With legs weak, the sickly stable boy became a mad regent.

In the shadows of the capital, a pale hand picked up a pen and slowly wrote a line on a letter.

[They took control of the city's main thoroughfares. Another group, disregarding all costs, brought Shen Nannan into the palace!]

The ink wasn't completely dry when the hand released the brush.

"Go and deliver this letter to the Crown Prince; he knows what to do."

The woman's face, covered in burns, was hidden in the dim light, with only her eyes reflecting the candlelight, revealing a chillingly sickly heat.

She casually tossed the letter to the man in black kneeling before her, as if it contained not a few lives, but a trivial matter.

The man in black took the letter, but did not immediately leave.

"master……"

"Wasn't that blood-stained garment already sent over?"

Consort Yu slowly raised her eyes. "Is there any news from Chengtian Gate?"

The man in black lowered his head. "No, Prince Zhao has not appeared."

A brief silence fell over the room.

A moment later, Consort Yu suddenly laughed, but the laughter sent a chill down the spine of the person kneeling on the ground.

"It seems that a blood-stained garment can no longer fool him."

"In the past, Xiao Yunzhao would go crazy as soon as he heard that something had happened to Shen Nannan. Even if he knew that there was a trap ahead, he would still walk into it."

"Now, he has even learned to wait."

She reached out and gently traced the uneven scars on her face with her fingertips.

"It was that woman who taught him..."

Teach him to believe.

Teach him self-control.

He also taught him not to see himself as a knife that only knows how to kill.

That's why Shen Nannan deserves to die even more!

"My lord, the Prince Zhao's residence is heavily guarded."

The man in black hesitated and said, "Although Xiao Yunzhao has officially left the capital, he may still have left some backup plans. If we want to capture Princess Zhao alive, I'm afraid we'll lose quite a few people."

"That's why I said, regardless of the cost!"

Consort Yu looked out the window.

Not a single light could be seen in the direction of Prince Zhao's residence; the entire capital was still shrouded in the dead of night.

"The blood-stained clothes are fake; he doesn't have to believe it."

"What if Shen Nannan really falls into the Crown Prince's hands?"

"If she and her unborn child are taken to the palace, will Xiao Yunzhao still be able to wait?"

The smile in Consort Yu's eyes deepened.

"I want to see whether he chooses to be Shen Nannan's husband or goes back to being that mad dog that only knows how to bite."

The man in black said no more and bowed his head to accept the order.

As he got up and walked towards the door, he heard a woman's voice behind him again.

"Tell the Crown Prince that since the Emperor is so reluctant to issue the imperial seal, he must have something else in his hands that can force Xiao Yunzhao to submit."

"Shen Nannan is the most useful hostage."

The letter was quickly sent to the palace.

When the crown prince saw the contents of the letter, the emperor was still trapped in his bedchamber.

The abdication edict on the ground was crumpled and worn; no matter how the crown prince threatened him, the emperor refused to abdicate.

"Who sent this?" the crown prince asked, looking at the eunuch kneeling before him.

"It's the same person who delivered the secret message to His Highness before," the eunuch whispered. "That person said that Prince Zhao's absence from Chengtian Gate means that the blood-stained clothes failed to deceive him. If we want to control Prince Zhao, we can only bring the Princess Consort into the palace in person."

The prince stared at the paper. He had no idea who was hiding in the shadows.

Even if the secret letter deposing the crown prince might not be genuine, the Eastern Palace has already reached a point where there is no turning back.

Moreover, he does need someone to keep Xiao Yunzhao in check right now.

"Do as the letter says."

The prince placed the paper on the candle flame.

"Send a team to take over the main roads in the city."

"Then take people to Prince Zhao's residence."

He glanced at the emperor, who still refused to bow his head in the bedchamber, a cold glint in his eyes.

"No matter what it takes, we must bring Shen Nannan into the palace!"

The flames quickly engulfed the letter, the ink distorting in the fire before finally turning into a handful of black ash.

