After being sentenced to death, she came to her senses.

The rain finally stopped, but the palace was still damp, and a faint smell of blood lingered in the air.

Although the palace servants tried their best to clean, they couldn't get there very quickly.

After returning from Zichen Palace, Fang Xiaoran went back to Zhuying Villa.

She knew that everything had settled down.

Whether the eldest prince can gain power as a result is his own business.

However, from that moment on, she also realized how terrifying Emperor Zhao was.

The Second Prince, along with the remaining members of the Duan Prince faction and their subordinates, were all executed.

The eldest prince and Marquis Gu, who were credited with saving the emperor, were all rewarded, which shows that Emperor Zhao has grown increasingly trusting of the Gu family.

Wei Mingyue and Xie Changge were also commended, as was Fang Xiaoran. They saved the female relatives of officials during the crisis and were rewarded with a thousand taels of gold and a hundred acres of fertile land for their meritorious service in protecting the emperor.

With the threat of the rebels averted, the palace was soon restored to its former glory.

After everything returned to calm, many officials' wives and noble ladies came to Fang Xiaoran's door to express their gratitude, saying that they would not be alive today if she had not tried to save them that day.

The entrance to Zhuying Villa was always bustling with visitors, and Fang Xiaoran had no choice but to receive them one by one.

Although she was curious about the poisoned people, after hearing what Emperor Zhao had said last time, she suspected that these poisoned people might have been secretly disposed of by Emperor Zhao's orders.

The lack of attacks from the poisoned people was the biggest reason for Prince Duan's defeat, but unfortunately, he never knew this until his death.

A few days later, Emperor Zhao returned to the capital with his entourage.

The trip to escape the summer heat has now come to an end.

The Second Prince and Prince Duan dared to rebel, and they must have had many supporters. Emperor Zhao would naturally not let these people go, and he needed to go back and deal with them as soon as possible.

On the very day Emperor Zhao returned to the capital, the Empress passed away due to illness.

The illness came on suspiciously; it was clearly not a real death from illness, but rather a suicide out of fear of punishment. However, the empress's suicide was no small matter, as it would inevitably implicate her maternal family. Therefore, she had no choice but to lie and say that she had died of illness.

Emperor Zhao rushed back to the palace, only to find the Empress's body and a suicide note.

In the letter, she explained the grave mistake she had made, without defending herself. She only said that she had misled Zhao Xi, causing him to commit this heinous crime of treason, and that it was entirely her responsibility. However, she claimed that her maternal clan was innocent and had not been involved in the matter, and hoped that Emperor Zhao would spare her maternal clan out of consideration for their past relationship.

After reading the letter, Emperor Zhao burned it. Looking at the Empress, the chill in his eyes grew even stronger.

The Empress's maternal family was not exempted. Emperor Zhao ordered an investigation into their origins, and all those involved were to be executed without mercy.

This rebellion undoubtedly angered Emperor Zhao, causing turmoil and panic in the court.

Anyone who had previously associated with Prince Duan and the Second Prince was terrified, fearing that they would be implicated.

Emperor Zhao was indeed ruthless; none of the more than three hundred members of the Empress's maternal clan, from the white-haired former imperial tutor to infants still in swaddling clothes, were spared.

It is said that on the day of the execution, Emperor Zhao stood alone on the Zhaixing Tower, looking at the billowing black smoke rising from the direction of the execution ground, his face stern and showing no reluctance whatsoever.

The Liu family was also implicated as a result. Lord Liu was demoted and exiled to the harsh and cold Liangzhou. His sons were also punished to varying degrees.

The sun was blazing high on the day the Liu family's property was raided.

Liu Ruyan gazed at the mansion gate, her heart filled with boundless sorrow.

She had finally managed to climb up to the Liu family, hoping to change her fate overnight, but fate played a cruel trick on her, and she was ultimately no match for Fang Xiaoran.

Lord Liu and his family knelt before the gate to receive the imperial decree. Madam Liu's face was extremely cold, and her gaze towards Liu Ruyan revealed a chilling murderous intent.

"The Liu family has colluded with rebels, and their crimes are unforgivable!" The eunuch's shrill voice pierced through the wind and snow. "Considering their past merits, they are spared the death penalty, but Liu Wenyuan is demoted to the position of Sima of Liangzhou. He shall depart immediately without delay!"

Lord Liu kowtowed heavily, his forehead pressed against the cold ground, his voice hoarse: "Your subject accepts the imperial decree and expresses his gratitude."

The Liu family thus fell into ruin. They had relied on Consort Ning and rose to power overnight, with the protection of merchants. Now they were like stray dogs, despised by everyone. It was truly pitiful and lamentable.

