Disguised as a man, she became the biggest villain in the book.

"Dead? How did he die?" Zheng Luoqi's eyes turned cold, and she asked in a chilling voice.

Boyu dared not be negligent and hurriedly replied, "It is poison, it is the Water-Dropping Guanyin. This kind of poison is very rare and ordinary people do not possess it. Among the people who know of it, only Prince Gong has this kind of poison."

Hearing this, Zheng Luoqi's face darkened. She thought to herself, "It's Prince Gong again! That old bastard, his interference in my affairs has been going on for ages!"

Looking at Zheng Luoqi's expression, Boyu cautiously said, "Young Master, should we..."

Before he could finish speaking, Zheng Luoqi interrupted him: "No need, let's dispose of the body first."

Zheng Luoqi had just turned to leave when she suddenly stopped after taking a few steps, as if she had remembered something. She turned back and said to the people behind her, "Oh, right, remember to throw all these people's corpses at the gate of Prince Gong's Mansion!"

The next morning, before dawn, the gates of Prince Gong's Mansion slowly opened.

As usual, a servant responsible for opening the door early in the morning slowly walked to the door, preparing to push open the heavy vermilion gate. However, as soon as he pushed the gate open a crack, a strong smell of blood wafted out.

He frowned in confusion, wondering to himself where the smell was coming from. As the crack in the door widened, he was horrified to find a mountain of headless corpses piled up outside. The bodies were stacked haphazardly, and the servants screamed in terror, attracting the attention of the rest of the household.

Upon seeing this scene, the others' legs went weak, and some even collapsed to the ground. Looking at the corpses before them, some couldn't help but vomit.

"Quickly, go and report to the Prince!" one of them shouted to the person next to him.

Soon, Prince Gong received the news. His face was terribly gloomy, and he paced back and forth in his residence in anger.

"Damn it! That damned Zheng Luoqi, and that Prime Minister, I will make you pay the price!" he said through gritted teeth.

Prince Gong grew increasingly angry, and finally, he couldn't help but start smashing things. He smashed all the vases, porcelain, and other items on the table to the ground, then kicked the table over. The entire room became a mess, and Prince Gong continued to curse incessantly.

"Damn it, damn Zheng Luoqi, damn the Prime Minister, one day I'll make them suffer a terrible death!"

Just then, a guard rushed in. "Your Highness, the situation outside has been dealt with. Fortunately, not many people passed by this morning, so the news hasn't spread."

Upon hearing this, Prince Gong calmed down slightly. He nodded and said, "Well done. This matter must not be allowed to spread. Otherwise, how will I save face?"

After venting his anger, Prince Gong went to enjoy himself with his beautiful concubine.

Prime Minister's Mansion

Zheng Luoqi and Zheng Yuxiang sat facing each other.

Zheng Yuxiang asked, "I heard you gave Prince Gong a little 'gift'?"

Zheng Luoqi replied, "Prince Gong has repeatedly interfered in my son's affairs. I just wanted to teach him a lesson."

Zheng Yuxiang nodded in approval and said, "Hmm, well done. But next time you can just throw the body on his bed."

Zheng Luoqi smiled slightly and said, "Qi'er will remember next time."

Zheng Yuxiang then asked, "By the way, the talent show is about to start, right?"

Zheng Luoqi nodded and replied, "Yes, Father. The audition is scheduled for next month."

Zheng Yuxiang poured tea: "If nothing unexpected happens, the people sent in by the Wen family, the Lin family, and the Chen family will all be selected. The Wen family and the emperor will ultimately join forces. If the Lin family and the Chen family are added to the mix, it won't be good for us."

"What does Father plan to do?" Zheng Luoqi asked.

"Qi'er, can you guess who they will send to the palace?" Zheng Yuxiang asked softly, his eyes revealing a hint of amusement and hidden conspiracy.

Zheng Luoqi's eyes flashed. She knew her father's intentions and that in this time of intense court struggles, the imperial selection was not merely about filling the harem and ensuring the continuation of the family line, but also a part of the political struggle. She pondered for a moment, carefully considering the candidates sent by each family.

“The Wen family must have sent Wen Yanxi. The Empress Dowager has always kept her by her side, and this time she will take advantage of the selection of concubines to send her into the palace. Moreover, the Wen family has great ambitions and wants the position of Empress.” Zheng Luoqi said with a deep look in her eyes.

“The Lin family should be sending their eldest daughter, Lin Wanwan. She is more suitable than her sister. She is lively and active, and more likely to please the emperor. For the Lin family, she is also a good choice,” Zheng Luoqi added.

"As for the Chen family, the Emperor has been paying close attention to Miss Chen, Chen Xianlin, recently. It's likely that the Chen family will allow Chen Xianlin to enter the palace this time."

Zheng Yuxiang listened to Zheng Luoqi's analysis and nodded slightly in agreement.

"It seems we need to prepare early," Zheng Yuxiang said calmly.

After thinking for a moment, Zheng Luoqi suggested, "Father, we can start with the Lin family and the Chen family. The Wen family is still useful to the emperor, but the emperor will definitely not allow the Wen family to continue to grow. He will definitely support the Chen family and the Lin family first to compete with the Wen family. Once the number of people selected for this selection is determined, it means that the emperor is completely on the opposite side of us. His intention to discard us after we have served his purpose is obvious."

"This emperor wanted to use the Wen family, but he didn't want them to wield too much power."

A hint of admiration flashed in Zheng Yuxiang's eyes. "Not bad, as expected of my son. But this matter needs careful consideration, and we must not rush into it. In addition, you should not only pay attention to the Wen family, but also to the movements of the other two families, especially the Chen family. The emperor has been quite favorable to the Chen family. The Chen family has always been neutral. If his daughter enters the palace this time, it means that he will no longer be neutral and will completely side with the emperor's faction."

"Father, rest assured, Qi'er understands," Zheng Luoqi replied.

Just then, a servant rushed over and handed over a letter.

Zheng Yuxiang opened the envelope, and after reading it, his expression changed slightly. He smiled and looked like he had gotten his revenge.

"Father, what happened?" Zheng Luoqi asked upon seeing this.

"Caught!"

"Who did you catch?"

“Wenlian,” Zheng Yuxiang said coldly.

Zheng Luoqi's face turned cold, her eyes filled with hatred.

“Let’s go, it’s time to meet this old acquaintance of many years,” Zheng Yuxiang said, then led Zheng Luoqi toward the dungeon.

Since the incident, Wen Lian has been hidden by the Wen family and they have been unable to find him. Zheng Yuxiang searched the entire Great Xia Kingdom but could not find him. Sometimes Zheng Yuxiang really doesn't understand why the Wen family has been hiding him and protecting him. What value does Wen Lian have that makes him worth protecting by the Wen family for so long?