princess, you should remember your manners when speaking!"Lanlan's eyes turned even redder. She dabbed at them with her handkerchief, then turned to Jiayin and whispered, "Little sister, I've always b..."You wretch, how dare you!" The Emperor stood up, his hand raised in a vicious slap, as if he were trying to fling away all his resentment and anger.

The noble consort was beaten until her eyes sparkled with gold stars, her ears rang incessantly, and blood tinged the corners of her mouth. She lay helpless on the ground, yet she couldn't stop laughing.

This further enraged the emperor, who lost his rationality and shouted at the top of his lungs, “Bring me the second prince!”

The Second Prince was frail since childhood and went to bed early every night. As a result, he was caught in his pajamas and taken to a room next door.

At that moment, he was dragged in by the guards and thrown to the ground beside his mother. He lay there for a long time, dazed and unable to recover.

The Noble Consort finally stopped smiling and began to fear.

She struggled to her feet, clutching her pale son tightly, and shouted in a shaky voice, "Your Majesty, even a tiger wouldn't eat its own cub! He is your own flesh and blood!"

"Hmph, my own son He's your own son too! Today, I'll send you both mother and son to the underworld together. That way, you won't have to worry about him anymore!" The emperor's eyes were bloodshot and black, completely devoid of his usual gentleness.

The Noble Consort finally knew she was scared, tugging the second prince and rushing forward.

"Please beg your father not to kill you!"

The second prince didn't know what was going on. He was suddenly pushed to his father's feet, raising a pair of bewildered and terrified eyes, and cried out, "Father, woo woo, the son doesn't know what happened..."

The emperor was about to order someone, but suddenly he choked up.

This son was born sickly, and he has caused him no end of worry. He has finally been raised to this size, naturally loved dearly by...

The redness in his eyes slowly faded. In the end, he ruthlessly pushed the second prince away and pointed at the Noble Consort.

"If you want to live, then show me your abilities. Otherwise, I will not keep useless people!"

"Yes, yes!" The貴妃, fearing the emperor might change his mind, blurted out immediately, "I have a list here. They are all officials who the Empress Dowager contacted me secretly. Two of them are people you absolutely wouldn't expect!"

"Who is it" the Emperor immediately questioned, but the Noble Consort refused to answer. Instead, she said, "Your Majesty, I know I deserve death, but everything I did was for the child. I had not a single selfish thought."

"Now, I am also willing to help Your Majesty uncover the two biggest hidden dangers. All I ask is that Your Majesty show mercy to the Second Prince. He has been sickly since childhood and his lifespan is short. Please spare him this time. Even if you banish him from the palace, please at least ensure he lives a life of comfort and security."

"Your Majesty, please grant your approval!"

The Noble Consort knelt respectfully, and began to kowtow repeatedly.

In no time, her ornament was gone completely, her hair was disheveled, and a bruise appeared on her forehead.

The Second Prince was heartbroken for his mother and desperately tried to stop it, but he couldn't. He ended up being pulled down and fell to the ground...

How many points the emperor had softened in his heart, when he saw blood on the noble consort's forehead, he finally promised, “As long as you do what you say, I will guarantee that the second prince will be clothed in fine silks and jade food for his entire life.”

"What about the Eldest Prince..." The Noble Consort was still uneasy.

The emperor waved his hand, his expression revealing a hint of certainty.

"The Crown Prince would absolutely not lay a hand on a sickly younger brother, and at that time, I will also leave behind a secret decree."

But the noble consort refused to believe it and began kowtowing, almost fainting.

The Emperor was helpless and could only write a secret decree on the spot. He even had Yi, the chief steward, deliver it to the Imperial Study to have it sealed with the jade seal.

The Noble Consort, seeing the Second Prince holding the secret edict, finally put her heart at ease.

She struggled forward and hugged her son tightly.

From the moment he was born until now, all that has passed seems to flash before my eyes like a movie.

For this piece of flesh that fell off her body, she had almost exhausted herself, all for his well-being, happiness, and healthy growth.

It's a pity that everything is ruined now.

She wiped her tears fiercely, choking back a sob, "It's my fault, I wasn't able to win the throne for you. But this is also good, your body is weak, being a wealthy and noble person will allow you to live a long and peaceful life."

