Thanks to the incident in the Imperial Ancestral Hall, Prime Minister Ruan’s faction suffered a huge loss. As many of their trusted officials were imprisoned because of this incident, the Crown Prince took advantage of the vacant spots to be replaced by his men. That day, the request was immediately approved by the Emperor, so it didn’t give the Ruan family any time to react at all.

The Marquis of Wu’an also rejected the proposal of marriage between the Ruan family because of this matter. Before the Snow Poetry Banquet began, he had already sent his daughter Wei Luochun out of the capital overnight to return to her hometown in Yuanzhou. Obviously, he was worried that the Ruan family might pull some strings to get the two together.

It wasn’t that she should let go, but she had no other choice but to let go.

Noble Consort Ruan was sitting on the edge of the bed, and after an unknown amount of time, she suddenly knelt down in front of Lin Feilu.

Lin Feilu tried to run away, but Noble Consort Ruan jumped up and grabbed the hems of her skirt, crying bitterly, “Fifth Princess! Little Fifth Princess, I know that you have a good relationship with my Ting Er. Please save him, save my Ting Er…”

The woman in front of her was no longer the arrogant and noble woman she used to be. The struggle for succession over the years would undoubtably also be a form of torture to her. But now, Lin Ting’s suicide had finally become the last straw thatmade her break down.

“Even if I let go now, even if the Ruan family lets go, the Crown Prince will not let him go. The Ruan family can retire and the Prime Minister can return home to his hometown, but Ting Er has nowhere to go. He is King Qi and is also the Eldest Imperial Prince of the Emperor. There is going to be a day where the Crown Prince would feel threatened by his position and wouldn’t bother to leave a speck of mercy for him…”

The rivalry between the two factions was more than a life-and-death feud.

Lin Ting knew that his death was the only way to stop this battle for succession, which meant that the Crown Prince was not unaware of that conclusion either.

As long as one was around, the other would not ever stop scheming against each other.

Lin Feilu wondered if there was still a trace of friendship for his Eldest Imperial Brother in Lin Qing’s heart today.

But…

She pulled her skirt back from Noble Consort Ruan’s hand and looked at Lin Ting on the bed. She was answering her, but it was also a promise to herself, “As long as I’m here, I will never let my Eldest Imperial Brother face any troubles.”

There was no news stating that Lin Ting committed suicide by taking poison. Instead, it was only said that he was seriously ill. Previously, the Ruan Prime Minister’s faction was already sluggish. It became even worse after hearing this news as some people secretly joined the Crown Prince’s faction.

Lin Feilu didn’t return to the palace as she stayed in the King Qi residence.

The first person who came to visit was Lin Nianzhi, as she lived outside the palace. She arrived early the next day and happened to have a face-to-face encounter with Noble Consort Ruan. With the state of the Noble Consort, who had a messed up appearance when it came to her makeup and hair, Lin Nianzhi couldn’t recognize her upon the first look.

In the afternoon, Lin Jingyuan and Lin Jiwen also came. Seeing the serious look on the imperial doctor’s face, the two didn’t try to bother them. They only glanced from a distance outside the doors and sat silently in the courtyard.