First annul the engagement, then sever ties with the empress; the empress reigns supreme.

If Mu Lingxuan had been aware of this from the beginning, perhaps he and Gu Junxi wouldn't have ended up like this.

Qingyanzi was not moved by Mu Lingxuan's loyalty and righteousness; instead, he looked at him with disdain.

"Prince Xuan, don't you think it's too late for you to start acting like a loving father and filial son now? If you couldn't bring yourself to do it in the first place, why did you agree to cooperate with me?"

Qingyanzi pointed at Gu Junxi: "Whether you let me take her away or kill her is your choice."

"You can't touch her." Mu Lingxuan didn't choose either option. He moved his body and firmly protected Gu Junxi behind him.

A murderous intent flashed in Qingyanzi's eyes as he probed further, "Do you really intend to do this?"

Mu Lingxuan further stated his intentions: "Yes, I have to do it."

The killing intent surged and burned once more. Qingyanzi gritted his teeth, sneered, and turned to leave: "Fine, you'd better not regret it."

After Qingyanzi left, Mu Lingxuan quickly released Gu Junxi from his control and said with a grim expression, "Xixi, this is bad. Qingyanzi has discovered you. From now on, you may not be able to stay in the palace anymore."

Although Gu Junxi didn't have any independent thought just now, she could still sense that something was wrong with her.

She pursed her lips, knowing full well that things were probably far more complicated than Mu Lingxuan had described.

Even if she wanted to leave the palace, she had to wait until she obtained the imperial seal; otherwise, it would be meaningless for her to stay in the palace for several days.

Gu Junxi's eyes flickered slightly: "I can't leave now. If my diagnosis is correct, I only need to give Father Emperor one more acupuncture treatment, and he will wake up tomorrow."

As she spoke, she looked up at Mu Lingxuan and said, "Could you please stop Qingyanzi again? Aren't you in a cooperative relationship with him? You can't even make this decision, can you? If that's the case, even if you really get the throne and become emperor in the future, you will only be a puppet."

Mu Lingxuan realized that Gu Junxi was intentionally using him, but he couldn't refuse her request.

He even said somewhat humbly, "I'm willing to do anything you need. But Qingyanzi is too crazy, and I can't guarantee I can stop him. But I will do everything in my power to protect your safety."

Gu Junxi avoided eye contact, ignoring the deep affection in Mu Lingxuan's eyes.

Mu Lingxuan left the hall to gather his trusted confidants to prepare to deal with Qingyanzi.

Gu Junxi stayed by Emperor Sheng's side, taking out silver needles and focusing on administering acupuncture to him.

She lied to Mu Lingxuan. Emperor Sheng did indeed need another acupuncture treatment, but he would not wake up tomorrow; he would wake up immediately afterward.

The silver needles were slowly inserted into the acupoints, and after the needles were withdrawn, the previously unconscious Emperor Sheng opened his eyes.

Although Emperor Sheng has been in a coma these past few days, his five senses are still functioning, and he can clearly know what has happened.

"Ahhh..." Emperor Sheng opened his mouth but found he could only utter a string of syllables and couldn't speak. He blinked anxiously, almost bursting into tears.

Gu Junxi has been treating Emperor Sheng these past few days, and no one knows his physical condition better than her. This is clearly a speech impediment caused by internal depletion. He may regain normal speech eventually, but it will take time.

"Father, please don't worry. It will take some time for your health to recover to what it was before," Gu Junxi comforted her. Her feelings for Emperor Sheng were complicated; he was indeed neither a good emperor nor a good father.

But when she was still Mu Lingxuan's fiancée, Emperor Sheng treated her fairly well. If it weren't for Emperor Sheng, she wouldn't have been able to break off her engagement with Mu Lingxuan so easily.

Gu Junxi's thoughts raced as she got straight to the point, continuing, "You should already know what happened these past few days. Qingyanzi isn't a master at all; he's just a heretic who specializes in evil and unorthodox practices. If you hadn't taken the pills he concocted, you wouldn't be in this predicament now."

