Reborn, the daughter of the Marquisate went crazy

Emperor Yingtian stared coldly at the frantic Queen Mother with a glare as sharp as a torch. His voice was eerily calm: "So, this is the reason why Queen Mother is making such a scene today?"

He narrowed his eyes slightly, a trace of confusion flashing across his brows. "But I don't understand. For the past ten years, Queen Mother and the Meng family have been in cahoots with each other, working hand in glove. Why is she suddenly going after the Meng family?"

The Queen Mother stroked her wrinkled cheek with her skinny fingers and suddenly laughed nervously: "To repent... to avenge Yao... to get her forgiveness..." She spoke incoherently, with a crazy light in her eyes.

Without waiting for Emperor Yingtian's response, the Queen Mother suddenly stumbled towards the bronze mirror. Her trembling fingers traced the mirror's surface, muttering to herself, "I have repented... I intend to avenge the Yao family... The medicine should be working by now..."

However, the reflection in the mirror still showed an old, haggard face, even more haggard due to the shock of last night. The Queen Mother's eyes suddenly widened and she let out a heartbreaking howl: "How could it not work! How could it be!"

She turned around abruptly, a flash of enlightenment suddenly flashing in her cloudy eyes: "Yes... Yes... Yao must know that you are insincere to her..."

She pointed at Emperor Ying Tian, ​​her voice piercing and sharp: "If you don't want to avenge her... it's useless to confess to you! I... I should go to Chu Yuncang to confess..."

Before she finished speaking, she suddenly screamed outside the hall: "Someone come! Someone come quickly!"

"Mother, you're crazy!" Emperor Yingtian's face suddenly darkened, a cold glint flashing in his eyes. He clapped his hands lightly, and a dark shadow flashed from the shadows in the corner of the hall like a ghost.

"Knock her out!" Emperor Yingtian's voice was cold as ice, without any emotion.

The shadow guard moved like lightning, and in an instant he was behind the Queen Mother. He raised his hand and struck the back of the Queen Mother's neck with a precise knife.

The Queen Mother's frantic cries came to an abrupt end, and her body slumped backward. The shadow guard moved slightly, catching the Queen Mother's limp form and gently placing her on the phoenix couch.

"Go investigate what's going on," Emperor Yingtian ordered coldly, a chill etched between his brows. The shadow guard bowed silently and vanished into the shadows of the palace in an instant.

Silence returned to the hall. Emperor Yingtian rubbed his brows in frustration, pressing his knuckles hard against his temples. A sense of loss of control washed over him like a tide. The undercurrents in the court, the treacherous affairs within the palace—everything seemed on the brink of collapse, ready to fall apart at any moment.

He took a deep breath, his gaze fixed on the tightly closed palace door. The Wanshou Festival was approaching, and all nations would come to pay tribute. This would be his final glorious moment as king, and the perfect opportunity to escape unscathed.

"It's time to let go..." Emperor Yingtian clenched his fists, a flicker of determination in his eyes. But for the crown prince, would he choose the calm and composed Cang'er? The virtuous Third Brother? Or the recently rising Xiaoliu?

As he was pondering, a shadow guard flashed in like a ghost and knelt on one knee. "Master, we've investigated. The Queen Mother has been recruiting alchemists to restore her youth. Yesterday, a man named 'Hopeless Young Master' presented the Queen Mother with a pill, and after taking it, she became like this."

"Young Master Wuwang?" Emperor Yingtian's eyes suddenly turned cold. "What an audacious charlatan! How dare you plot against the royal family!"

The shadow guard bowed slightly and lowered his voice to a whisper, "This man is a miraculous doctor from the Miaoxin Hall in the capital. He has superb medical skills and is quite famous among the people. If we deal with him rashly, I'm afraid it will arouse public outrage..."

Emperor Yingtian pursed his lips, remembering the public outcry sparked by the Xuanjing Temple incident. A flicker of fear flashed in his eyes. He said in a deep voice, "Let's keep this in mind for now. We'll find a reason to deal with it later."

The shadow guard accepted the order silently, his figure as black as ink dissolving into the shadows in the hall.