"It's all your fault! You insisted on encouraging me to befriend Prince Duan. Now look what's happened! The Liu family has been ruined by you, you jinx!" After the palace servants left, Madam Liu could no longer bear it. She walked up to Liu Ruyan, who had just stood up, and slapped her hard across the face.

This slap was not enough to vent her anger. The Liu family had fallen to its current state, and even if Liu Ruyan died, it would not be able to save it.

Thinking back on everything that had happened, Madam Liu was filled with remorse.

A moment of greed led to a grave mistake.

Liu Ruyan covered her red, swollen, and burning cheeks, but a cold smile curled at the corner of her lips. She glanced at Madam Liu and said sarcastically, "Is it my fault? Isn't it because you are too greedy? You have always only cared about your own interests and never considered the entire family. If you were really willing, why did you agree so easily when I made the suggestion?"

"If you hadn't egged me on, I wouldn't have even considered this matter. No wonder the Fang family didn't want you; you only bring bad luck." Now that the pretense of civility had been broken, Madam Liu no longer cared about appearances and mocked Liu Ruyan relentlessly to vent her resentment.

Liu Ruyan could let other words go, but when the Fang family was mentioned, an inexplicable anger surged in her heart. She pushed Madam Liu away abruptly, her eyes filled with icy coldness. "You are greedy and insatiable, yet you turn around and blame me? The Liu family has had no future since Consort Ning lost power. I only accelerated your downfall. You should be grateful that you were able to save your life."

"Get out! I don't want to see you again! Get out!"

Madam Liu shouted angrily, "The Liu family has no feelings for Liu Ruyan. She is just a tool that Madam Liu used for marriage alliances. Now that the Liu family has fallen to this state, such a useless tool can naturally be discarded at will."

"You make it sound like I'm so eager to stay here. Don't forget, your Liu family has no chance of making a comeback, but I'm different. I can still climb higher." Liu Ruyan sneered, her whole demeanor becoming extremely manic.

Upon hearing this, Madam Liu laughed, "Do you still intend to rely on Fang Xiaoran? A stray dog ​​is a stray dog. Even now, you still don't know how to tuck your tail between your legs. I want to see what you're capable of to climb up the social ladder!"

In the end, Liu Ruyan and the Liu family parted on bad terms.

As for Liu Ruyan's master, he disappeared without a trace the moment Prince Duan fell from power. Liu Ruyan tried to find him, but he left no trace.

Walking down the street, watching the endless stream of people, Liu Ruyan's sorrow reached its peak.

She was resentful. Why could Fang Xiaoran live a better and better life, while she suffered misfortune after misfortune?

If it weren't for Fang Xiaoran, she would never have ended up in this situation.

Liu Ruyan stood at the bustling street corner, the wind blowing her thin clothes.

The surrounding area was bustling with noise, vendors were hawking their wares, and children were laughing, but all of this liveliness had nothing to do with her.

Just then, a carriage came from afar. Looking at the unique totem carved on the carriage, an unnamed anger rose in her heart. While everyone else was avoiding the carriage, she suddenly walked towards it and blocked its way.

The carriage suddenly stopped a short distance in front of her. The driver gave her a cold glance, then turned to report into the carriage. Seeing this, Liu Ruyan stepped forward and interrupted him.

"My sister is truly living a life of unparalleled glory these days; it's something to be truly envious of."

Upon hearing this, the carriage curtain was lifted, and Fang Xiaoran peeked out, her gaze falling calmly on Liu Ruyan. She said indifferently, "What do you want with me?"

"Can't we catch up if there's nothing going on?" Liu Ruyan said with a light laugh.

Fang Xiaoran's face remained calm, exuding a sense of aloofness and detachment. "We have nothing to reminisce about. If there's nothing else, please step aside. I have important matters to attend to, so I won't keep you company any longer."

After saying that, Fang Xiaoran lowered the carriage curtain and ordered Wu Guicheng to continue driving.

Seeing her indifference, Liu Ruyan became even more agitated and roared, "Fang Xiaoran, I owe everything I am today to you. If I'm not having a good time, you won't have one either!"

"You are already very fortunate to be where you are today. Why trap yourself and ruin your future? Step aside. There's nothing more to say between us."

Fang Xiaoran was indifferent, showing no anger or resentment towards her, as if she were talking to an insignificant person, which made Liu Ruyan extremely resentful.

However, Liu Ruyan could not stop her. Fang Xiaoran simply raised her hand and used her powerful internal force to shake her away.

Liu Ruyan staggered backward, watching the departing carriage, her teeth clenched.