The Dark Moonlight returns to the capital, and the mad prince is accused of forcing love.

The grand sounds of traditional Chinese string and wind instruments echoed throughout the Hall of Supreme Harmony, while the glazed palace lanterns illuminated the entire hall as bright as day. Xu Qianhui sat in a seat to the side and behind Xiao Huaijin, her eyes lowered, trying to minimize her presence.

Today, Xiao Huaijin was not wearing his usual blue cloth robe, which always carried the scent of medicine. Instead, he had changed into the black python robe that belonged to the Second Prince. That outfit suppressed his usual gentle and carefree demeanor, making his pale face appear even more aloof and cold.

The atmosphere inside the hall seemed harmonious, but Xu Qianhui keenly sensed an undercurrent of tension.

With the Duke's mansion having just collapsed and many officials in the court falling from grace, this palace banquet at this time is more like a Hongmen Banquet to test the attitudes of all parties.

Just as the dancers withdrew and everyone raised their glasses, a slender figure suddenly staggered out from behind the generals' seats.

"Your subject, Lou Miaomiao, greets Your Majesty."

The woman was deathly pale and knelt unsteadily in the center of the hall.

Xu Qianhui looked up and recognized Lou Miaomiao, who had jumped from the moving vehicle and was seriously injured when she tried to force him into marriage that day.

The music inside the main hall abruptly stopped.

The emperor, seated high on his dragon throne, set down his wine cup and gazed at her: "You're the second daughter of the Lou family? You're injured; what are you doing in the center of the hall?"

Lou Miaomiao bit her lower lip tightly, and tears welled up instantly.

She suddenly prostrated herself and kowtowed heavily: "Your Majesty, I know I am guilty and should not have behaved so disrespectfully before Your Majesty. But I am deeply in love with General Chu and have long been determined to marry no one but him. I beg Your Majesty to have mercy and, considering that my elder sister was once General Chu's wife, grant me and General Chu a marriage!"

These words caused an uproar in the room.

Chu Yunci sat at the head of the military officers' seats, holding a cup of wine in his hand.

Upon hearing this, he didn't even lift his eyelids, but simply slammed his wine glass heavily on the table.

A muffled thud silenced the surrounding whispers.

"Your Majesty." Chu Yunci stood up, strode to the center of the hall, and without even glancing at Lou Miaomiao kneeling on the ground, his voice was as cold and hard as iron, "The Lou family knows perfectly well why my wife died. In this life, I will never marry Lou Miaomiao."

Lou Miaomiao trembled, raised her tear-streaked face, and looked at him desperately: "Brother-in-law, I was wrong, I really know I was wrong! I only ask to stay by your side, even as a concubine..."

"Shut up." Chu Yunci interrupted her coldly, his eyes filled with undisguised disgust. "If you dare to mention her again, I'll make sure you never leave this Taihe Hall."

The emperor looked at the two people locked in a stalemate below, but instead of getting angry, he chuckled softly.

He waved his hand, signaling the eunuch to pull the nearly collapsing Lou Miaomiao away, then looked at Chu Yunci, his tone softening.

"Yun Ci, you have served on the northwestern frontier for many years, and your service has been invaluable. Your wife has been gone for so many years, and you have been all alone. It is indeed time for you to find someone to take care of you." The emperor's gaze swept around the hall. "Today, many noble ladies from the capital are present. Take a look, is there any girl you fancy? I will bestow a marriage upon you today."

Chu Yunci remained silent for a moment.

His gaze swept across the open space in the center of the hall and landed directly on Xu Qianhui, who was sitting behind the Second Prince.

The gaze was so intense that Xu Qianhui's heart skipped a beat.

She knew what Chu Yunci wanted to do.

That day outside the General's Mansion, he had said he wanted to marry her and help her escape the Duke's Mansion.

But now that the Duke's mansion has fallen, she has no need for this shackle of arranged marriage.

