Nobody, except from the Empress Dowager, Yung TianQi, Yi BangSul and the eunuch Xoi, have ever seen the Crown Prince with their own eyes. Not even the other servants of the Palace.

When the Empress gave birth, she only allowed two people in the room: Lani and Christophei. They too, naturally, had to see, but never again after birth.
So there is one secret that two more people know, but both of them would never reveal it, also because the Empress had been very clearly on what would happen to them then.

The Empress was always the one to take care of the Crown Prince the most, since birth. No nannies, no maids, no eunuchs beside Xoi and even he, only after a few years.
All the secrecy and mystery around the Prince have, naturally, created the typical conspiracy theory according to which the coming Emperor actually doesn't exist. Except that in this context it would almost make sense: without an heir, the Empress couldn't keep being the Regent.

The truth is, though, that there isn't a Crown Prince. Three twins were born, all shapeshifters, like their mother.
For their safety, the Empress Dowager decided to, at least for the moment, don't mention anything about the Princes. Only that one male Prince was born, but keeping the matter as quiet and vague as possible.
As soon as the children were old enough, she taught them their powers and imposed them to never reveal their true appearance. Not even Qi, Xoi and BangSul know what they really look like, but those with special powers could still have ways to always tell when they are in front of them, like BangSul through their scent.

The Empress isn't sure yet what to do and what would be the safest move for the children, but she is evaluating the option that they could all rule together as one. That would save them from dangers like getting rid of each others for the throne. All she wants is her children to be safe and have long lives, but in the years she learnt a lot of the Palace dynamics and how the nobles think, so she doesn't want to take any chances.

The Empress, on the little outside sources that could be obtained, gathers the armies and sends them to literally erase that entire eerie location off of the face of Fengshii. Obviously she can't know that the deed could have serious repercussions and that there is clearly something powerful and dangerous at work in there.
After all, there is something there that no just can efficiently restrain light, but can also slow time down. This certainly doesn't ring a bell in a woman who has only been taught how to be a good royal wife, nor it ticks the mind of people who can only think about destroying anything connected to what made them lose the people they valued the most.
The Empress, though, knows what effects this action will bring, inside the Empire: a pretty widespread consent around her, by the many revenge-thirsty nobles all over the country.

250.000 men, led by BangSul and accompanied by Hoseok and other personalities of power, march to the place with the idea of burning, destroying and killing every single thing until there will be nothing left but a pile of ashes on an infertile ground.
Pointless are the attempts of the likes of Mortimer, to try to reason the mob into not destroying a place of historical and natural importance just out of the assumption that some remnants of an ancient civilization COULD BE responsible of those deaths.

The army enters the forest and is at least considerate enough to not set it aflame while being still inside of it and risking to all die from the flames and fumes, but that doesn't change the destructive power of so many violent and revengeful men.
One thing that bothers BangSul even more is the fact that he can clearly distinguish WonPil's scent and he actually follows it, together with the men at his command.

It doesn't pass too long before they find themselves in front of WonPil, wearing his cloth, mask included, who is not alone. With him is a female. Just lying their eyes upon her, every single auriold or auriold-based creature get a feeling of uneasiness. She makes their skin crawl. Her elongated head, flat face, longer limbs and huge eyes make her closely resemble other humanoids, but in an ungraceful way that still makes it evident she is not one of them.
The only immune people to the effect are zimox, nimox, humans, pure blood kitsune and creatures from other worlds, with no auriold DNA in them.
The feelings she gives makes soldiers and avatars even more aggressive.
The female raises a wooden bow and arrows, looking hesitant as of where she should aim first.

BangSul, at the peak of anger, attacks WonPil without asking for explanations. Whether possessed or willing, the fact that after intercepting and stopping him from returning to that forest a first time, he still escaped from being locked up in Hoseok's manor by them and returned there nonetheless, makes him want to kill him. If not for else, because of his recklessness, that risks to lead to even more deaths.
While he violently aggresses WonPil, though, the female starts to shoot arrows at BangSul. It's just sharpened wooden sticks, they are far from strong enough to damage the Avatar of Nature, but they sure annoy him.

