The manor gain it peacefulness after Xu Ling Ai and Li Zhao open up to each other. They are getting closer now. The manor have never been this peaceful. The servants feel glad that they are not walking on a a thin thread anymore.

However, no one knows that a chaos was about to came. The harmonic manor suddenly got ambushed by the imperial guards. The fact that the are carrying the weapons indicate that something bad was about to happen.

"Nobody is allowed to move. It's the emperor's decree!" The head of the imperial guards commanding all the servant to gather up and shows their identity.

"What is happening?! Why is the guards coming in like you're going to catch a criminal?" Gu Mama as the head of the manor came out instantly.

"We're indeed here to catch a criminal." The imperial guard who brings the decree said.

The servants gasps as they wait for their princess consort to come out. Xu Ling Ai is nowhere to be seen. She is currently in her lab processing the last step for the poison. She believes that once she knows how to make it, she will eventually be able to cure Li Zhao.

"Imprudent! This is the Duke Su's manor! There is no criminal here!" Gu Mama sternly said.

The worse case is only Xu Ling Ai and the servants is in the manor.

"This is the emperor's decree! Do you dare to defy?!" This instantly bring everyone on their knees. Defying an imperial decree would be asking for losing head.

"Search for Xu Ling Ai and capture her alive! She try to poison Duke Su!" This sentence make all of the gasps. They couldn't believe what they heard.

"You must be wrong. How can Princess Consort try to poison her own husband?" Gu Mama try to reason them out. She knows Xu Ling Ai wouldn't do that.

A minute later, two guards dragged Xu Ling Ai out from the lab. She struggles from their tight hold.

"Let me go!" Xu Ling Ai yell but they ignore her.

"Xu Ling Ai you are under arrest for producing a deadly poison and trying to poison Duke Su." The guards stated with no mercy. They only did as per asked.

"W-what are you talking about?" Xu Ling Ai feel dumbfounded as she look at the guards wanting him to explain.

"We found the evidence in the secret room where you developed the poison." Several guards bring out all of the ingredients of the vampire poison.

"T-this..." Xu Ling Ai was speechless. She don't know how to defend herself. She couldn't say that she was helping Li Zhao. She couldn't let anyone know that Li Zhao is infected by the poison.

Xu Ling Ai had no choice but to stay silent. Gu Mama look at her wanting her to deny it. But the way Xu Ling Ai stay silent make her feel angry.

"Princess Consort say something! I know you will never do that!" Gu Mama demanded an answer.

"Gu Mama I will be back very soon. Tell Li Zhao not to do something rashly. And tell him I will be fine." Xu Ling Ai said and she went away with the guards.

The court were completely cold and dead silence. No one was there except the emperor and the head eunuch.

"Your Majesty, Duke Su's Princess Consort was captured alive and we found every evidence. B-but this lowly servant is afraid His Highness might be rage when he heard about this." The old eunuch anxiously reasoning out as everyone now knows that Duke Su is very protective of his consort.

"This emperor couldn't care less! If Xu Ling Ai is really found guilty, punish her whole family!" The emperor were totally enraged.

One of the empress's people spread a rumour that Xu Ling Ai had poison Li Zhao. Empress Yi despise Xu Ling Ai so much that she want to destroy her. Because of Xu Ling Ai, Li Jun Yi got punished.

At first, the emperor refused to believe it and he send one of the imperial spy to tailed on Xu Ling Ai. And the emperor almost got a heart attack when the spy said it's true.

"He won't do something reckless right?" Xu Ling Ai keep walking back and forth.

To say that she is not afraid of staying in the cold prison would be a total lie. But right now she is more afraid of what is going to happen.

"Psst little brother! Can you help me?" Xu Ling Ai whisper at the guard who is standing 2 feets away from her.

The guard stare at her weirdly because she seems too friendly for a noble. He know nothing about her crime. All he know was he is ordered to look after her until her punishment is decided. Despite feeling hesitant, he still went near her.

"What is it?" The young guard question.

"Can you help me prevent Duke Su from coming inside palace?" Her request made the guard's eyes went wide.

"I wouldn't dare! How can I a mere lowly guard stop Duke Su's way?!" He accidentally raise his voice over the absurd request.