Outside the Prince's Mansion, footsteps echoed through the long street. Shen Nannan sat in the main hall and heard the sounds of armor clashing against sword sheaths.

The sound grew closer and closer, finally stopping in front of the mansion gate.

Qiu Yun's face turned pale, and she hurried in.

"Your Highness, a large group of people have arrived outside. They say they are here on the Emperor's orders to bring you to the palace to escape the chaos."

Shen Nannan raised her eyes. "On the Emperor's orders?"

"The leader was carrying an Imperial Guard badge and a handwritten edict."

With the emperor himself in dire straits, how could he possibly cross the many palace gates to send someone to fetch her?

Even if she really needed to enter the palace to escape the chaos, someone should have been sent to Prince Zhao's residence to announce the decree, instead of barging in with a group of armed men in the middle of the night.

"Your Highness, shall we go to the secret chamber first?"

Qiu Yun looked outside, her voice filled with undisguised worry.

Before leaving, Xiao Yunzhao had already made arrangements for the escape route within the inner courtyard of the Prince's mansion.

Once Shen Nannan enters the secret room, no one outside can find her for a while.

"I'm not going."

Shen Nannan, with one hand protecting her lower abdomen, slowly got up from the chair.

"If I hide, they can say tomorrow that I fled to escape punishment."

"But those people outside..."

"They can't get into the inner courtyard."

Shen Nannan's voice was very steady.

When Xiao Yunzhao left, he left all his most important forces in the Prince's Mansion; he left them all to her.

"Help me to the front hall."

Qiu Yun dared not disobey, so she could only help her walk outside.

As I passed through the courtyard gate, a white figure suddenly darted out from the side.

Tuanzi was probably awakened by the commotion outside, with a half-eaten vegetable leaf still dangling from somewhere in its mouth.

When it saw Shen Nannan, it tried to move closer to her feet.

Shen Nannan stopped in her tracks. "Take it away."

A young maidservant quickly stepped forward.

Tuanzi thought someone was trying to steal her vegetable leaves, so she turned around and ran to the front yard.

Qiu Yun was anxious to chase after it, but Shen Nannan stopped her, saying, "Let it go."

That rabbit looks round and chubby on ordinary days, but when it runs, it's faster than anyone else. Unless it stops on its own, an ordinary person really can't catch it.

The gates of the Prince's mansion were being pounded on so loudly it shook the heavens.

"By His Majesty's decree, escort Princess Zhao to the palace to protect him!"

"Open the door now!"

The gatekeeper didn't answer, and the people outside called twice more before finally losing patience.

"Break down the door!"

A heavy thud followed, and the vermilion gates of the Prince's mansion shook a few times, but remained closed.

The commander of the Imperial Guards grew increasingly grim. "Prince Zhao has led his troops on campaign, yet the Prince's residence dares to refuse the imperial edict. If they do not open the gates, they will be treated as accomplices in treason!"

As soon as he finished speaking, the previously closed door suddenly opened to both sides.

The commander was taken aback.

There were no fully armed guards inside the gate.

There were only a dozen or so elderly veterans.

Some people had gray hair, and some had bandages wrapped around their arms.

The one at the very front even walks with a slight limp.

The commander looked around, and a hint of contempt quickly surfaced in his eyes.

Prince Zhao indeed took all the capable people with him.

What remained were nothing more than a group of old, weak, and disabled soldiers who couldn't even withstand a long-distance raid to the North.

"Where is Princess Zhaoqin?"

He gripped the long sword at his waist and walked through the gate. The lame old soldier didn't answer, only slowly cupped his hands in a respectful greeting.

"May I ask, sir, is this an imperial edict from His Majesty?"

The commander held up a piece of paper in front of him. "His Majesty's edict is here. Why aren't you kneeling?"

The veteran squinted, as if struggling to make out what he was seeing.

"I'm too old to see clearly."

The commander's face darkened. "Then get out of the way!"

He raised his hand to push, and the veteran's body looked swaying, as if he would fall over at the slightest touch.