When Du Xiuyuan arrived, Su Luo was performing surgery on Nangong Qing.

He didn't disturb her; having been by Su Luo's side for so long, they had long since developed a tacit understanding.

He would hand Su Luo a scalpel, wipe her sweat, and write out prescriptions for A Xu to brew.

Tonight is destined to be a sleepless night.

Inside the palace, the emperor, dressed in a bathrobe, paced back and forth.

The Imperial Preceptor sat cross-legged behind him with his eyes closed, chanting some sutra.

"Your Majesty, a messenger reports that the Vice Minister of Agriculture is treating the Third Prince, and the imperial physicians are all rushing to Ji'an Hall."

A eunuch came to report that the Second Prince's wife had passed away today, the Third Prince had been assassinated, and the entire palace was in turmoil.

"Send someone to tell the Vice Minister of Agriculture that you must rescue Qing'er for me no matter what."

And those imperial physicians, if they can't save Qing'er's life, I will hold them accountable."

The emperor exuded an inherent majesty, and these two sentences were so powerful that they filled the young eunuch with fear.

"Yes, Your Majesty, I will go and deliver the message immediately!"

The emperor was uneasy. The situation in Nanning wasn't the worst yet, it was just Qing'er…

Finally, the emperor couldn't resist asking the imperial advisor.

"Imperial Preceptor, Qing'er... he'll be alright, won't he?"

The Imperial Advisor slowly opened his eyes and sighed.

"Your Majesty, please calm down..."

The Imperial Advisor had already said that as long as Su Luo was there, Nangong Qing would be fine.

The storm in Nanning is only just beginning; they must stay calm and composed.

"No, I want to see Qing'er myself."

The emperor snatched the dragon robe from the eunuch and was about to walk out of the palace.

"Your Majesty, calamity is imminent, do not panic."

Every time the Imperial Advisor reveals the secrets of the Heavenly Pivot, he suffers an internal injury, just like when he stopped the Emperor this time.

He vomited another mouthful of blood, and since his previous injury hadn't healed, he fainted.

"Imperial Preceptor! Imperial Preceptor, how are you? Someone... summon the Imperial Physician..."

The imperial advisor's words always came true, and the emperor dared not distrust him.

At this moment, another imperial guard came to report: "Your Majesty, Prince Yu has captured the assassin who attempted to assassinate the Third Prince. Can he be brought in for interrogation now?"

With his son's fate unknown, the emperor has no interest in interrogating prisoners.

"Have Prince Yu take him away and keep him under close guard. He will be interrogated again tomorrow."

"yes!"

He must first stabilize everything in the palace, as both princes' residences have encountered problems.

The Xing family, the Minister of Works, will likely be in turmoil as well. The Emperor must heed the advice of the Imperial Advisor and stabilize the situation.

The entire capital was searched by the troops deployed by Nangong Chiyu, and the people were terrified and dared not go out.

The second prince sat in his study and smashed all the books and teacups on the floor.

He was covered in sweat, his clothes were disheveled, and his hand holding the wine jug was trembling uncontrollably.

Outside the courtyard, there was an even louder wailing.

Everyone believed that His Highness was so heartbroken because the Second Prince's wife had passed away.

"Your Highness, I have learned that Huo Qi has been captured by Prince Yu's men, and the rest of the assassins have committed suicide by biting poison."

Nangong Jingyao stood up shakily and smashed the wine pot in his hand at the feet of the guard who came to report.

He was both angry and scared: "How did you do your job? I told you to hurt Nangong Qing, not to take his life."

Who told you to act on your own? Now look what's happened, Father will definitely investigate this matter thoroughly.

And Huo Qi, no matter what method you use tonight, you absolutely cannot let him see the sun tomorrow.

The guards didn't know why things had turned out this way; they clearly had no intention of killing the Third Prince, they only wanted to injure him.

It's unclear which assassin was responsible, but they didn't know their own strength and killed the Third Prince.

"Yes, Your Highness."

Nangong Jingyao rubbed his hair; in just one day, his world had changed.

Without any warning, everything erupted on this one day: his power to oversee the reservoir was taken away by Nangong Qing.

He only wanted to teach Nangong Qing a lesson in secret, to injure him and prevent him from becoming the supervisor.

Among the princes in the court, he is the only one suitable for this position. No matter what, his father will have no choice but to select him as the reservoir supervisor.

He even found a double to assassinate Nangong Qing, and he also went to find Su Luo to create an alibi.

Unfortunately, Xing Sisi died right in front of him.

It wasn't a big deal originally, but the most important thing was that Madam Xing was waiting for them outside the door, and she overheard their argument.

At this time, Xing Sisi died from severe bleeding in her lower body.

Xing Sisi's death cannot be attributed to anger caused by him, but rather to the use of the menstrual belt made by Su Luo.

If the Xing family abandons him, and his father finds out that he was the one who killed Nangong Qing, then everything he has will be over.

What happened today was beyond his control; it was as if a dark hand had suddenly gripped him from behind.

...

Inside Zegan Garden!

Unlike the tense atmosphere in Beijing, the air here is filled with the melodious sounds of wind instruments.

Ye Qianning led the Northern Liang dancers in a graceful dance, and Ye Beihan was unusually happy.

"Master, the plan has succeeded. Nangong Qing will be half dead tonight, if not dead."

Shuang Shuo did it himself; if it weren't for Ah Xu, Nangong Qing would have died long ago.

"Hmph! Half-dead is more effective. With that woman around, he won't die too quickly."

Tonight is truly gratifying; Nanning is finally going to be in chaos.

"Master, what should we do next?"

Ye Beihan put down his wine cup and said to Shuang Shuo.

"Protect the person that Nangong Chiyu captured. If I'm not mistaken, Nangong Jingyao will definitely find a way to get rid of this person tonight."

“Yes! Nangong Jingyao would never have imagined that Huo Qi is from Beiliang. His reign as a prince is over.”

Ye Beihan put his feet up on the table and downed a full glass of strong liquor in one gulp.

"Go down, I am in a very good mood tonight."

"yes!"

Shuang Shuo was overjoyed; they had been planning for this day for so long.

Tonight he still has to make a trip to the Xing residence to deliver some useful information to Minister Xing.

After the dance ended, Ye Qianning dismissed the dancers and went forward to pour wine for Ye Beihan.

She wore a red, waist-revealing dance costume, which accentuated her graceful figure.

She slowly sat down, exuding a seductive charm. Every movement she made beside Ye Beihan was captivating.

"Cousin, another drink!"

Ye Beihan has brown hair, and the chill emanating from him only lessens when he's drunk.

In his dazed state, he seemed to see Su Luo, the woman who always looked down on him, which piqued his interest.

Or rather, she was the only woman besides his mother who didn't treat him like a monster.

He pinched Ye Qianning's chin with two fingers, his eyes full of amusement.

"Su Luo, you will be mine sooner or later..."

Ye Beihan never touches women, but this time he took the initiative to touch Ye Qianning's face.

She thought he was captivated by her beauty and was secretly pleased with herself.

But suddenly she heard Ye Beihan speak, and he called her Su Luo.

Isn't Su Luo the Deputy Minister of Agriculture of Beiliang? She's also the Princess Consort of Yu. Why would Ye Beihan take a fancy to her?