She's skilled in medicine, martial arts, and even understands animal language—the abandoned dau

Cui Jintang was completely immersed in his own imagined world, sometimes laughing maniacally, sometimes sobbing softly.

Past loves, hates, grudges, and schemes are now tangled up in her mind like a mess, completely devouring her sanity and leaving only a body manipulated by madness, continuing her absurd farce in this forgotten corner, ignored by everyone.

Outside the Cold Palace, a palace eunuch happened to be passing by. Hearing the eerie noises coming from inside Cui Jintang, he turned pale with fright and ran away as fast as he could.

As she ran, she muttered, "This Lady Cui, she must have gone mad..."

Before long, the news that Cui Jintang had gone mad spread throughout the entire palace.

At that time, Chu Zhiyi was focused on reviewing memorials in the imperial study. Upon hearing the eunuch's report, he did not even raise his head, but simply said in a calm tone, "Cui Jintang's mind has always been deep and unpredictable. Perhaps she is pretending to be crazy. Send someone to keep a close eye on her and do not give her any chance to escape."

The eunuch respectfully agreed and then left the imperial study.

After the eunuch left, Chu Zhiyi carefully finished processing several urgent memorials before putting down his pen.

He leaned back in his chair, slowly closed his eyes, and tried to relieve his physical fatigue.

However, the moment he closed his eyes, Shen Man's exquisite and beautiful face immediately appeared in his mind. Her every smile and frown was like the warm sun in spring, instantly dispelling the gloom that had long accumulated in Chu Zhiyi's heart due to the court intrigue.

Recalling Shen Man's lively and playful eyes and gentle and charming laughter, Chu Zhiyi's lips unconsciously curled up, revealing a tender smile.

“Man’er…” he murmured softly, his voice filled with endless longing.

It had been over a month since he parted from Shen Man, and his longing for her grew stronger with each passing day. He wished he could immediately drop everything and rush to the border town to meet her.

However, reason told him that matters of state were more important than personal feelings. The situation at court remained turbulent, and he had many pressing matters to attend to.

Duke Cui Chengdao of Xingguo had cultivated his influence in the court for many years, and his power was deeply entrenched. Although he had lost power, his faction of officials was still stirring up trouble in the court and was always looking for an opportunity to retaliate.

Only by eradicating those treacherous officials as soon as possible and restoring order to the court can he stand before Shen Man with a clear conscience.

Thinking of this, Chu Zhiyi quickly summoned the imperial guards outside the door and decisively ordered, "Immediately summon your commander. I have important matters to discuss with him."

Half an hour ago, Chu Zhiyi appointed his personal bodyguard, Zhi Mo, as the new commander of the Imperial Guards, in charge of the security of the palace.

After receiving the order, the imperial guards quickly departed.

Before long, Zhi Mo, dressed in a brand-new uniform of the Imperial Guard Commander, hurriedly arrived at the Imperial Study.

Upon seeing Chu Zhiyi, he immediately knelt on one knee and respectfully said, "Your Highness, I pay my respects. May I ask what Your Highness commands?"

Chu Zhiyi gestured for Zhi Mo to stand up, and then said with a serious expression, "Zhi Mo, I order you to immediately take men to the Duke of Xingguo's mansion and conduct a thorough search of all letters exchanged between the court officials and Cui Chengdao."

Over the years, Cui Chengdao, relying on his high position and power, acted recklessly in the court, forming cliques and engaging in corrupt practices, committing countless crimes. His downfall presents the perfect opportunity to completely eradicate his faction.

Zhi Mo's eyes sharpened, and he clasped his hands in a deep fist salute, replying loudly, "Your subordinate obeys!"

After saying that, he turned around and strode out of the Imperial Study, quickly gathered his men, and headed towards the Duke of Xingguo's residence.

Half an hour later, the group was already standing at the entrance of the Xingguo Duke's Mansion, where the plaque had been removed.

Since the day Duke Cui Chengdao of Xingguo was captured, the members of the Cui family have either been sold off or exiled. The once magnificent and bustling Duke Cui's mansion has now become an empty house, completely devoid of its former brilliance and lively atmosphere.

Especially after that fierce battle that night, many people died in the mansion, which added a sinister and terrifying atmosphere to the house.

Even in broad daylight, it still gives one a creepy feeling.

Zhi Mo stood in front of the mansion gate, looking at the two dilapidated vermilion doors lying on the ground. He took a deep breath, quickly divided the Imperial Guards into several small teams, and then suddenly raised his hand and waved: "Go in and search!"

Although the imperial guards behind him were somewhat apprehensive, they dared not disobey orders and braced themselves as they rushed to various courtyards, studies, and storerooms.

Zhi Mo himself led a group of people directly to Cui Chengdao's main study where he used to handle affairs.

When everyone arrived at the study, they found it in complete disarray, with tables and chairs overturned and books scattered all over the floor.

Zhi Mo squatted down and carefully examined each book, not overlooking any corner where letters might be hidden.

His gaze swept quickly across the messy study, finally settling on the overturned desk.

He strode forward, gripped the edge of the desk with both hands, and forcefully straightened it. The items on the desk scattered across the floor, creating a chaotic clatter.

Then he began to check each of the desk drawers. The first few drawers were empty, but when he pulled open the bottom drawer, it creaked due to its age and only opened halfway, as if it were stuck by something.

Zhi Mo frowned slightly, then pulled hard, opening the drawer completely and revealing a stack of letters. The letters were not neatly arranged; some envelopes bore the seals of court officials, while others contained cryptic and incomprehensible coded messages.

Zhi Mo's expression hardened. He carefully picked up the letter and slowly unfolded it to examine it.

As he read on, his expression grew increasingly grave. The contents of the letter were like sharp blades, clearly revealing evidence of the numerous officials' secret collusion with Cui Chengdao.

Meanwhile, other teams also reported finding related letters in the warehouse's mezzanine and in Choi Sung-do's bedroom.

Zhi Mo organized the letters and evidence he had found, packed them into a specially made box, and prepared to take them back to the Imperial Study to present to Chu Zhiyi.

At this moment, Wang Hong, Lin Peng, and other officials from the Xingguo Duke's faction were shocked to hear from their informants in the palace that Chu Zhisheng had been imprisoned and that Cui Jintang had gone mad.

Immediately afterward, when they learned that Chu Zhiyi had just been made crown prince, he swiftly dispatched people to the Duke of Xingguo's mansion to collect evidence of his crimes, everyone was terrified and turned ashen-faced.

The teacup in Wang Hong's hand fell to the ground with a "clatter" and shattered into pieces.

His voice trembled as he said, "The Duke of Xingguo's mansion has been searched by the Imperial Guards! What are we going to do? I'm afraid they'll find all our correspondence..."

Lin Peng's brows furrowed into a knot, his hands rubbing together incessantly, and he muttered to himself, "Yesterday, the Emperor still favored Chu Zhisheng as the Crown Prince, and we still had a chance to maneuver. Who could have predicted that the situation would take such a dramatic turn today?"

"Chu Zhiyi has only just ascended to the position of Crown Prince, yet he has acted so decisively, catching us completely off guard!"

They were originally planning to secretly send someone into the Duke of Xingguo's mansion tonight to steal and destroy the letters between themselves and the Duke of Xingguo.

But now, all plans have been disrupted by Chu Zhiyi's lightning-fast actions.