Xu Qianhui shook her head slightly, trying to stop him with her eyes.

Chu Yunci seemed to have made up his mind. He stepped forward, about to speak, "Your Majesty, I do indeed have someone I admire, she..."

"Hahaha—Uncle, that's not very fair of you!"

A loud, arrogant laugh suddenly came from outside the palace gate, abruptly interrupting Chu Yunci's words.

Everyone turned around and saw Prince An's heir, Xiao Shicheng, stride into the hall.

Today he was dressed in a striking dark red brocade robe, with a jewel-encrusted scimitar hanging at his waist. He entered without even a servant to announce his arrival.

"Nephew is late, he should be punished with three cups of wine!"

Xiao Shicheng walked to the front of the hall, gave a perfunctory bow, but his eyes swept over Chu Yunci like a venomous snake, finally landing on the emperor.

"But Imperial Uncle, you're so busy arranging a marriage for General Chu, why don't you think of your nephew? I don't have anyone close to me either, why don't you arrange a marriage for me too?"

Xu Qianhui frowned slightly.

Xiao Shicheng's remarks are very strange.

He had just lost face at Zuixiangju that day, yet today he dared to be so presumptuous in front of the emperor, his words revealing an arrogant sense of arrogance.

She subconsciously turned her head, wanting to see how Xiao Huaijin would react.

However, when her gaze fell forward, Xu Qianhui's breathing suddenly stopped.

The dark-clad figure who had been sitting in the seat in front of her had vanished without a trace. The wine cup on the table was still swaying slightly, but the person had disappeared into thin air.

Xu Qianhui broke out in a cold sweat instantly.

Xiao Huaijin would never leave without a reason at this time. Even if he were to leave, he would definitely leave her a message.

problem occurs.

In the center of the hall, the emperor looked down at Xiao Shicheng, his smile undiminished, but his eyes were unfathomable.

"Shicheng, you grew up in the Northwest, and your temperament has become like the wind and sand there." The Emperor smiled and gestured for him to sit down. "The girls in the capital are a bit too delicate and can't handle your temperament. Now that you're back, you should spend more time cultivating your character in the capital. There's no rush for the arranged marriage."

Xiao Shicheng narrowed his eyes, a cold smile playing on his lips: "Uncle is right. But I'm afraid my nephew's temperament is impossible to tame."

While everyone's attention was drawn to the confrontation between Xiao Shicheng and the emperor, Xu Qianhui quietly stood up and, using the huge bronze crane candlestick beside her as cover, retreated step by step towards the side door of the main hall.

She must find Xiao Huaijin.

The air inside the hall seemed to thicken, making it hard to breathe. Xu Qianhui retreated to the door and, taking advantage of the eunuch changing the dishes, slipped out of the Hall of Supreme Harmony.

The night wind outside the hall carried the chill of early winter. Just as Xu Qianhui was about to breathe a sigh of relief, a cold hand suddenly reached out from behind her, covered her mouth, and pulled her abruptly into the darkness behind the pillars.

Xu Qianhui's heart pounded like a drum, and she instinctively raised her elbow to strike backward.

"Don't make a sound, it's me!"

A low, anxious female voice came from behind.

Xu Qianhui paused, and the man released his hand. By the dim light of the lanterns under the eaves, Xu Qianhui could see the man's face clearly.

It was Princess Fu'an.

She was dressed in a magnificent palace gown today, but her hair was slightly disheveled, and she was still tightly gripping a soft sword that was not yet drawn.

"Princess? What are you doing here?" Xu Qianhui lowered her voice and quickly scanned her surroundings. "The Second Prince is missing."

"I know." Princess Fu'an grabbed her wrist with surprising force. "Just now, my personal guards risked their lives to relay a message saying that someone had my jade pendant and told my second brother that I was in danger, ordering him to immediately go to the inner palace to find me. But I didn't send anyone to look for him at all!"