When the Crown Prince heard the Prime Minister talk about Emperor Wen's arranged marriage to Shang Boxian, his expression instantly darkened. He snorted coldly, his voice filled with disdain and anger: "Kong Luanying is the Third Brother's adopted sister? Humph! This is simply absurd! I'm afraid only that old man Shang would be so naive to believe it!"

The Prime Minister frowned, appearing extremely worried. "Your Highness, Crown Prince! You must not let your guard down! If Shang Boxian's marriage to the Kong family is successful, then they will most likely form an alliance with the Third Prince. If that happens, our situation will be very dire! After all, if the Shang family and the Third Prince join forces, their power will inevitably increase greatly, which will undoubtedly bring us tremendous pressure. Therefore, this matter must be carefully considered..."

The prince smiled slightly and said in a gentle tone, "Father-in-law, you are worrying too much! You know that Kong Luanying is my father's personal guard, and her strength is unfathomable. If my father directly ordered the death of the Shang family father and son, it would inevitably provoke a strong resistance from the Shang family army! Therefore, my father came up with such a clever plan, using the beauty trap to deal with Shang Boxian."

A glint of shrewdness flashed in the Prime Minister's eyes, and he couldn't help but sigh, "Your Majesty, this move is truly brilliant! Kong Luanying's biological father, Kong Boda, is known to be unrivaled in strategy. Shang Boxian is certainly no match for him! It seems that soon, the Shang family army will probably change its leader and change its surname to Kong! However, now that the Third Prince is highly regarded by Your Majesty, I am worried..."

The crown prince raised his lips slightly, revealing a hint of disdain: "The third brother is nothing but a clown! Father only thinks he's easier to use! The only one who can truly rival me is the King of Qin!"

The Prime Minister frowned and said worriedly, "I have already used the spies planted within the Luo family army, but I have still not been able to find any trace of the King of Qin. Could it be that... the King of Qin has never even arrived in Beiyuan?"

The prince rubbed his swollen temples and muttered to himself, "In my opinion, the King of Qin must have gone to Beiyuan this time to establish some achievements. Although we cannot find his whereabouts for the time being, when he returns to the capital, it will be our chance to strike! Humph, by then..." At this point, a hint of ruthlessness flashed in the prince's eyes.

They continued to discuss other related matters in depth. At this moment, a slight sound of footsteps came from outside the door, followed by a soft call: "Your Highness! I'm here to bring you ginseng soup." It turned out that it was the Crown Princess Li Jingshu who came to the door of the study in person, carrying a bowl of steaming ginseng soup.

The prince frowned slightly when he heard the voice, but considering the presence of the prime minister, he tried to maintain a gentle tone and responded: "My beloved concubine, please come in!"

Li Jingshu knew the Crown Prince had been avoiding her for the past two days, surely blaming her for the disgrace she suffered on the pleasure boat. However, she firmly believed she had been framed. Her father's visit was undoubtedly the perfect opportunity. She was convinced that if she could explain everything to the Crown Prince in person, all misunderstandings would be resolved.

Thinking of this, Li Jingshu couldn't help but feel sad and angry. She clenched her fists tightly, with a determined light flashing in her eyes, and walked into the study without hesitation.

After entering the study, Li Jingshu carefully placed the ginseng soup on the desk, then suddenly knelt on her knees, tears pouring out like a dam breaking. She sobbed in a choked voice, "Your Highness! Father! Jingshu was really framed on the boat that day! Even if Jingshu starved to death, she would never do such a shameful thing! It was that ugly maidservant beside Chu Caiwei. Yes, she was the one who handed me a glass of wine! After I drank that glass of wine, I completely lost my mind and could no longer control my behavior!"

Upon hearing these words, the Crown Prince and the Prime Minister's expressions instantly grew solemn. They exchanged glances, each sensing the gravity of this matter. As a lady of noble birth, Li Jingshu had received a strict upbringing, her manners and behavior always graceful and proper. It was impossible for her to devour food like a gluttonous beast, as rumored. This seemed to indicate a hidden agenda.

The prince frowned and walked forward to help Li Jingshu up, his face full of anger: "Are you really sure that you did such a ridiculous thing after drinking the wine brought by that ugly maid?" His words were full of doubt and anger.

Li Jingshu nodded in response without hesitation, expressing her certainty: "Your Highness, I can conclude that there is something wrong with that glass of wine! If there is nothing fishy, ​​how could I..." At this point, she blushed and lowered her head.

The prince's dark eyes seemed to stir up a violent storm. He clenched his fists tightly and slammed them down on the desk with endless anger, making a loud bang. "Based on this situation, Shang Wei, who was present at the time, must have also drunk the wine served by that ugly maid, which caused his behavior to lose control!"

Then, the prince stood up and shouted loudly towards the study door: "Xuanhu, take people to the princess's mansion immediately and capture Chu Caiwei and that hateful ugly maid! This prince would like to see who gave Chu Caiwei such courage!" The voice was deafening and echoed in the air.

The Prime Minister narrowed his eyes, rolling them thoughtfully, a hint of doubt on his face. He whispered, "Your Highness, Crown Prince! In my humble opinion, this could not possibly have been done by the Eighth Princess. The Eighth Princess and Your Highness are born of the same mother, and their blood is thicker than water, their bond deep. Furthermore, Your Highness holds a high position and will be the future heir to the throne. As Your Highness's sister, the Eighth Princess must understand that only by relying on Your Highness can she be safe. Therefore, how could she have done such a harmful act? In my humble opinion, the most suspicious person is that ugly maid!"

Upon hearing this, the Crown Prince's brow furrowed slightly, a flicker of doubt in his eyes, but he quickly regained his composure. He pondered for a moment, then turned to Xuan Bao beside him and ordered, "Go and quickly find out how that ugly maid entered the Eighth Princess's residence. As far as I can remember, this woman has never been seen in the Princess's residence before!" His eyes were firm and stern; he was determined to find out what had happened!

After receiving the order, Xuan Bao did not dare to delay for a moment and quickly left to investigate.

Not long after, Xuanhu arrived with the eighth princess, maids, and several guards.

When the eighth princess, Chu Caiwei, saw the crown prince, she burst into tears: "Brother Crown Prince! You have to make the decision for me!"

The prince's face was as gloomy as water. He looked at Chu Caiwei with some suspicion and asked in a cold voice, "Who dares to bully you?"

Chu Caiwei's face froze slightly upon hearing this, but she soon burst into tears again: "Brother Crown Prince! That abominable ugly girl actually stole the Eastern Palace token that Brother Crown Prince gave me, and even took my jade pendant with her! Brother Crown Prince! You must bring this cruel and vicious woman to justice!"