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On August 20, Prince Heng was brought into jail, stripped of his title, and forced to wait for his impending judgment.

In three days, the imperial guards were like thunder strikes and gloomy clouds, endlessly pouring out of the red palace doors like floodwater, into the residences of the noble families in Pandu. Their forces infiltrated everywhere to catch the accomplices and faction members.

Meanwhile, in the palace, Zhan Nancheng continuously sent orders in a flurry to clean the army and organizations that Zhan Beiheng had access to when he was in power. As for those who used to label themselves as Zhan Beiheng's faction or those who were very close to him, none of them were able to escape. Pandu was engulfed in a fearful atmosphere, causing the people in the city to live with worry.

This case sent ripples of shock throughout Pandu. Zhan Beiheng used to have over 3,000 visitors, and he committed many kind deeds. Hence, some people tried to vouch for his innocence. However, when an official in the court tried to bring this up, Zhan Nancheng smirked and threw down a bunch of objects. There were restricted items, imperial tributes meant for the palace, and a wooden doll carved with the birth details of the Crown Prince.

A big case on witchcraft, Guchong!

Silence fell upon the officials, and they broke out in cold sweat as they retreated. Cases related to Guchong had always been taboo in past dynasties, and the royal family especially avoided witchcraft at all costs. Once a person was found guilty of utilizing it, death was the only possible punishment, and no mercy should be shown.

A thought drifted in their minds.

'Prince Heng, was done for!'

There was no prior news about this case, and even Prince Heng was not prepared at all. In an instant, he was jailed, and all his confidantes were either executed or replaced. During the years that he was in the city, though he was only the acting leader of many affairs, the number of his faction's people being strategically placed in various organizations was not little, and all of them were not spared. However, most shockingly, Captain Meng - who was the closest to him and even had a concubine who was once his - was the only one who was not implicated. Still taking on the role of Captain steadily and safely, there were even signs of her gaining greater favor. It was not just a rarity, but a miracle.

According to rumors, when the case was revealed, some people petitioned about Meng Fuyao being to close with Zhan Beiheng and not being loyal to the Emperor. However, they were all placed on hold by Zhan Nencheng. As he read the petitions and carefully went through the entire case in his mind, he felt that there was no way Meng Fuyao could be involved. She wouldn't have accepted the ninth wife if not for him instructing Zhan Beiheng to bestow her. When he went to her residence, it was an impromptu decision that no one knew beforehand. During the dance party, Meng Fuyao invited him to rest in the inner room numerous times and had no intention to let him overhear the conversation in the garden. They were all coincidences. How could anyone be so shrewd as to plan every coincidence without any mistake at all?

After much thinking, Zhan Nancheng could not bring himself to believe that a person like Meng Fuyao could have formulated such a dangerous master plan which spanned such a long duration. As such, Meng Fuyao continued to live her stable life, being the sociable captain that she was. She continued to waste her days in the camp while figuring out how to harm people at night.

Meanwhile, as it was in late August, rainfalls and dark clouds were a common sight. The Heaven Demon court was engulfed in a similarly gloomy atmosphere, and there were successive orders, food, and soldiers sent to River Qi, but in the face of the massive Black Dragon army, they were all in vain. The court's army was extremely vulnerable, and they became more and more fearful after each defeat. Once the enemies crossed the River Qi, there would be no other cities to defend Heaven Demon from the Black Dragon army. The whole of Heaven Demon would be exposed to the enemy!

On the night of August 24th, the tension was high in Pandu, but Captain Meng's residence had a peaceful ambiance.

In her garden, Captain Meng was playing a game of self-made mahjong with the others. Losers would have to eat peanuts - but hands were not allowed.

Actually, Meng Fuyao wanted to see the handsome lads use their mouths to pick up the peanuts. How cute that would be… she grinned from ear to ear and shuffled the sets. 'I used to be a pro at this and used this to earn the pocket money of my dorm mates. You guys just wait to use your mouths to lick those peanuts in front of everyone…'

Yun Hen lost the first round and took out his sword. Meng Fuyao's face turned ashen. 'Ah, brother, if you don't want to embarrass yourself, just let me know. Weapons are not necessary, right?'

With a slash of his sword, the corner of the table that the peanut was placed on dropped, while the peanut bounced up and landed into his mouth.

During the second round, Zong Yue lost. The Mongolian doctor slowly looked at the peanut, then his sleeves shook, and… the peanut was gone.

The game was supposed to make the losers eat the peanut and not destroy it. Hence, Meng Fuyao was not willing to let him go. Zong Yue, however, smiled. ”This is the newest powder that disintegrates corpses. Next time, I'll let you have a try at it?”

After the third round, Zhangsun Wuji finally lost, and Meng Fuyao's eyes gleamed. ”No weapons and no medicine!”

Zhangsun Wuji nodded while smiling, seemingly willing to cooperate. With that reassurance, Meng Fuyao felt relieved that she could finally see the ungraceful side of the noble Crown Prince.

In the end, His Highness snapped his fingers, and the guinea pig who was squatting on the side immediately went to fetch the peanuts, sending them one by one into his mouth.

Gracefully, the Crown Prince chewed and nodded his head in approval. ”Very fragrant.”