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

Su Yao and Xiao Yi were making intensive preparations, trying to piece together the evidence against the Crown Prince and expand their own camp. The Crown Prince was no ordinary person either; his spies were spread throughout the palace. He quickly sensed something unusual and became increasingly cautious. The two sides were like swordsmen facing off in the dark, and the slightest mistake could lead to total defeat.

Su Yao took the tattered pages to the gentleman skilled in restoring ancient books. The gentleman took the pages, frowned, and examined them for a long time before saying, "Miss Su, these pages are severely damaged. Restoring them will be quite difficult and time-consuming, and will also require some precious materials." Su Yao was anxious but remained calm: "Just tell me what you need, sir, and I will do my best to prepare it. However, this matter is of great importance, so I hope you will keep it a secret." The gentleman nodded in agreement: "Don't worry, Miss, I will keep it a secret."

Meanwhile, Xiao Yi was also subtly making his moves in the imperial court. He deliberately brought up the issue of disaster relief fund distribution in some areas during court discussions, seemingly unintentionally, but actually secretly observing the expressions and reactions of the ministers, trying to find out the Crown Prince's allies and potential breakthroughs. An old minister stepped forward and echoed, "The Fifth Prince is quite right. I've heard that in some places, disaster relief supplies haven't been fully distributed to the victims. This matter must be thoroughly investigated to reassure the people." Xiao Yi looked at the old minister, a barely perceptible hint of joy flashing in his eyes. Knowing that this old minister might be someone he could win over, he said, "Lord Zhang, you care deeply for the people; your words are absolutely correct. Xiao Yi will certainly report this matter truthfully to the Emperor. I hope Lord Zhang will provide his support." Lord Zhang nodded slightly and returned to his place in the ranks.

The Crown Prince listened intently, inwardly seething with resentment, but unable to lash out, he merely glared fiercely at Xiao Yi. After court, the Crown Prince immediately summoned his trusted advisors to discuss countermeasures: "That brat Xiao Yi has been making constant underhanded moves in court lately, it seems he intends to harm me. That Su Yao is also restless; the incident in the suburbs last time must have been their doing. We can't let them continue to act so recklessly." An advisor suggested, "Your Highness, the most urgent task is to stabilize our people and prevent them from being won over by Xiao Yi. Furthermore, we can send someone to create conflict between the Fifth Prince and Su Yao, keeping them preoccupied with their own problems." The Crown Prince sneered, "Very well, we'll do as you say."

After several days of hard work, Su Yao finally gathered the materials her master needed. Just as she was about to head to his residence again, she was stopped at the palace gate by a man claiming to be a servant of the Fifth Prince: "Miss Su, my Fifth Prince has urgent business to discuss with you. Please come with me." Although Su Yao was somewhat suspicious, she followed him anyway. Upon arriving at a secluded palace, she couldn't find Xiao Yi. Realizing something was wrong, Su Yao turned to leave, but was surrounded by several men in black. The leader of the men in black sneered, "Su Yao, you won't escape today." Su Yao feigned composure: "Who are you? How dare you act so presumptuously in the palace!" The men in black didn't answer, but instead drew their knives and approached her.

While dodging, Su Yao searched for an opportunity to escape. She used the martial arts she had learned to fight off the men in black, inevitably sustaining some injuries herself. At the critical moment, Xiao Yi arrived with his guards: "You audacious scoundrels, how dare you harm Miss Su!" Seeing the situation was dire, the men in black scattered and fled. Xiao Yi rushed forward to support Su Yao: "Miss Su, how are you? I received news today that you had been tricked, and I was extremely worried. Fortunately, you arrived in time." Su Yao's face was pale, but her eyes were resolute: "Thank you again for saving me, Fifth Prince. It seems the Crown Prince is becoming increasingly impatient."

Xiao Yi's face darkened: "The Crown Prince is so ruthless; we must speed things up. How's the repair of that fragment coming along?" Su Yao replied, "The master said it will take some more time, but we've made some progress." Xiao Yi nodded: "Good. We must be careful to guard against the Crown Prince's next attack. I've arranged for more people to protect you; try to stay out of the palace as much as possible during this time." Su Yao was grateful: "Thank you for your trouble, Fifth Prince, but I'm worried that this might implicate you." Xiao Yi's eyes softened: "Miss Su, don't worry. We're in the same boat now; only by advancing and retreating together can we weather this storm."

A few days later, the gentleman finally finished repairing the tattered pages. Su Yao and Xiao Yi looked at the pieced-together letter, which clearly showed evidence of the Crown Prince's collusion with several high-ranking officials to embezzle a huge sum of disaster relief funds. The two smiled at each other, their eyes filled with relief and determination: "We've finally waited for this moment. The Crown Prince's doom is coming." Xiao Yi clenched his fist: "Miss Su, I'll go and present the evidence to Father Emperor now, so he can see the Crown Prince's true colors." Su Yao instructed: "Fifth Prince, you must be careful on this trip. The Crown Prince will definitely make a last-ditch effort; we cannot let our guard down." Xiao Yi nodded and strode away with the evidence, while Su Yao anxiously awaited news in the mansion. She knew that this life-or-death struggle with the Crown Prince was about to reach its final showdown, and the political landscape of the palace would be completely changed as a result.