Fearing being killed for his overwhelming merits, the empress decided to marry him.

News of Tuoba Ying's defeat and death quickly reached Blackwater City.

In an instant, panic gripped Blackwater City, and everyone was restless and uneasy.

Only Shen Lang and Jiang Mengxuan remained calm, as if they had already anticipated this outcome.

"Tuoba Ying, what a pity."

Despite their differing stances, Jiang Mengxuan was deeply saddened upon learning of Tuoba Ying's desperate charge and subsequent death on the battlefield.

He could have chosen to live, but for Yu Ling Shuang, he chose to die on the battlefield.

The words Tuoba Ying had spoken to her before his departure still echoed in her ears: "Your Majesty, I only ask one thing of you: if I cannot return alive..."

Please do your best to take care of Madam; her life has been so difficult, raising a child alone has been incredibly tough for her.

People who are deeply in love deserve sympathy, but unfortunately, they meet the wrong person at the wrong time, which is destined to be a tragedy that ends without a trace.

Thinking of this, Jiang Mengxuan felt extremely annoyed and said to Shen Lang, "A Lang, I want to see the Empress Dowager. There are some things I need to say."

"I'll accompany you."

Shen Lang didn't say much, but gave her an understanding look.

……

Inside the wooden house, Yu Ling Shuang had changed out of the coarse linen clothes that she had worn for nearly twenty years and put on silk and satin clothes. After careful dressing up, she exuded a sense of elegance and nobility.

Looking at himself in the mirror, with crow's feet already appearing at the corners of his eyes, he couldn't help but rub them: "After twenty years of silence, I can finally take off my disguise and return to the center of power."

Thinking about the scene of entering the harem in the future, Yu Ling Shuang couldn't help but reveal a wicked smile.

"This daughter is difficult to deal with, but it doesn't matter. Since I can train Jiang Yue to be as obedient as a dog,..."

If you replicate her experience on Jiang Mengxuan again, over time, she'll definitely become a second dog too.

“Shen Lang is indeed a problem. I didn’t expect that those rumors couldn’t shake Jiang Mengxuan’s trust in him at all. It seems that we have to use some other means to get rid of him.”

"But it doesn't matter. Once Jiang Yue's experience is replicated on Jiang Mengxuan, as long as Shen Lang is still a man, he will definitely leave her."

"Once I return to the palace and seize power, the first thing I'll do is wipe out the entire Ji family. Hmph, that bitch made me suffer for twenty years, how could I possibly let her go?"

As she was concentrating on how to dominate the palace after returning, and even dreaming of ruling from behind the curtain, the door of the wooden house was slowly pushed open.

Looking back, Jiang Mengxuan, accompanied by Shen Lang, entered the wooden house.

"How did you come?"

Yu Ling Shuang quickly stood up and tried to force a smile at this unfamiliar daughter.

Jiang Mengxuan looked Yu Ling Shuang up and down and sighed silently in her heart.

"Mother, I have come here today to tell you that a battle report has arrived from the front lines: Tuoba Ying has been killed in battle."

"died……"

Upon hearing this news, Yu Ling Shuang was visibly taken aback.

Jiang Mengxuan nodded: "Mother, Tuoba Ying protected you for seventeen years. Now that he's gone, it was all my arrangement. Will you hate me?"

Yu Ling Shuang came to her senses, smiled and shook her head: "If he's dead, then he's dead. Sigh, it's all fate."

Jiang Mengxuan closed her eyes and turned her back: "Mother, don't you feel any remorse for his death?"

"Guilt? What do you mean by that?"

"Mother, Tuoba Ying has stayed by your side for seventeen years without complaint or regret. Don't you really know why?"

"Just say what you want to say, I really don't understand what you're talking about!"

Seeing that Yu Ling Shuang still seemed clueless, Jiang Meng Xuan felt heartbroken.

