The widow becomes a fairy, and the time-traveling girl counterattacks and becomes the queen

"Ling'er, I've come to talk to you."

Zhao Guoan did not push her away, but slowly spoke, his voice filled with endless weariness: "Sit down first."

"No! Your Majesty, I confess! I admit to everything!"

Poisoning, plotting against the Crown Prince, Consort Li... it's all my fault!

But I did all this simply because I love you!

I just want to stand openly and honestly with you in the sunlight, as 'Liu Ling'er'!

I just used the wrong method… Your Majesty, please forgive me and give me another chance, okay?

She cried so hard that her face was streaked with tears, and I felt sorry for her, as if she had suffered a great injustice.

“Everything is irreversible.” Zhao Guoan shook her head slowly, but her tone was unusually firm.

"No matter what you have done to me personally, even if you once poisoned me, I may forgive you out of consideration for our past relationship."

But you should never have done anything that would harm the Great Xia Kingdom, and you should never have shaken the foundation of the Great Xia Kingdom!

Even worse… he was so heartless as to arrange for the Wa Lie Kingdom to attack the Great Xia! This has caused immense suffering and death on the border! This is treason! I will not forgive you!

"No! Your Majesty, you can't do this to me!" Yin Ling'er screamed, her face filled with despair.

"I came here to tell you something else." Ignoring her cries, Zhao Guoan continued, "I have written the edict of succession, ordering Crown Prince Zhao Haoxuan to ascend the throne immediately, and to appoint Wang Xinyao as Empress."

"No—!!!" Yin Ling'er screamed suddenly.

"Your Majesty! Li'er! Li'er is our biological son! You cannot give the throne to Zhao Haoxuan!"

You can't give the throne to that vile woman Yang Wanqing's son! It's all because of her that we can't be together openly and honestly!

"Li'er?" A flicker of pain crossed Zhao Guoan's eyes. "He told me himself that he was ashamed to have a mother like you."

He disdains sitting on this throne! I have already bestowed upon him the title of Prince of Pan, and he will soon depart for his fiefdom.

"To become a prince? No! I can't become a prince! If I become a prince, I'll never have a chance to ascend the throne again!" Yin Ling'er was acting like a madwoman.

Then, as if grasping at a last straw, she asked, "Then...where is Mei'er? Where is my Mei'er?"

“Mei’er?” Zhao Guoan let out a cold laugh that was hard to decipher: “Heh...when has she ever been in your eyes?”

You were crueler to her than to anyone else! You made her live in pain and torment every day! Yin Ling'er, you don't deserve to be a mother!

“I…” Yin Ling’er was speechless for a moment, her face turning deathly pale.

"I have already betrothed Mei'er to General Zhou Yunxi, the protector of the nation, and the marriage will take place after the Crown Prince ascends the throne."

Zhao Guoan picked up the wine pot and slowly poured the wine into two wine cups.

The amber-colored liquid shimmered faintly in the dim light.

"The biggest mistake I ever made in my life was falling in love with you."

All the sins you have committed, if traced back to their source, perhaps bear some responsibility on me. It is only right that I… personally end them.”

He pushed the wine glass towards Yin Ling'er: "There are two glasses of wine here, one poisoned and one not. You can choose first."

If you are lucky enough to drink the non-poisoned cup, you will then face the judgment of the new emperor.

If I were to drink the poisoned cup...

Even the heavens felt that loving you was a sin, and that I should atone for it with my death.

Therefore, I drink this wine, wishing that in the next life... I will never meet you again.

"No! Your Majesty! I don't want to die! And I don't want you to die either!" Yin Ling'er's eyes were filled with frantic resistance.

"I won't drink! I absolutely won't drink! In my next life, I still want to be your woman! In this life, the next life, and for all eternity, I will be entangled with you!"

Suddenly, a series of hurried footsteps and a commotion came from outside the Cold Palace.

A guard rushed over and reported urgently, "Your Highness! Something terrible has happened!"

News came from Commander Ye's side: the Red-Robed Holy Son suddenly appeared at the execution ground and stormed the execution site! The Madam and the others... are no match for him!

Upon hearing this, Zhao Haoxuan's expression changed drastically!

They took every precaution against Yin Yingzi coming to rescue Yin Ling'er.

Zhao Yucheng believed that with Xu Ping overseeing the execution, everything would be foolproof.

But to everyone's surprise, the long-lost Red-Robed Saint Son actually went to save Zhao Yucheng!

He was extremely anxious and instantly lost his composure.

Xinyao is in danger! He must go save her immediately!

But... what about Father Emperor...?

"Your Highness!" Old Prince Zhao Haoyang said in a deep voice, "I, Eunuch Xu, General Zhou, and I are here in the Cold Palace, so we should be fine! Saving the Crown Princess is the priority! Go quickly! After rescuing her, return to the palace immediately!"

"Alright! Then I'll have to trouble you, Grand Uncle!" Zhao Haoxuan didn't hesitate any longer. He gave Zhou Yunxi and Xiao Xizi a "be careful" look, and then sped off towards the outside of the palace like lightning.

Inside the Cold Palace, Yin Ling'er heard the commotion outside and a strange glint flashed in her eyes.

Taking advantage of the moment when Zhao Guoan was distracted by the noise outside, she suddenly swung her hand and knocked over the wine glass he handed her!

"Clang!" The wine glass shattered, spilling the poisoned wine all over the floor.

"Zhao Guoan! I won't drink! Forget about it!"

Yin Ling'er stood up, her face devoid of any gentleness, only filled with hysterical madness: "Unless you kill me with your own knife!"

