[I was laughing at Ye Xingyu dressing as a woman at first, but it turns out he’s the biggest winner, surviving alone? The clown is actually me?]

[Oh my goodness, Ruan Qiu and Qi Yingying are about to clash with the Fourth Prince!]

Just as Ruan Qiu and Qi Yingying had walked a short distance, they ran into the Fourth Prince and his entourage heading towards the main hall.

Ruan Qiu, accompanied by the young eunuch, had only three people on her side, while facing a large group of people on the other side. Qi Yingying instinctively hid behind Ruan Qiu, cautiously eyeing Bai Jinyao and the others on the opposite side.

The Fourth Prince, upon seeing Ruan Qiu, paused for a moment, then laughed and asked Ruan Qiu, “Lord Ruan, why isn’t the Emperor by your side?”

“The Emperor’s whereabouts are none of your concern,” Ruan Qiu stood upright, hands in her sleeves, calmly responding to the Fourth Prince. “I advise Your Highness to abandon any improper thoughts and voluntarily leave the Imperial City, never to return for the rest of your life. That’s what Your Highness should do.”

The Fourth Prince chuckled instead of getting angry. “Lord Ruan, do you know that the decree of succession from the late Emperor is currently in my hands?”

“The Crown Prince is here,” the Fourth Prince pointed to Jiang Yan behind him, saying to Ruan Qiu, “The Crown Prince is the legitimate successor, the Emperor of our Great Zhou. Lord Ruan, dare you obstruct?”

Ruan Qiu, still with her hands in her sleeves, replied leisurely, “Who knows if the decree is genuine?”

The Fourth Prince laughed, “Lord Ruan, do you think I would dare to forge the late Emperor’s decree? This decree was voluntarily handed to me by Yuan Xiang after the assassination attempt. Xue Wu has been a fake Emperor for so many years. Tonight, I’m just fixing the situation on behalf of Yuan Xiang!”

His words were full of errors and inconsistencies. Ruan Qiu chuckled lightly and said to him, “Is that so? Then why didn’t Yuan Xiang fix the situation himself before? Why did he remain loyal to the Emperor? It only proves that the legitimate heir in the decree is the Emperor, and your intentions are bad.”

“Yuan Xiang didn’t speak up before because of the Empress Dowager’s suppression, plus the Crown Prince hadn’t been found yet,” the Fourth Prince asserted confidently, “Now that the Crown Prince is back, the throne naturally belongs to him.”

Ruan Qiu wanted to say more to stall for time, but the Fourth Prince had already understood her intentions from the director’s instructions. He directly said to Ruan Qiu, “Since Lord Ruan doesn’t believe me, let’s go to the main hall now and let the ministers help determine the authenticity of the decree, shall we?”

“I hope Lord Ruan can understand that loyalty to a puppet Emperor is far inferior to loyalty to a legitimate ruler in power,” the Fourth Prince almost explicitly told Ruan Qiu, “Lord Ruan, if you want to continue being the chief eunuch, it’s best to make a decision early. Don’t keep me waiting too long, or I’ll have to replace you.”

With that, he strode forward with his entourage and entered the main hall.

Ruan Qiu stood silently by the roadside as Jiang Yan passed by. Unable to resist, he stopped and whispered to her, “Sister Ruan, come to our side.”

Otherwise, she’d be eliminated tonight.

He turned back and glanced at the Fourth Prince, who had already entered the main hall, then turned back to Ruan Qiu and continued, “Come over here, I’ll find a way to overthrow the Fourth Prince and become the Emperor myself. I’ll protect you.”

Qin Yingying, who was standing behind Ruan Qiu, slowly widened her eyes. She looked at Jiang Yan with a complicated expression, thinking Jiang Yan was really brave to dare to compete with Emperor Xue for someone’s affection.

[Guys, Jiang Yan stood up! He said to Ruan Qiu, “I’ll protect you!”]

[Jiang Yan is the first one to be in a CP with Ruan Qiu! My CP is finally alive again, woo!]

[In this situation, Ruan Qiu and Jiang Yan forming an alliance is the best choice. Otherwise, it’s really dangerous. Ruan Qiu, please agree]

Jiang Yan nervously clenched his fists, looking at Ruan Qiu’s beautiful face under the dim light, his heart beating slightly faster, waiting for Ruan Qiu’s response.

He knew his achievements in the entertainment industry were not as good as Xue Wu’s, but in this episode of the program, the identity he obtained was advantageous. He wouldn’t let opportunities like before slip away, where he couldn’t even get a chance to ask for Ruan Qiu’s contact information and could only watch her leave in Xue Wu’s car.

Ruan Qiu blinked and whispered back to him, “I’m sorry, Your Highness, I can’t promise you. I’ve already promised the Emperor to face the rebellion provoked by the Fourth Prince together with him.”

Jiang Yan’s heart sank a bit. He tried to conceal his sadness, but he had not undergone professional actor training. His performance was very poor; he couldn’t even maintain a basic smile. He said, “Okay, I understand.”

“Your Highness, please be careful,” Ruan Qiu looked at Jiang Yan gently and said, “The Fourth Prince is treacherous. Your Highness must not believe his sweet words.”

Jiang Yan felt like his plummeting heart was lifted by warm hands. He smiled again at Ruan Qiu and said, “Okay, I’ll remember that.”

[This pair is a passionate Crown Prince × a cold-hearted Eunuch, and the eunuch is loyal to another person. This love triangle is so exciting!]

The Xue-Ruan fans can breathe a sigh of relief. Emperor Xue’s status is unshakable indeed.]

[It’s so heartbreaking that Jiang Yan was the first to appear and spend time with Ruan Qiu in the kitchen, but Ruan Qiu made a promise to someone else first.]

[From the look on Ruan Qiu’s face, I don’t believe she has no feelings for Jiang Yan! I don’t believe it!]

In reality, from the first moment she saw Jiang Yan, Ruan Qiu had always felt that he resembled a teammate she once had in the Infinite World. That teammate was the youngest boy in their team, often teased by others until his face turned red. The expressions of Jiang Yan and that boy were so similar, making her unconsciously recall the warmth of cuddling together during those dark days.

But in the Infinite World, dangers lurked everywhere, and the boy couldn’t escape. He died in a dungeon with water ghosts, and Ruan Qiu couldn’t even find his remains. Perhaps out of transferred affection, Ruan Qiu didn’t want Jiang Yan to “die” and be eliminated from the program.

Jiang Yan also entered the main hall. Ruan Qiu watched as Bai Jinyao walked past her and suddenly spoke, “Leader Bai, is this the path you’ve chosen?”

Bai Jinyao paused in her steps. She turned to meet Ruan Qiu’s clear gaze, feeling inexplicably guilty. “I… I was originally His Highness the Crown Prince’s person.”

She felt a thin layer of sweat on her palm holding the sword. She opened her mouth to explain something, but felt that saying anything would be futile. She didn’t dare to look at Ruan Qiu’s expression and awkwardly turned away.