Tao Yifan may have had too many concerns in the palace and could not use his martial arts skills, or Tao Yifan himself may not be a match for Qiao Yuchen. In less than the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, Tao Yifan gradually became the loser.

The third prince watched from the side, his expression gradually changing.

As is the current situation, Qiao Yuchen's return has put him in a passive position.

Even today's reading of the imperial edict was entrusted to him because he was the most senior, not because he was exceptionally outstanding.

He just couldn't understand why his father couldn't see that he had always been the best-performing prince among them.

The Seventh Prince seemed to have given up on pretending any longer, and looked at the Third Prince, no longer even bothering to save him any face.

He looked at the Third Prince and sneered, "Don't waste your energy. The glory is mine, the military power is mine, and the future position—is still mine."

Two flames instantly ignited in the Third Prince's eyes, and he said, word by word, "Seventh Brother, the road ahead is still long. You have only won one battle. Do not be too proud!"

The Seventh Prince's voice turned cold, "Yes, my stage has only just begun!"

He knew in his heart that the seventh prince before him would be his lifelong enemy.

"You may not know this, but this summer, I deliberately leaked the news in Nancheng." As he spoke, the Seventh Prince deliberately moved closer to the Third Prince and lowered his voice, "That's why it should have been me who appeared, but in the end it was him."

Qiao Yuchen was tricked by Tao Yifan, which is why he was poisoned by the Ghost Pearl.

Others may not know about this, but those involved are aware of it.

The Third Prince looked at the Seventh Prince in disbelief.

The smile on the Seventh Prince's face gradually faded, and a hint of coldness seeped into his shimmering phoenix eyes.

"Everyone thinks you're the smartest, and that others do most of the work, but that's not the case." The Seventh Prince said this, and seeing that Qiao Yuchen and Tao Yifan had already decided the winner, he strode over.

He placed a hand on Qiao Yuchen's shoulder and said, "Well done, I have high hopes for you!"

The Third Prince stared intently at the scene.

The Seventh Prince has truly gone mad.

Everyone knew that Qiao Yuchen was his man, but no one expected that the time Qiao Yuchen was framed in Nancheng was actually orchestrated by the Seventh Prince.

Thinking of this, and seeing the good atmosphere between Qiao Yuchen and the Seventh Prince, a surge of anger rose in his heart.

There were many things he couldn't understand, but now he finally understands why a person can change so much, and he finally knows where they went wrong.

Resentful, yet forced to leave in anger.

Fortunately, he had always maintained his rationality and was not provoked into losing his temper, and was able to calmly leave the palace.

The atmosphere between the Seventh Prince and Qiao Yuchen has improved considerably.

Tao Yifan stood to the side, looking displeased, but his good manners remained. Despite his own disheveled appearance, he bowed to Tao Yifan and quickly left.

Qiao Yuchen looked at the Seventh Prince, "Seventh Prince."

"Let's go back and talk about it." With no outsiders present, the Seventh Prince remained as usual, talking to Qiao Yuchen as he left.

They are all people who do great things, and they often need to wear many masks, and this time is no exception.

When the Seventh Prince arrived at the carriage outside the palace, he had Qiao Yuchen get on the carriage with him.

How are your preparations going?

"Everything is going according to plan."

"Could it be possible to bring down Shang Haoxun?" (Shang Haoxun is the name of the Third Prince.)

Qiao Yuchen shook his head, "Everything points to the Eighth Prince."

The Seventh Prince sighed, glanced outside, a flash of hostility crossing his eyes, met Qiao Yuchen's gaze, and said, "You should send more people to your woman's side recently."

"What's wrong?" When it came to his woman, it was obviously Chen Siyuan. Thinking of her, Qiao Yuchen lost all his composure and courage.

"I have a feeling that Shang Haoxun knows something."

Qiao Yuchen's statement that he was a sensible person clearly meant that he knew about Chen Siyuan's past.

Just now, he and Tao Yifan were sparring. I didn't hear clearly what they said to each other, but it was obviously related to a woman.

The carriage swayed and rattled as it headed toward the Seventh Prince's residence.

Upon reaching the entrance, the Seventh Prince and Qiao Yuchen disembarked from the carriage and walked directly into the mansion.

Just as Qiao Yuchen was about to put his foot down, he turned his head and glanced at a certain spot behind him.

The Seventh Prince seemed oblivious to the unusual nature of Qiao Yuchen's actions and strode inside.

......

On the other side.

Tao Yifan secretly went to the study of the Third Prince's residence.

When he arrived, many people were already there. Tao Yifan walked in, bowed to the Third Prince, and then sat in a relatively forward position.

The Third Prince arrived quickly, glanced at everyone present, and said that this was the foundation laid over the years.

They used to be much more cautious, but now many things are being brought into the open.

They had to make a last-ditch effort.

Just now, the Third Prince met with Imperial Physician Huang and learned from him that the old emperor was in poor health and was only putting on a brave face.

If he doesn't step up at crucial moments, it might really be too late.

Recently, the Third Prince has gained the Emperor's favor, and he has been tasked with reviewing many memorials before presenting the most important ones to the Emperor.

This was originally the most advantageous situation for him, but now, because of Qiao Yuchen's triumphant return, the current situation in the capital has been disrupted.

It's hard to say how it will ultimately turn out.

Before anything is resolved, many things can change.

"What do you all think about this matter?" The Third Prince's patience had run out.

If the Seventh Prince were to step forward at this moment, wouldn't I really have no chance?

"Third Prince, in my opinion..." Someone saw that Tao Yifan was not speaking and assumed that he had been humiliated by Qiao Yuchen in the palace today and felt that an opportunity had come and he wanted to seize it. As soon as he opened his mouth, he met the Third Prince's gaze and was so frightened that he could not utter a single word.

"What do you think?" The Third Prince was not polite to the fool who was eager to make a name for himself, and turned to look at Tao Yifan.

"No rush." ​​Tao Yifan looked at the Third Prince with an open and honest gaze, seemingly unaware of the meaning behind his words.

Everyone looked over in surprise.

Has Tao Yifan really been driven mad by Qiao Yuchen? What time is it? Why aren't you worried?

The thought of hearing these words from Tao Yifan time and time again made everyone uneasy.

"What do you mean?" The Third Prince was getting impatient. When he met Tao Yifan's gaze, the unease in his heart subsided considerably.

"Wait a little longer," Tao Yifan said again, unhurriedly.

The Third Prince seemed to be angry, so he simply kicked everyone out except Tao Yifan, and then attacked Tao Yifan directly.

After a while, they were both sitting on the ground.

The Third Prince turned to look at Tao Yifan, "Did you do this on purpose?"

They now seem to have lost their status as princes and subjects; they are only brothers.

Tao Yifan looked at the Third Prince and smiled slightly, "You saw through me?"

In the capital, especially under the emperor's watchful eye, whoever makes a move becomes the one in a passive position.