After the Imperial Master left, Emperor Yan stood up and walked towards the alchemy furnace.
A sinister look flashed across his face. "I want to cultivate the path to eternal life. As for this kingdom... you will always be the crown prince!"
The prince was drunk.
He sat upright in the main seat with a gentle smile on his face. From time to time, he raised his glass to signal to everyone. His every gesture showed his bearing and demeanor as the crown prince.
Looking at all his confidants sitting there, he seemed to have seen the vast kingdom that belonged to him.
A table full of delicious food.
The court officials kept laughing and talking.
The dancers danced gracefully with their long sleeves fluttering in the wind.
Like butterflies fluttering in spring, everyone was intoxicated and immersed in the festive silk music.
But I always feel like something is missing.
The prince sent someone to invite the princess.
But the servant came hurriedly to report: "Your Highness, the Queen returned to the Grand Tutor's Mansion early this morning."
The prince thought that today was such a great day, but Su Miaoyu, the crown princess, was not here.
He couldn't help but look unhappy: "You haven't come back yet? It's really outrageous!"
Servant: "Yes, yes, Your Highness, the Queen also took the little princess back with her."
"It is said that we may have to stay at the Taifu Mansion for a few days."
A hint of annoyance flashed in the prince's eyes.
His Crown Princess was a virtuous and noble lady.
When she was still a girl, she was already the most famous daughter of a wealthy family in Jinling and praised by everyone.
Over the years, she has been impeccable as the Crown Princess.
Give birth to children for yourself, share the joys and sorrows with you, and go through these ups and downs together.
Moreover, she is dignified and elegant. Even at her age now, time has not left any trace on her.
She has the bearing of a mother of the country.
The only thing is that her personality is too cold.
When they had just gotten married a few years ago, the prince could still feel her tenderness.
But as the years went by, there seemed to be an invisible wall between the two of them, and now they are drifting further and further apart.
The prince didn't even understand when things started to change.
When she accompanied him to Nangong Villa, didn't she keep saying that she would stay with him forever, regardless of wind, rain or ice?
Now she has become that Frost.
The prince was particularly annoyed by the fact that Su Miaoyu would glance at him with cold eyes from time to time.
It was as if there was endless emptiness and disappointment written in those eyes...
What exactly was she disappointed about?
Hasn't he returned to the Eastern Palace now and given her the position of Crown Princess again?
What on earth is she dissatisfied with?!
Not wanting to think about these troublesome things anymore, Duan Rongyin quickly put Su Miaoyu out of his mind.
He slowly stood up and raised his glass to everyone, saying in a resounding voice: "May our Daliang Dynasty be peaceful and prosperous!"
Instantly, the court officials in the East Palace all blushed and excitedly shouted, "Your Highness, may your Highness live a thousand years, a thousand thousand years—"
As he was speaking, the queen came in hurriedly with the emperor's eldest grandson.
There was a hint of anxiety on his face.
"Yin'er, something happened!"
The prince stood up calmly and went forward: "Mother, what happened?"
"Don't worry, mother. Today is a great day. I will wipe out all the remaining evildoers of the Lotus Sect!"
"However, my father has been obsessed with practicing Taoism and refining elixirs recently. I heard that the Imperial Master is still here, so I didn't report this to him immediately."
"After attending court tomorrow morning, I will immediately ask my father to excuse me from sending troops..."
But the queen was not worried about this.
Her face turned pale as she stopped the prince, who was beaming with joy: "Stop talking!"
"Yin'er, something really happened. Miaoyu, she was kidnapped by the Lotus Cult!"
The prince's smile froze: "Mother, what did you say?"
"Didn't the Crown Princess return to the Grand Tutor's Mansion?"
"She has guards when she travels, and the Grand Tutor's Mansion is also heavily guarded."
"Besides, the Lotus Cult has already been wiped out by Jiang Ruiqi in Qishan. How could it be..."
Before he finished speaking, Jiang Ruiqi, wearing silver-white armor covered with bloodstains, appeared at the door of the main hall of the East Palace in a dishevel.
"Your Highness...Your Highness——"
"No, that's not good."
"We, we've been ambushed!"
The prince's body swayed and he almost fainted.
The eunuch beside him quickly supported him, "Your Highness, please don't be anxious. Be careful of your body..."
The prince pushed aside the people around him, rushed out without caring about his dignity and grabbed Jiang Ruiqi: "Tell me, what is going on?"
"Isn't there news of a great victory?"
"Didn't you kill her yourself?"
"Weren't all those Lotus followers wiped out? Weren't their houses burned down?"
"This news has already been reported back to Jinling. What are you telling me now?"
"Ambush?"
"What other ambush could there be!?"
"You lead a 5,000-man Beitu army, what kind of ambush could you possibly fall into?!"
Jiang Ruiqi was horrified: "Your Highness, Your Highness, I have never reported any great victory!"
"I did stab the Lotus Goddess on Mount Qi, but when she fell, I realized she was just a straw dummy!"
"And the Lotus Cult's lair, it caught fire before the Northern Army could even attack it. As for those shadows all over the mountain, they're all fake!"
"They sang us a song called Empty City Strategy!"
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