He stood up from his seat.

"It is almost time for my medicine thus I must take my leave now, please excuse me," he bowed slightly, giving the first prince a last look then he started leaving with Xiaodi and Feng Shui following behind him but just as she passed by the third prince, she smirked at him then walked past.

"What..."

They were speechless, in the past they would insult him and bully him but he would never say a word, back then he also used to wear black clothes or dark shades but now except for his clothing he has totally changed.

"First brother, are you going to let this slide?" the third prince asked in hopes that he plans to do something about it.

The first prince swirled the wine cup with a smirk on his face.

"The fourth prince can get away with whatever he does because he has imperial father's favour but he will destroy it with his words and actions very soon,"

{Imperial father, I hope you watch your dear son go against your principles, only then will you know which son is dangerous to your reign}

He already has a plan to stop the emperor from crowning the fourth prince even if the fourth prince ends up winning the competition, the emperor is suspicious of everyone and will never allow someone who would oppose him to take the throne so as long as he makes the emperor know that the fourth prince is not on the same page as him then he won't dare hand over the throne to the fourth prince.

Meanwhile, the fourth prince and Xiaodi got into the carriage while Feng Shui sat in front to ride the carriage.

"Master, why did you even bother attending the stupid feast, they are clearly targeting you?" Xiaodi asked.

"There is no difference between going and not going, I have taken this opportunity to understand the stance of the princes, the sixth prince is still like he was before, the first and third princes know they both have the highest chance to become the crown prince if I am out of the picture so they are going against me," he analysed.

"What of the second and fifth prince?"

"Both of them are supporting their brothers, Li Chengguan is the student of the regional commander, this tells a lot about him and it is natural he dislikes me because of the emperor's favour , he seems like an upright and brave man from the look in his eyes but...the first prince is not suitable to become an emperor so if he intends to support the first prince then he is still in our way,"

"Master is indeed wise, you can tell all of this from meeting them once,"

"I have known all this before I left the palace, I just wanted to confirm if they are still the same, Feng Shui, send a message to Madam Ju to tell her that Li Qingzhao remains my chess piece,"

{I will make him an emperor}

"Your highness seems resolute but the sixth prince doesn't look like someone who is fit to be emperor," Xiaodi remarked after a deep thought.

"Indeed, he has the heart of an emperor and he is not hungry for power but since I will be playing the game of chess with him, he will become an emperor in no time,"

She couldn't understand what he is saying but she just nodded her head.

- - - - - - -

"Your majesty, the imperial consort is here," the head eunuch announced, the imperial consort entered in a plain blue robe with a smile on her face and a tray in her hand, the emperor sat up as soon as he saw her but she hurried to him.

"Come," he gestured towards his seat at the throne, she hesitated for a while then walked up the stairs and stood beside him.

"I heard your majesty hasn't been eating well so I brought you this chicken soup to nourish your health," she said as she placed the soup bowl on the table and helped him move the memorials out of the way.

He held her hand between his.

"What would I do without my imperial consort," he remarked, she patted his hands then sat beside him to feed him, after taking a few spoons he stopped her.

"You offered me a brilliant plan but someone ruined it, if I had succeeded in pinning the assassination of the flame sect witch on the prime minister then I would have managed to kill two birds with one stone," he sighed deeply.

She stood up from her seat to massage his shoulders, the massage was satisfying that he could feel the tension in his body disappear.

"Not only did your plan fail but the flame sect managed to get the second young mistress back, your majesty must be really vexed,"

"This is all the fault of the wind sect leader, he assured me that the chains around her limbs will put her spiritual power in disarray but she still managed to win in the end, what a persistent witch she is," he scoffed just thinking of how everything except for balancing the power between the wind and flame sect went awry.

"But how did your majesty manage to keep Huo Yi Lang alive?"

"He-" he paused for a moment.

"Why is imperial consort suddenly curious about this, I remember you used to abstain from these matters?"

She quickly knelt and bowed her head.

"I have asked too much, please punish me your majesty," she pleaded her guilt, immediately removing the suspicion in his heart so he helped her up to the seat beside him.

"You are my beloved consort, how can I punish you? as for Huo Yi Lang, you shouldn't know too much or it might put you in danger, now that the fourth prince is back and healthy he should pay you a visit,"

She smiled softly at him with a look of gratitude and innocence in her eyes, just like the late imperial consort used to have.

"I should be the one paying him a visit, he suffered outside the palace yet he got himself injured at the martial heroes contest," worry overwhelmed her eyes.

"I painstakingly searched for him all these years yet he almost threw away his life for a mere cultivator, that child never considers my feeling,"

"I am sure he knows his mistake now, your majesty should retire to your bed now or you will be too tired to attend the morning assembly tomorrow,"

"As long as my consort stays by my side tonight, I will surely have a good sleep,"

They left the study to his palace, she helped him undress then they slept together but the news didn't fail to travel into the empress's ears.

"That wench, she is already using the fourth prince to get his majesty's favour!" the empress yelled then threw the flower vase she was tending to the ground, the head court lady dropped to her knees immediately.

"Your majesty, please don't be angry,"

She threw the cleaning cloth to the ground then returned to her bed for the head court lady to remove her shoes.

"That damned fourth prince, he just had to arrive at that time but why would he return to the palace now?" she wished she could just send someone to eliminate him but she is wise enough to know that it is better to observe for now then take actions when everything is clear, moreover, she still doesn't know if the father and son planned this though the emperor looked genuinely surprised to see the fourth prince on his birthday.

Considering how much he hates the flame sect, it still infuriates her that he didn't punish the fourth prince for what he did but brought him into the palace for special treatment instead.

"That woman and the fourth prince, they are a thorn in my flesh and an obstacle to the throne and unless they are out of this world I will never have peace and neither will my son's get their rightful place,"

"Your majesty shouldn't worry about this, the first and second princes have been taught by the imperial mentors so how can the fourth prince compare to them," the head court lady encouraged, putting a smile on her face just by remembering the difference between them.

Even when the emperor tried to make the princes uneducated, the old teachers in the palace protested against making the princes educated without her or anyone else getting involved so if there is one thing she is sure of, it is the superiority of her sons to the lowly prince born of a woman of unknown origin.

"I must still put some plans in place just in case or my mind won't be at rest," she sighed deeply.