She quickly pulled a yellow talisman paper covered with strange runes from her bosom, rushed to the oil lamp by the wall, and held the talisman paper close to the flame.

"Pfft—" The talisman was instantly ignited, turning into a ball of eerie green flame.

At the same time, it emitted distorted runes that surrounded her.

"Mother! I'm here! Please come and save me!"

Yin Ling'er used all her strength to scream at the air.

"Oh no!" Zhao Guoan realized she had fallen into a trap and was filled with regret!

He shouldn't have shown any pity for this woman, nor should he have wasted words with her; he should have just come in and killed her!

"Clang!" He suddenly drew the sword from his waist, its cold light flashing, and thrust it straight at Yin Ling'er's back.

However, just as the knife tip was about to touch her body, Zhao Guoan felt a sudden pain in her back.

A chilling, bone-deep power instantly invaded his limbs and bones, his vision went black, and the sword in his hand clattered to the ground.

The person collapsed limply, unconscious.

"Mother! You've come!" Yin Ling'er looked at the person who suddenly appeared behind Zhao Guo'an with great joy.

The old woman with a face identical to 'Gou Chunmei', but eyes as sinister as a venomous snake, was none other than Yin Yingzi.

She slowly withdrew her finger from the vital points on Zhao Guoan's back, and coldly glanced at the emperor on the ground.

"When I dealt with Fujiwara no Tora and Yin Tianlong in the Heavenly Prison, I sensed something amiss in the Cold Palace."

Yin Yingzi's voice was hoarse: "I arrived before they surrounded this place."

I remained hidden until now, simply to see how this heartless man intended to treat my daughter.

Yin Ling'er was filled with gratitude, tears streaming down her face: "Thank you so much, Mother, for saving my life!"

"Since he has murderous intent towards you, he cannot be allowed to live." A murderous glint flashed in Yin Yingzi's eyes as she raised her hand to strike Zhao Guo's heart meridian.

"No! Mother! No!" Yin Ling'er rushed over and blocked Zhao Guo'an's way.

"You promised your daughter you would spare his life! You promised!"

"Ling'er! He treated you like this, and you still protect him?" Yin Yingzi frowned deeply: "Besides, how can we break out of this heavily guarded palace with him as a burden?"

Yin Ling'er's eyes darted around, and she immediately said, "Mother! First, help me break the seal on my cultivation! Hand His Majesty over to me!"

With His Majesty by our side, he is our best protection!

We can use him to blackmail Zhao Haoxuan and the others! With your strength, Mother, and the hostages, breaking through will be no problem at all!

Yin Yingzi pondered for a moment and found it to be reasonable.

She quickly formed a complex hand seal with her hands, her fingertips glowing with a faint light, and then pointed a finger at Yin Ling'er's dantian.

A pure and chilling power surged in, causing Yin Ling'er's body to tremble slightly, and her sealed cultivation began to recover rapidly.

Feeling the renewed surge of power within her body, Yin Ling'er's face lit up with ecstasy.

She lifted the unconscious Zhao Guoan up and sneered, "With His Majesty in our hands, I don't think any of those people outside will dare to lay a finger on us!"

Seeing this, Yin Yingzi no longer hesitated and slammed her palm against the gate of the Cold Palace!

"Boom!" The heavy wooden door shattered with a crash! Wood chips flew everywhere!

The people waiting outside the door were all taken aback!

"Your Majesty!" Eunuch Xu exclaimed in shock as soon as he saw Zhao Guoan being held hostage, "Yin Ling'er! What have you done to His Majesty?! Release His Majesty at once!"

With a "whoosh," the guards drew their swords in unison, their cold gleam reflecting the sun, and surrounded Yin Ling'er and Yin Yingzi, yet they hesitated to advance for fear of harming them.

"All of you, step back!" Yin Ling'er shouted sharply, tightening her grip on Zhao Guo'an's unconscious face, causing a trace of pain to appear. "Otherwise, I will immediately send His Majesty to his death!"

The guards looked at each other, and involuntarily took a half step back.

"You audacious Yinling'er! How dare you kidnap the Emperor! You deserve to die!" Old Prince Zhao Haoyang roared, his hair and beard bristling, his spiritual power surging within him.

“Zhao Haoyang,” Yin Yingzi stepped forward, blocking Yin Ling’er’s path, her cold gaze sweeping over the crowd.

"If you dare take another step forward, I won't hesitate to end Zhao Guoan's life right now! If you know what's good for you, get out of the way!"

The two sides were on the verge of a fight and the atmosphere was extremely tense.

Upon receiving the news, Zhao Meier and Empress Dowager Luo Lan rushed over, surrounded by a group of palace servants.

"Gou Chunmei?" Empress Dowager Luo Lan was astonished when she saw Yin Yingzi's face.

She remembered that the woman who impersonated the Miao princess and married the crown prince had long since disappeared, so why was she here?

"Hehehe..." When Yin Yingzi saw Luo Lan, the anger in her eyes was instantly ignited, almost bursting out.

Her reason began to crumble under the onslaught of hatred: "You old hag! You've finally shown up!"

"Sister-in-law, be careful!" Zhao Haoyang shouted a warning: "She's not Gou Chunmei! She's Yin Yingzi, who's controlling Gou Chunmei's body!"

"Yin Yingzi?" The name exploded in Luo Lan's mind like a thunderclap.

That was a woman who had been around the late emperor since childhood; she was the wife of the former prime minister who was executed.

Her long-buried memories were stirred: "She...she disappeared for so many years, wasn't she long ago dead?"