Chief Chang acknowledged and, taking Shi Shengjie with him, went out the door, directly leading people to control the West Five Houses inside and out, detaining all the attendants for questioning one by one.

That night, an unprecedented silence enveloped the West Five Houses as Shi Shengjie interrogated the eunuchs and female officials on duty in the vacant rooms. Min sat among them, waiting like an ordinary eunuch, and alongside him awaited the Second Prince.

Amid everyone’s anticipation and waiting, the Third Prince finally developed a high fever that night. Consort Wen anxiously stood by his bed while Le Xiu accompanied her, watching the Imperial Physician administer medicine and acupuncture. She consoled Consort Wen, saying, "... The Imperial Physician said that as long as there is a high fever, there should be no major problem. Rest assured."

Consort Wen nodded, but couldn’t help crying, "He has been weak since childhood..."

Le Xiu held her arm, as Jinyu quietly entered and whispered in her ear, "His Highness has come out." Le Xiu nodded slightly and asked, "What about the Second Prince?"

"The Second Prince went in after His Highness came out, it should be a while," Jinyu paused and added, "... it seems there are no results."

Le Xiu sneered inwardly; if the Third Prince’s fall into the water was truly someone’s deliberate act, it would have been arranged flawlessly, and it would not be easily discovered.

Such ruthless tactics, not only aiming to remove the Third Prince but also to frame the Eldest Prince for this incident—if the Emperor truly believed it, some people would have cleared the stumbling blocks all at once, merely waiting for the Crown Prince’s position.

Hmph! Let’s see what other means they have besides these sinister tricks.

If one desires the position of Crown Prince, they must see if they have the capability.

"Sister." Consort Wen, seeing Le Xiu silent, grasped her hand instead, comforting her, "The Emperor has always trusted the Eldest Prince, and everyone knows the deep brotherly love the Eldest Prince has for Hong’er. To be candid, if the Eldest Prince truly had such intentions, he wouldn’t have needed such means, don’t you agree?" This statement clarified her own stance.

Le Xiu regarded her with reassuring eyes, patting her hand, "You are considerate, our sisterhood is not in vain." Consort Wen nodded with a smile.

Min stood outside the palace gates, observing the palace seemingly filled with people but eerily silent and lifeless. His heart grew even colder, standing with his hands behind his back, his eyes filled with coldness. A hint of a smile touched his lips as he turned to the Second Prince coming out of the door, "Second Brother, shall we go visit Third Brother together?"

"Alright." The Second Prince nodded, following Min out of the side hall door. The two ambled casually, the atmosphere stifling and silent. After a long while, they neared the Second Prince’s hall door. Just as they were about to enter, Min suddenly halted, looking back at the Second Prince. Under the flickering palace lights, his gaze was obscure, "Second Brother." He spoke softly, "Do you know Ma Zhong?"

The Second Prince was taken aback, raising an eyebrow with a hint of anger, countering, "What do you mean, Elder Brother?" Min looked at him, speaking lightly and confidently, word by word, "If I recall correctly, Chief Lu of the Ritual Department once served at Fengwu Palace?"

The Second Prince’s expression changed, but Min merely stopped at this point, remarking wistfully, "... Third Brother is gentle and has always respected both of us. I thought regardless of the situation between you and me, it would be the same towards him..." He shook his head, looking at the Second Prince with disappointment, "You... may good fortune be with you." His tone bore a chilling coldness.

"You!" The Second Prince roared in anger, "Stop pretending to be virtuous with me. If you have evidence, go tell Father. Otherwise, don’t blame me for accusing you of slander before Father."

Min cast him a leisurely glance, his presence commanding, turned with a smile, leaving the Second Prince alone behind.

Enraged, the Second Prince punched the door frame, "Damn it, who do you think you are? We don’t know whose victory it will be yet—let’s see!"

Sure enough, Shi Shengjie interrogated throughout the night to no avail. The information obtained could have been found anytime and was of no value. Fortunately, the Third Prince’s fever subsided at dawn, and he gradually slept more peacefully.

A night of false alarm—it was only then that everyone breathed a sigh of relief.

At noon, the Third Prince woke up, and the Emperor came in person to see him, asking about the incident of falling into the water. The Third Prince’s answer astonished everyone, "Son saw a frog tangled in water weeds on the lake, and wanted to use a stick to untangle it..." Saying this, he lowered his head in guilt, "... wasn’t careful with my footing, and slipped into the water."

Consort Wen never expected the situation to be like this. Fearing the Emperor might think the Third Prince was careless and frivolous, she interrupted him, "Weren’t you attended by Ma Zhong at that time? Why didn’t you let him do it?"

"Ma Zhong?" The Third Prince shook his head, "I don’t know Ma Zhong, and there was no one with me at the time."

The Emperor scrutinized the Third Prince, trying to gauge the truth of his words. Aside from lingering fear, there wasn’t a trace of panic on the Third Prince’s face. After a while, the Emperor commanded Chief Su, "Since Hong’er said so, then execute Zheng Huai’an and Xiao Anzi, and as for the others, punish them accordingly."

This was the best outcome. Chief Chang immediately responded with a smile, "I will handle it right away." Saying this, he stepped out.

On the surface, it seemed like a close call resolved with both parties pleased, but the matter was only just beginning and far from over.

Xiqiu, with a tired expression, clutched the letter Min had sent through Chief Su, anxiously asking Fourth Master Xiao, "So, Fourth Master investigated this matter several days ago?"

"Yes, they are on their way now," Fourth Master Xiao said as Tiancheng walked in, "Fourth Master, there’s a letter from the palace."

Xiqiu paused, nervously saying, "Speak quickly." She had heard about the palace’s affairs. Last night, Fourth Master Xiao didn’t come home, and she stayed awake all night. It wasn’t until noon when he returned that she saw the letter sent by Min. Upon reading it, her heart was filled with shock. Even though she knew some things would inevitably happen, when it actually approached, she couldn’t help but be worried.

Having attachments leads to concerns, making it hard to take decisive action. She felt that was her situation now. Even though they had no choice but to move forward as history’s wheel continued, she still worried, wanting to meticulously plan and arrange everything. Yet, despite thorough planning, she feared there might still be oversights.

"The Third Prince woke up and said he accidentally fell into the water on his own, unrelated to others," Tiancheng finished and added, "His Highness is well, and asks that the Great Governor and Lady not worry."

Xiqiu finally let out a long-held breath and then asked, "How did the Emperor handle it?" Tiancheng replied, "He executed the involved eunuchs and cleansed all the servants in the West Five Houses. Now, each of the three princes only retains one previously close-serving person by his side, with the rest selected and reassigned from various departments."

It seems that the Emperor is beginning to doubt whether the brotherly harmony among them is genuine; otherwise, why would he change all the personnel in the West Five Houses?

After Tiancheng left, Xiqiu handed the letter to Fourth Master Xiao, speaking in a solemn tone, "... Should I go back and discuss with Father?"

"Yes." Fourth Master Xiao nodded slightly.

When they move, it must be a decisive, sweeping action! Xiqiu felt restless and uneasy.

She understood Min’s character. If this matter wasn’t done by the Second Prince, so be it, but if it truly was his doing, Min would never stand idly by while the Third Prince was harmed.

This child, though intelligent and strategic, was also kind-hearted!

What worried her now was not what Fourth Master Xiao intended to do, but rather what actions Min might take.

She needed to make a trip to the palace.