After transmigrating into the body of a stepmother, I led the villains in a rebellion.

One sentence immediately startled Jiang Mubai, "What's wrong with you?"

Lin Shu glanced at him and said, "What's the rush? Can't I just blow myself up?"

She never intended to stay in the palace forever; putting everything else aside, she'd be bored to death.

Upon hearing this, Jiang Mubai's heart, which had been pounding, finally calmed down.

He patted his chest, still shaken. "You scared me to death. I thought you were really going to die."

Just as the two were talking, the voice of Zhao Jing, the commander of the Imperial Guards, suddenly came from outside the door: "Your subordinate Li Jing greets Your Majesty."

Upon hearing the voices coming from outside the door, Jiang Mubai and Lin Shu quickly exchanged a glance before reverting to their usual demeanor.

Lin Shu quickly turned around and lay down on the bed, pretending to be weak as he looked at Jiang Mubai.

Jiang Mubai's reaction wasn't as fast as hers, but it wasn't slow either.

Lin Shu lay down on the bed, and he immediately reached out and pressed on Lin Shu's wrist, "Your Majesty, your health is much better now."

"Thank you for your help, Doctor Jiang," Lin Shu said weakly.

Zhao Jing pushed open the door and came in just in time to see this scene.

Watching the two's intimate actions, a deep look flashed in his dark eyes.

His actions, however, were quite conventional as he looked at Lin Shu on the bed and asked, "How is Your Majesty's health?"

Jiang Mubai glanced at Zhao Jing, then at Lin Shu, "The Empress is just too frightened. She'll be fine after a good night's sleep."

Zhao Jing nodded slightly and didn't say anything more. Instead, he stood quietly to the side, doing his job of guarding Lin Shu.

Lin Shu felt that the emperor had not sent people to protect her, but rather to monitor her, which made her very unhappy.

They wanted to kick the person out, but were afraid of being exposed.

Unable to keep up the act any longer, she simply sat up in bed and said, "You all should get out of here. I really can't sleep with you all here."

Jiang Mubai understood what she meant. They had finished discussing what they wanted to talk about, and he should indeed leave the palace. Staying any longer would only arouse suspicion.

He immediately bowed in the direction of Lin Shu and said, "This humble subject takes his leave."

Lin Shu waved his hand irritably, then turned to look at Zhao Jing, who stood there motionless, his brows furrowed slightly, looking at him with obvious dislike.

"Can't you understand me? I told you to get out, I need to rest."

Zhao Jing turned slightly, pretending not to see her unpleasant expression, "The palace has been unsettled lately, and Your Highness has just survived an assassination attempt. His Majesty has ordered me to take close care of Your Highness, so..."

"Get out!" Before Zhao Jing could finish speaking, Lin Shu angrily threw a pillow at him and pointed to the door.

The pillow traced an ungraceful arc in the air before finally landing helplessly at Li Jing's feet.

He didn't move, but lowered his head slightly, his gaze sweeping over the pillow. When he looked at Lin Shu again, his eyes held a hint of gentleness and helplessness.

“Your Majesty, please calm your anger. I am only acting under orders. However, since Your Majesty needs to rest, I will now stand guard outside the door. If needed, Your Majesty only needs to call out.”

After saying this, Li Jing bowed to Lin Shu, turned around and strode out of the room, gently closing the door behind him.

He stopped outside the door, leaning against the cold wall, his silver mask reflecting a faint luster in the dim candlelight.

He glanced at the room with a complicated expression, his eyes filled with endless doting and longing. As long as she was safe and well, that was the luckiest thing for him.

Inside the room, Lin Shu breathed a sigh of relief as Li Jing finally left, patting his chest. "That guy was like a rock, so annoying to look at."

After watching Zhao Jing leave, Lin Shu glanced at the window with a flicker in his eyes.

As Jiang Mubai walked out of the palace and got into the carriage, he saw Lin Shu dressed in a palace maid's outfit.

For a moment, I had the illusion of seeing a ghost. "What are you doing here?"

"Do I need to tell you in advance where I am?" Lin Shu replied irritably. The palace, which used to be relatively free, is now being watched all year round. How can she feel good about it?

Rather than doing that, it's better to take a stroll outside the palace.

Jiang Mubai shook his head. "You're really incredibly audacious. If the Emperor finds out you're not here, he'll probably turn the palace upside down again."

"Stop talking nonsense. Do you think I came out to play? Hurry up and take me to find someone." She couldn't stay in this palace for even a minute longer.

Especially when she looked into Li Che's affectionate eyes, the thought sent chills down her spine.

"Alright, but let me make this clear first, you can't blame me if we don't find the person," Jiang Mubai resignedly told the coachman to drive the carriage.

The two drove the carriage towards the outskirts of the city, according to information Jiang Mubai had gathered recently.

The Emperor imprisoned the Duke and Su Qing in the Emperor's villa in the suburbs, where the guards were very tight.

"The villa?" In the original owner's memories, the villa in the suburbs was where Li Che and Lin Shu had their dates. He never expected that Li Che would actually lock Lin Shu up there.

Jiang Mubai looked at her, "You know?"

“I remember going there a few times,” Lin Shu said truthfully.

Jiang Mubai nodded, then suddenly remembered that she had regained her memories and couldn't help but ask curiously.

"By the way, now that you've regained your memories, you must like the Emperor too, so why are you still thinking about escaping?"

Lin Shu lowered her eyes guiltily. Although she had regained her memories, the problem was that she wasn't Lin Shu anymore.

"Mind your own business. Knowing too much won't do you any good," Lin Shu never gave a direct answer to questions he didn't want to answer.

That would only expose the fact that he is not Lin Shu.

The two rushed to the villa, only to find it heavily guarded, making it impossible to enter quietly.

Jiang Mubai frowned, looking around for a possible breakthrough.

"What do we do now? Should we launch a full-scale attack?" Jiang Mubai looked at Lin Shu, waiting for her decision.

"Attack, but not by force. Instead, sneak in and see if they're locked up inside," Lin Shu glanced around before fixing his gaze on Jiang Mubai.

For a moment, Jiang Mubai felt utterly hopeless. "You don't mean I should go and lure them here, do you?"

"Otherwise, do you have any better ideas? Besides, that's how you use friends," Lin Shu said, then kicked him away.

Jiang Mubai let out a scream, which immediately attracted the attention of the guards, who rushed towards him.

Taking advantage of this opportunity, Lin Shu leaped over the wall of the villa and jumped inside.

Lin Shu saw the Duke and Su Qing inside.

Seeing that she was alright, the two men breathed a sigh of relief.

“As long as you are alright, the Emperor will not make things difficult for us,” the Duke said.

"But you don't have freedom either..."

Su Qing looked at her unperturbed. "As long as you're alright, this is nothing. Besides, a sister's happiness is more important than anything else."

“I’ve thought it through. You don’t like the Emperor, and staying by his side will only bring you pain. Why not take a risk and leave him completely? As long as you leave, he won’t make things difficult for us.”

After speaking with the two men, Lin Shu left the villa with a heavy heart.

Jiang Mubai watched her come out and, seeing that she was in a bad mood, did not press her for details. He knew that if Lin Shu wanted to talk, she would speak up even if he didn't ask.

If she doesn't want to, asking her won't help.