Phoenix Palace.

Empress Song began to feel uneasy after a palace maid reported that the eldest prince had woken up.

She sat on the phoenix chair, absent-minded.

To suppress the growing unease in her heart, Empress Song took a sip of tea.

Just as she picked up her teacup, a young eunuch rushed in, saying urgently, "Your Majesty, something terrible has happened! Prince Jin has been arrested and imprisoned in the Ministry of Justice!"

Clang.

Empress Song's hand trembled as she held the teacup.

The teacup fell to the ground.

Torn apart.

In that instant, Empress Song felt as if the sky had fallen, and her face turned completely pale.

The news of Prince Jin's imprisonment spread like wildfire throughout the court. The Crown Prince's faction cheered with glee, while Prince Jin's faction trembled with fear. Following Prince Jin was a life of extreme highs and lows, and many could not bear it.

A few days ago, the Left Chancellor was suddenly imprisoned without any prior warning, but fortunately he was released leniently in the end. Why is it that it's the Prince of Jin's turn today?!

Thinking of the Crown Prince's serious injury and the burning of the Lingwang Mansion's viewing pavilion, the Jinwang Party members all prayed that these two incidents had nothing to do with the Jinwang, otherwise who knows how many people would be implicated.

But pleading was useless; soon news spread that Prince Jin had been arrested for assassinating the eldest prince.

Moreover, the evidence is conclusive, and there is no room for wishful thinking.

The Jin Prince's faction has lost all hope.

The next day, Shen Wan woke up and stretched on the bed. Yin Shuang came running in and reported, "This morning at court, the Duke of Mao and a group of ministers requested the Emperor to execute Prince Jin according to the law..."

Shen Wan didn't react much, because this was expected.

Xie Jingyin wanted to kill the eldest prince, but now that the eldest prince has woken up, the evidence he holds is enough to destroy Xie Jingyin. It would be strange if the eldest prince's faction didn't ask the emperor to execute Xie Jingyin.

Even tigers don't eat their cubs. Even if Xie Jingyin committed a capital crime, the emperor might not be willing to kill him. Throughout history, princes were usually demoted to commoners, sent to guard the imperial tombs, or exiled—all severe punishments. It was extremely rare for them to be killed outright, unless it was regicide or treason.

It was all too common for princes to kill each other.

However, with the Empress Dowager around, even if the Emperor wanted to save Xie Jingyin's life, he couldn't.

The Duke of Maoguo asked the Emperor to execute the Prince of Jin in court, but the Emperor did not give the order on the spot. After court, the Empress Dowager went to the Imperial Study to put pressure on the Emperor.

The Empress Dowager arrived at the Imperial Study with the help of Granny Zhao.

These past few days, the Empress Dowager has been unable to eat or sleep. If Xie Jingyan hadn't asked Zhao Yuanzheng to say that the Crown Prince's condition had improved, the Empress Dowager would have fallen ill long ago.

Now that the evidence is irrefutable, the Empress Dowager will never agree to the Emperor not executing Xie Jingyin.

The Empress Dowager arrived at the Imperial Study in a fit of rage, but said little, only uttering a single sentence before leaving.

"If Your Majesty doesn't execute Prince Jin, then you can expect to collect my corpse!"

The Empress Dowager wasn't just saying it.

The Empress Dowager knew that the Emperor's decision was difficult to make, since once a head is chopped off, it cannot be put back on. The Emperor would also need a few days to accept this matter. However, thinking of Xie Jingyin's assassination attempt on the First Prince, and the fact that the First Prince was still in danger, the Empress Dowager's heart hardened.

If the Emperor is having trouble making a decision, then she, the Empress Dowager, will help him decide!

The Empress Dowager went on a hunger strike to force the Emperor to make a decision quickly.

The Empress Dowager had been barely holding on these past few days, but after missing two meals, she fell completely ill.

That afternoon, Shen Wan was still sleeping when Yin Shuang woke her up. Shen Wan murmured, "What is it?"

Yinshuang quickly replied, "The Emperor has ordered the execution of Prince Jin."

"Seven days later, he will be publicly executed at the city gate!"

A jolt of realization jolted Shen Wan awake. She quickly sat up. "Is this really true?"

As soon as she asked the question, Shen Wan realized that she had asked a pointless question.

Such a big event, no one dares to spread rumors.

Especially since Xie Jingyin had committed a capital offense, and with the Empress Dowager exerting further pressure, how could the Emperor not execute him according to the law?

She had wanted Xie Jingyin to be utterly defeated for too long, but in the end he was executed so easily, and by the First Prince, not by them. It all felt unreal to her.

Shen Wan secretly pinched her thigh.

It really hurts.

I'm not dreaming.

Shen Wan was in a better mood than ever before.

Shen Wan couldn't sleep, so she threw off the covers and got out of bed. Yin Shuang helped her redo her hair. Just as she finished, Dong'er came in and said, "Your Highness, the Empress is kneeling outside the Imperial Study, begging the Emperor to spare Prince Jin's life..."

Shen Wan looked at herself in the bronze mirror, a mocking smile playing on her lips.

I don't know where Empress Song got the audacity to beg the Emperor to spare her son's life. When her son killed the eldest prince, why didn't she try to stop him?

The eldest prince deserves to die, but her son can't?

After Xie Jingyin was imprisoned in the Ministry of Justice, he knew he was doomed, so he took all the blame upon himself. Empress Song and the recently demoted Left Prime Minister were completely unaware of the assassination of the Crown Prince; it was all his doing.

What's even stranger is that when the Duke of Maoguo was in court, he only asked the emperor to execute the Prince of Jin, without asking the emperor to punish Empress Song and the Left Chancellor at the same time. This is really quite puzzling.

However, the imperial edict had already been issued, and the emperor could not retract it. Even if Empress Song knelt to death outside the imperial study, it would be of no use.

When Xie Jingyan returned from the study, Shen Wan asked him, "Why wasn't the Empress implicated in the matter of Prince Jin's plot to murder the eldest prince?"

When Consort Chen got into trouble, the Emperor was furious with Xie Jingyan. However, Shen Wan also knew that the Emperor's anger over Consort Chen's matter was far greater than Xie Jingyin's plot to harm the First Prince.

Xie Jingyan said, "The Prince of Jin has taken all the blame, and neither the Empress Dowager nor the Duke of Maoguo mentioned asking the Emperor to punish Empress Song. It is unlikely that Father Emperor will punish the Empress."

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