"Also! Who are you to stop Duke Su's way?" He curiously asked.

Xu Ling Ai was taken aback by his question.

"Little brother right now I don't have any valuables things with me but I have this." She took off her earrings, hair pins and rings.

The guards seems to bargaining his thoughts. While Xu Ling Ai try her best to appeal the guards.

"Deal! But what do I say to him? What if he punish me for standing in his way? How will you guarantee my life?"

"Tell him not to do anything. And of course I will make sure you will be well and alive. Just gave him this and he will know." Xu Ling Ai handed him the Duke Su's jade.

Looking at the jade, the guard almost kneel down. Who don't know the Second Prince's jade. The guard guessed that the young lady in front of him is not someone he could afford to disrespect.

"I will try my best miss!" His attitude instantly changed. He also gave Xu Ling Ai back all the jewelleries but Xu Ling Ai put it back on his hand.

"I promise to gave you these. It might not be very valuable but you will surely get some silvers out of it." Xu Ling Ai convince him. She knows that being a guard doesn't have enough money to live daily.

Everyone in the palace know that a storm was about to come. The emperor is currently resting in his chambee accompanied by the physician checking his health.

All of a sudden, sounds of a commotion disturb the peacefulness.

"Your Highness you can't do this!" The oldest eunuch try to do something while knowing that he can't do anything to stop the mighty Second Prince.

The chamber's open wide revealing the raging Li Zhao. Every servants coward in nervousness. But not the emperor.

The emperor knew that Xu Ling Ai has wrapped his son around her little finger. But not to this extend.

"Leave." The emperor let out one sentence and all the servants get out in a matter of seconds.

"Let Xu Ling Ai go." The second prince stood steadily without greeting the ruler. At this point, he is not afraid of getting abandoned.

"She tried to poisoned you! Why are you so blind?!" The emperor lose his temper.

"She did not! And even if she did, I will gladly take it." Li Zhao declaration made the emperor feel more enraged. He feels that his son is too blinded by love.

"Zhao Er! Look at yourself! You are not the old you! Xu Ling Ai has bewitched you!" The emperor try to convince him that Xu Ling Ai is not good for him.

"Yes I am not the old me! I changed into someone better. A better person that no one ever teach me to become since I was young."

The emperor look at his son in disbelief. How did his son changed so much? His son finally shows some emotion after years of hiding it.

Sound of something fell down made the emperor froze. He couldn't believe what he is seeing.

"Zhao Er.." The emperor whisper. His tongue tied up

The emperor look at his son's face which is on full display in heart wrenching. He don't know that his son had to endure so much.

"Back then, I was just an innocent young boy when your woman poison me. This is the price I have to pay for the rest of my life." The conversation between them goes deeper.

This is the first time they ever talk for more than a minute as Li Zhao always avoid to talk to anyone including his own father.

"I despises myself so much that I wanted to die. Every single day is like hell. Pictures of the innocent people whom I killed haunt me endlessly. But she came. She changed my life. She make me feel appreciated and loved that no one has ever does for me. Everyone saw me as a monster. But not her." Li Zhao sincerely said. His face is completely bare but he did not feel insecure because he has accepted himself.

The emperor stumbled onto his bed hearing the cruel truth. He couldn't believe that the Empress did that to Li Zhao.

"This son knows that even if I find the evidence about empress's crime, you won't be able to abandon her. Just like every single time, you will look away again and again." Li Zhao look straight into his father's eyes.

"This useless father is very sorry. I'm so sorry for everything that happened to you. I didn't know that you were suffering. This is all because of me!" The emperor blame himself for letting this happen. His eyes filled with tears. He is the one who ruin his son's life. But he couldn't abandon the empress as she had a huge back up from her maiden family.

"Xu Ling Ai did nothing wrong other than trying to cure me. And you know how much she meant to me. I am willing to sacrifice everything just to keep her safe. She is my princess consort and no one can touch her. I will destroy empress Yi by myself if even a strand of Xu Ling Ai's hair was touched." With that being said, Li Zhao left the room with his bare face. He no longer want to hide himself. People always regard him as a monster, then he will show them how insane he could be if anything happen to Xu Ling Ai.

I am very grateful for all the kind messages of y'all wishing me. Thank you so much! 😭❤️

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