The Emperor's Domineering Favor, the Evil Consort's Unparalleled Reign

"Bah! Shameless bastard, how dare he covet my Heavenly Mansion's treasure, the White Tiger Shadow Technique! He's gone too far! If his grandfather weren't Chu Jue, who would know what kind of bastard Chu Kuo is?!" Heavenly Mansion Lord Yi Jiang's face was extremely ugly as he stood in the main hall, pacing back and forth looking for something to vent his anger.

An elder standing nearby quickly advised, "Lord of the Palace, he has incriminating evidence against our Heavenly Palace. How dare we confront him directly?! If Lord Mu Zhen arrives with the other nine Palace Lords, and Chu Kuo exposes this matter, given the relationship between the Young Master and Ying Li, Lord Mu Zhen will definitely believe we are deliberately protecting Ying Wuyou. That would be a disaster!!!"

"Hmph! In the end, it's all because of that good-for-nothing son, Yi Bicheng! If he had acted uprightly, how could our Tianfu have been dragged down by him?!" Yi Jiang said angrily.

The elder's expression changed, then he thought for a moment and advised, "Lord, Madam is unwell and is looking for you right now. Please go and see her! Young Master has also been ill recently, and Madam has been working very hard. Since Chu Kuo has brought him back, let's just bear with it!"

Yi Jiang's expression changed, and the veins on his forehead bulged and then gradually subsided. After a while, he finally left the main hall to visit his wife.

Zhang Meifang and Ying Li disguised themselves and stayed in a side room arranged by Tianfu. Jiang Huai, Fu Cheng and the others found a place outside Tianfu to settle Ying Zhe and Ying Qishan, and then entered Tianfu together.

Under the influence of Fu Cheng's illusionary magic, Ying Li and Jiang Huai became Zhang Meifang's maid and servant. The two stayed by Zhang Meifang's side, while Fu Cheng helped Zhang Meifang come up with plans. In this way, the day passed.

"What did you say? Mo Yue gave my grandfather a worm poison?! That kind of thing causes excruciating pain after ingestion. Why would she target a dying old man like that?!" Ying Li shouted angrily.

Zhang Meifang stared at Ying Li, recalling the scream Ying Wuyou let out when he swallowed the worm, and couldn't help but get goosebumps all over her body. That roar, that ten thousand times the pain in his body, was something that ordinary people could not endure.

“I saw it with my own eyes. Ying Wuyou was lying in the snow when the carriage ran over him. The driver stopped, Chu Kuo recognized Ying Wuyou, and then Mo Yue gave him the insect poison. I’ve only ever seen that kind of insect poison with Mo Yue. I don’t know where else I can find the antidote. I’ll look for it for you, and then tonight we’ll go visit Ying Wuyou. With this young master’s illusion magic and your strength, we’ll definitely be able to rescue Ying Wuyou,” Zhang Meifang said.

Jiang Huai thought for a moment and stopped him, saying, "Absolutely not! This is Tianfu. Apart from Yi Bicheng, no one can break into Ying Wuyou's place of imprisonment. Yi Bicheng has already tried once, so the level of security will definitely be doubled. I heard that the Tianfu Lord was tricked by Chu Kuo into even using his family heirloom, the White Tiger Shadow Technique. This time, it won't be that simple."

"Moreover, apart from Chu Kuo and the Lord of Tianfu, no one else knows about the new place of imprisonment. Going there rashly would easily arouse suspicion."

“I know someone else who knows where Master Ying is being held!” Zhang Meifang said, her hands tightly clenched together. After a long while, she said with hatred, “Mo Yue knows. Chu Kuo told Mo Yue everything! As long as we capture Mo Yue and interrogate her, we can find out where Master Ying is! I’ll go and arrange for Mo Yue to come out. You can ask her about the rest!”

Ying Li and Jiang Huai exchanged a glance, pondered for a while, and then Jiang Huai asked, "Are you alright now?! Don't push yourself too hard. We can take it slowly. Just having us by your side is the best help you can give us. You're a weak woman; don't put yourself in danger!"

“I can!” Zhang Meifang stood up resolutely, her eyes filled with hatred. She turned to look at everyone in the room who were plotting, and said stubbornly, “Mo Yue plotted against me. If I can’t even do this, I deserve to be bullied by her for the rest of my life! I must protect myself. I feel a little more at ease now that you’re here, but if you leave, I will still be that cowardly Zhang Meifang, never able to turn things around, never able to resist external enemies!!! I’ll go tonight. We’ll meet at the back mountain of the far north, where the snow is particularly thick. Unless there’s a very intense fight, no one will know!”

"Chu Kuo has obtained the White Tiger Shadow Technique today, and he will definitely start practicing it immediately. He can't take care of Mo Yue, nor can he take care of me. Therefore, the only way to deal with Mo Yue is today!"

