This day, the imperial city was thrown into utter chaos.
First, Prince Duan's estate was surrounded, then people from the Crown Prince's palace were arrested.
With great upheaval, the situation became irreconcilable.
Finally, all involved parties were brought into the imperial palace.
They were the Crown Prince's family, Prince Duan and his son, Huang Fengxian, the Commander of the Imperial Guard Ji Chenggang.
Shen Yun was also among them.
When the emperor's decree reached the Crown Prince's palace, Su Xiaoqi was present, but Shen Yun shielded her, so she was not taken to the palace.
No one paid attention to her, thinking her to be merely a woman.
What could she do?
However, Zhao Xiaohua, who was also in the Crown Prince's palace, did not think so.
She and Su Xiaoqi walked out of the Crown Prince's palace one after another. Looking at the now chaotic palace, her face was calm, and there was even a hidden hint of glee in her heart.
Soon, the Crown Prince would be in trouble, and the person she truly wanted to support would ascend the throne.
With him, what could she possibly not obtain?
Composing herself from her overexcited emotions, Zhao Xiaohua looked at Su Xiaoqi ahead.
She didn't know when Su Xiaoqi had stopped and was no longer moving forward.
Zhao Xiaohua hesitated, then slowly approached Su Xiaoqi and accused her word by word:
"I know, it was you who harmed the Crown Prince, I just know it."
Zhao Xiaohua heard that the Crown Prince was framing the Prince Duan's estate for possessing the dragon robe and immediately sent someone to Chongming Yuan to inform Liang Jingning.
With her tip-off, she believed Liang Jingning would gain the upper hand and successfully resolve the crisis for Prince Duan's estate.
If the people in Prince Duan's estate were capable, they might even be able to plot against the Crown Prince.
To witness whether her plan was feasible,
Zhao Xiaohua entered the Crown Prince's palace early and stayed by the Crown Prince's side.
She personally witnessed her plan succeed.
The people from Prince Duan's estate were far more formidable than she had imagined.
Not only did they leverage the situation to clear themselves of the crime of possessing the dragon robe,
but they also counterattacked with a bombshell, turning all the schemes the Crown Prince had prepared for Prince Duan's estate against him.
The dragon robe was not found in Prince Duan's estate, but it was discovered in the Crown Prince's palace!
The Crown Prince's palace was turned upside down, in complete disarray.
Consequently, everyone was taken to the imperial palace, with the emperor personally investigating the case.
Zhao Xiaohua did not regret the Crown Prince's failure.
She was merely curious.
Because, considering everything, she realized that the most crucial link was who had delivered the dragon robe, originally hidden in Prince Duan's estate, to the Crown Prince's palace.
Such a large box was no small item.
The Crown Prince's palace, while not completely sealed, was heavily guarded. If it were a matter of sneaking in something as small as a needle's tip or a grain of wheat, it would be understandable.
But it was precisely such a large box.
Something that could not be concealed in any way.
How did it enter the Crown Prince's palace so silently?
Zhao Xiaohua felt that once this question was solved, everything else would be a minor issue, not even worth mentioning.
Therefore, she had been pondering this question all the way out.
After much thought, her attention finally settled on Su Xiaoqi.
She had known Su Xiaoqi for some time.
They had met since Zhao Family Village.
But at that time, she had just awakened.
One knows one's own matters.
It took her a long time to realize that she had been reborn.
She could not believe she had received such a great fortune.
After that, she began to use her control over the future course of events to gain benefits for her family.
First was the accumulation of wealth.
Then came a series of intricate plans.
Her initial objective was simple: to continue following the path of her previous life.
Because she was deeply attached to Shen Yun.
She wanted to stay by his side.
But gradually, as time passed, she discovered that she could possess more. As long as she was willing, anything she desired could be easily obtained.
She became arrogant.
She was no longer content to follow Shen Yun like a concubine as in her past life.
This time, with her status and her secretly accumulated wealth, she was already a match for Shen Yun.
She wanted to marry him!
The moment this thought arose, her heart stirred.
She liked this feeling very much.
But as her plan progressed, she discovered the biggest obstacle on this path.
That was Su Xiaoqi.
That ungrateful, heartless wretch, who should have died long ago.
Yet, she had steadfastly lived until now.
Living well, as if unwilling to leave her even the slightest opportunity.
She was furious. If it weren't for her, she would have married Shen Yun long ago.
Despite several attempts to provoke others against Su Xiaoqi, none had succeeded.
Gradually, her interest in Shen Yun waned.
Because she came into contact with someone she could never have met in her previous life—the imperial scion Liang Jingning.
He had fallen in love with her sister, Su Yurou.
She was shocked.
She felt that some relationships were beginning to become confusing.
Those who should have died early in her past life were alive.
Su Yurou, who should have openly married Shen Yun, was involved with the heir of Prince Duan.
Thinking of the heir of Prince Duan's immense future status in her past life, Zhao Xiaohua conceived a bold and perilous plan.
She did many things for it.
The first thing was to further consolidate her strength.
She won over the Misty Rain Pavilion, led by Xiao Xin, exchanging benefits for their service.
She also found an organization called 'The Net,' which had always operated in the shadows in her past life.
She began to lay her plans, personally becoming a spy, lurking by the Crown Prince's side and calculatingly manipulating him.
Her objective was to make him lose the throne sooner and make way for Liang Jingning sooner...
The Crown Prince's defeat, Prince Duan's victory, everything was proceeding according to plan.
The biggest variable in this was Su Xiaoqi.
Not only had she blocked her path to marrying Shen Yun,
but she had also appeared in her plan, even becoming a crucial link.
She didn't know whether to thank her or curse her: why was she everywhere!
Zhao Xiaohua was quite angry.
Su Xiaoqi looked at her calmly.
She could tell Zhao Xiaohua was angry.
But if she may speak frankly, the two of them had never spoken from beginning to end.
Why was she acting this way, as if Su Xiaoqi owed her a hundred thousand taels of silver?
And saying such things.
That's right, she had used her space to transfer the dragon robe to the Crown Prince's palace.
It was her doing, so what? It only mattered if she admitted it.
"Miss Zhao, I believe I have no recent grievances nor past enmity with you. Why do you constantly seek trouble with me?"
Su Xiaoqi spoke with an air of innocence, her large, clear peach blossom eyes blinking, appearing quite wronged.
Zhao Xiaohua found Su Xiaoqi's demeanor utterly repulsive because she was too beautiful.
Even though she was a woman, and a woman she had prepared to dislike, she could not help but glance at her more than once.
This realization made her furious.
Losing her patience, she berated:
"Su Xiaoqi, don't play these games with me. I know you are different from them, you are like me...
You are special, but I advise you, it's best not to oppose me, otherwise, I am not someone to be trifled with."
Su Xiaoqi knew why she said that, just as she knew Zhao Xiaohua's origins.
Zhao Xiaohua was likely already suspicious of her.