Her smile was gentle and serene, easily reminding people of the name "Yan Yan" bestowed upon her by the emperor. Her tone was soft and delicate, and it was hard to ignore the pair of shallow dimples that appeared when she smiled.

The calm and clear look in his eyes is like the babbling brook in the mountains, untainted by any emotion.

As she spoke, Princess Chunhui raised her cheeks slightly, tilted her lips upward, let out a soft sneer, and her eyes were filled with contempt and anger.

Li Shiyue had said all she wanted to say; some things, even if said, would be tantamount to saying nothing in the current situation. Her gaze couldn't help but fall on the other person beside Princess Chunhui, Prince Yan. Since she spoke, Qin Ying had been staring at her with a scrutinizing look, a faint smile on his lips, his chin slightly raised, appearing quite interested.

Seeing her look over, Qin Ying raised an eyebrow slightly, his smile widening. Li Shiyue looked away, gripped the reins tightly, and charged off first after a gong sounded.

Before the people on the viewing platform could even recover from the deafening gong, they saw that figure in light blue had already taken the lead.

The polo mallet struck the polo ball, sending it soaring through the air in a perfect arc. Xu Yunyao followed closely, looking at the polo ball, his legs gripping the horse's flanks: "Giddy up!"

He raised his hand to swing, preparing to strike the polo ball that had landed in front of the horse's hooves. Suddenly, Qin Ying, who had swung his club ahead of him, sent the polo ball back to where it had been before, following its original trajectory.

Li Shiyue gripped the reins and whipped the horse's rump, glancing out of the corner of her eye at Princess Chunhui, who was riding alongside her. Gritting her teeth, she squeezed her legs tightly against the horse's flanks while her right hand made a swinging motion, sending the polo ball flying towards Xu Yunyao once more.

Xu Yunyao pulled on the reins, and with just a slight flick of his wrist, he moved the polo ball a short distance in front of him. He then swung his arm in a wide arc and struck the polo ball, sending it straight toward the goal.

With the first point secured and the flag raised, Xu Lingzi, sitting on the sidelines, was far more excited than anyone else.

Li Shiyue's gaze swept around the room, the joy of securing her first victory seemingly bottled up inside, with nowhere to vent. Xu Lingzi clapped and cheered, and she returned the smile, her gaze involuntarily drifting towards the main gate of the Imperial Garden as she looked away.

Two guards, swords in hand and clad in armor, remained unmoved regardless of the scorching sun or the commotion within.

Li Shiyue gripped the cue stick tighter and tighter, then looked at Xu Yunyao. Their eyes met and they both saw the seriousness in each other's eyes.

Meanwhile, Xu Yunci and Crown Prince Qin Zhao arrived at the Jingzhao Prefecture prison at breakneck speed. The prison was located in a dark and damp underground place. If it weren't for the candles lit on the walls on both sides, the only light coming through the small square openings in the tall, smooth walls would be like being trapped in the pitch-black night. This was also a form of punishment.

Xu Yunci practically leaped off his horse, tossed the reins to Chang Shun, strode in, grabbed the collar of the Prefectural Magistrate in front of him, and his icy gaze almost swallowed him whole: "Didn't I say to keep a close watch on him? How did he end up dead!"

The prefect hurriedly replied, "This official did indeed keep a close watch on her, but she had eaten breakfast today, and by the time we found her, she was already dead."

Xu Yunci's breathing was heavy, his eyes were icy as if covered with frost, and his handsome features were as cold as the winter outside. He released his grip, and the prefect, as if he had survived a calamity, hurriedly took several breaths of fresh air.

“With the person dead, the connection to Huayuan County is severed.” Qin Zhao’s face was gloomy, no better than Xu Yunci’s.

Xu Yunci waved his hand, leaving only the Crown Prince in the room: "To put it bluntly, Fan Tong is just a minor county magistrate pushed out by the officials of Huayuan County to protect each other. The Emperor was furious about the previous report on corruption in Huayuan County, so Fan Tong was just a scapegoat."

"I had planned to use Fan Tong to slowly find out the big fish behind us, but Fan Tong died at this time, which is really suspicious."

It's so suspicious that it's as if someone deliberately kept Fan Tong alive, intending to kill him without anyone noticing at this crucial moment.

Xu Yunci's face grew even uglier. He rarely showed such anger, but the thought of someone manipulating them made him feel like he was holding his breath and wanted to find an outlet for his anger.

He had been busy since before the Lunar New Year, and now, just as he was about to get Fan Tong to talk, the man died right before his eyes.

The Vice Prefect of Jingzhao Prefecture was a very young man, a top scholar who was a year younger than Xu Yunci. He was also a member of the Chonghua Palace. With delicate features, he frowned and said, "But who is it? If you really wanted to kill Fan Tong and shut him up, you could have done it when Fan Tong was arrested and brought to Jingzhao Prefecture before the new year. Why did you have to wait until today?"

"I think it doesn't matter whether Fan Tong opens his mouth or not. The people behind him are certain that he won't say anything. And the purpose of today's action is probably something else."

"Other plans?" Crown Prince Qin Zhao asked suspiciously as he walked to a rosewood chair and sat down.

"They're probably after Chonghua Palace, and after me."

Qin Zhao's voice carried a hint of firmness, but upon closer inspection, the smile on his lips gradually cooled, like a sharp blade.

Those who aspire to the Chonghua Palace are aiming for the position of Crown Prince. The Emperor currently has four sons. The Crown Prince is in the order of succession, with only the pleasure-seeking Prince Qi above him. Besides him, there are only the Prince of Yan and the Prince of Zhao, whose mothers are Consort Gui and Consort An, respectively, and are not considered to be of high status.

"We'll investigate this matter further later. Li Ze, come back with me." Qin Zhao moved swiftly, walking towards the door before he finished speaking. If it was truly the work of one of his two younger brothers, Qin Zhao couldn't rest easy knowing that only the Crown Princess remained at today's polo banquet.

Xu Yunci probably realized something as well, so he mounted his horse, and the two of them returned along the same route at breakneck speed.

The polo match had reached its most intense moment. With only a small portion of the polo ball remaining, Li Shiyue barely hesitated before bending down on her horse and swinging her mallet to strike the ball in front of her.

Just as Xu Yunyao was about to catch the ball, Princess Chunhui appeared out of nowhere. She was one point behind, so she naturally couldn't let Li Shiyue score.

The polo ball arced perfectly through the air, about to land in their goal. Li Shiyue braced herself with her legs, using the stirrups to straighten her body on the horse's back. Her riding attire was form-fitting, tightly binding her slender waist. She spun gracefully on the horse, her skirt billowing to reveal her wide, light blue trousers underneath.

Gripping her polo mallet tightly, she struck the ball fiercely in mid-air, giving no one time to react. "Giddy up!" Before the words were even finished, she was already riding her horse, reins in hand, chasing after the ball. Just as the ball was about to hit the ground, she bent down and struck it hard, sending the ball flying straight into the goal. Then the gong sounded.

The speed was so fast that no one had time to react before a gong sounded, drawing everyone's attention back.