As soon as the empress entered the Prime Minister's residence, they heard a burst of loud shouts:

"His Royal Highness the Crown Prince has arrived!"

"The Third Prince has arrived! The Fourth Prince has arrived!"

"The Fifth Prince has arrived!"

"The virtuous king and his wife have arrived!"

"Prince Xiao has arrived!"

"The Sixth Princess and the Prince Consort have arrived!"

"County Master Luo has arrived!"

......

Instantly, guests streamed in, adding to the already bustling atmosphere of the Prime Minister's Residence. Each guest arrived with a smile and sincere blessings, filling the entire scene with a festive atmosphere.

After all the guests arrived, the chief guest stood up and recited a solemn and beautiful speech in a loud voice: "On this auspicious day of the month, you are wearing your first clothes. Let go of your childish ambitions and cultivate virtue. May you live a long and healthy life and enjoy great happiness." His voice was loud and melodious, as if traveling through time and space, conveying these beautiful wishes to everyone present.

At this moment, the sponsor stepped forward, took the exquisite and ornate hairpin from the official, and carefully combed Li Jingshu's hair and gently inserted the hairpin into her hair, performing a simple yet symbolic gesture. This simple ritual signified that the girl had reached adulthood and could now undergo the ceremony of coming of age.

After completing all this, Li Jingshu smiled at everyone and returned to her inner room to change into the plain-colored skirt she had prepared long ago. In a moment, she reappeared before everyone with a completely new look—the simple, elegant, and fresh outfit only accentuated her outstanding temperament and gentle charm.

Then came the kowtow to parents. Li Jingshu knelt on both knees and kowtowed three times to express her gratitude to her parents for raising her. It also meant that she had grown up and would take on more responsibilities and obligations in the future.

After paying respects to her parents, Li Jingshu sat facing east, and the host recited a blessing in a loud voice: "In this auspicious month and time, I present you with my formal attire. I respect your dignity and virtuous character. May you live a long and healthy life, and receive eternal blessings."

The sponsor stepped forward and pulled out Li Jingshu's hairpin, and the Queen Mother personally put it on for her.

Afterwards, Li Jingshu returned to her inner room, changed into formal attire, and donned various jewellery. She then came out and knelt before the elders, expressing her respect and gratitude.

The main guest chanted the blessing in a loud voice: "In the right year, in the order of the month, all are blessed. Brothers are present to complete their virtue. Huangdi has no boundaries and receives the blessing of heaven."

The sponsor stepped forward and carefully removed the hairpin from Li Jingshu's head. The Empress Dowager, smiling, took the hairpin and crown from the servant beside her, preparing to personally place this headdress, a symbol of status and honor, on Li Jingshu.

At this moment, something strange happened! Two figures suddenly leaped out from the side like ghosts. They were actually two maids covered in blood! They looked panicked, their eyes revealing despair and fear, as if they had encountered something extremely terrible.

This scene shocked everyone present, and the guards in charge of protection were even more shocked. They hurriedly shouted loudly: "There is an assassin! Protect His Majesty!" For a moment, the scene became chaotic, and the originally solemn atmosphere was instantly broken.

The two maids screamed in terror, "Empress! Please, please save the Eighth Princess! Empress! The Eighth Princess has been framed by the Third Prince! The Third Prince actually ordered Zhang Ji to give the Eighth Princess an aphrodisiac! This is truly abhorrent!"

They then turned to the Crown Prince, kowtowed and wept bitterly, their voices extremely miserable: "Your Highness! The Eighth Princess has been wronged so much! She was completely harmed by the Third Prince! Your Highness! The Eighth Princess is your biological sister! You absolutely cannot sit idly by! You must seek justice for the Eighth Princess!"

Upon hearing this, the Third Prince's eyelids twitched with rage! He roared, his hair standing on end, "What a daring lunatic! How dare you act rashly in front of the Emperor! Come! Capture him immediately and execute him in public!" With that, the guards rushed forward.

Yet, at this moment, the Crown Prince's inky, deep eyes fixed intently on the Third Prince, fearless. He declared righteously, "This Crown Prince is here. Who dares to attack? These two maids were Caiwei's personal maids. How could they be in such a state now? Furthermore, this Crown Prince's sister has always been gentle, virtuous, and well-behaved. If she hadn't been framed, how could she have done such a ridiculous thing? It's all my fault that, in my impatience, I failed to thoroughly investigate the truth and hastily allowed my sister to marry into the Zhang family!"

When Crown Prince Chu Chengli heard the two maids accusing the Third Prince of this, he knew in his heart that there was something to be done about this matter, and he could use this opportunity to severely strike a blow against the Third Prince!

When Emperor Wen saw what was happening, his face darkened, as if water could drip from it. He wondered to himself: Could this all be a conspiracy orchestrated by the Crown Prince, with the goal of implicating the Third Prince?

However, when he looked at the Empress and the Prime Minister again, he found that they also looked shocked, without any signs of prior knowledge. Then, Emperor Wen turned his gaze to the Crown Prince, who was filled with unconcealable excitement and excitement, and it was obvious that he had just learned about this matter!

Who is behind all this? If we get to the bottom of it, it will probably deal a heavy blow to the Third Prince's power.

Emperor Wen knew full well that he absolutely did not want to see the Crown Prince monopolize power. At this moment, he spoke, "Today is Jingshu's coming-of-age ceremony. Let's put other matters aside for now and discuss them later! Quickly take those two maids away and ask the imperial physician to treat them!" His voice radiated undeniable authority.

At this moment, the virtuous prince tilted his head slightly, his gaze quickly scanning the nearby Imperial Censor Sun Zhi. Sun Zhi understood immediately and immediately stepped forward, kneeling and kowtowed respectfully before Emperor Wen. "Your Majesty, I pay my respects to you! Your Majesty, this incident is of grave importance. It involves the murder of the heir to the throne, a truly heinous crime! The Eighth Princess's personal maid has been beaten to a pulp and is near death. I wonder how the Eighth Princess is doing now? I am deeply concerned, and I implore Your Majesty to investigate!"

At the same time, Li Mingfu keenly sensed the hint in the Crown Prince's eyes. Without hesitation, he stepped forward and declared, "Your Majesty is wise! Long live the Empress! The Eighth Princess is the direct daughter of Your Majesty and the Empress, a daughter of a royal family. Her status is truly noble! Although I may be a humble servant, I am a father and understand the protective care parents give their children. Anyone who dares harm the princess will be severely punished! I firmly believe that Your Majesty will thoroughly investigate this matter and bring justice to the Eighth Princess, to appease the hopes of all the people!"

The Empress gently placed the gorgeous hairpin crown on Li Jingshu's hair. Her movements were gentle and graceful, but her eyes were full of fierceness and determination. After completing this action, the Empress straightened her body and stared ahead with a sharp gaze, as if to penetrate all obstacles.

Her brows furrowed slightly, sparks of anger flashed in her eyes, and she gritted her teeth and said, "I want to see for myself how Minister Zhang and his family treat my legitimate princess!" Every word seemed to be squeezed out from between her teeth, revealing uncontrollable anger.

Emperor Wen, seeing the tense situation, grew extremely gloomy. He glanced coldly at the Third Prince standing beside him, his icy gaze piercing like a sharp blade. Then, in a voice filled with authority and anger, he shouted, "Wise Prince! Lead the Imperial Guards to the Zhang Mansion immediately and bring Caiwei back! No delay!"