At this moment, the gates of Qiwu Palace were tightly shut, and the atmosphere was oppressive. The palace servants all held their breath, moving with extreme caution. To outsiders, it was clear that the Princess had fallen out of favor because she had angered the Emperor regarding the Southern Border matter and had been ordered to remain secluded to reflect on her actions.

Inside the bedchamber, A-Yuan dismissed all the palace servants. She sat by the window, looking at the gloomy sky outside, but her face showed no sign of disappointment or fear, only a cold calm.

Xiao Chengkang sat opposite her, toying with an inconspicuous celadon bottle in his hand. The bottle was warm and smooth, and it contained a colorless and odorless liquid.

“The time has come.” Xiao Chengkang’s voice was deep and resolute. “The Lin family is pregnant and their position is secure; Lianxing is favored and has harmed Che’er before; now that you have been ordered to stay at home by the Emperor, they will surely lower their guard. When they lower their guard, that will be the day we close the net.”

A-Yuan's gaze fell on the small celadon bottle: "This is 'Drunken Dream Elixir'? Does it really have the miraculous effects you described?"

"Hmm." Xiao Chengkang's lips curled into a cold smile. "This drug is my latest creation, a fusion of the essences of several hallucinogenic and truth-revealing drugs. After taking it, it will put a person into a hazy, half-drunk state, with heightened lust and loss of control. They will easily mistake the person in front of them for their beloved, and in the ecstasy of extreme pleasure, they will reveal their deepest, most secret thoughts, speaking without restraint. The drug is potent, yet difficult to detect. Afterwards, people will only think it was drunken indiscretion or ramblings from uncontrollable passion."

He walked to A Yuan's side, handed her the small bottle, and said with eyes as sharp as a hawk: "Target: Lian Xing, and... Zhao Zheng, the deputy commander of the Imperial Guards."

A-Yuan took the small bottle, her fingertips icy cold: "Zhao Zheng? That... Zhao Zheng who obeys Lianxing's every word and is in charge of guarding Lanyue Pavilion?"

“It is him.” Xiao Chengkang sneered. “The Shadow Guards have already found out that this person appears to be loyal to his duties, but in reality, he has long been bought off by Lianxing’s beauty and is her most capable right-hand man and protector in the palace.”

Many of the secret connections between Lianxing and the Lin family were conveyed through this person. Their relationship... is far from over. He deliberately emphasized the last four words.

A-Yuan instantly understood, a cold glint flashing in her eyes: "Fine! Let this pair of illicit lovers put on a good show for us in their 'drunken dreams'!"

Xiao Chengkang and Xi Lingyuan's plan proceeded meticulously and swiftly, and the opportunity soon arrived.

That evening, inside the Lan Yue Pavilion, Lian Xing had just seen off Xi Ling Hao, with whom she had spent half the day in a "tender embrace." Xi Ling Hao, frustrated by the events in the Southern Territory and Xi Ling Yuan Yuan's "failure," vented his frustrations on Lian Xing before falling asleep, exhausted. Lian Xing, suppressing her annoyance and dissatisfaction, tucked him in before dragging her equally weary body back to her own magnificent but cold bedchamber.

The trusted palace maid immediately served the evening meal, and said that one of the dishes, a delicate bird's nest soup, was a new dessert from the "Imperial Kitchen," which was a special gift from the Empress in recognition of the Lady's hard work in serving His Majesty.

Lianxing had no suspicions about her, and since Empress Lin had recently been showing her a lot of "goodwill," she was happy to maintain the facade of harmony.

She slowly picked up the bowl of warm bird's nest and sipped it. The taste was sweet with a faint medicinal aroma, and it seemed even more delicious than usual. Without thinking much of it, she assumed it was a gift from the imperial kitchen to curry favor with her, and also a way to curry favor with the Empress.

Meanwhile, Zhao Zheng, the deputy commander in charge of guarding the outer perimeter of Lanyue Pavilion, also received a pot of "exquisite wine" bestowed by the emperor. The eunuch who delivered the wine said that His Majesty was moved by his hard work in guarding the area.

Zhao Zheng expressed his flattery and enjoyed the wine alone in the duty room. The wine was mellow and smooth; after a few glasses, he felt warm all over, an indescribable heat and excitement rising from his lower abdomen, his vision blurring slightly, and his heart inexplicably racing…