The Empress Dowager snorted, her gaze towards Chu Yanxi filled with disdain. She had long known of Chu Yanxi's ambition, never expecting him to be so impatient, making his move so quickly after the Emperor had only been ill for a few days.
"Enough, there's no need to say more. I won't believe you. Let's get straight to the point. You've brought your troops in, what exactly do you want?"
The Empress Dowager stopped playing games with Chu Yanxi and directly asked his intentions, wanting to see what he was truly after.
"Imperial Grandmother, your grandson is merely concerned for the Emperor's safety and wishes to prevent any disloyal individuals from harboring ill intentions and taking advantage of His Majesty's illness."
Chu Yanxi's words were high-sounding, projecting an image of righteousness and filial piety. Had she not known his true character, she might have been deceived by his feigned sincerity.
"The traitor you speak of is you, isn't it? Chu Yanxi, you've brought troops in while the Emperor is gravely ill. Your intentions are as clear as daylight, known to all. Must you continue to feign the appearance of a gentleman? You scoundrel!"
"Chu Chenyi, don't force me to kill you!"
His true intentions exposed, Chu Yanxi became instantly enraged. He strode forward, grabbed Chu Chenyi by the collar, and a murderous glint flashed in his eyes.
Hidden in the side hall, Feng Jin immediately realized the gravity of the situation. She quickly and secretly summoned a carrier pigeon, tied her earring to its leg, and released it.
Just as the pigeon flew away, the door to the side hall was violently kicked open. Upon seeing Feng Jin, the guards shouted loudly towards the outside.
"Your Highness, someone is here!"
Hearing the commotion, Chu Yanxi abruptly let go of Chu Chenyi and strode towards the side hall. His eyes lit up the moment he saw Feng Jin.
"So you were hiding here! With you in my grasp, I don't believe Ling Mohan can stir up any more trouble."
With Feng Jin as his hostage, he had nothing to fear from mere Ling Mohan.
"Take her away and keep a close watch on her. Ensure she suffers no harm whatsoever."
The soldiers stepped forward and began to escort Feng Jin out. Initially, Feng Jin cooperated, feigning timidity, which lulled the guards into a false sense of security, believing that a mere woman could not cause any trouble.
The moment they stepped out of the side hall, a few cold glints flashed from Feng Jin's hand. Silver needles flew out, piercing the arms of the soldiers escorting her.
With a sudden cry of pain, they instinctively released their grips. Seizing the opportunity, Feng Jin quickly ran towards the Empress Dowager.
"Useless fools! Capture her for me!" Chu Yanxi roared in anger. Several grown men couldn't even keep control of one woman.
Feng Jin hastily removed a hairpin from her hair, pressing it against her neck. "Stop right there! Anyone who dares to take another step will see me commit suicide. Chu Yanxi, you want to use me to threaten Ling Mohan, right? If I die, how do you think Ling Mohan will react when he sees a corpse?"
"Everyone stop! No one moves forward!" Chu Yanxi panicked. He knew all too well that if Ling Mohan found out Feng Jin died at his hands, he would never forgive him.
"If you want me to live, then let me stay here. Have your men guard the outside, and I will obediently follow your orders without any trouble."
Feng Jin's grip tightened slightly, the hairpin piercing her flesh and drawing blood.
The striking red color stung Chu Yanxi's eyes. After careful consideration, he agreed to Feng Jin's terms.
"I can agree to retreat, but Chu Chenyi, I will take him with me."
As long as Chu Chenyi was not here, he could feel a little more at ease. Even if the Empress Dowager intended to name Chu Chenyi the heir, with him not around and the entire palace under his control, he had nothing to fear.
"No!" Feng Jin refused without hesitation. She knew Chu Yanxi's cruelty; if Chu Chenyi went with him, it was unlikely he would return safely.
"The entire palace is under your control, with so many guards. We are trapped like birds with clipped wings. Are you worried we'll escape, or do you lack confidence in yourself?"
Feng Jin's provocation was slowly working on the arrogant Chu Yanxi.
"This Prince is, of course, not afraid. I doubt you can fly away with clipped wings. This Prince will leave him behind and see what tricks you can play."
Chu Yanxi waved his hand towards the men holding Chu Chenyi. They immediately released their grips and roughly threw Chu Chenyi to the ground.
Regaining his freedom, Chu Chenyi stood up, looking somewhat disheveled. He walked towards Feng Jin, his gaze fixed on Chu Yanxi with hatred. He vowed to repay today's humiliation tenfold.
"Kindly take your men and get out, Third Prince!"
Feng Jin's grip on the hairpin did not loosen in the slightest. She knew that the only thing she could use to threaten Chu Yanxi at this moment was her own life.
"Let's go!" Chu Yanxi strode out first, followed closely by his soldiers.
As they left, Concubine Qin quickly went to close the door tightly, gasping for air after their near escape.
Feng Jin's hand weakened, and the hairpin clattered to the floor. She was terribly frightened, beads of sweat forming on her forehead.
"Damn Chu Yanxi, you scoundrel! How dare he do this! This Prince will never let him off!"
"Just calm down. The entire palace, inside and out, is full of his spies. We cannot escape even if we had wings."
Feng Jin had no intention of escaping from the beginning. Her only hope now was that Ling Mohan would receive the news soon and arrive quickly.
"Just waiting to die here is not an option. We must find a way to escape."
"We cannot escape. It's a waste of effort. It's better to rest and conserve our strength."
Feng Jin's words completely extinguished the sliver of hope that had ignited in Chu Chenyi's heart. He looked at Feng Jin. "Staying here is a dead end. Chu Yanxi will absolutely not let us go!"
"No, it is you that Chu Yanxi will not let go. He needs me to threaten Ling Mohan, so he will definitely not harm me. To ascend the throne, he also needs the Empress Dowager's support, so that his illegitimate claim to the throne can be stable. Naturally, he will not do anything to the Empress Dowager."
"As for you... Chu Yanxi has always seen you as a formidable rival. Even if he doesn't kill you now, he will find various excuses to put you to death later. Therefore... between us, you are the one who needs to worry most about survival, Your Highness Jing Wang!"