Princess, she is the one who facilitated the extradition.

The crown prince looked at the empress, caught in a dilemma.

His father's words resonated deeply with him; given the crimes his mother had committed, death was not an exaggeration.

But she was his own mother after all. Moreover, if he were to say that it was tantamount to murdering his mother, and it was discovered in the future, how could a king who murdered his mother rule the world with filial piety?

But his sister's tragic state was deeply etched in his mind, and he felt he would be letting his sister down if his mother didn't punish her at all.

"Father, how about we confine Mother to Fengyi Palace, where she can spend the rest of her life practicing Buddhism and repenting, and performing rituals to help my sister's soul find peace?"

He spoke these words with difficulty and trepidation, knowing that the punishment was too lenient.

But the emperor agreed, saying, "I know you are in a difficult position, so I will do as you say."

The emperor's face showed disappointment, but even more so, pain. He was probably unwilling to have failed to severely punish the murderer who killed his daughter, yet he had to consider his son.

His pain and predicament were all seen by the Crown Prince, and the Crown Prince felt a pang of pain in his heart.

His father loved him far more than he had imagined. He had been foolish before, listening to his mother and maternal grandfather and thinking that his parents valued his younger sister more.

When the Crown Prince was filled with regret, he heard the Emperor say, "But I think you understand that this matter cannot be accomplished by your mother alone."

She needs a reason to be confined to her quarters, otherwise your maternal grandfather will surely incite the court to demand an explanation from you and my father.

"I am getting old, and I don't know how many more years I can protect you. I just hope to smoothly place you on the throne and prevent any further trouble."

"Father."

The crown prince's tears immediately rolled down his cheeks. "Please don't say that. It hurts me. I long for your long life."

He had already lost his sister, and he couldn't afford to lose his father too; otherwise, how could he face the wickedness of human nature on his own?

"Your Majesty, the Duke of Zhenguo is utterly loyal to you and has no ulterior motives whatsoever."

Upon hearing the Emperor's words, the Empress, clutching her bleeding head, spoke up for the Duke of Zhenguo and insisted on proclaiming her innocence, "Your Majesty, I am truly innocent..."

Just then, a member of the Imperial Guards reported that they had spotted Granny Wang trying to leave the palace to deliver a message.

"What else do you have to say?"

The emperor looked at the empress with a heavy gaze, but without waiting for her reply, he continued, "You are my empress, a woman of the Feng family, yet you always prioritize the Zhenguo Duke's mansion."

What? You've ruined my daughter, and now you want my son to be a stepping stone for the Zhang family?

"Send someone back to the Zhang family to inform them, so that they can quickly devise a plan to continue deceiving my child?"

Li Deshun secretly glanced at the Crown Prince, knowing full well that His Majesty's words were truly meant for the Crown Prince.

His Majesty is sowing discord between the Crown Prince and the Empress, as well as the Zhang family.

Neither the Empress nor her son noticed, and the Empress hurriedly explained, "Your Majesty, that's not what I meant."

But I can't say anything more.

Informing her maternal family was indeed to allow her father and brothers to come up with a timely response, but it was not, as the emperor said, to use the crown prince as a stepping stone or a puppet.

No matter how she explained, it was tantamount to admitting that the princess had been switched, and she experienced the bitter taste of swallowing a bitter pill for the first time.

Her reaction, as seen by the Crown Prince, was a helpless rebuttal after the Emperor had seen through her thoughts.

"Father, tell the public that Mother has another candidate for Crown Princess in mind, and that I am unwilling to disobey the imperial decree of marriage. So Mother tried to manipulate me into marrying someone else by using drugs."

Since his mother only sees him as a pawn, why should he care about the bond between mother and son?

His unusual behavior these past few days, especially his actions in the square yesterday morning, must have aroused suspicion among officials, and this also provides an explanation.

"Your Highness!"

The Empress was incredulous. "How could you wrong my mother?"

Manipulating the crown prince is a serious crime.

Besides, if the Crown Prince says this, what if his elder brother and sister-in-law believe him and think that she looks down on their fifth niece, and then blame her?

How could the son she so desperately wanted to protect be so cruel to her?

The emperor grasped the crown prince's hand, shielding his son behind him, and said coldly, "What you have done is far more serious than this. The child is protecting you."

Immediately, he stopped looking at the Empress and instructed Li Deshun, "Draft an edict: The Empress has used evil medicine to harm the Crown Prince, cruelly damaging his health. She has plotted against the foundation of the country for personal reasons. Her virtue is unworthy of her position. Therefore, she shall be stripped of her title as Empress, demoted to a commoner, and confined to the Cold Palace."

"Your Majesty! You can't treat me like this..."

"Take him away."

The emperor had no patience to listen to her finish and sternly ordered the Imperial Guards, "During your confinement, no one is allowed to approach the deposed empress."

You took advantage of Zhuzhu'er's trust in her mother and drugged her; today, you will taste the bitterness of being betrayed by your own family.

The emperor clasped his hands tightly behind his back. "Empress, this is just the beginning."

The female imperial guards immediately stepped forward, covered the empress's mouth, and dragged her outside.

The Empress struggled desperately, and soon her hairpins and clothes were disheveled, and she lost her usual dignity. She couldn't understand how she had suddenly become a deposed empress.

