Empress Yan's face grew increasingly cold, while the Third Prince's Consort, listening to the screams of her personal maid outside the door, hesitated several times before speaking.

"Seventh Brother!"

Empress Yan suddenly stood up and went to the Seventh Prince's side, lowering her voice: "Because of a woman from Northern Chu who was sent to marry a foreign ruler, you pointed your sword at your own father three years ago, placed the Prime Minister under house arrest three years later, and now you're making a scene over her again. You've never lost your mind like this before."

The seventh prince looked at Empress Yan.

"Although the civil and military officials are on your side, don't forget that your father, the Emperor, is still alive!" Empress Yan said, her lips pressed tightly together.

The last sentence seems to be a warning.

The Seventh Prince's lips curled into a mocking smile: "Your Majesty, who exactly has Jia Hua offended, and why is she being schemed against time and time again?"

Seeing the Seventh Prince protecting Princess Jia Hua at every turn, Empress Yan suppressed her anger: "If she weren't so restless, who would target her?"

The two locked eyes.

Empress Yan was alarmed to find that the Seventh Prince's gaze towards her had long lost its former respect, replaced only by a layer of coldness.

"Seventh Prince, I know you are fond of her. Fine, I won't try to persuade you anymore." Empress Yan pretended to be devastated, retreating repeatedly, and said disappointedly, "I will grant your wish. Once she is better, you can take her to your fiefdom. You can be a loving couple and no one will bother you anymore."

"Your Majesty!" the Third Prince's wife exclaimed in surprise.

Why were they sent to their fiefdoms?

The Seventh Prince's eyebrows twitched slightly.

Empress Yan ignored the Third Prince's wife and stared intently at the Seventh Prince: "She is a mother and is worried about the situation in Northern Chu. Only by leaving Jincheng will you be free from the constant scrutiny of the civil and military officials. Even if you take her with you to Northern Chu, no one will object. You can only settle down after you have seen some things."

These words made the Seventh Prince's brow relax.

He did indeed intend to take Princess Jia Hua back to Northern Chu once.

If possible, he would like to bring those two children back and treat them as his own, giving them everything he has to inherit.

Only in this way will Princess Jiahua settle down and never think of leaving Southern Xinjiang again.

Seeing the softening in his expression, Empress Yan felt a surge of bitterness and anger that nearly made her lose her temper. She clenched her fists, the sharp pain keeping her calm, and said helplessly, "As the saying goes, family scandals should not be aired in public. Today, you have already caused a lot of gossip by having several people beaten to death because of her. Stop now, or I will not be able to protect her."

The Seventh Prince's eyebrows twitched slightly.

"A-Yin, don't you still trust me?" Empress Yan's voice was soft, with a hint of grievance, and large tears glistened in her eyes.

Just as the atmosphere reached a stalemate, the figure of a guard could be heard outside the door.

The Third Prince's wife's heart leaped into her throat as she anxiously looked at Empress Yan.

"Your Highness."

The Seventh Prince looked at the guard: "Speak!"

"Your Highness, Huichun has already confessed that she did indeed take the letter and give it to Miss Jingque."

Jingque...a second-class maid in Fengyi Palace.

Before the Seventh Prince could react, Empress Yan exclaimed in disbelief, "You scoundrel! How dare you scheme against me! Bring Jingque here!"

The palace servants rushed off to search.

A moment later, news came that the startled magpie had fallen into the well and drowned.

"What?" Empress Yan was shocked and staggered back, clutching her chest and slumping into a chair. The Third Prince's Consort rushed forward: "Your Majesty, how are you?"

Without hesitation, Empress Yan slapped the Third Prince's wife hard across the face: "You worthless thing, if I investigate this matter and find you to be involved, I will not let you off lightly!"

"Your Majesty?" The Third Prince's wife covered her face in shock.

At this moment, the Seventh Prince's gaze lingered on the two of them for a moment before he walked towards the door, looking at Huichun, who was beaten to the point of near death.

Hui Chun kept kowtowing to the Seventh Prince: "Your Highness, this servant knows her mistake, please have mercy."

Huichun served in the palace and was one of the palace maids who entered the inner palace to serve Princess Jiahua, besides Xiushu.

They've even been guarding the palace for seven or eight years now.

I never expected that he would betray me.

The seventh prince stood under the corridor, lost in thought.

"Your Highness, apart from Huichun, none of the others summoned anything," the guard said.

The Seventh Prince nodded, then looked at Lian Qiao, the personal maid of the Third Prince's wife, who was lying on a wooden stool. She raised her head with a look of fear and unease.

One glance at them and Lianqiao was so frightened she begged for mercy.

"Beating him to death!" The Seventh Prince uttered these two words, which nearly made Lian Qiao faint: "Your Highness, this servant..."

His pleas for mercy were drowned out by the heavy thud of the wooden paddle.

Lianqiao was quickly beaten to death, and the courtyard was covered in blood.

The Third Prince rushed over from a short distance away. Upon seeing the forsythia on the ground, he frowned and pretended to be confused: "Seventh Prince, what exactly happened?"

The Seventh Prince slowly turned around, raised his gaze, and stared intently at the Third Prince's expression with a pair of probing eyes, trying to see through him. After a moment, he said, "Third Brother, Third Sister-in-law killed my eldest son."

Upon hearing this, the Third Prince stared in astonishment, speechless for a moment.

"Third brother, you owe me an explanation for this!" The seventh prince said gravely, "I finally had a son at my age, and now he's gone. Third brother... did you know anything about it?"

The Third Prince only knew part of the plan, and upon hearing this, he quickly distanced himself: "Seventh Prince, you and I are brothers, how could I harm your offspring? It must be a misunderstanding."

"A misunderstanding?" The Seventh Prince stepped aside. "Then please ask your sister-in-law properly, Third Brother."

Upon hearing this, the Third Prince reluctantly went inside.

Soon after, the Third Prince's Consort came from behind, crying and shouting that she was innocent.

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