Just as all was quiet, a scream of "Ah—" suddenly rang out through the night sky.

The candlelight in the backyard annex suddenly lit up without warning, and with a "poof," a streak of blood splattered onto the window paper, looking particularly gruesome.

A short while later, screams rang out: "Help! Help—murder—ah—"

Just as a shadow crouched down by the door, trying to open it, it discovered that the door had been locked. Immediately afterward, a figure swiftly brought down a knife, and a shadow wielding a knife plunged straight down from above.

In no time, the room was in complete chaos, with screams mixed with pleas for mercy. The people inside had nowhere to escape and went into a frenzy.

However, the backyard was in complete chaos, but no one in the other courtyard was alerted.

After an unknown amount of time, the screams gradually subsided.

The candlelight reflected in the window still flickered. A figure walked to the door, intending to open it, but only saw the door frame move slightly before falling silent.

The noise and shouting were like a rain shower, coming and going quickly.

All sounds returned to silence.

The following day, in the afternoon.

Su Wanyan woke up groggily from her dream. She looked at the lifeless sunlight reflected on the window, glanced at the incense that had burned out in the room, and sighed helplessly.

I slept for a whole day and night, and wasted a whole day.

Su Wanyan was a little annoyed. She didn't see Yu Nanqing in the room, so she grabbed his pillow and turned over. Her eyes opened and closed slowly, and she hadn't come to her senses yet.

"Your Majesty?" Qiu Ye's voice rang out from outside the door: "Has Your Majesty awakened?"

"Hmm." Su Wanyan responded faintly, her tone revealing that she wasn't very interested.

Qiuye pushed open the door and came in carrying hot water for washing up: "Your Majesty has been sleeping all day and must be hungry. Sister Huangye has already gone to the kitchen to get the food."

Su Wanyan turned over and asked, "Where is Yu Nanqing?"

"Your Majesty, the Prince went to the government office and should be back soon."

Upon hearing this, Su Wanyan perked up: "The government?"

She sat bolt upright in bed: "What was he doing at the government office?"

Qiu Ye pursed her lips: "Actually, this servant is not very clear either. When I got up this morning, I saw Brother Tian and Xiao Bu leading people to surround the backyard. Around noon, I saw Brother Ming bringing people from the local government."

At this point, Qiu Ye couldn't help but lower her voice: "Later, I learned that something terrible happened in the courtyard last night. All the palace maids bestowed by the Empress Dowager were dead. This morning, I saw the government officials carrying their bodies out one by one. I secretly peeked into the back courtyard, and the side rooms were full of blood..."

Qiuye shuddered: "That's terrifying..."

She still feels lingering fear when she recalls that scene.

Just then, Huang Ye came in carrying the meal, and the sound of her footsteps startled Qiu Ye, who was in a tense state.

Huang Ye asked curiously, "What were you talking about with the Empress?"

Qiuye patted her chest: "It's just what I saw this morning."

Hearing this, Huang Ye couldn't help but purse her lips and fall silent.

The scene was too bloody, and she felt a chill when she thought about it, but she still asked, saying, "I asked Brother Ming, and he said that the palace maids in the side rooms killed each other last night, and not a single one survived."

Su Wanyan could roughly guess this. After all, the palace maids had been bullying Dai Yiqiu, and Dai Yiqiu's resentment and hatred had been building up for a long time. At this moment, giving her a little hint would make her do what they wanted.

"Didn't you hear anything last night?" Su Wanyan asked.

Autumn Leaf and Yellow Leaf nodded. Because of their status, they were light sleepers and would wake up at the slightest sound. The commotion last night was quite loud, so they naturally heard it clearly.

"Brother Tian came to tell us yesterday that no matter what noises we hear at night, we shouldn't pay attention to them, so..."

Qiuye and Huangye's rooms were right next to hers. The courtyard and the backyard were separated by a rockery garden, yet they could still hear the noise, which meant it must have been quite loud.

Su Wanyan asked curiously, "What about Dai Yiqiu?"

Since Dai Yiqiu is the gun, she should be the only one left alive among everyone.

"Your Majesty, he is also dead."

"Huh?" Su Wanyan was somewhat surprised.

Qiu Ye nodded repeatedly: "This servant saw it too. He was stabbed in the back and was carried out on his stomach."

Was he accidentally stabbed during a fight between his own people?

Hmm, Su Wanyan thinks it's possible.

However, it cannot be ruled out that Yu Nanqing ordered it. In such a chaotic scene, no one would know if someone secretly carried out a murder, and no one would bother to investigate who killed whom.

"Your Majesty, please have your meal first. You've slept all day, and if you don't eat something soon, your body might not be able to take it."

Su Wanyan snapped out of her daze, quickly washed up, and then ate her first meal of the day.

Just then, Yu Nanqing's tall figure appeared at the door.

He walked slowly towards us against the faint light.

Qiu Ye and Huang Ye, who were serving food to Su Wanyan, lowered their eyes, curtsied, and silently withdrew.

Yu Nanqing took off his dusty outer robe, came to the table, picked up his chopsticks naturally, and served a dish to Su Wanyan.

Su Wanyan looked up: "Is everything taken care of?"

"Hmm." Yu Nanqing seemed to be in a good mood, as no one was bothering them anymore.

Having resolved all the troubles at once, Yu Nanqing was naturally pleased.

"Going to the government office is...?"

"The body will undergo an autopsy by a coroner, and the government will draft a report to the imperial court. I will also write a letter to report the truth. With the government's autopsy certificate, it can be proven that this matter has nothing to do with us."

"I thought you would also clash head-on with the Empress Dowager over this matter," Su Wanyan said with a smile.

Yu Nanqing brought a sip of soup to her lips: "Yan'er taught her so well."

As a prince, he naturally didn't need to spend so much time dealing with these palace maids. However, Su Wanyan once said that if there was a way to protect himself while also inflicting heavy damage on the other party, why not do it?

He has no interest in the throne, so what good would it do him to fall out with the Empress Dowager?

Before the turmoil in the court had subsided, the Empress Dowager was brought down, allowing the Xia family to reap the benefits.

These things were of no benefit to him.

Therefore, he needs to maintain a balance with the Empress Dowager, being able to deter her but not really break ties with her, at least not now.

Su Wanyan nodded in satisfaction: "Hmm, you're a promising student."

Su Wanyan thought for a moment and quickened her pace of eating.

Yu Nanqing asked curiously, "Is something wrong, Yan'er?"

"I want to go take a look at the backyard."

"..." Upon hearing this, Yu Nanqing pursed his thin lips but said nothing.

However, when Su Wanyan arrived at the backyard, where were the bloodstains? Where were the signs of a fight?