“From now on, your mother concubine won’t be able to accompany you. You must remember to take care of yourself. During festivals and special occasions, please offer incense to your mother concubine and let her know you are well.”

"Mother!" The Second Prince was terrified, clutching the Noble Consort's clothes and sobbing loudly, "Mother, don't leave your son, I'm afraid, woo woo, I'm so afraid!"

The mother and son parted ways, their grief mirroring each other's. Yi Zongguan, deeply affected by their sorrow, bowed his head even lower.

The Emperor remained silent for a long time, before finally instructing Yi the Head Steward, "Take the Second Prince down and see to his comfort."

Yi Zongtang quickly stepped forward to help the Second Prince up.

The two maidservants who had previously served the Second Prince were both childhood companions, one skilled in cooking and the other in needlework.

The two of them were pinned down in the yard, thinking they were surely going to die.

To their surprise, they were suddenly summoned and given orders.

It wasn't beheading, it wasn't poisoned wine, it turned out to be attending to the second prince's rest.

Tears of joy streamed down their faces as they hurriedly took the second prince, coaxing and comforting him back to a side hall.

Yi Zongguan glanced at the Second Prince's back. This child was also a lucky one.

Although born into royalty, he had a mother who was willing to die for him, paving the way for a life of wealth and leisure...

In the house, at this time there was only silence between the Noble Consort and the Emperor.

The noble consort didn't linger any longer. She desperately wanted to earn more affection for her son, so she immediately said two names.

The Emperor was so startled that his eyes widened, and he blurted out, "Impossible!"

These two people, one was his mentor who had supported him since his youth. Although he had passed away several years ago and was recuperating at home, his children and grandchildren were still in the government, always being his reliable aides.

Another person was a general he deeply trusted, promoted personally from guard to commander. He even arranged for this man's wife in marriage. Now, she guards the city gate of the new capital...

The noble concubine, though concerned for her son, still had some fire in her heart as she faced death. She carefully jabbed a barb.

"Your Majesty probably doesn't know, but the little grandson of your teacher, who comes from a four-generation lineage of single heirs, was poisoned by the Empress Dowager. He needs to take medicine every month, otherwise he will die from the poison."

"Therefore, he agreed to support the Second Prince's ascension to the throne and Empress Dowager's regency behind the scenes. His son, who was a junior minister, would also climb to the position of Minister."

"And that general you trusted so much, he had a childhood sweetheart who was promised to him. You forced him into marriage with someone else, turning true love into a concubine's fate. He is now miserable and ill day by day. "

"Of course he'd hate you. Just wait until after you die, when he dismisses his wife as a concubine and promotes his mistress to be his main wife, making their children legitimate."

The emperor's face was dark and grim. After a long silence, he finally managed to say, "Good, excellent!"

Having said that, he got up and walked out.

The Consort was flustered, stumbling after him to the door. She wanted to shout a few words, but a guard stopped her mouth and bound her tightly, throwing her back into the room...

In the Zhi Lan Palace, Shui Ling and Shui Yun originally planned to take turns guarding the door, but they were too worried. The two sisters decided to sit together, keeping an eye on each other and remaining vigilant.

The path outside the gate constantly echoed with a cacophony of footsteps, interspersed with muffled sobs and harsh shouts.

Even though Shui Ling was usually bold, she couldn't help but feel a little scared at this moment. She whispered to Shui Yun, "I think I want to go back to Suijin Beach. Home is best after all."

Watercloud held her in his arms, gently patting her back.

I also want to go back, but the county princess probably wants to return even more. But we being in the palace is like having a pair of eyes for our family and Marquis at the Emperor's side. Moreover, families like the Liu, Jia, Gu, and many others all look up to us and follow our lead.

"The county princess appears to be spending her days here eating, drinking, and having fun, living a carefree life. But in reality, she carries a lot of burdens. There are things we can't do, but at least we can stay by the county princess's side, follow her orders, and guard this place well."e with ulterior motives. The county princess trusts us, so we must put in extra effort and not let her down!""Yes, the shopkeeper is right," Chen Xi nodded and then said, "Shopkeeper, although my righ...