BangSul leaves WonPil on the ground and summons his spear, that he throws at the female. At the same time, Hoseok had thrown one of his daggers at her, to protect BangSul from her attacks.
In the fraction of a second, spear and dagger hit… WonPil, who had leaped towards the female, just in time to shield her from those deadly weapons.
As the spear and dagger pierce through it, at the same time, WonPil's cloth literally shatters into dust, beyond any possibility of repair, vanishing.
Two divine weapons together are too powerful, even for a silver cloth, especially one that is mostly vulnerable to physical damage and excels in protection against magic.
WonPil gets deeply wounded by both weapons, but sadly they don't kill him. Bad weed never dies.
It follows a moment of stun, especially by the two Avatars who didn't really expect that outcome.
Hoseok looks totally troubled and in the middle of an inner conflict, that he is losing and making him fall apart.

Meanwhile, Lani and his kid(s) - depending on whether Mei stands on their side or not - arrive and step forward, placing themselves between the army and WonPil. Lani, as well as Mort and probably some other more progressive Knights - or those who didn't suffer major losses - didn't approve the idea of wiping a whole civilization out of revenge.

He spends his share of the reward too fast, faster than he would have wanted. He spends it in tasty food, nice clothes and cute stuff that he keeps well hidden but is kinda obsessed with.

Since he doesn't want his family to know he was so selfish with all that money on himself for useless things, he tries to solve the issue by earning back as fast as possible. How? One of the many Gallagher's ways! Begging in the streets.
He knows how to look pitiful and melt the heart of some kind of people, the problem is, though, that the men of the Emperor are always out there, monitoring the situation.

Since he totally looks like the typical guy kicked out of home, he is approached by some palace guards who start to question him. As to save himself, he confirms that he was indeed kicked out of home due to being gay and… he gets taken to the Palace, no matter how he begs them not to. He is not very convincing when he says he lives just great there!!

Now he is stuck in there and he has no way to contact his family, but there have been plenty of witnesses who saw him being taken away.

Threat and bribe after threat and bribe, he manages to get a path to follow regarding the disappeared prince: a very suspicious looking water maid, leaving the city together with a girl.
People weren't able to tell the name or family the girl belonged to, but Jin and his men managed to get an identikit of WonMin. And since she is the first and only clue they have, soon enough her face appears in a bunch of posters all over the city, wanting her alive and to be brought straight to Jin.

That same evening, at the Palace, there was a lot of ruckus, as the dead maid was found. Naturally it needs to be known who did such thing and why, it can't just be ignored.
The Imperial Family is summoned and gather in the throne room, while the sangseon question the servants, in case it was another of them to do that.
Consort Wung is among the first to arrive and she immediately tries to blame Jin of it, saying that the maid stayed behind to be questioned by the Prince, while she headed back to her quarters on her own. It was her plan since the beginning and since she was quite close to that maid, who was loyal only to her, Jeonha doesn't really suspect her at first. Almost nobody.

When Jin too arrives, it starts the usual mess where the two get to fight each others. But since he knows what they talked about, unlike most of the others, he totally suspects it was her to kill the maid. "Did she hear something she wasn't supposed to, by any chance?"
"You mean the atrocious lies you tried to use to threaten me? Did you try to convince her to turn against me but failed? Is that why you took her innocent life?"
"I don't need to corrupt a maid, to bring up the truth. I just needs some words. Do you want me to say them?"
"Don't you dare!" she shouts, growling. "Prince! Don't you dare to repeat those lies in front of your abamama!"
"Why, if they are lies, they disturb you so much, Consort Wung?"
"Because they are despicable, just as much as you! Is there anything you wouldn't do to have the throne all for yourself?"
"I should stand still and watch you try to put the son of who knows who on that throne, then?"

General freeze moment. But it gets interrupted by the arrival of the Sangseon. "The 5th Prince is missing, his servants just sent the report!" says Ryuke, panting for the run. "Due to the investigations, the report didn't reach us timely..."
"The guards of the northern gate report that the 5th Prince tried to leave the palace from there. They sent notice he was dirty of blood", adds Norihiko. "And in a state of panic."

Jin looks at Consort Wung, keeping a rather emotionless expression, although enjoying this turn of events. "Will you keep it up, even now? Will you let the 5th Prince take the blame?"
Since the guards never reported the Prince leaving the Palace, everyone is sent to find him, trusting he must be hiding somewhere there.