They saw Shang Xiye and the others come in.

The four guards in front of the nearest stone chamber exchanged bewildered glances. One of them asked with a puzzled look, "It's not time for the shift change yet, what are you doing here? And why are there six of you? Where are the others?"

"Sigh, don't even mention it..." Wu Zhong sighed heavily, and waved to everyone with a helpless expression: "Something big has happened outside, come here, His Highness has some new instructions."

"What happened now?"

"Haven't most of the money from those noble families been transferred? Could it be that the Ninth Prince also confiscated the rest?"

"Two hours isn't enough time to confiscate their property. Could it be that the Empress is really going to be deposed?"

The guards whispered amongst themselves, gathering around Wu Zhong and his group. The 120-odd people gathered together were quite a sight.

"Brother, what major event has happened outside? It shouldn't affect our prince, right?" A quick-witted guard approached and spoke to Wu Zhong first.

Wu Zhong was about to throw the dart hidden in his sleeve.

Ji Fengyao stopped him in time, stepped forward and sighed even more heavily. With a flick of her small hand, she produced a wicker incense burner with wisps of smoke rising from it, and said to everyone, "Everyone, spread out a bit and form a circle. I am someone close to His Highness, so it's better if I explain this matter clearly."

The guards: "???"

Where did she pull such a big incense burner from?

When was it lit?

At this moment, all the guards' attention was drawn to Ji Fengyao.

Behind her, Shang Xiye silently handed a small porcelain bottle to Wuhen: "This bottle contains Chinese medicine pills; each person should take one."

Wuhen understood, poured a pill for himself and Xique, and quietly gave the small porcelain bottle to Wushang and Wuzhong.

"You all see this incense burner in my hand, right?" Ji Fengyao held the incense burner and quickly walked around the circle formed by the people, then slowly walked around it again.

An impatient guard, growing impatient, urged, "Everyone has eyes, how could you not see such a big incense burner? What message did His Highness ask you to deliver? Hurry up and say it, don't keep us in suspense."

"This isn't an ordinary incense burner; it's actually an alchemy furnace. Any medicine placed inside will have its medicinal properties maximized," Ji Fengyao said, her eyes crinkling with laughter as she looked at the bewildered expressions on everyone's faces. "What His Highness asked me to tell you is that the incense burning in this furnace is the world's newest type of aphrodisiac, extremely potent. Just a tiny bit can incapacitate ten oxen. If you encounter it again in the future, be careful and don't be careless!"

The guards: "!!!"

What is that?

Aphrodisiac incense?!

Why didn't you just say you wanted to use sleeping incense? Why did you put in this little bit of sleeping incense?

Ji Fengyao chuckled and nudged the shoulder of a guard beside her, whose eyes were already glazed over, and asked with a grin, "Little brother, are you feeling a little dizzy?"

The guard looked bewildered, nodded with unfocused eyes, and then collapsed to the ground.

Seeing this, some of the other guards had already realized what was happening.

But they only managed to weakly utter the words "No... good..." before one after another, they collapsed to the ground, one on top of the other.

"Hahaha, these fools! They probably never dreamed that you, Miss, would use sleeping potion to knock them out right in front of them. Miss, you're so clever!" Xique chuckled softly, her voice low with delight. If she weren't worried about attracting attention from other places, she would have applauded and cheered for her young mistress!