Then he turned to Yu Ling Shuang and said, "Mother, what kind of man do you think would stay by the side of a helpless woman, sheltering her from the wind and rain and protecting her? Don't you really know that his purpose in doing this is because he likes you, Mother?"

Yu Ling Shuang immediately replied, "I really don't know, Xuan'er. What's the use of telling me all this? My heart is only for your father, the Emperor."

In this life, my only man is your father, so how could I possibly put my heart on another man?

Tuoba Ying is nothing more than a tool I'm using; how could I possibly like someone like that!

Upon hearing this, Jiang Mengxuan felt nauseous.

She never imagined that her birth mother would be such a heartless and ungrateful person.

Yu Ling Shuang, oblivious to the change in Jiang Mengxuan's expression, continued to press, "Xuan'er, things here should be settled by now, right? When are you planning to return to the palace?"

"Mother, are you in such a hurry to return to the palace?"

Yu Ling Shuang looked aggrieved: "I can't stand this awful place any longer. Xuan'er, do you know how much I've suffered all these years? How can you bear to continue living this miserable life?"

Jiang Mengxuan simply turned her back and stopped looking at her.

She wanted to retort, "Isn't all of this your own doing?"

In Yu Ling Shuang's eyes, she only saw greedy desires, which were no different from Ji Yu Xi's in essence.

"It will be soon. Please wait a few more days, Mother. After I finish dealing with the matters at hand, I will return to the palace with you and my younger sister."

"Oh, you're planning to bring that bitch along too?"

Unexpectedly, Yu Ling Shuang became anxious when she heard that Jiang Mengxuan wanted to bring Jiang Yue back to the palace as well.

“My son, listen to your mother. That wretch is a madwoman, completely unruly. Bringing her into the palace will only tarnish the reputation of the royal family and you.”

Jiang Mengxuan looked at Yu Ling Shuang in disbelief: "Mother, that is my imperial sister, and also the daughter who has been with you for twenty years."

Yu Ling Shuang said, "My son, it's not that your mother is heartless, but if we bring her back to the palace with us..."

It will really bring you a lot of unnecessary trouble, so it's better to just leave her to fend for herself.

Anyway, her cultivation is profound; there aren't many people in the martial world who can harm her.

Jiang Mengxuan clenched her hands, said no more, and turned to leave the wooden house.

Yu Ling Shuang continued to call out from behind, "My son, you must let me know when you return to the palace."

Jiang Mengxuan met Shen Lang's gaze and immediately replied, "Please rest assured, Mother, I will definitely inform you."

After saying that, he and Shen Lang left the wooden house without looking back.

……

The two remained silent until they returned to the Blackwater Palace, where Jiang Mengxuan finally couldn't help but say, "A Lang, do you think my mother really did die in childbirth on the day she gave birth to me?"

Shen Lang replied, "Are you feeling disappointed?"

Jiang Mengxuan shook her head: "When my father was alive, he mentioned to me more than once how virtuous and gentle my mother was."

From a young age, the image of my mother was firmly imprinted in my mind. I felt that my mother was the best woman in the world.

But I never expected that when my birth mother stood alive before me, she would be completely different from what my father had described.

Shen Lang gently pulled her into his arms and whispered to comfort her, "Xuan'er, don't overthink it. I don't know how to comfort you about this. I can only say that with me by your side, you don't need to worry too much about it."

Jiang Mengxuan looked up at Shen Lang, then chuckled lightly: "I'll settle your score with you when we get back. If you don't give me a heads-up next time, I'll set you up."

I'm really getting angry. Do you know how difficult these past few days have been for me?

"Well, no more."

Shen Lang pressed Jiang Mengxuan's head against his chest and gently comforted her.

"Just relax. I'll handle the rest of the trouble for you personally. After tonight..."

You are still the Empress of Great Chu, and your position will never again be shaken by these unexpected factors.

"Whether it's Yu Ling Shuang or Jiang Yue, they should both pay the price for their actions."

"Don't worry, it will all be over."

Shen Lang thought to himself, and hugged his wife in his arms even tighter.