Song and Xie returned hand in hand to the Prince of Xiaoyao's residence. When they arrived, Xie Lu had already had a pot prepared. Xie Mingyue and her husband also came with their child, and the older child played happily with the younger one.

The two didn't bring their emotions home, and couldn't help but smile when they saw their family. Seeing them return, Madam Yin quickly invited the children to sit down as well.

"Hurry up, dinner's ready!"

The family sat around the pot and enjoyed a lively New Year's Eve dinner.

After dinner, it was time to stay up late to welcome the New Year. Song Yaozhu had a chessboard brought over, and Xie Liwei and Xie Lu played chess while Xie Mingyue sat aside and caused trouble. Song Yaozhu and Madam Yin started doing handicrafts.

When Lady Yin was bored, she learned to make velvet flowers. She did a good job, and the ladies in the capital all liked her velvet flowers.

The year passed just like that. Song Yaozhu was immersed in this atmosphere. There were no big storms, just plain and simple life, but her family was by her side. This kind of warmth was what she wanted now.

The New Year passed quickly. Starting from the first day of the Lunar New Year, people visited each other to exchange New Year's greetings, and soon it was the Lantern Festival.

On the Lantern Festival, the Crown Prince would represent the Emperor in lighting lanterns on the city gates to celebrate the auspiciousness of the new year.

Because of the festival, many people went out, and lanterns were everywhere in the streets and alleys. There were people guessing lantern riddles, playing ring toss, and selling all kinds of snacks.

Song Yaozhu didn't join in the fun, so she didn't know what the scene was like. Xie Mingyue did go out, but he didn't witness the scene. He only heard from afar that when the Crown Prince lit the lamp, the candle inside exploded, and the Crown Prince was injured.

What was originally a very meaningful event has changed so much that rumors have spread throughout the capital city.

"Could it be that Gao Ping's sins were so grave that they were being punished on the Crown Prince?"

"That's probably true! The son of a disgraced concubine is not qualified to be the crown prince. If the emperor had more children, how could he have become the crown prince!"

"Have you noticed that after Gao Ping's other son became paralyzed, he reportedly attempted suicide multiple times, but was always saved by Princess Yong! What kind of karma did she create to have her sons suffer one misfortune after another!"

"They're still the emperor's sons, and they've only been touched by half of the emperor's aura, yet they're like this! Heavens, could it be that Empress Jingxian is taking their lives?!"

In no time, rumors of ghosts and spirits spread like wildfire throughout the capital. Yuwen Wuji's desk was piled high with memorials requesting the removal of the crown prince.

He rubbed his temples listlessly. "Li Wei, tell me, are all my sons incapable of being of any use?"

Li Wei dared not speak ill of his master and hung his head.

"Your Majesty, although this old servant does not understand these matters, I always feel that there are people with ulterior motives maliciously stirring things up. Putting aside other things, Your Majesty knows that Empress Jingxian is such a good person, how could she possibly want to take someone's life!"

Yuwen Wuji pointed at him with one finger and smiled helplessly.

“You’re right, Wanqing’s personality is indeed good, but that’s when she’s human. If she becomes a ghost, who knows what she’s like!” After saying that, he seemed to be feeling a bit scared. “Go and summon Master Qingxu. I have something to ask him.”

Li Wei immediately went to summon the Pure Void Immortal to the palace.

The Crown Prince was in trouble, but the Emperor summoned Master Qingxu for a late-night talk. Coupled with the rumors circulating outside, even those who didn't believe it before gradually came to believe it.

Consort Shu was pleased with this outcome. Although she hadn't been the one to deal with the Crown Prince, his downfall would give her son a chance to ascend the throne.

"Who on earth did this, that they could even extend their reach into the palace?"

Consort Shu muttered to herself.

The people from the Dali Temple have already investigated. The murder weapon, the candle, had long since exploded into pieces and burned to ashes. The lantern was just a burnt-out frame, and there were absolutely no clues left.

King Xuan investigated everyone who had handled the candles in the palace that day. They all seemed suspicious, yet none of them appeared to be. Their testimonies matched.

This gave him an even bigger headache: who had done it?

Consort Shu, who has come this far, is not about to sit idly by and wait for her fate. Since the entire court is supporting the removal of the Crown Prince, she will naturally push her own child to the throne.

Before long, several memorials praising the Fifth Prince appeared on Yuwen Wuji's desk. However, these memorials were not all empty praise; rather, they expressed his concerns about the future of the Great Chen Dynasty from the perspective of the nation's stability. They cited examples of the instability of the country without an heir and suggested that the emperor appoint the Fifth Prince as the new heir.

Yuwen Wuji felt perfectly healthy, and if the crown prince were deposed, he would be even less inclined to appoint a new crown prince. If a crown prince were appointed, the ministers would become disloyal and incite the crown prince to oppose him.

Why would he create trouble for himself?

Although I don't want to make the fifth prince the heir apparent, the crown prince still has to be deposed.

On the fifth day of the Crown Prince's recuperation in the Eastern Palace, he learned that many people had petitioned the Emperor to depose him. However, several days passed without the Emperor issuing an edict. He had assumed that the Emperor liked his son and was reluctant to part with him. Unexpectedly, the edict to depose the Crown Prince was delivered to the Eastern Palace.

For a moment, the Eastern Palace was deathly silent, and no one dared to utter a sound.

As soon as the eunuch left, the deposed crown prince cried out, "Father, you can't treat me like this! How could Father treat me like this!"

The Imperial Guards surrounded the Eastern Palace, preventing the Crown Prince from leaving rashly.

"Your Highness, His Majesty is concerned about your health and has therefore granted you permission to recuperate in the Eastern Palace before moving out."

These words were like stepping on a tiger's tail, causing the deposed crown prince to completely lose his mind. He rushed forward recklessly, seized a long sword from an imperial guard, and then tried to break out of the Eastern Palace.

"Your Highness! You mustn't!" Seeing his madness, Lady Tao stepped forward to stop him, but the deposed crown prince had already lost his mind and couldn't listen to anything. He didn't care who was trying to stop him; he only knew that anyone who stood in his way would die!

"Your Majesty!" The exclamation spread throughout the Eastern Palace. The Crown Prince was even more astonished. He suddenly saw Tao Shi spitting blood and collapsing in front of him, a white blade in her hand.

Her wet nurse rushed toward her with a hoarse roar, but dared not touch her, for fear of accidentally aggravating her injuries.

Tao lay in a pool of blood, her ears ringing, unable to hear anything. She was breathing heavily, feeling an intense pain in her stomach, so severe that she didn't have the strength to cry out.

She felt her body temperature and strength draining away along with the blood.

In her confusion, she saw her wet nurse, who was crying uncontrollably and repeatedly calling for the "Imperial Physician." She wanted to tell her to stop crying, but she had no strength left.

So this is what death feels like. At this moment, she suddenly realized that all her previous actions had been incredibly stupid.

Why did she waste her prime years for a man, wallowing in self-pity for so many years?

If there is an afterlife, she never wants to be confined to the backyard again, living as a woman who depends on men for survival.

She wants to be a woman who can support her family on her own merits.