After the mind-reading and gossip-eating incident, officials in the imperial city were demoted one a

In Jiangdong, under the cover of night, Ye Li'an found the place where the Crown Prince was raising his private army, but was unexpectedly discovered.

Ye Lian used his lightness skill to the extreme to traverse the mountains and fields, with a group of soldiers carrying torches chasing after him.

"Search everywhere, we must find the person who broke in."

A man who looked like a general shouted loudly.

Ye Lian hid in a mountain hollow as the pursuers gradually approached, their firelight shining down on him.

He held his breath, his heart pounding in his chest with tension, and gripped his sword tightly, ready to charge out at any moment.

Just as the flames drew closer and Ye Li'an was about to rush out, a voice rang out:

"I'll look here; you guys go check other places."

"Yes, my lord."

The soldiers responded in unison, and then the sound of their footsteps gradually faded into the distance.

Upon hearing the familiar voice, Ye Lian pondered for a moment, then suddenly leaped out from the ravine and attacked the person above.

The man was not very skilled in martial arts, and after a few rounds, Ye Lian held a sword to his neck.

"At least I led them away."

Ye Li'an looked at Lu Haoran in front of him with complicated feelings. He had his face covered, and he didn't expect Lu Haoran to still recognize him.

"You know it's me."

"Yes! I know you're investigating the Crown Prince. I'm keeping an eye on your every move."

"Why don't you let them arrest me?"

A hint of sadness flashed in Lu Haoran's eyes. His voice was very soft, but Ye Lian could hear it clearly in the quiet night sky.

"I regret."

Lu Haoran had previously attacked Ye Li'an, but later, out of guilt for not doing well in the imperial examination and ranking poorly, he was sent away by the Lu family.

The Lu family had actually already pledged allegiance to the Crown Prince.

"You can leave now! Just pretend we never met tonight."

"Thank you, we're even now."

Ye Li'an quickly left the place. Lu Haoran looked at Ye Li'an and smiled bitterly, knowing that they could never go back to the past.

After returning, Ye Li'an relayed the message back.

Qin Jingyu secretly dispatched troops to encircle and suppress them.

After the Empress's threats and inducements failed, Ye Yaoyao was roughly taken away by the Empress's men.

Before they could even set up the instruments of torture, a dark figure flashed by like a ghost; the newcomer was none other than Qin Jingyu.

They quickly subdued the palace servants, took Ye Yaoyao away, and sneaked into the emperor's bedroom.

The emperor lay on the bed, his body terribly emaciated, his former majesty long gone, his face as pale as paper, lifeless.

Ye Yaoyao stepped forward, examined the area, and slowly shook her head.

"He's too deeply poisoned; his days are numbered."

"That's enough. Your elder brother has sent word that the private army in Jiangdong has made some unusual movements. The Crown Prince can't wait to take action. Can he wake the Emperor up?"

The Crown Prince was plotting against him, and several secret guards were keeping an eye on him from the shadows in the Prince Jing's residence.

There was commotion in Jiangdong, and there was also the Empress Dowager case. The court officials held the Crown Prince back, and Qin Jingyu's skills were more than enough to deal with those secret guards.

"Yes, if we have a first-aid kit, I can control the poison right now."

"This has."

Qin Jingyu took out a box from his sleeve, opened it, and saw that Ye Yaoyao's commonly used silver needles and life-saving pills were neatly arranged inside.

Ye Yaoyao took the silver needles, accurately located the acupoints, inserted them, took out the pills, and fed them to the emperor.

A quarter of an hour later, the emperor's eyes, which had been tightly closed, trembled a few times, and his eyelids slowly lifted and opened.

"Ye Yaoyao, Ninth Imperial Brother..."

His chapped lips trembled slightly, emitting a weak sound. Ye Yaoyao poured him a glass of water and fed it to him.

"Does the Emperor know who poisoned you?"

Ye Yaoyao's words ignited the Emperor's anger, and his weak body trembled violently with excitement.

His eyes were filled with rage, and he roared with all his might:

"The Empress... is the Empress."

