Lan Ling jumped down swiftly without making a sound near the imperial noble consort Chen's bedroom doors. As she landed, a disheveled and tearing young boy came out of the room. It was past midnight yet the second prince was here. This year, the second prince was only 14. He too looked like the emperor but not as much, compared to the crown prince. 

Seeing someone, the second prince swallowed in his tears and kept his head down low. He quickly walked pass Lan Ling, scared to make a sound.

Seeing the boy, Lan Ling immediately knocked him out and grabbed him. Then, she headed towards the emperor's study room. All the information she gathered was real.

Because the emperor only has eyes for Empress Xia, he'll never favor anyone else except for showering them -his harem- with gifts. The only time he slept with someone else other than Empress Xia was when Empress Xia went to visit a temple with the empress dowager. The emperor was drugged with a strong aphrodisiac and so he took the imperial noble consort Chen who happened to be there.

Eventually, the imperial noble consort Chen was announced pregnant. Not willing to kill his own blood, and realizing his son was in danger but unable to figure out who the perpetrator was, he sought help from the Lan clan -a family that supported the emperors behind the scenes. That was first time she, Lan Ling, met the crown prince and the emperor.

As an emperor, he could easily remove the harem but since he depended on the support of his officials, he had to keep it in place. There were many more reasons why he kept the harem but Lan Ling couldn't figure them out.

Once upon a time not so long ago, there was once a rumor that the second prince was being "held intimately" by his mother, imperial noble consort Chen. However, because the rumor sounded superficial, it was brushed away. Witnessing the act, it can no longer be brushed away as a false rumor. 

Outside the emperor's study room, the guards sternly blocked Lan Ling's way until she pulled out a gold pendant that signified her being part of the Dongfang clan. Other than the Lan Clan, there was the Dongfang Clan who were well known for their child prodigies and neutral stance. The Dongfang clan managed to receive the dynasty's first emperor's golden crest and now it was with Lan Ling, their only granddaughter.

Her ties to the two families steeled the Emperor's decision to hand her this task. No one could touch her even if they wanted to. The emperor could depend on her to protect, teach, and watch out for the crown prince without problems. She was regarded as a child prodigy who was good with words, the arts, people, and everything else. To add to that, she was a quick learner and the perfect person to have next to the crown prince.

Lan Ling entered the study room. The emperor looked stressed but didn't shoo her away. Noticing that she didn't come alone, he stopped what he was doing to face her. 

Lan Ling summarized everything that had been happening in the palace as well as why she brought the second prince with her. She knew that the emperor loved both princes but favored one more than the other. Even so, he wouldn't just stand by and let any of his two sons fall prey to the palace schemes. 

After an hour passed, the emperor was left alone in his study. 

Just as the sun rose, the imperial noble consort Chen's palace was in an uproar. 

The head eunuch He came by with the emperor's decree. Empress Xia was now in charge of the second prince, Xiao Jingyi, for the reason that imperial noble consort Chen let the second prince roam around at night near her palace. Anything could have happened to the second prince if the emperor hadn't come by late last night. 

Of course, this was only a fabricated story. 

For the next few days, Lan Ling busied herself with the crown prince's harem matters. His harem was soon cleaned out, not even the servants and maids who attended the other concubines were left. The only ones left were Lan Ling and the servants who served her. But quickly, even her servants disappeared one by one. Now, only her and seven other servants were left. 

The imperial noble consort Chen turned to the crown princess Lan Ling, believing that being friendly with the crown princess would strengthen her position. Thus, she continuously invited Lan Ling over to her palace and gave Lan Ling nice things.

Rumors had it that they were very friendly with each other. A crown princess and an imperial noble consort together was really something else. Everyone knew that the imperial noble consort Chen didn't get along well with Empress Xia or the emperor.

Was the crown princess changing sides?

But why?

Other than being the daughter of the imperial advisor, the imperial noble consort didn't have anything to give Lan Ling even if they sided together... unless she was going to make her son, the second prince, an emperor and have Lan Ling be his puppet empress. 

From the day that Lan Ling was invited to the imperial noble consort Chen's palace, she stopped visiting the crown prince and stopped inviting guests over. Her courtyard was always empty now that she continuously visited the imperial noble consort Chen.

Lan Ling happily headed over to visit the imperial noble consort Chen to curry favor. As she got there, the imperial noble consort served some delicious seafood from the south. They chatted and chatted until one of them fell down, dead.

"Aahhh! Hurry, call the imperial physicians!" The imperial noble consort Chen screamed in a panic.

On that day, a wave of disturbance filled the depths of the imperial palace.

Crown princess Lan Ling was pronounced dead. 

A messenger hurriedly rushed through the sudden raining and thundering skies to the crown prince who now spent most of his time in his studies in silence. 

The messenger knocked at the door and reported, "The crown princess died from food poisoning. To be exact, tetrodotoxin poisoning from improper preparation of the seafood the imperial noble consort Chen served."

With no reply, the messenger didn't dare to get up for fear that he would lose his life.

Inside, the crown prince dropped his brush. He didn't know how to react to the news. Just after a month of not seeing each other, she was gone just like that?

The next day, the imperial noble consort Chen was to commit suicide by poison and be on her way to accompany the late crown princess as decreed by the emperor. To lay a hand on the spoiled and loved crown princess Lan Ling was the same as laying a hand on the emperor.

Who would have thought that Lan Ling would leave them so quick? No one knew, even the emperor himself had no idea. When the news reached him, he was furious.

On her third day of death, the Lan clan came to retrieve Lan Ling's body. Though, they couldn't leave without resistance from the crown prince. Lan Ling was, after all, his crown princess and to be empress.

"It is a tradition for the Lan clan descendants to be buried where they were born because it is their motherland," Lan Jing, who claimed to be Lan Ling's brother, courteously explained to the stubborn crown prince who stood in their way to the mourning room.

However, the emperor allowed the Lan clan to do what they needed. Crown prince Wei could do nothing but watch as the Lan clan entered the mourning room and took Lan Ling away. 

This was their goodbye. 

Just like that, the year ended and the crown prince Wei ascended the throne as emperor. The retired emperor was said to stay in the newly built Palace of Tranquility, resting and spending his life there with his wife, Xia Anyang.