Shocking! In this matriarchal society, every man wants to marry me!

"Guilt? Why?" Why would an emperor feel guilty towards a palace servant?

"The palace says your brother died because he fell from his sedan chair and died despite medical treatment?"

Xia Muning nodded: "That's what the imperial edict says."

"There's more to this story than meets the eye. His Majesty and the Empress Dowager had a heated argument and hadn't spoken to each other for three days."

"It was His Majesty's birthday at that time. Seeing that His Majesty was in a bad mood, Consort Xia went to persuade the Empress Dowager. However, the Empress Dowager was angry and punished him by making him kneel on the ground for two hours!"

"On the way back, while riding in the sedan chair, the ground was slippery and the person was physically weak. They fell off the sedan chair and both the father and child died!"

Xia Mu listened quietly, his eyes lowered, not revealing his sadness.

Le Xingxi continued, "Your brother was pregnant with His Majesty's first child after his marriage, and it was because of her that your brother and the unborn child in his womb did not survive!"

"That's why she can't forget you because she feels guilty!"

Tears streamed down Xia Muning's face without her noticing. "My brother was murdered," Xia Muning said resolutely.

“Not bad.” Le Xingxi nodded and handed the handkerchief to Xia Muning.

“I used to visit the palace frequently and had met Consort Xia a few times. I remember very clearly that I went to the palace the day before Consort Xia passed away to discuss a birthday gift for His Majesty with the prince. The weather was fine that day, and the prince and I even flew kites. The ground couldn’t have been slippery! Someone deliberately made the ground slippery.”

"Who is in charge of the road that leads my brother back to his palace?" Xia Muning's voice was a little hoarse.

"Master Li".

Ever since hearing that His Majesty was interested in Xia Muning, Le Wentao had taken the matter to heart and inquired about it everywhere.

He was busy managing affairs in the palace, but had no direct connection to this matter. The palace staff relaxed their vigilance towards him a little, and he actually managed to find out quite a lot of information.

Xia Muning knew that her brother had died tragically, but she didn't know who to hate. Now, she finally had someone to hate: Master Li was the first, and the Empress Dowager was the second.

"Find the real culprit who killed your brother, and let His Majesty let go of his guilt towards your brother. Perhaps his obsession with you will gradually dissipate."

“I understand.” Xia Muning nodded.

After finishing her sentence, she left, but Le Xingxi hesitantly took out a bottle of medicine from her bosom and placed it in Xia Muning's hand without saying a word.

Xia Muning picked it up with her slender hands, looked at it, and then returned it to Le Xingxi.

"While I appreciate you telling me these things, I'm not handing over my medicine. You'll have to give it to me yourself!"

"Lord Yue." Xia Muning had already composed himself and said coldly, "I'll let this slap go, but if you dare to hit my wife again, I'll return this slap to you in full!"

How dare he hit his wife! If Zhongtian hadn't been in the wrong this time, Xia Muning would have already slapped Le Xingxi across the face!

Le Xingxi was caught off guard by the man's sudden change of expression. Although he was also a man, he still had to say that a man's face could change in an instant!

Xia Mu walked quietly along the roadside, listening to the rustling of the leaves, her mind filled with countless thoughts.

Master Li was just a minor figure; the real culprit was the Empress Dowager who punished his brother for two hours. However, he couldn't even get into the palace to see the Empress Dowager now.

His expression was troubled until he saw Nakata waiting for him not far away, at which point a smile slowly spread across his face. "My lady!"

Zhong Tian went over to her, looked at Xia Muning's red and swollen eyes, gently touched them with his hand, and said softly, "You cried? How could I know what Le Xingxi told you?"

Xia Muning nodded: "Of course." There would be no secrets between them.

Xia Muning composed herself and spoke slowly, while Zhong Tian listened quietly.

"Mu Ning, we can't do anything to Master Li right now, but we can teach her a lesson quietly."

Zhongtian explained her plan in detail, and Xia Muning nodded. The two then discussed some more details, and Zhongtian's gentle words of comfort made Xia Muning feel much better.

Xia Muning looked at Zhong Tian's profile and suddenly laughed, "My lady, let's leave the temple tomorrow. Let's stay one more night. Don't sleep too soundly tonight! Someone will come looking for you!"

Zhongtian was puzzled.

That night, Nakata was not sleepy when he suddenly heard a soft, rustling sound outside the window.

Looking out the window, I saw a man sneaking away, the moonlight shining on his thin back and smooth head.

There was a medicine bottle on the windowsill, shimmering in the moonlight. Nakata smiled as he held the medicine bottle.

Four days later, His Majesty left the palace to participate in the imperial examination. He dressed very modestly and rarely appeared in his carriage.

Zhongtian noticed that the person serving His Majesty had been replaced by Master Li.

When Master Li saw Zhong Tian, ​​he nodded in a friendly manner, and Zhong Tian nodded back. The two exchanged knowing smiles.

Dealing with Master Li is simple. No matter how arrogant he is outside, he's a servant before His Majesty! His Majesty holds the power of life and death over him.

His Majesty's whereabouts outside are kept secret. Perhaps it is not a secret to the officials of the previous dynasty, but it is certainly not something that the palace servants in the harem, who have been instructed by His Majesty not to disclose, should know!

So how did Yue Wentao, who was carrying the Empress Dowager's edict, know about the aggressive attack on Wudao Temple?

When the young monk sent by Le Xingxi entered the palace, he used the Le family's exclusive secret passage, which no one else knew about!

His Majesty is both angry and puzzled about this matter!

Zhongtian found Li Fuzi's disciple, Little Li Fuzi, who had a long-standing grudge against him.

Little Li entered the palace at the age of eight. Ten years of palace life, ten years of hardship and humiliation, although they tormented her, also made her understand the rules of survival in the palace.

Her ambition and intelligence were enough for her to understand how to get a seemingly plausible message to His Majesty's ears.

The effects won't be immediate!

His Majesty is not one to believe everything he hears, but once the seeds of doubt take root, they will eventually grow strong. And today, he has brought out Master Li.

Nakata has been by Her Majesty's side the whole day, taking care of everything for her.

She saw the bustling crowd and a large group of examinees led by Xichun, who greeted her. Their expressions were full of confidence and anticipation for the future.

Shen Qingyu was among them. She glanced discreetly at Zhong Tian, ​​who gave her a reassuring look, and Shen Qingyu regained her fighting spirit.

This scene inexplicably reminded Zhong Tian of that sweltering summer in modern times, the day she stepped into the college entrance examination hall full of anticipation.

"Is that the Xia family's carriage?" Her Majesty suddenly spoke up. She opened the curtains, squinted at the distance, and asked softly.

The distant sound of carriage bells drifted on the ethereal wind, and in an instant, a magnificent carriage appeared from afar, heading towards the examination hall.