Emperor Yingtian turned his gaze to the Queen Mother, who lay unconscious on the phoenix couch, his brow furrowed. If Cang'er knew the truth of that year, the consequences would be disastrous... A cold glint flashed in his eyes, and he suddenly shouted, "Someone come!"

The palace door opened slightly, and the palace servants filed in and knelt on the ground to obey orders.

Emperor Yingtian said in a stern voice, "The Empress Dowager is in poor health and needs to rest in the Cining Palace. From today on, the palace gates will be closed. No one is allowed to enter or leave. All palace servants will serve behind closed doors."

The palace maids were horrified. This clearly meant that the Empress Dowager and the entire Cining Palace would be imprisoned! But no one dared to speak out, and they could only respond in unison: "Your servants obey your order."

Emperor Yingtian slowly rose, his bright yellow dragon robe gleaming with a dazzling golden glow in the morning light. He cast one last glance at the empress dowager, who lay unconscious on the phoenix couch, then turned and left.

The heavy palace door slowly closed behind him with a dull sound...

……

Since being stopped outside the palace gates that day, Xie Qingli never received an imperial decree to enter the palace again. Even the Cining Palace never summoned her for medical consultations again. Later, she heard that the Empress Dowager was seriously ill and the Emperor had ordered the entire Cining Palace to be sealed off.

Chu Yuncang had tried many times to plant spies in Jinxiu Palace, but this seemingly ordinary palace was extremely heavily guarded. After many twists and turns, he was only able to insert a palace servant who could sweep the courtyard and could not even touch the edge of the inner palace.

The origins of the mysterious old maid were even more shrouded in mystery. Everyone in the palace called her "Madame Liu," and she had been by Concubine Li's side ever since she entered the palace, protecting her so closely that no one could even get close. Xie Qingli secretly investigated for days but couldn't even discover Madame Liu's real name.

Seeing their clues exhausted, Xie Qingli and the others had to seek another solution. Coincidentally, after the Lunar New Year holiday, the Sixth Prince had recovered from his illness and returned to his study. After discussion, the group decided to send a clever child to approach the Sixth Prince. Zou Xiaojiu volunteered, posing as the grandson of Old Master Yao and infiltrating the area as a study companion.

Although Xie Qingli didn't say it out loud, she was worried. Zou Xiaojiu was only a child, but he was going to venture into such a dangerous place alone. Every time she thought about it, she felt anxious.

Time flies, the first month of the year has passed, and spring is approaching.

To welcome the Wanshou Festival, Emperor Yingtian, despite the empty treasury, ordered a major renovation of the palace and streets. Vermilion lacquered and gold-painted archways were erected one after another, and the bluestone roads were paved as smooth as a mirror.

The houses that had collapsed under the heavy snow and the refugees who had frozen to death on the roadside seemed to have melted away along with the ice and snow, leaving no trace of them.

With only half a month left before the Wanshou Festival, the Nanjing embassy arrived in Beijing. This time, it was led by Xiao Yan, the Nanjing Crown Prince, a man rumored to be of exceptional beauty, known as the "Jade-faced Young Master."

On the day the envoys entered the city, the capital was completely deserted. Suzaku Street was packed with people, and the common people stood on tiptoe, eager to catch a glimpse of this foreign prince.

Xie Qingli hid behind the carved window lattice on the second floor of Tingyu Tower, his eyes following the Nanjing ceremonial procession slowly approaching in the distance, as if he was lost in thought.

Han Jue stood quietly beside Xie Qingli. The scar on his face had already grown new, pale pink flesh, though the color was still uneven and would need time to heal. He stared intently at the elegant procession outside the window, his knuckles clenched white, his eyes brimming with hatred and pain that was difficult to conceal.

As the procession drew near, the people along the road erupted in exclamations. Inside the golden carriage sat a handsome man. He wore a moon-white brocade robe with cloud patterns, his hair tied with a jade crown. His features were picturesque yet heroic, and his every gesture exuded the majesty of a crown prince.

Xie Qingli frowned slightly. This person gave her an inexplicable sense of familiarity, but she couldn't remember where she had seen him before...