“He has already joined forces with Wei Ming to lock the palace, and Mu Lingxuan is also cooperating with them. Now, the only ones who can resolve the crisis in the capital are my wife and His Highness the Crown Prince. Please give the Imperial Seal to my wife. I will keep it safe. Without the Imperial Seal, they cannot rightfully ascend the throne. As long as we can stall for time, we can eventually wait for His Highness the Crown Prince to return and provide support.”

"Ahhhhh..." After hearing this, Emperor Sheng uttered a series of syllables, which were completely incomprehensible.

Gu Junxi frowned and looked pleadingly at Xu Decai, who was standing to one side.

Xu Decai bowed respectfully and asked, "Your Majesty, could you please repeat what you just said?"

"Ah ah ah ah..."

As expected of someone who served him closely, Xu Decai understood the meaning behind the Emperor's words. However, his expression towards Gu Junxi after hearing this was rather unpleasant.

Gu Junxi had a bad feeling, but she still smiled at Xu Decai: "Eunuch Decai, please tell me what my father said. I don't mind."

Xu Decai's smile became even more awkward. He swallowed hard before saying, "His Majesty said that even if he dies, he will not rely on His Highness the Crown Prince. He still wants to see His Highness Prince Xuan."

Stubborn and inflexible.

Did Mu Lingye dig up his ancestral grave in his past life? Even now, he still hates and despises Mu Lingye so much.

Gu Junxi truly felt wronged and sorry for Mu Lingye.

They're both sons, so why should they be?

Gu Junxi glared at Emperor Sheng without any politeness, no longer giving him any face, and said bluntly, "What kind of time is this, and you still want to find Mu Lingxuan? Didn't you hear that Mu Lingxuan is in cahoots with Qingyanzi? He wants your life."

"Ah ah ah ah."

Xu Decai was even more embarrassed and translated, "Your Highness, His Majesty says that you may leave."

"what."

Even without Xu Decai's translation, Gu Junxi understood that this meant for her to get lost.

It seems that the idea of ​​finding the imperial seal from Emperor Sheng has failed.

The emperor cannot be relied upon; one can only rely on oneself.

Gu Junxi decided to find it herself.

Meanwhile, after leaving the inner hall, Qingyanzi went directly to Wei Ming. Wei Ming had been preparing for Mu Lingxuan's ascension to the throne.

Qingyanzi said, "That good-for-nothing Mu Lingxuan brought Gu Junxi into the palace to treat that idiot Emperor Sheng. He wouldn't even hand Gu Junxi over to me. He's becoming more and more uncontrollable. Why don't we just depose him and put Xiaoyue'er on the throne? Besides, Emperor Sheng hasn't woken up yet, and I'm afraid things might change if we delay."

Wei Ming felt that Qingyanzi's words made sense, but it was unrealistic to directly promote Xiaoyue'er to the throne, because in addition to Mu Lingxuan and Mu Lingye, Emperor Sheng had three other sons who were still alive, and Xiaoyue'er was not in the order of succession.

Wei Ming pondered for a moment and said, "If Mu Lingxuan is unwilling to hand over Gu Junxi to you, then you can bypass Mu Lingxuan and control Gu Junxi directly. Keep Gu Junxi firmly in your hands, and you won't have to worry about Mu Lingxuan not compromising. After Mu Lingxuan ascends the throne, you can use Gu to control him. After another two or three months, find an opportunity to let him die naturally, and we can rightfully let Xiao Yue'er take over."

Hearing Wei Ming say this, Qingyanzi felt increasingly hopeful. He then asked, "So when will we take action?"

"Since you're afraid things will change if you delay, then let's do it tonight. Tonight, we'll use Gu to directly control the Emperor, wake him up, and make him issue an edict to abdicate and hand over the imperial seal."

“Okay,” Qingyanzi readily agreed.

Gu Junxi had been in the palace for many days, so she was already familiar with the layout of the palace.

During this period, she secretly searched all the places where Emperor Sheng could hide the imperial seal, but still had no clue.

She could sense that time was running out.

"Crown Princess." Gu Junxi was focused on searching for the Imperial Seal when Xu Decai's voice suddenly rang out behind her.

Gu Junxi was startled and turned around somewhat guiltily.