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

Next up is Liu Ruyan's master.

The man was trapped in the room, and he remained silent even after Fang Xiaoran arrived.

If Liu Ruyan could remain silent, he probably wouldn't be any different. Fang Xiaoran didn't want to waste time, so she simply used the Gu Spirit Secret Technique to make him speak.

From this man, Fang Xiaoran learned that he was the one who planted the Gu worm in Tao An's body. The reason he did this was to refine the strongest Gu worm in order to prolong his own life.

He went to the Fang family to manipulate them and use them to threaten Fang Xiaoran. During their last encounter, he realized that Fang Xiaoran's Gu technique was superior to his, and she must be a descendant of the Yan family, and with the purest bloodline at that.

This person is also a member of the Gu clan, but from a very small branch. The Gu techniques they master are quite ordinary. Apart from the Yan clan, which was separated from the Northern Frontier Gu clan, the core of the clan is scattered in various places. Among them, the Shang family should be the one that has preserved the most complete Gu techniques.

The Gu Clan of the Northern Frontier passes its teachings to women, not men. The holy maidens of each clan compete with one another, and only the survivor can truly inherit the Gu Clan's "Secret Scripture of Ten Thousand Gu".

Therefore, Shang Lingzhu's attack on her mother was not only out of jealousy, but more importantly, it was for the sake of inheriting the "Ten Thousand Gu Secret Scripture".

Thinking of this, Fang Xiaoran's expression became serious. She had thought that the merchant was not simple, but she never expected that he would have such an inseparable connection with the Gu Clan.

Other matters could not be learned from this person, as he was just an ordinary member of the Gu clan and only knew some of the secrets.

This shows that Shanglingzhu is extremely difficult to deal with.

It's possible that she has already obtained the "Secret Scripture of Ten Thousand Gu" and has mastered Gu techniques very skillfully. Even if Fang Xiaoran knows the Gu Spirit Secret Technique, who knows if this Gu Spirit Secret Technique was created by the Yan Clan?

It seems that Shang Lingzhu's matter still needs to be considered in the long run.

Fang Xiaoran imprisoned the man and asked Jiu Yuan to guard him. After the poison was cured, Jiu Yuan's martial arts skills improved by leaps and bounds, and Fang Xiaoran found it difficult to even spar with him.

Half a month later, Emperor Zhao's condition could no longer be controlled and completely broke out.

Fortunately, Emperor Zhao had already made preparations, and with the eldest prince presiding over the court, there would be no changes for the time being.

The remaining forces of Prince Duan and the Second Prince were also dismantled, and the situation in the court tended to stabilize.

Upon learning of Emperor Zhao's serious illness, Shang Linglan initially burst into laughter, laughing so hard her body trembled. However, a hint of sorrow crept into her eyes, and gradually, the laughter faded. She sat forlornly by the window, gazing at the crabapple tree in full bloom in the courtyard, and a tear slid down her cheek.

She sat there for a day and a night until the morning sun shone through the window, at which point she summoned her maid to help her with her hair and makeup.

Shang Linglan was eerily calm, her face haggard and pale, her body as thin as a cicada's wing, as if she could be blown away by the wind at any moment.

"Your Majesty, I heard that His Majesty is ill..." the maid whispered, but Shang Linglan seemed not to hear her and just smiled faintly, "Go and fetch my favorite phoenix hairpin. I haven't worn it in a long time."

"Is this the one His Majesty sent you? This servant will go and fetch it right away."

Shang Linglan slowly raised her hand, her fingertips lightly tracing the pearls hanging from the phoenix hairpin. A pair of unfathomable eyes were reflected in the bronze mirror.

She looked exactly the same as she had in the bronze mirror; she was still the same person she had been back then. But some things were irreversible.

"Go down, I want to be alone." Shang Linglan spoke slowly, dismissing those around her, and soon she was alone in the palace.

"I won't let you go ahead..."

Her voice was like a falling feather, gradually disappearing like the wind, leaving no trace.

The next morning, news of Consort Ning's death spread far and wide.

The first person to learn of this news was not Emperor Zhao, but Shang Lingzhu.

Her older sister, with whom she had a long-standing feud, eventually passed away.

Unbeknownst to everyone, Shang Lingzhu quietly appeared at Hanlu Palace and saw Shang Linglan for the last time. Her appearance was still the same, radiant and dazzling, but unfortunately, those beautiful eyes could never be opened again.

Shang Lingzhu stood by her sickbed for a long time, looking at the crabapple tree outside the window, and a smile appeared on her face.

Emperor Zhao was already seriously ill, and no one dared to tell him the news of Shang Linglan's death immediately. It was the Empress Dowager who made the decision to bury her with the rites due to a concubine. Considering that although she had made mistakes, she had given birth to two princes, so her merits and demerits canceled each other out, she was not posthumously honored, nor was she buried in the imperial mausoleum.

It wasn't until Shang Linglan passed away that Zhao Jin, who had never appeared before, came into the public eye. He was as calm as ever, and the news of his birth mother's death did not seem to have affected him much.

Only those who know him understand that it was not calm, but the prelude to an impending storm.