Upon seeing this, the Crown Prince felt a pang of pity.

The emperor patted him on the shoulder, "I have already lost Zhuzhu'er, and I can't watch you get into trouble too. You will stay with me for the next few days, eating and sleeping."

Upon hearing this, the Crown Prince thought of his sister and his father's love and care, and the reluctance he had felt earlier vanished. He turned his face away and refused to look at the Empress again.

"Father, aren't you going to ask about Zhuzhu'er's whereabouts?"

The emperor slumped wearily in his chair. "Your mother won't admit it. Let her suffer for a few days first, and I will ask her myself."

His pearls found themselves again.

All he can do right now is to protect her identity from being exposed as much as possible before she takes revenge herself.

He kept the Crown Prince by his side for two reasons: firstly, the Empress and the Zhang family had murdered Zhuzhu'er, and he wanted to use the Crown Prince, whom they supported, to retaliate against them.

Another reason was to avoid contact between the Crown Prince and the Zhang family.

"The Zhang family has been scheming for years, and the fake princess is far away in Nanyao, beyond my control."

Therefore, the Zhang family must not be informed for now. We have discovered the truth, and I need time to carefully consider both internal and external matters.

"Your subject understands."

The Crown Prince's selection of the Empress is tantamount to choosing the Emperor, and he will naturally obey the Emperor's orders now.

"You must have been frightened early this morning, go and rest in my bed."

The emperor patted his son again, "I also want some peace and quiet."

The crown prince lay on the dragon bed, deeply moved by his father's love, unaware that the emperor was secretly shaking his head.

"Such gullibility makes one unfit for important tasks."

If he were to become emperor in the future, wouldn't he be easily fooled by treacherous officials?

Now, the Crown Prince is being used by him, which is the price he has to pay for his past foolishness.

As for his father, he failed to protect his daughter and the Five Colors Army, and he should also be punished.

By using the crown prince, the emperor can cause him to become isolated and betrayed by his followers before he learns the truth. The crown prince will surely hate his father to the extreme.

Judging from Zhuzhu'er's actions today, she still cares about the Crown Prince. Seeing him in trouble, she will certainly not stand idly by.

She saved the Crown Prince from danger, and he would be grateful to her. This sibling bond could be considered her compensation for Zhuzhu'er...

The emperor's eyes grew even deeper, and he instructed Li Deshun, "The Zhang family must have spies in the Phoenix Palace. You personally lead a team to investigate and interrogate them thoroughly, leaving no one alive."

Gui Yao was unaware that her outburst had allowed the emperor to seize the opportunity to depose the empress.

After returning to Xuanji Tower, she extracted the bone and blood from the tiger tally, returned it to her body, and then went to see Prince Jin.

Mao Dan had already gone to the Duke of Yue's mansion as instructed, leaving only Xiao Huaijin reading in the study.

"Your Highness, I need to hire your men."

Gui Yao said this as soon as he entered the study.

"it is good."

Xiao Huaijin agreed without hesitation, then asked, "What do you want them to do?"

"Searching for relatives."

Gui Yao sat down opposite him. "I was able to find five thousand female soldiers in just a few years, which shows how many children in Dasheng were either sold, abducted, or switched like me."

Therefore, I would like to add a new clause to the laws of Dasheng: anyone who abducts or traffics children or respectable women, or maliciously switches offspring, shall be executed immediately without pardon.

Xiao Huaijin's expression gradually turned serious. "You want to make a big fuss about finding relatives for the people?"

Only when the matter escalates and many people lose their loved ones will the imperial court take it seriously and relevant laws be put on the agenda.

"Yes."

Gui Yao nodded, paused, and then said, "I went to the palace today."

This statement seemed to come out of nowhere, but Gui Yao wouldn't say something irrelevant at this time.

Xiao Huaijin pondered for a moment, then asked, "You intend to use this law to kill the Empress?"

Even in the royal family, daughters are not allowed to kill their mothers, but the law allows it.

Gui Yao's situation must be due to something the Empress has done again.

He took her hand. "Tell me, what happened?"

Gui Yao didn't hide anything and told him what happened in the palace that day.

Personally, it was a matter of trust in her beloved; publicly, she wanted to use Xiao Huaijin to let Nan Yao know that switching the princess was not the emperor's intention.

She always cared about the world and did not want the two countries to go to war.

Xiao Huaijin understood her meaning. "I will send a message to Nan Yao and immediately have people search for orphans, starting with the homes of officials, how about that?"

"it is good."

Gui Yao nodded, rested her head on his shoulder, and breathed deeply, the heaviness in her heart gradually dissipating.

She intertwined her fingers with Xiao Huaijin's, their hands clasped tightly. "Have you missed me these past two days, Your Highness?"

"I've thought about it."

Xiao Huaijin answered very honestly.

"I knew I was so likable."

What does it matter to her if the Empress dislikes her?

Gui Yao chuckled, "I miss the Prince too."

Xiao Huaijin kissed her forehead tenderly, "I know, that's why you came to see me."

She was plotting how to take revenge on the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion.

The two exchanged sweet nothings without any oil or smoke. Gui Yao rested at the Prince's Mansion for a while, and that night, just as he was about to go to the Duke of Yue's Mansion,

The goddess Mi Po hurriedly summoned her, "Princess, please help me."