fatale?

She was more important to Xiao Muyao than the empire. How could the Empress not be alarmed and frightened, and not harbor resentment towards her?

No wonder she likes her.

But in the end, she compromised for her son's sake; in her heart, nothing was more important than her son.

Therefore, in the year before her wedding, even though she had countless ways to get rid of her, she did not take any action.

There was no one who tried to make things difficult for her or hurt her.

Because she was afraid that Xiao Muyao would be unhappy, afraid that he would go crazy.

All we can do is keep enduring it.

Lingyan couldn't help but sigh.

Then she looked at him and said, "Your mother has had a tough time too. She values ​​you so much. From now on, as long as it's not too outrageous, don't argue with her because of me. Actually, her ideas aren't wrong; she's doing it all for your own good."

Xiao Muyao smiled bitterly and said, "Of course I understand. Seeing my mother so sad makes me feel bad too, but you are my life. I absolutely cannot live without you. I can go along with her on everything else, but not on matters concerning you."

When he felt that he would give up the throne to have her, he realized more clearly how important she was to him.

He truly does what he says.

After hearing this, Lingyan nodded and said, "I understand. She's just a mother who loves her son too much. She's forcing herself to accept me, a daughter-in-law she doesn't like, just for your sake. You should be more understanding of her in the future."

Xiao Muyao replied, "I know."

Then she changed the subject, saying, "Of course, all of this is based on the premise that she doesn't target me, make things difficult for me, or hurt me. If she does, don't blame me for not showing you any mercy."

Xiao Muyao held her in his arms and solemnly replied, "That's how it should be."

Then Lingyan solemnly reminded him, "Tell the Empress Dowager to be extra careful of Consort Rong. This woman has been pretending all along, and you should be wary of her. You must tell her. If I tell her, the Empress Dowager may not believe me and may think I am trying to sow discord."

Xiao Muyao didn't ask her why she should be careful of Consort Rong, but replied seriously, "I understand."

Then Lingyan asked in confusion, "Speaking of which, haven't you noticed anything wrong with Consort Rong all these years?"

Xiao Muyao frowned and said, "No, firstly, I am not in the inner palace and do not see her often, and secondly, this woman is better at disguising herself than Consort Shu, so even if we met, I would not be able to tell the difference."

Ling Yan understood.

Consort Rong's disguise skills were indeed better than Consort Shu's. At least some people could see through Consort Shu's disguise, but Consort Rong's disguise was probably only seen through by her own people and herself.

Ling Yan emphasized again: "The most terrifying people are those with wolfish ambitions hidden among us. Enemies in the open are not scary; it is these kinds of people who are the most terrifying and hateful."

She said with an extremely solemn expression, "I think she's waiting to deliver a fatal blow to you. Normally, these things wouldn't be worth her exposing, so she's waiting for the final moment to catch us off guard."

Xiao Muyao nodded in agreement, saying, "You're right, it certainly seems that way now."

It seems I need to have a serious talk with the Empress Dowager about this.

After finishing their business, Lingyan gave him a final instruction: "Have He Jingchuan and Lu Yanqing come to the Prince's Mansion tonight. I have something important to tell you."

Xiao Muyao roughly guessed what she was going to say, so he nodded in agreement.

………………

Two flowers bloom, one branch each.

Last night, the Fifth Princess hurriedly fled the abandoned palace and ran back to her own Fanghua Palace. She immediately lay down on the bed and wrapped herself tightly in the quilt, as if that would make her less afraid.

But her trembling body betrayed her emotions at that moment.

Her heart was pounding like a drum, making it impossible for her to calm down.

She closed her eyes, trying to fall asleep, but the fear in her heart surged like a tide, making it impossible for her to sleep.

Time passed slowly, until the sky began to lighten, and the Fifth Princess finally succumbed to exhaustion and fell into a deep sleep.

However, this brief period of peace did not last long.

Not long after, the Fifth Princess was awakened by a sharp pain.

She suddenly opened her eyes, quickly pulled back the covers, and was stunned by the sight before her.

She thought she was still dreaming, but the pain coming from all over her body was so real that she had to believe it was reality.

The fifth princess's eyes were vacant and filled with fear.

She looked at the marks on her body; her skin was covered in festering wounds, as if it had been ravaged by something vicious.

The pain made her break out in a cold sweat, but she dared not make a sound, for fear of attracting attention and being discovered.

