The whole family was brutally murdered? The ruthless heiress's eldest daughter went berserk aft

A soft thud broke the silence of the interrogation room. Zhang Jing's eyes sharpened, and almost instinctively, he lunged at Qi Zheng: "Watch out!"

But it was still a step too late.

A dark, concealed weapon had already pierced Qi Zheng's back. Qi Zheng's body stiffened, and his face instantly turned deathly pale.

"Father!" Qi Yuan's heart-wrenching cries echoed in the interrogation room.

"Don't move!" Zhang Jing reacted quickly, grabbing Qi Yuan who was about to lunge at Qi Zheng. "The hidden weapon is poisoned!"

Qi Zheng's face was deathly pale, his lips were beginning to turn purple, and his voice trembled weakly: "Lord Zhang... Lord Zhang..."

"Don't speak," Zhang Jing quickly pressed several acupoints on Qi Zheng, "Conserve your energy."

"No...it's too late..." Qi Zheng managed to say, "My daughter...please..."

Qi Yuan struggled to get closer: "Father! Let me stay with you!"

"Foolish!" Qi Zheng suddenly roared, then coughed violently. "Run...you can't die...your mother is already..."

“Father…” Qi Yuan burst into tears.

Murong Yuxuan pressed anxiously, "Lord Qi, what exactly does Nanzhao want? What do you know?"

"Yu Xuan!" Zhang Jing shouted sternly, "He can't withstand questioning now!" Turning to the door, he yelled, "Fetch the medicine box from my carriage! Quickly!"

“Nan…Nanzhao…” Qi Zheng’s voice grew weaker and weaker, “They want to…” Before he could finish speaking, his eyes became unfocused and his head tilted to the side.

"Father!" Qi Yuan's cries were heart-wrenching.

"Murong Yuxuan, press his acupoints!" Zhang Jing quickly ordered while checking Qi Zheng's pupils, "Go prepare cinnabar, sandalwood..."

Murong Yuxuan drew his sword: "I'm going after the assassin!"

"Stop!" Zhang Jing shouted sternly. "Your injuries haven't healed yet; this is clearly a trap. They're just waiting for you to walk right into it!"

There were hurried footsteps outside the door, and a guard rushed in carrying a medicine chest: "Lord Zhang, the medicine chest is here!"

Zhang Jing quickly rummaged through the medicinal herbs, his eyes sharp: "Lord Qi knows too many secrets; they won't let him die easily. This is a warning..." He suddenly turned his head, "Miss Qi, did your father leave you anything?"

Qi Yuan was taken aback: "Father... he told me a few days ago to keep a brocade pouch safe, saying... saying that in case something happens..."

"Where?" Zhang Jing and Murong Yuxuan asked in unison.

"In...in my room..."

"Stop talking!" Zhang Jing interrupted her. "It's not safe here." He looked at Murong Yuxuan. "You take her to get it. I'll stay here to treat Lord Qi. Be careful to keep your whereabouts hidden."

Murong Yuxuan nodded and helped the still sobbing Qi Yuan to her feet: "Miss Qi, please come with me. Your father will be alright."

Zhang Jing's fingers moved like lightning, constantly pressing various acupoints on Qi Zheng's body, muttering to himself, "Cold Star Powder... There are no more than three sects in the entire martial arts world that can use this kind of poison..."

In the shadows, a pair of sinister eyes silently observed everything. Seeing that Zhang Jing had stabilized Qi Zheng's situation, a hint of apprehension flashed in the man's eyes, before he vanished silently into the night.

Murong Xuewei stood anxiously at the entrance of the Imperial Garden, while Liuli stepped forward to support her hand.

"Your Highness, the young master and his wife should be arriving soon."

Murong Xuewei held Liuli's hand tightly. "Liuli, it's been three years since I last saw my brother and sister-in-law. Will they not recognize me later?"

“Even if he doesn’t know your older brother, he would know you!” Song Wanyi’s voice came from afar.

"It's my sister-in-law!" Murong Xuewei excitedly ran towards the direction of the voice.

"Ya ya—" A childish voice came from the corridor of the Imperial Garden. The little one in Song Wanyi's arms waved her chubby little hands and kept twisting in the direction of Murong Xuewei.

Murong Xuewei's eyes welled up with tears, and she quickly stepped forward: "Linlin!"

"Be careful." Song Wanyi gently handed the baby over. "This child ignored everyone else along the way, but he laughed and played only in front of your portrait."

Murong Qingyu followed behind his wife and said gently, "Perhaps it's because of blood ties; he felt especially close to his sister's portrait upon seeing it."

"Brother!" Murong Xuewei hugged Linlin and gently bounced her around, tears welling in her eyes. All the regrets of her past life were now precious to her, and she realized how valuable they were in this life.

Little Linlin giggled in Murong Xuewei's arms, her big, round eyes blinking, her pink little hands grabbing Murong Xuewei's hair.

"Look at those eyes and eyebrows," Murong Xuewei gently stroked Linlin's delicate face, "they look just like me when I was little."

Song Wanyi chuckled softly, covering her mouth, "That's right, her personality is just like that. Every time we pass a silk shop, she insists I carry her inside to take a look."

"Really?" Murong Xuewei teased her little niece. "Then when our Linlin grows up, Auntie will give all the shops under her name to Linlin."

"Oh dear!" Linlin suddenly pointed outside the hall, her childish voice ringing out.

"Ahem." A voice, both authoritative and tinged with amusement, rang out.

"Your Majesty," Murong Qingyu and his wife bowed.

Gu Ye waved his hand: "No need for formalities." His gaze softened as he looked at the baby. "Is this my little niece?"

Linlin timidly shrank into Murong Xuewei's arms, but couldn't help stealing glances at Gu Ye.

"Come here." Gu Ye approached, gently teasing the little one's face. "So delicate and adorable, you really look just like you when you were little."

"Eek!" Linlin suddenly grabbed Gu Ye's finger and giggled.

Gu Ye's smile deepened: "Such a close relative, how about I bestow upon her the title of Princess today?"

"This..." Murong Qingyu quickly declined, "Your Majesty, Linlin is still an infant, I'm afraid she cannot bear this responsibility..."

“Hey, brother,” Murong Xuewei interrupted, “this is a reward for Ba Linlin, not for you. It’s not up to you to decide.”

"Ah!" Linlin exclaimed in a childish voice, as if responding to her aunt.

Gu Ye chuckled, "Look, even a child is more sensible than you." He then took a gleaming gold safety buckle from his sleeve and gently tied it to Linlin's bib. "This is a gift for my niece."

Linlin touched the shiny safety buckle with curiosity, her eyes full of joy.

“Brother,” Murong Xuewei said softly, looking at her brother’s slightly helpless expression, “making Linlin a princess will give her an extra layer of protection.” The implication was clear.

Murong Qingyu's expression hardened for a moment, then he relaxed, saying, "I was overthinking it."

"Alright," Gu Ye said, turning to Song Wanyi, "You've had a long journey, go and rest in the side hall first. I'll have the imperial chefs prepare plenty of postpartum tonics for dinner."

"Thank you, Your Majesty." Song Wanyi curtsied.

Watching the Murong Qingyu family depart, Gu Ye said softly, "If you can't bear to part with them, then let your family stay in the palace a few more days."

Murong Xuewei leaned on his shoulder and asked softly, "Is it alright? What if the court officials say...?"

Gu Ye gently covered Murong Xuewei's mouth, "Don't bother with those old fogies. If you, as Empress, can't even see your family, then I'm incompetent."