The imperial physician said that he was suffering from headaches due to overwork, but in reality, it was a slow-acting poison administered by someone bribed by the Empress. After he fell ill, everyone around him was replaced.

"That scoundrel Wu Dahai has long since pledged allegiance to the Empress. I intend to depose the Empress, and the Crown Prince as well... cough cough..."

The emperor, thinking of the empress's vicious face, was enraged that she had forced him to take medicine. He lost control of his emotions and coughed violently.

"The Empress Dowager was murdered by the Second Prince, and your days are numbered as well."

Qin Jing stepped forward and coldly recounted what had happened after the emperor fell ill.

"Haven't I already woken up? My poison hasn't been cured yet? Ye Yaoyao, you cure me, and I'll give you anything you want."

Upon hearing this, the Emperor struggled to sit up with all his might, his eyes filled with a desperate desire to live. He looked straight at Ye Yaoyao, seeing her as his last straw.

"His Majesty's internal organs are already failing, and I am powerless to help," Ye Yaoyao shook her head.

The emperor's lips trembled uncontrollably, and with a trembling finger he pointed to the door, growling:

"Imperial Physician Cen, quickly summon Imperial Physician Cen."

"Even Imperial Physician Cen couldn't detect the Emperor's poison, how can he save you?"

"Your Majesty would be better off thinking about how to arrange your affairs after death."

Qin Jingyu smiled sarcastically. Sure enough, even in this dire situation, his elder brother was still only thinking about his own life.

"Ninth Prince, you..."

The Emperor's eyes widened as he glared at Qin Jingyu, unable to catch his breath.

His face turned bright red, and his body convulsed violently; he was almost driven to death by Qin Jingyu.

[Serves you right for poisoning that handsome man! What goes around comes around! You got what you deserved!]

Ye Yaoyao cursed inwardly, took out silver needles and inserted them into his acupoints. The emperor had harmed the Ye family. If it weren't for the greater good, she wouldn't have let him wake up.

"Your Majesty, please do not be angry, lest you further damage your heart and lungs."

Ye Yaoyao meant that getting angry would lead to an even faster death.

Only Qin Jingyu could save him now, so the emperor suppressed his anger and tried his best to calm himself down.

"Just now, Ninth Prince said that Jin Yue harmed the Empress Dowager? Is Mother dead?"

"Yes, the Empress Dowager died here. There are witnesses and physical evidence. The second imperial nephew is not far from death."

"It's not Jin Yue."

The Emperor confirmed that he had been unconscious, but with the noise around him, he had managed to hear some of what was happening.

He did hear the sound of a man and a woman pulling at each other, and subconsciously believed the Second Prince.

“Your Majesty, Consort Liu is the Empress’s woman. Only you can save the Second Prince,” Ye Yaoyao said.

"Even if I die, I will drag that poisonous empress down with me to the underworld."

A resolute glint flashed in the Emperor's eyes. He clenched his fist and gritted his teeth.

Inside the Taiji Hall, a bodyguard knelt on one knee and presented a secret letter to the Crown Prince.

Qin Jinhuai took the letter, glanced at it quickly, and his face instantly turned ashen.

"Bang!" A palm slammed down on the table, and the solid wood desk, unable to withstand the blow, instantly shattered into several pieces.

"One hundred thousand soldiers were wiped out without anyone noticing. What use are you bunch of useless trash?"

The guards knelt on the ground, begging for forgiveness.

"Your Highness, I received news from Ye Li'an in Jiangdong. He was just casually exchanging information with local officials. It's possible... it's possible that there's a spy within the organization."

"Trash, it's all trash."

The prince slapped the guard away, sending him crashing to the ground and spitting out a mouthful of blood.

At this moment, a eunuch hunched over, carefully avoiding raising his head.

"Your Highness, the Emperor has awakened and has issued an edict summoning important officials to the palace."

Upon hearing this, the Crown Prince's eyes turned sinister. The Empress Dowager had just died, and the Emperor could not yet pass away, yet he had been awakened.

“Summoning only key ministers is not enough. Go and summon all officials of the fourth rank and above.”