[This is so intense (wide-eyed), did Jiang Yan poison him to save Ruan Qiu?]

[Back in the Imperial Hospital, when Jiang Yan took Ruan Qiu’s clothes from the young boy for the poison, I thought he wanted the old physician to develop an antidote. I never expected this.]

[People can be deceiving. Jiang Yan, with his thick eyebrows and big eyes, actually used poison.]

[I never thought Jiang Yan would have such a dark persona. Wasn’t he the sunny, gentle guy before??]

[This is so thrilling. I’m shipping the seemingly sunny but actually dark Crown Prince x the seemingly weak but actually strong Eunuch Ruan!]

[Jiang Yan has finally stood up. The love triangle is complete. Yay! (shipped to chaos)]

Ye Xingyu, who had been silently standing behind the Fourth Prince, was speechless.

He looked at Bai Jinyao, who had defected to the other side, then at Jiang Yan, who had just betrayed his ally, and suddenly felt completely out of place in this world.

Ye Xingyu: Am I the only normal person in this world?

He looked down at his own female disguise and numbly thought: Oh, I guess I’m not so normal either. No, it’s this variety show that’s not normal at all!!

As the Fourth Prince suddenly collapsed, the rebel soldiers in the hall were left leaderless. They stood still for a moment, contemplating sending the Fourth Prince to the Imperial Hospital. But just as they took a few steps forward, a loud bang echoed through the hall.

Everyone turned to look at the door.

After another loud bang, the locked doors of the hall were forcibly opened. The commander of the Imperial Guards, along with his soldiers, flooded into the hall. Their expressions were solemn, and they wielded long swords. The sound of their synchronized footsteps was imposing, and they quickly reached the group.

The commander lifted the edge of his robe and half-knelt before Xue Wu, cupping his hands and bowing his head, “Your Majesty, I apologize for the late rescue. Please punish me.”

The rebels: Oh, no.

Head Director: Don’t panic, it’s not over yet.

[This moment needs background music.]

[Wait, I’m confused. Where did the Imperial Guards come from??]

[To the commenter above, check out Xue Wu and Ruan Qiu’s livestream. They had already arranged this at the Imperial Hospital. Impressive (thumbs up).]

[The Imperial Guards did arrive very late. If it weren’t for Ruan Qiu holding them up, the Fourth Prince would have already put Jiang Yan on the throne.]

[In one sentence, Sister Ruan is awesome!]

In the livestream, the remaining armed guards lowered their weapons and were taken to the prison by the Imperial Guards. The “dead” extras were carried out, along with the unconscious Fourth Prince, while the injured ministers were sent to the Imperial Hospital.

The tense atmosphere in the hall gradually relaxed. The commander of the Imperial Guards quietly approached Ruan Qiu and whispered to her, “Eunuch Ruan, are we still going to take the throne?”

[I totally forgot about that!]

[Ruan Qiu won’t agree, right? Please don’t!]

[But I actually kind of want to see Ruan Qiu ascend the throne and become the Empress, surrounded by admirers, hehe.]

[My thoughts are becoming dangerous (evil grin).]

Amid the lively barrage of comments from viewers, Ruan Qiu firmly shook her head. She patted the commander’s shoulder and kindly said, “Young man, don’t always think about stealing the throne. The throne isn’t something for ordinary people. Living is what’s most important, understand?”

Being an Emperor was far too dangerous. Everyone wanted to sit on the throne, and rebellions could happen at any moment. Sitting on the dragon throne might as well be sitting on a burning seat. Those who could become emperors were never significant figures. Compared to that, her position as the chief eunuch was far more secure. Once it was safe, she planned to resign and retire to the countryside to farm.

Sge cherished life and wanted to stay away from the throne. Whoever wanted to be Emperor could have it—she certainly didn’t want it.

Ruan Qiu instructed the commander of the Imperial Guards to continue cleaning up the aftermath. Xue Wu walked over to her, and on the other side, Jiang Yan couldn’t help but walk towards her as well. Both arrived in front of Ruan Qiu almost simultaneously, exchanged a glance, and then both asked, “Are you hurt?”

Ruan Qiu shook her head, “No, I’m fine.”

Some fake blood from the extras had splattered on her during the chaos, but her deep red clothes made it less noticeable. The only thing that looked somewhat alarming was the blade of her sword.

Xue Wu gently said, “It’s all over now. Let me accompany you to change your clothes.”

Jiang Yan followed quickly, “Let me take you to the Imperial Hospital. I saw one of the armed guards hit your wrist earlier.”

Qi Yingying, who was standing behind Ruan Qiu, sensed the tension between them and quietly stepped back, not daring to get involved in their brewing showdown.

Not far away, Qin Shuangyu silently cheered for Xue Wu. She was a steadfast supporter of the Xue Wu and Ruan Qiu pairing!

[Hehe, fight, fight!]

[Ruan Qiu didn’t usurp the throne, so she must still be on Xue Wu’s side.]

[A domineering Emperor with a hidden dark side, a deeply affectionate Crown Prince, and Eunuch Ruan, why not enjoy the best of both worlds? I love this!]

[But Xue Wu didn’t really help Ruan Qiu much in this whole situation; it was always Ruan Qiu helping him. I don’t like that. Jiang Yan, on the other hand, poisoned the Fourth Prince, saving everyone. He genuinely cares for Ruan Qiu. This time, I’m rooting for him.]

[Drama, my favorite! Let’s see who Ruan Qiu will choose!]

Amid the viewers’ excited comments, Ruan Qiu didn’t feel the tense atmosphere. She didn’t accept either man’s invitation and declined them both openly, saying, “The real Imperial Decree hasn’t been found yet. I want to wait until everything is settled before I rest.”

As long as the real decree remained unfound, others would continue to emerge with ambitions to seize the throne. To eliminate this threat permanently, Ruan Qiu decided to resolve this issue first.

She gripped her sword and turned to leave, ready to finish the job.