This scoundrel is a bit of a swordsman.

With a one-to-one ratio, there's no reason to stop Huangfu Lingxue from entering the city. But now he's in a bind; everything was announced in advance, and even if he were the crown prince, it's unlikely he'd change his mind at the last minute.

Just as he was hesitating about whether to put the third question down, a palace maid quietly approached and slipped a note into the prince's hand.

The crown prince was taken aback, then smiled.

"Okay, the third question will be a little while. The test paper is on its way and will be here soon."

"Something unexpected has happened,"

Many people had this thought, noticing that there was more than one palace maid appearing on the city wall. With the appearance of this particular maid, everyone knew that Consort Xian had made her move.

Chen Miao remained hidden in the crowd, having been watching the Crown Prince for quite some time.

"Huangfu Lingxue will be our greatest enemy in the future. If we can get rid of her through the Crown Prince, that would be the best outcome."

She murmured to Qingyu beside her,

“But the royal family doesn’t allow the deposition of a princess, especially without a reason,” Qingyu could also see that, compared to the crown prince, this princess was the more troublesome person.

"That's not necessarily true. This prince might be an opportunity for us."

A smile appeared on Chen Miao's lips, and a mature idea began to be planned in her mind. The Crown Prince, if used well, would be a powerful weapon in her hands.

If Xiao Xingchen were still following Chen Miao, he would have learned that the Crown Princess had already set her sights on the Crown Prince at this time in her previous life. This would also explain why the Crown Princess disappeared into the Cangshan Mountains. After completing her mission, she naturally wanted to find a way to escape, and he unfortunately became the scapegoat.

"What do you think the Crown Prince will do next?" Daji, thoroughly enjoying the spectacle, naturally began to speculate.

"This time it's probably a human."

"Oh?" Xiao Xingchen's answer made Daji's eyes light up again. It seemed that in this man's eyes, nothing here could be hidden.

"why?"

"The question is fixed, but people are flexible. The current situation is very unfavorable for the Crown Prince. It's impossible to continue trying to win over the Eldest Princess. So there's only one way: to appeal to her emotions, to use people to coerce her, and even put her in a dilemma. The best way is to make her advance righteous and retreat familial, leaving her unable to move forward or backward. This is the best outcome for the Crown Prince and his allies."

The dilemma of choosing between loyalty to one's country and filial piety is a problem that has always been an insurmountable obstacle in history.

"Coincidentally, there is such a person in Yong'an City." Thinking of the late empress, Xiao Jianren's memories gradually became clearer, which also affected Xiao Xingchen's emotions.

Xiao Jianren's life was unfortunate. Although he was the Prince of Kao Shan, he never felt love from his mother.

During a palace banquet, he was framed by someone with ulterior motives and was forced to flee to the Cold Palace.

It was around that time that he met the Empress. After learning that he was the consort of Huangfu Lingxue, she took even better care of him. From her, Xiao Jianren experienced maternal love for the first time. As a result, in the days that followed, he would often secretly enter the palace to visit the late Empress, even regarding her as a mother figure.

Outside, he was a villain; in front of the late Empress, he was merely a child needing comfort. This led to his extraordinary respect for the Princess. When the Princess didn't want him to enter the Prince Consort's residence, he refused; when she didn't want to see him, he refused, providing her with a strong sense of security. Unbeknownst to the world, this was largely due to the late Empress's care for him. It could be said that the late Empress was the only person in Xiao Jianren's life who ever showed him warmth.

Since transmigrating, he had never felt any emotions from this body. However, with the appearance of the late Empress, Xiao Xingchen knew that this body was influencing him. It was a longing and yearning for his mother, a filial piety that would protect her even at the cost of his own life.

Is she really that important to you?

As if in response to Xiao Xingchen, his heart suddenly skipped a beat.

“I understand. Since she is your only concern in this world, as a way of repaying the debt of occupying your body, I will naturally protect her, as a way of repaying the kindness of letting me live another life.”

Xiao Xingchen said slowly in his heart, no matter how controversial Xiao Jianren's life was, he didn't think there was anything wrong with wanting to protect his mother. It was human nature. A person who would abandon his mother was not worthy of being human. Even after being reborn, this body had not forgotten its past. How could he let him die with his eyes open?

"Daji, we may no longer be able to keep a low profile."

Suddenly, he spoke solemnly to Daji,

Daji seemed to sense something, but wasn't sure. In her eyes, Xiao Xingchen seemed to have a touch of sadness about him. She didn't know what had happened to him, but she nodded nonetheless.

"It doesn't matter. The world is my home. Do whatever you want. At worst... just do it." Daji hesitated for a moment before giving her a guarantee.

"Okay, thank you,"

After bringing Daji out of Cangshan, he regarded Daji and the little white tiger as the only people in the world he could confide in. Even though they never asked each other about their secrets, they had tacitly become a unified whole. Daji was willing to follow him, and he was happy to be teased by Daji every day. The relationship between the two was very subtle, so many choices were no longer just a matter for one person.

After obtaining Daji's consent, he slowly walked forward, for the late empress's figure had already appeared at the end of the city gate.

This scene naturally attracted a lot of attention. When they saw a phoenix palanquin arriving, the sheer awe caused everyone present to tremble, and they instantly understood who had arrived.

For twenty years after the late empress was deposed, no one knew the reason. Any whisper or whisper from the inner palace was taboo. In everyone's memory, the empress was participating in the sacrificial ceremony one day, and the next day she was deposed and banished to the cold palace.

This past event aroused the curiosity of many, but no one dared to ask too many questions. The ensuing upheaval in the court led to the decline of the Empress's lineage, with countless deaths and injuries.

Although the Empress had been deposed for nearly twenty years, Emperor Wu of the Great Qian Dynasty never considered making her Empress again. As a result, the current most favored concubine, Consort Xian, was only a concubine.

Even though the late empress was deposed, she was still an empress, and she would have her own imperial carriage accompanying her when she traveled.

As the imperial carriage arrived, officials knelt to welcome it; in an instant, crowds outside the city knelt on the ground.

"Welcome, Your Majesty!"

Huangfu Lingxue and Huangfu Lingfeng trembled. They had never imagined that they would see their beloved mother before even entering the capital. More than a decade had passed since they last met, and they had both grown into adults, yet their mother was still suffering in the cold palace. This was their filial impiety.

The first priority upon returning to the capital was to rescue the Empress Dowager, but now they were actually carrying her out.

The two could no longer remain calm. They rushed forward and knelt before the city gate. On the city wall, the Crown Prince and a group of princes looked down at them triumphantly.

"The Crown Prince has some clever tactics; he actually brought out the deposed Empress. With her kneeling, Huangfu Lingxue can't cause any trouble now."

Looking at the eldest princess kneeling before the crowd, the sixth prince and the other princes all revealed satisfied smiles.

The imperial carriage stopped at the city gate. Through the curtain, one could vaguely see a woman dressed in a plain dress sitting upright. Although she wore no finery, simply sitting there exuded an aura of sacredness and inviolability.

"Gentlemen, please rise."

A soft voice rang out, and many people gathered outside the city. The voice was not loud, but everyone heard it very clearly.