The emperor gave Eunuch Wu a meaningful look.

Eunuch Wu immediately understood. He quickly stepped forward and checked Consort Li's breath: "Your Majesty, she's not breathing."

"By imperial decree, Consort Li has suddenly fallen seriously ill and died."

"yes."

No sooner had she finished speaking than Lady Li was dragged out of Yangju Palace by the guards. She had arrived adorned with jewels and looked quite glamorous, but when she left, she was treated like a rag and carelessly discarded.

Her bulging eyes were still staring straight at the Crown Prince, her bloodshot pupils filled with resentment and unwillingness.

The crown prince trembled, dared not look any longer, and hurriedly lowered his head.

However, one thing is certain: the Emperor chose to save face; otherwise, he would not have issued such an edict.

Mu Anyu was somewhat uneasy. Even now, he still couldn't figure out his father's intentions. Did he want to protect the crown prince or depose him? If he protected the crown prince, then everything he had done today would truly be a joke!

An Ning swallowed hard and looked at Mu Ange. She had thought that he would be happy to have come this far, after all, he had cleared her name of the affair with Consort Zhang. But instead, he looked sullen and impatient, thinking to himself: Isn't this over yet? My legs are getting stiff from standing here!

An Ning pursed her lips and turned around, speechless: Why are you looking at him?

"Crown Prince Mu Anxuan is corrupt and disorderly, disrupting the order of the court. He has not only failed the established system but also shocked the world. How can he be allowed to usurp the throne and inherit the heavy responsibility of the seven ancestral temples? He is hereby deposed as a commoner and stripped of his title as Crown Prince!"

After speaking, the emperor looked at Bai Lan and said, "Palace maid Bai Lan is brave and decisive, and fearless of power. She should be a role model for the whole palace. She is hereby promoted to head maid."

A strong and steady voice slowly echoed from within the main hall.

An Ning looked at Bai Lan, and the two smiled at each other.

The prince's expression, frozen in shock after surviving the ordeal, remained unchanged for a moment, as if encased in ice.

He looked at the emperor in disbelief and said, "Father?" His voice trembled, almost sobbing.

The emperor didn't even glance at him. He waved his hand, and the imperial guards entered the hall in orderly formation. Without saying a word, they tried to drag him out of the hall.

"Father, I know I was wrong. I beg you to give me another chance. Father, I know I was wrong!"

In his fear and pleading for mercy, tears streaming down his face, it was hard not to be moved.

The Crown Prince thought himself supreme and noble, unmatched by anyone else, but he never imagined that in the end, he would end up like Consort Li, desolate and isolated.

"Your Highness, do not resist any further."

The Imperial Guards restrained him, not allowing him to resist in the slightest.

Just then, someone reached out from under his armpit and secretly pinched his waist.

The prince froze, looked down, and saw that the hand had opened its palm, revealing a crumpled piece of paper.

He stared intently at it, and a few seconds later, the note was snatched away abruptly. A cold voice, as if cast a spell, whispered in his ear: "Why don't you seize the opportunity?"

The prince's expression changed instantly. The urgency of finding a way out after being on the verge of death drove him to the brink of madness.

"Father, Father, your son deserves to die ten thousand times over, but there is one person who deserves to die even more. For deceiving the emperor, he should be executed by slow slicing!"

After saying that, his fierce eyes stared straight at An Ning, and he said menacingly:

"He's not a eunuch!"

In her terror, An Ning felt as if all the blood in her body had been instantly drained away.

She felt a chill run through her body as the Crown Prince's malevolent gaze locked onto her.

She stood frozen in place, but her legs, which supported her entire body, were extremely weak and powerless.

'I'm finished!' That was the only thought in An Ning's mind.

~~

The prince instructed himself to keep an eye on a eunuch named Xiao Ningzi who was standing next to the emperor. He seemed to be getting very close to Mu Ange.

Although he was notorious and not a threat, the prince was a man of keen intellect and always felt that this young Ningzi was not simple.

Normally, the small room where the eunuch lived was always guarded by skilled guards, and he was not allowed to get close. But today, he didn't expect to sneak out on his own and go to the Imperial Concubine's Chunxi Palace.

Fu Jiang secretly rejoiced, having followed silently all the way and overheard An Ning and Bai Lan's conversation clearly.

Although Fu Jiang's kung fu skills were not as high as Hei Feng's, his lightness skills and tracking techniques were extremely superb, ranking second in the entire Great Qi.

Therefore, upon seeing them enter the small hut in the back hall together, Fu Jiang followed them without hesitation.

That very night, Fu Jiang noticed something suspicious about An Ning's identity from Bai Lan's behavior.

~~

Mu Ange's nonchalant demeanor finally softened somewhat.

An Ning felt dizzy and reached out to hold onto the nearest object. In a daze, she realized that it was Mu An Ge's outstretched arm.

He's a shrewd guy; shouldn't he be keeping his distance at a time like this?

Mu Ange raised her head slightly to look at An Ning, wondering: Not a eunuch? Then what is he? A man who hasn't castrated himself? Surely he's not a woman?

An Ning's face turned ashen: Big brother, you really guessed right!

Bai Lan was still immersed in the joy of her promotion a moment ago, but the next second it was almost completely washed away. If Xiao Ningzi were really found to be a woman, the crime of deceiving the emperor would be punishable by death by a thousand cuts.

The emperor's cold, icy gaze swept over them.

An Ning gasped, her whole body trembling.

"You're saying he's not a eunuch?"

The emperor shifted his gaze from Anning to the crown prince, who had been dragged to the palace entrance.

In his panic, the crown prince, as if grasping at the last piece of driftwood, nodded vigorously: "Yes, she is not a eunuch, she is a woman, she is a woman!"

Upon hearing this, Eunuch Wu frowned slightly, his expression towards An Ning remaining enigmatic.

"Your Highness, do not make baseless accusations just because you are already at your limit!"

An Ning was slightly taken aback: Was Eunuch Wu speaking to her?

Mu Ange was also surprised: Eunuch Wu is Xiao Ningzi's man?

The crown prince was furious. In his eyes, Eunuch Wu's well-intentioned reminder was an insult, a blatant insult.

“Wu Heng, whether she is a woman or not can be determined with a simple examination. Take off her pants and the truth will be revealed.”

An Ning clenched her belt tightly, her heart filled with despair.

Bai Lan was shocked. She clenched her fists and said desperately, "Your Majesty, he is not a woman."

The emperor asked, puzzled, "What evidence do you have?"

Bai Lan bit her lower lip, her face flushed with shyness, and whispered, "I... had a brief affair with him."

An Ning stared in disbelief: Bai Lan, what nonsense are you spouting?

The emperor was furious: "Nonsense! In the harem, having sexual relations with others is a grave taboo."

The emperor's wrath was like a sharp, cold blade, crashing down on Bai Lan.

Bai Lan's thin back resembled a wildflower swaying precariously in a storm.

But she still knelt with her back straight and said:

“Eunuch Ning is a kind-hearted man who always helps me out of trouble and supports me. Over time, I have fallen deeply in love with him. I have confessed my feelings to him several times, but he has resolutely refused. I am not willing to give up, so I often pester him and even resort to drugging and seducing him. Therefore, I have seen Eunuch Ning's... I can testify that he is not a woman.”

"I suppose the Crown Prince was angered by my exposure of his affair with Consort Li, which is why he spoke out in retaliation."

The Crown Prince sneered: "Ha? You think I'd believe what you're saying? Unless he strips naked and proves his identity!"