Meanwhile, war broke out again in the northern border. The Liang Kingdom broke the alliance between the two countries and sent a large army to the border. Gu Yuming mustered his troops overnight and rushed to the battlefield three days later. At this time, the Rong tribe in the northwest also suddenly attacked. Gu Hou and Xie Changge led an army of 300,000 to fight against them.

The war came suddenly. Emperor Zhao was seriously ill, and the eldest prince was still quite young. Although he controlled the government, he was clearly inexperienced. He sent out all the military generals he could, hoping to resolve the crisis of the two sides attacking as soon as possible.

At the same time, some people around him offered slanderous advice, suggesting that he take advantage of the turmoil to ascend the throne. Now his foundation is still unstable, and the Empress Dowager is secretly controlling the government. The Grand Empress Dowager and Prince Yong are also waiting for an opportunity to make their move. Once the court is in turmoil, these people will have even more reason to depose him.

Therefore, he listened to the slander, began to eliminate his opponents, and planned his coronation ceremony.

Frequent wars and political turmoil cast a heavy shadow over Yancheng, creating an extremely oppressive atmosphere. Many people were waiting for an opportunity to act, and various factions began to protest.

Seeing this situation, Consort Hui repeatedly advised the eldest prince not to act rashly, otherwise unexpected changes might occur. However, the eldest prince did not listen at all, and his birth mother interfered, causing the eldest prince to begin to distance himself from Consort Hui.

The current situation is very unfavorable for Consort Hui. Although the eldest prince has been adopted by her, his birth mother is still alive and had been trying to win her favor. The two had been getting along well, but recently someone has been secretly instigating them, causing them to gradually develop a rift.

Recently, undercurrents have been swirling in the palace, with various rumors circulating and causing widespread anxiety.

"Your Highness, the First Prince doesn't come to see you often these days. Could it be that Consort Shun said something again?" the maid whispered.

The eldest prince's birth mother held the highest rank, and it was only after the crown prince was established that she was promoted to the rank of concubine. However, since her own son was the crown prince, no one in the palace dared to neglect her.

Perhaps it was because of her sudden success that Consort Shun became increasingly arrogant and conceited, even starting to provoke Consort Hui.

Ultimately, the position of Empress was vacant. Even though Consort Hui temporarily assumed the imperial seal and took charge of the six palaces, her position was still illegitimate and lacked legitimacy.

Once the eldest prince ascends the throne, he may honor his birth mother as Empress Dowager. At that time, Consort Hui's situation will be in great danger.

This is why the maids around her were so worried; if Consort Hui suffered a setback, they would not fare much better.

"Consort Shun has become increasingly arrogant lately. I heard that the Empress Dowager is very close to her. It seems that the Empress Dowager is quite magnanimous and has completely forgotten how Prince Duan died." Consort Hui narrowed her eyes, her gaze revealing a chill.

Upon hearing this, the maidservant quickly whispered, "Your Highness, you can't say things like that. The Empress Dowager will be displeased if she hears it."

"The truth is certainly not pleasant to hear," Consort Hui said with a light laugh, completely unconcerned whether the Empress Dowager would hear it.

Of course, more worrying than the Empress Dowager is Consort Shun. Rumors are spreading in the palace and have already threatened Consort Hui. If this continues, Consort Hui's situation will be very precarious.

Therefore, the maid continued to press on, "So, Consort Shun, are we just going to let her go like this?"

"I never leave any threats behind. Since she doesn't know what's good for her, then don't blame me for being ruthless."

"But if we do that, what about the First Prince..."

"I can help him secure his throne, can Consort Shun do the same?"

Two days later, Consort Shun accidentally fell into the water and died, causing a huge uproar in the palace. In order to avenge his birth mother, the eldest prince killed all those involved, and his ruthless methods were chilling.

Even Consort Hui was confined to the palace because of the rumors. This enraged Consort Hui, who immediately wanted to see Emperor Zhao, but was stopped by the Empress Dowager's people.

Clearly, the Empress Dowager was behind this. The eldest prince preferred to cooperate with the Empress Dowager rather than distance himself from Consort Hui, which greatly disappointed Consort Hui. Her previous worries had finally come true.

What the eldest prince didn't know was that the deeper the rift between him and Consort Hui, the more unstable his position would become. However, he was now blinded by the power before him and couldn't see the true nature of things. In addition, he was indecisive and always listened to the words of the treacherous ministers around him, causing unrest among the people.

Fang Xiaoran saw through the clues. The war broke out suddenly, rumors spread in the palace, and someone even tried to incite the eldest prince at a critical moment. It was obviously someone's doing it on purpose.

If we're talking about who ultimately benefited the most, it's probably neither the Empress Dowager nor the Grand Empress Dowager, nor even Prince Yong, but Zhao Jin.

The eldest prince is stubborn and self-willed, and sooner or later he will bring disaster upon himself. At that time, someone will naturally appear to replace him.

This is not what Fang Xiaoran wants to see. If this happens, Zhao Jin will still ascend the throne as emperor, just like in her previous life.

"I'm going to the palace."

Fang Xiaoran immediately stood up, her expression solemn.