Chu Xianyun suddenly chuckled, a chilling laugh.

"Even if we take a step back and assume that the prince cannot return safely, we, as his subordinates, should still make his enemies wish they were dead."

"Then, make them be buried with the thousand innocent villagers who died tragically, as well as the prince!"

The news that Prince Ding had become the biggest joke in the capital city quickly reached Prince Ding's ears.

He flew into a rage, absolutely furious!

The torrential rain has lasted for two days, and everyone is laughing at him.

The secret guards he sent out had not yet brought Yun Zhuo's body to him.

Last time, when Yun Zhuo was deposed and hunted down, he was convinced that Yun Zhuo was doomed, but in the end, Yun Zhuo returned alive.

So even if he was certain that Yun Zhuo had been swept away by the flood, he could not rest easy until he saw Yun Zhuo's body.

"Your subordinate has found out. Those messages were spread by people close to Prince Jing, clearly intended to ruin Your Highness's reputation," the guard Chen Hui reported.

Yun Chi's eyes were bloodshot. Yun Zhuo's fate was already unknown, yet his men still had the mind to operate in the capital city.

He really underestimated Yun Zhuo.

Chen Hui advised him: "Your Highness, now is not the time to act rashly. In my opinion, now that Prince Jing is in trouble, we should take this opportunity to eliminate all the people around him."

"Including the eldest daughter of the Marquis's family, she ruined many of your plans."

“If these people die, even if Prince Jing survives and returns alive, he will be unable to hold the line alone.”

Yun Chi gradually calmed down: "You're right. I'll go to the palace now to discuss countermeasures with my mother."

Chen Hui said, "Your Highness is right to think that way. When you rule the Great Zhou Dynasty in the future, today's jokes will all become nothing but fleeting clouds. Who would dare to make up jokes about emperors? They would only be courting death."

These words resonated deeply with Yun Chi.

He was no longer angry or anxious, but calmed down and began to plan how to take advantage of Yun Zhuo's disappearance to eliminate his supporters.

Especially Ye Qingxue.

That's perfect, he also wanted to ask his mother what exactly the "Pulling Silk" was all about, and why it suddenly stopped working that night.

The heavy rain had lasted for three days, and it finally stopped in the evening. Under the setting sun, a rainbow even appeared on the horizon.

Yun Chi entered the palace.

They went to Fengwu Palace to find Empress Shen, but were told that she had gone to the garden to relax.

The palace maid added, "If Your Highness cannot find Her Majesty the Empress in the garden, please look for her in the adjacent warm pavilion. It has been raining these past few days, and everything is damp except for the warm pavilion, which is dry. Her Majesty likes to go there to watch the rain and admire the flowers."

Yun Chi knew that the warm pavilion was built by his father for his mother, and it was filled with all kinds of flowers, which were carefully cared for by palace servants.

That place was reserved for his mother. His father had decreed that no other concubines were allowed to enter at will. If they really wanted to go in to admire or rest, they had to get his mother's permission first.

Yun Chi did not find Empress Shen in the garden, so he went to the warm pavilion.

There was no one guarding the outside of the warm pavilion.

Yun Chi thought to herself that it was probably because it had just rained that the palace servants thought no one would walk on the wet road to come to this warm pavilion, so they were all being lazy and not guarding it.

Or perhaps the Empress Dowager didn't want to be disturbed here, so she sent the palace servants away.

Yun Chi told Chen Hui to stay outside while he went in himself.

As soon as you step across the threshold, you see Granny Dai in the courtyard.

The old nanny's face froze, her expression very unnatural: "Why has the Prince come?"

Yun Chi, unsuspecting, said, "I came to visit my mother and heard she's here..."

As he spoke, Yun Chi noticed something was off about the nanny. He lowered his eyes slightly, and a sense of foreboding washed over him.

"Her Majesty is resting. Since the incident at the Prince's wedding, she hasn't had a good night's sleep. Only by coming here can she find some peace of mind. Your Highness, why don't you..."

Before the old nanny could finish speaking, Yun Chi had already pressed the dagger against her throat: "Shh... Nanny, don't make a sound. I just want to know what the Empress Dowager is doing behind my back. As long as you keep quiet, you will be safe."

The old woman looked pale and stared at him in utter terror.

Yun Chi forced her to retreat to the courtyard gate, lowered his voice and called Chen Hui in, then handed the substitute nanny to Chen Hui.

"Watch over her, guard this place, and don't let anyone in," Yun Chi said, his voice icy cold.

Chen Hui's heart pounded, wondering what had happened inside. He held onto the old woman tightly while replying.

Yun Chi closed the courtyard gate, gave the two of them a deep look, and then walked towards the main hall.

The main hall was empty, but a gentle breeze, carrying the rich fragrance of flowers, blew in through the windows after the rain.

...But there was also the sandalwood bed in the inner room, which couldn't help but creak and groan as it rocked, and the curtains swayed slightly.

And the suppressed sounds of joy were muffled into whimpers by the brocade quilt that was suddenly bitten.

Yun Chi stood at the door of the inner room and saw the curtains swaying even more violently, and the crimson sash peeking out from under the curtains—clearly from his mother.

Each of these objects, each sound they made, was like a poisoned knife, viciously stabbing into his eyes and the depths of his heart.

The woman inside is his mother!

So, who is the man inside?

It wasn't his father!

Yun Chi's fingertips clenched into his palm, drawing blood, but he was completely unaware.

After the initial shock, an overwhelming anger overwhelmed him!

The person inside seemed to sense his venomous, icy gaze and suddenly stopped all movement.

Empress Shen lifted the curtain with her hand.

The mother and son's eyes met, staring straight at each other.

My dear reader, there's more to this chapter! Please click the next page to continue reading—even more exciting content awaits!