Returning after a three-year escape from death, the tyrant has turned evil.

Chapter 43 Human Skin Mask
Song Yi washed his hands and returned to the Golden Palace.

Jiang Lanye had just gone to court and would be back in a while when Song Yi walked in without warning. He saw Consort Su standing in front of the incense burner and was about to make a move when she heard Song Yi's footsteps. Startled, she withdrew her hand and turned around abruptly.

Song Yi glanced at her strangely, then froze.

Her gaze fell on a strange place.

Unaware of anything amiss, Su Meiren continued to glare at Song Yi warily.

Song Yi moved her lips, but couldn't utter a single word.

She seemed to know why Su Meiren's face looked exactly like hers.

There was a strange protrusion where her face met her neck, and the color of it was different from that of her neck.

It seems that Su Meiren is wearing a mask.

Su Meiren belatedly realized something, and suddenly raised her hand to quickly push the thing sticking out of her neck back down.

Song Yi looked away.

Su Meiren's face was gloomy as she stared straight at her and asked, "What did you just see?"

Her eyes were terrifying, as if she wanted to kill Song Yi outright.

Song Yi gave a vague answer: "I didn't see anything, I was just surprised that my sister was standing in front of this incense burner."

Just now, Su Meiren stuffed the powdered medicine back into her sleeve, and upon hearing this, she said in a low voice, "I was just taking a look casually."

After saying that, she quickly walked out.

As they brushed past each other, Song Yi looked up and glanced at the very obvious parting line on Song Yi's neck.

After she left, Song Yi's knees went weak and she almost couldn't stand up.

There really are masks in this world. And they can be made so realistically that once you put one on, you can't tell at all.

Who made this dough?
Inside Yongfu Palace.

Consort Su hurried inside and saw the Empress Dowager. She immediately said, "Your Majesty, something terrible has happened! When I entered the Golden Palace just now, I didn't notice that my mask wasn't on properly today. Judging from the look in Consort Song's eyes, she seems to have noticed."

"what?!"

The Empress Dowager immediately glared at her displeasedly and said sternly, "This thing is rare to begin with. I went to great lengths to have someone make such a realistic mask for you, and you have really disappointed me."

Consort Su immediately knelt on the ground and cried, "Empress Dowager, I didn't mean it! What should we do now? Will Consort Song tell His Majesty about this?"

The Empress Dowager said unhappily, "My original idea was to shift His Majesty's attention to you, so that Consort Song would naturally fall out of favor. Such a person who does not know etiquette should not stay by His Majesty's side in the first place."

"But now, seeing that you're about to ruin everything, even though I initially didn't want to become enemies with His Majesty, I have no choice but to do so."

Her voice was icy as she said softly, "Song Cainu cannot be allowed to live. We might as well just kill her. It will save us from having her in the harem all this time, as she is a nuisance to me."

The Empress Dowager recalled that day at Yongfu Palace, when she had only punished Song Yi by making her kneel for half an hour, but Song Yi pretended not to kneel anymore and even talked back to her.

Jiang Lanye knew perfectly well that she was being disrespectful, yet he still dared to protect her.

The Empress Dowager's dignity had never been challenged like this before, and seeing Song Yi clinging to Jiang Lanye every day only fueled her anger.

Su Meiren was startled, "Kill him? How do you want to kill him?"

The Empress Dowager gave her a deep look and said, "The longer we wait, the more things might go wrong. Why not take action tonight? Go over there and distract His Majesty. If he does tell His Majesty about you wearing a mask, you should be quick-witted. I don't believe any of them would actually peel your face off themselves."

".yes."

Today, after the morning court session, Jiang Lanye has been summoning ministers and has not had a chance to return to the Golden Palace to review memorials.

Song Yi spent half a day lost in thought, his mind filled with the strange features on Su Meiren's neck.

She hesitated, wondering whether she should tell Jiang Lanye about it.

She was about to leave. She had thought that if Consort Su really looked exactly like her, perhaps Consort Su staying in the palace would be a comfort to Jiang Lanye.

She recalled Jiang Lanye's expression when he first met Su Meiren, and her hesitation deepened. Su Meiren had woven a beautiful dream for him, but she had discovered it was an illusion. Should she shatter it?
She had never been so eager to see Jiang Lanye, but ever since Jiang Lanye said he was busy with political affairs these past two days, Song Yi had been unable to find an opportunity to speak with him.

Finally, just as the sun was about to set, Jiang Lanye returned.

Song Yi hurriedly went to greet him.

"Your Majesty, you've worked hard."

Jiang Lanye glanced at her and immediately noticed her hesitation, asking, "Speak, what is it?"

"I saw Consort Su today, and suddenly I noticed that she..."

"The Queen Mother has arrived—"

Just then, the Empress Dowager arrived.

Song Yi was interrupted. She grabbed Jiang Lanye's arm, wanting to continue, "Su Meiren's face is fake."

"His Majesty."

The Empress Dowager's voice rang out.

Jiang Lanye heard the last words Song Yi blurted out, and when he saw the Empress Dowager arrive, he nodded slightly: "Empress Dowager."

Su Meiren followed closely behind.

Her face mask was so exquisitely made that it was impossible to tell it was fake.

Jiang Lanye squinted at it for a moment, then looked at Song Yi with a questioning gaze, asking what he meant by that.

After all, he hadn't yet seen Su Meiren's true colors revealed.

Song Yi looked at the Empress Dowager's dignified face and hesitated for a moment.

Perhaps after she leaves, this world will cease to exist at all.

These people are just fictional characters; because she transmigrated to this world, the past three years seem to have existed.

But all of this was just a fabricated world built for her alone.

What she should care about most right now is that she only has two more days until she can escape this world.

As for whether Su Meiren's face is real or fake, that's none of my business.

The Empress Dowager glanced at Song Yi and said in a deep voice, "I have something to say to His Majesty. You may leave now."

Song Yi didn't want to see the Empress Dowager either, but seeing that Jiang Lanye acquiesced, he then walked out.

It was getting dark, and she prepared to go back to take a bath and check the bamboo grove one last time to make sure she hadn't missed anything.

Seeing Song Yi obediently leave, Su Meiren lowered her eyelids, a cold glint flashing in her eyes.

Jiang Lanye was unusually tired today and didn't want to say much to the Empress Dowager, so he asked directly, "What is it, Mother?"

at this time.

As Song Yi walked to the outside of Yingchun Palace and was about to push open the door, he suddenly felt a light breeze behind him.

"Who?"

She turned her head warily and looked around, but there was no one there.

She quickly pushed the door open, and as soon as she took a step, her pupils constricted instantly upon seeing the person inside.

Two guards suddenly stepped forward and covered her mouth and nose with handkerchiefs.

"Xichun."

Her cries went unanswered. Before she lost consciousness, she vaguely saw Xichun and the other palace maids lying in the courtyard.

(End of this chapter)