Princess, something terrible has happened! The prince consort has attempted suicide again!

The moment Zhao Changning and Zhang Ling stepped into the main hall side by side, the entire hall fell silent, and all eyes were fixed on the two of them.

On the dragon throne, Zhao Qiandong sat upright with a smile, but a hint of helplessness and a sigh were hidden in his eyes.

He knew his daughter was headstrong and had always resisted the marriage.

For the sake of the stability of the royal family and the reputation of the court, she ultimately chose to endure and compromise.

As a father, he harbored a deep sense of guilt.

Consort Wu sat upright to one side, her gaze sweeping lightly over the Empress, a hint of cunning flashing in her eyes.

As long as Zhang Ling secures his position as the imperial consort, he can quietly win over Princess Changning's power, and in the future, he can steadily suppress the Empress's faction in both the inner palace and the court.

In His Highness's seat, Zhao Jinrui's eyes were deep and his lips held a hint of coldness.

The wedding was the most chaotic event. As long as Zhao Changning died today, the other princes were no threat.

This vast land will fall into his hands sooner or later.

Huang Cheng took a sip of his drink, his expression calm and composed.

If Dongling's only female war goddess were to perish on this day, Dongling's fighting strength would be greatly weakened, and Nanzhao's southward advance would be unimpeded.

This grand plan is about to be completed.

Liu Qingrou lowered her eyes and composed herself, but her fingertips clenched her sleeves tightly.

She was fully aware of Huang Cheng's scheme.

She would fight with everything she had today and would never let his scheme succeed.

Ahead, Marquis Yongwu looked at the upright Zhang Ling, his heart filled with satisfaction and pride.

The eldest son ruined his future and was expelled from the family, but fortunately the second son lived up to expectations. After marrying the princess, the glory of the marquis's mansion would be unmatched.

In the center of the main hall, Zhang Ling stood upright, but his eyes concealed a sinister and scheming nature.

The emperor wanted to save face, and Consort Wu wanted to use him to gain power. Each of them wanted what they wanted, but it was all wishful thinking.

This wedding, from beginning to end, will only be Zhao Changning's graveyard.

Zhao Changning, standing beside him, concealed his face with a round fan, and no one could see the pair of cold and resolute eyes behind the fan.

She initially asked her father, the emperor, for a marriage decree only because she and Zhang Xiaomeng were both afflicted with a life-and-death curse, forcing them into a marriage bond.

She complied with all the rules of royal dignity and the proper etiquette between ruler and subject, fulfilling her father's wish for a respectable life as a son.

How dare a mere usurper, a fake prince, presume to have his way with her life?

After the ceremony concludes, she will personally send this bastard off on his journey.

In a dark corner of the palace, Zhang Xiaomeng, disguised as a young eunuch, stood quietly observing.

Looking at the woman in her phoenix coronet and wedding robes, with her stunning beauty, about to stand shoulder to shoulder with others in a bow, a strange, inexplicable feeling of unease and bitterness welled up in my heart.

He shook his head violently, forcibly suppressing his distracting thoughts.

Women will only slow me down in completing my mission; no one can disturb my resolve to die!

Tang Wan, who was standing silently to the side, glanced at Zhao Changning and Zhang Xiaomeng, her mind in turmoil.

On one side are her sisters with whom she has been close since childhood, and on the other is the only person she has ever truly loved.

Torn between loyalty and duty, both advancing and retreating are agonizing.

The people in the hall were all harboring their own secrets and hidden agendas.

The festive red candles reflect a deep-seated murderous intent; beneath the grand wedding ceremony, undercurrents surge and every step is fraught with danger.

In this extremely eerie atmosphere, the master of ceremonies, a eunuch, raised his voice loudly—

"The auspicious time has arrived!"

"Bride and groom, bow to heaven and earth!"

The two newlyweds turned around, and Zhao Changning bowed slightly.

Huang Cheng's eyes suddenly narrowed.

It's now!

In the instant Zhang Ling lowered his head, he instantly drew a dagger from his sleeve and stabbed Zhao Changning.

The sudden turn of events shocked everyone present.

Zhao Changning never expected that Zhang Ling would attempt to assassinate her on her wedding day. Even with her martial arts skills, she had no time to dodge.