What terrified her even more was that many wrinkles had grown on the skin that wasn't ulcerated, making her look decades older overnight.

This is not the skin a young girl should have; it belongs to an old man in his twilight years.

The fifth princess was shocked and panicked; she could not accept this reality.

She bit her lip tightly, suppressing the scream that was about to escape her lips.

Her eyes were filled with despair and fear, as if the whole world had collapsed.

She was so terrified that she covered her mouth tightly, not daring to make a sound.

Her body was trembling, and the fear in her heart was engulfing her like a raging flood.

This matter must not be discovered by anyone; no one must know about it.

Otherwise, who knows how that terrible woman would punish her.

It's already terrible enough as it is now.

As long as she listens and does what she wants, she will definitely give her the antidote.

But she can't leave the house in this state, and she can't stay in the palace forever without seeing anyone. How can she keep this a secret?

So it probably won't be like this all day long.

Sure enough, an hour later.

Her skin gradually returned to normal; the terrible sores and wrinkles disappeared, replaced by smooth and delicate skin.

The Fifth Princess looked at herself in the mirror, tears welling up in her eyes. She cried tears of joy, laughing and crying at the same time.

Only after losing it did she realize how much she cherished her body.

So she hugged herself tightly and couldn't help but cry loudly.

She regrets so much.

Never before have I regretted getting involved with that woman as much as I do now.

Now she doesn't want anything anymore, she just wants to live a peaceful and ordinary life.

Consort Shu entered when she was crying uncontrollably.

When I came in, I saw her crying so hard and looking so disheveled.

She scolded him with exasperation, "He's just a man! If you don't succeed this time, there's always next time. As a princess, you should have pride and dignity. Why are you crying so pathetically? Don't you have any princess dignity at all?"

The fifth princess shook her head in horror.

She never dared to covet He Jingchuan again, and there would never be a next time.

How could she dare!

However, she could not tell these things to her mother, so she could only keep quiet.

Seeing her silence, Consort Shu clearly did not take her words to heart.

I already felt that this daughter was beyond saving.

Stupid and confused, impatient and stubborn, lacking any sense of responsibility, only knows how to cry when faced with problems, and has no brains at all.

He still wouldn't listen to what she was saying.

She was incredibly clever, capable of swaying even an emperor, so how could she have given birth to such a useless daughter?

She sighed.

He left in silence.

This daughter is clearly ruined. His Majesty has already found her a husband, and after she gets married, she will have to rely on herself.

After all, we are mother and daughter. I will teach her properly in the next six months so that she won't be so stupid and useless when she gets to her husband's family.

Upon returning to his palace, he found the Second Prince already waiting for him.

After seeing Consort Shu take her seat, he hurriedly asked, "Mother, how is Fifth Sister?"

Consort Shu's face darkened, and she said irritably, "She's already ruined. It's no use trying to win over He Jingchuan with her. We'll have to think of other ways."

Over the years, she knew that the Fifth Princess liked He Jingchuan and had been pursuing him.

The reason she didn't stop it was because she felt it would benefit her son. Once they became a family, his army would still be her son's army.

That's an invincible general who commands hundreds of thousands of troops; which prince wouldn't want to win him over and bring him under their command?

But I never expected this daughter to be so useless; I've been chasing her for so many years and still haven't won her over.

This palace banquet was her last chance, and it was also her last chance with her son.

This time, however, we've thoroughly offended them, so we'll have to find other ways to win them back.

She asked doubtfully, "Doesn't he have any weaknesses that we can use as a point of attack?"

The second prince looked dejected and sighed, "No, he's completely monolithic. He doesn't love beautiful women, money, or wine, and he doesn't have any other hobbies. The people around him are all from the military."

“Every day, I either go to the barracks or stay at home. I don’t have a single friend. I can’t find any opportunity to win him over. All the gifts I gave him were returned. It’s not just me; it’s the same for the other brothers. He’s like a stubborn rock. I’ve tried every possible way to win him over over the years.”

Just when everyone thought Fifth Sister could finally win him over, it's too late now.

Seeing his lack of confidence, Consort Shu was clearly quite discouraged.

She said seriously, "So you're saying you're giving up?"

The second prince immediately replied, "How could that be? How could I easily give up such a behemoth as an army of hundreds of thousands?"

Consort Shu nodded in satisfaction, knowing that it was good that they didn't give up.