Phoenix Dance: The Eldest Daughter's Physician Consort Shocks the World

To deal with the Crown Prince's increasingly aggressive schemes, Su Yao and Xiao Yi are busy running around inside and outside the palace. The seemingly peaceful palace is actually turbulent undercurrents.

That day, Su Yao went to the palace at the invitation of the Imperial Concubine. The Imperial Concubine, seemingly kind, took Su Yao's hand and said, "Su Yao, you are quite a celebrity in the palace now, but with such prominence, it's inevitable that you will attract jealousy. You must be careful." Su Yao bowed and respectfully replied, "Thank you for your advice, Imperial Concubine. I understand."

Just then, the Crown Prince arrived uninvited. Upon seeing Su Yao, he said sarcastically, "Oh, Su Yao, you're quite the busy person. You come to the Imperial Concubine's palace quite often." Su Yao calmly replied, "The Imperial Concubine is kind and benevolent, which I deeply admire. Naturally, I am willing to come often to listen to her teachings."

The Crown Prince sneered and turned to the Imperial Concubine: "Mother, I have heard that Su Yao is associating closely with some disreputable people outside the palace. If this gets out, it will likely damage the reputation of our royal family." Su Yao was startled, not expecting the Crown Prince to slander her in front of the Imperial Concubine so quickly. However, she quickly calmed down and retorted: "Your Highness, please do not slander me. I have always been law-abiding and kind to others. How could I possibly associate with such unscrupulous people?"

The Imperial Concubine frowned slightly and looked at the Crown Prince: "My son, you can't just say things like that. Do you have any evidence?" The Crown Prince was speechless for a moment, then said angrily, "Hmph, I'll make you slip up sooner or later."

Just then, Xiao Yi arrived to pay his respects to the Imperial Concubine. Seeing the tense atmosphere in the room, he immediately understood what was going on. He smiled and tried to smooth things over: "What's wrong? Don't let this spoil the harmony. Your Highness, I've acquired some rare and exquisite items from outside the palace today, and I've come to present them to you." As he spoke, he presented the exquisite items he had brought, and the Imperial Concubine's expression softened somewhat.

As the Imperial Concubine happily arranged the gifts, Xiao Yi gave Su Yao a wink, and the two walked aside. Xiao Yi whispered, "The Crown Prince is becoming increasingly arrogant; we need to speed things up. I've already discussed it with several ministers, and they're willing to impeach the Crown Prince for some of his misdeeds in court, but they need more solid evidence." Su Yao nodded and said, "I'm working on it too. Cui'er found out that the Crown Prince's meeting with the mysterious person seems to be at an abandoned manor on the outskirts of the city. I plan to send someone to investigate."

Xiao Yi looked worried: "This is too dangerous. If the Crown Prince finds out, your life will be in danger. I'll arrange for someone to go instead." Su Yao shook her head and refused: "No, Fifth Prince, my people are more familiar with the terrain of the capital and they are more discreet and less likely to attract attention. I just need the Fifth Prince to help me hold off the Crown Prince in the palace so that he doesn't find out in advance."

Seeing Su Yao's resolute attitude, Xiao Yi had no choice but to agree: "Then you must be careful. If there is any disturbance, stop immediately and protect yourself." Su Yao felt a warmth in her heart: "Thank you for your concern, Fifth Prince. I will."

A few days later, Su Yao's men went to the abandoned manor on the outskirts of the city under the cover of night. At the same time, Xiao Yi hosted a banquet in the palace, inviting the Crown Prince, ostensibly to strengthen the bond between brothers, but in reality, to stall the Crown Prince.

At the banquet, Xiao Yi kept toasting the Crown Prince. Although the Crown Prince had some suspicions, he couldn't refuse and could only drink one cup after another. After several rounds of drinks, the Crown Prince was slightly drunk and said impatiently, "Fifth Brother, what is the meaning of this today? Holding a banquet out of the blue, is there some conspiracy?" Xiao Yi pretended to be innocent and said, "Your Highness, what are you saying? It's been a long time since we brothers have had a proper get-together. Today, I just want to have a good drink with Your Highness."

On the outskirts of the city, Su Yao's men cautiously approached the manor, discovering it was surrounded by the Crown Prince's hidden sentries. They carefully avoided the sentries and infiltrated the manor. In a secret room, they heard faint conversations, seemingly discussing the Crown Prince's collusion with a high-ranking official to embezzle disaster relief funds. Just as they were about to approach to hear more clearly, they accidentally triggered a mechanism, instantly igniting an alarm.

People inside the manor rushed out, and Su Yao's group, outnumbered, could only fight their way back. Fortunately, they had arranged for backup beforehand, and ultimately escaped unharmed. Although they hadn't fully heard the conversation, they brought back some important letter fragments, on which the Crown Prince's seal and some key figures were faintly visible, seemingly related to accounts.

After obtaining the fragments, Su Yao immediately met with Xiao Yi. Xiao Yi looked at the fragments with a grave expression: "These are incomplete, but they are still important clues. If we find a reliable person to piece them together, they might become crucial evidence to bring down the Crown Prince." Su Yao nodded: "Alright, I know a gentleman who is skilled in this; we can ask him for help."

In the days that followed, Su Yao and Xiao Yi continued their search for more evidence while secretly contacting more powerful figures, including members of the royal family who had been oppressed by the Crown Prince and some neutral officials. The Crown Prince also sensed something amiss and began to tighten his defenses. The struggle within the palace intensified, a life-or-death contest reaching its climax. Everyone was fighting for their goals and beliefs, but the final outcome remained uncertain, awaiting only the crucial moment.