At this critical moment, Wang Dongjian, who was prepared, threw out a hidden weapon.

Ding!

The hidden weapon struck the dagger with a crisp sound.

Zhang Ling's expression changed. He hadn't expected anyone to know his plans in advance. Without the slightest hesitation, he turned and ran.

Although Zhao Changning was startled, she reacted quickly, rushing forward and punching Zhang Ling hard in the back.

Zhang Ling felt a strong gust of wind coming from behind him, and quickly turned around to block it with a punch.

However, Zhao Changning possessed superhuman strength, and this punch was unleashed in anger. The moment the two fists collided, a sound of bones breaking was heard.

Zhang Ling was sent flying backwards and crashed heavily to the ground.

At that moment, Wang Dongjian rushed out and delivered a punch to Zhang Ling's chest, causing him to spit out blood and feel dizzy.

Immediately afterwards, they stuffed Zhang Ling's mouth with a strip of cloth to prevent him from biting his tongue and committing suicide.

Then he took out handcuffs and handcuffed Zhang Ling's hands behind his back.

Then use your knee to press down on his back, making him unable to move.

The entire sequence of movements was completed in one smooth motion, taking only a few breaths.

It wasn't until this moment that everyone realized what was happening, and the hall erupted in chaos.

Zhao Qiandong abruptly stood up and coldly shouted, "Quiet down!"

Everyone fell silent, filled with trepidation.

Zhao Qiandong immediately ordered, "Seal off the main hall! No one is allowed to leave. Anyone who disobeys will be executed!"

A group of guards rushed into the main hall, brandishing their weapons and standing ready to block all the exits.

Zhao Qiandong then turned his gaze to Zhang Ling, his face full of anger.

But he remained unusually calm and ordered Wang Dongjian, "Check if he has any poison hidden in his mouth."

To dare commit a crime in full view of the public, one must be prepared to die.

Wang Dongjian did as instructed, ripped the cloth strip from Zhang Ling's mouth, pried open his mouth, and roughly probed into his mouth with his fingers, skillfully finding a poison sac hidden in his teeth.

Upon seeing this, Marquis Yongwu and Lady Zheng were terrified and immediately stepped forward, kneeling on the ground and kowtowing repeatedly, begging for mercy.

"Your Majesty, I have failed to discipline my rebellious son. I beg your forgiveness!"

Zhao Qiandong waved his hand dismissively, "I'll punish you later. Now get out of my way!"

The Marquis of Yongwu obediently crawled to the side, trembling all over and covered in cold sweat.

He couldn't understand why his son, who was usually the most obedient and sensible and was about to become the princess's husband, would attempt to assassinate her.

Zhao Qiandong strode up to Zhang Ling, coldly looking down at him, and demanded in a high voice, "Speak! Who gave you permission to do it?"

He didn't believe Zhang Ling would dare to do such a thing; there must be some hidden reason behind it.

Zhang Ling was pinned down by Wang Dongjian and unable to move. He could only barely lift his head to look at Zhao Qiandong and asked unwillingly, "You knew about my plan all along?"

If we hadn't been prepared beforehand, we wouldn't have been able to stop his assassination attempt.

Zhao Qiandong did not answer the question, but continued to press, "Tell me who is behind this, and I will spare your life."

Zhang Ling smiled coldly, "Since I dared to do this, I never intended to live."

The Marquis of Yongwu immediately rebuked him angrily, "You unfilial son! Do you want to implicate the entire Marquis's mansion? Speak up now!"

Madam Zheng hurriedly tried to persuade him, her voice trembling with pleading, "Quickly tell us who's behind this. The Emperor is merciful and will treat you leniently."

Upon hearing this, Zhang Ling hesitated. "If I tell you, will you let me go, and let the Marquis's mansion go?"

Zhao Qiandong solemnly assured him, "A promise is a promise."

"Okay! I'll tell you."

As soon as Zhang Ling said this, Zhao Jinrui's heart skipped a beat. He remained outwardly calm, but cold sweat was already running down his back.

Huang Cheng, however, remained calm and showed no sign of panic.

Zhang Ling then turned his gaze to Consort Wu on the high seat and loudly confessed, "It was Consort Wu who ordered me to assassinate Princess Changning!"