"Alright! Tonight, we'll go to the back mountain and settle our scores!" Ying Li said, her hands clenched tightly, determined not to make any mistakes. She had been seriously injured when she went to the palace of Nan'an Kingdom to find Ying Zhe and Ying Qishan last time. This time in the far north of Tianfu, although the nine prefecture lords had not yet gathered, the prefecture lord Yi Jiang was not someone to be trifled with, so she had to proceed with caution.

"Ying Li, everything will be alright. Grandpa Ying will be alright." Li Xiyue comforted Ying Li, holding his hand. She then turned to look at Zhang Meifang and asked, "You said that when Mo Yue tricked you into getting on the carriage, she gave you a pill that would make you sweat and emit a cold fragrance. Do you remember what that pill looked like?!"

Zhang Meifang looked puzzled, then her eyes lit up. She searched her body and dressing table for a long time before finally finding a white porcelain bottle in her makeup box. She opened the bottle, turned it over, and five or six black pills rolled out.

Zhang Meifang handed the pill to Li Xiyue, who crushed it, smelled it, and her expression suddenly changed. "This is a wine-scented poison. It emits a strange, cold fragrance when it's in water. If you smell it for too long, it will corrupt your mind! Mo Yue gave you this so that when you entered Chu Kuo's carriage, Chu Kuo would be poisoned and unable to control himself, and he would bully you! What a vicious thought!"

Zhang Meifang's face turned red and white, and she clenched her fingers tightly, saying, "No wonder, she repeatedly told the maid to give me this pill, and after I got into the carriage, Chu Kuo's expression suddenly changed. Just now, when I saw Chu Kuo's expression, it was completely different from what I saw that day!!! What a vicious woman!"

"Mo Yue almost stabbed Ying Li to death with her sword back then, so it's completely understandable that she would do that." Fu Cheng smiled coldly. He had personally witnessed Mo Yue's prowess in Ying Li's illusionary realm, and she was indeed very sharp!

“When I was at Huaijiang Mansion, I did hear that Moyue Pavilion had this kind of medicinal Gu to breed Moyue Birds. However, is this wine-scented medicinal Gu really that powerful?! I have heard of this medicinal Gu, but I have never come into contact with it. I only know that it is a very despicable medicinal Gu,” Jiang Huai said.

Seeing this, Li Xiyue brought over a bowl of water and confirmed again, "My family has been in the wine business for generations. Although we are merchants and don't cultivate spiritual arts, we know about the medicinal poisons related to wine. My grandfather always warned me from a young age that I must never touch such things. You'll see how potent the medicine is in a moment. Jiang Huai and Fu Cheng, you two must hold on tight. Ying Li, you must protect us!"

Jiang Huai and the others were slightly startled by Li Xiyue's serious demeanor. Ying Li stood in front of Li Xiyue and Zhang Meifang, watching Li Xiyue throw the crushed pill into the water. With just this one move, the room was filled with a cool fragrance. The three women were fine, but Jiang Huai and Fu Cheng's expressions changed.

Fu Cheng looked at Ying Li with a strange light in his eyes. He took a step forward and shook his head vigorously, but was pulled back by Jiang Huai. Jiang Huai was no better off; his face was slightly flushed, and his eyes were gentle and watery as he looked at Ying Li. Ying Li exclaimed, "What a powerful medicinal Gu!" A bright flame shot out from his palm, burning the pills and the bowl of water to ashes.

After a while, Li Xiyue gave Jiang Huai and Fu Cheng some calming pills, and the two finally calmed down. Zhang Meifang clenched her fists and said coldly, "That Mo Yue has such a vicious heart; today is her death day!"

As soon as she finished speaking, Zhang Meifang took immediate action. Mo Yue, who had been feeling unwell, was wandering around Tianfu when she saw Zhang Meifang approaching. She was surprised and said, "Ha! You were acting like you were going to die yesterday, what's wrong now?! You think wealth and glory are everything?! I knew it, you were just putting on an act yesterday! Meifang, if you know what's good for you, listen to me and serve Chu Kuo properly! Wouldn't it be better if we became best friends that everyone envies?!"

"Hmph, don't think I don't know what you've done! If you hadn't given me that curse that day, how could Chu Kuo have lost his composure like that?! There's a reason why Chu Kuo likes you the most—it's all because you put a curse on him! Besides this secret, I know an even bigger one about you. If you want to live, come find me tonight, and I'll make a deal with you: I absolutely won't tell anyone about your affairs!!!"

After Zhang Meifang finished speaking, Mo Yue's face turned ashen. She stood there, stunned, and unconsciously swallowed. How could such a delicate woman be so shrewd?! If Chu Kuo found out, Mo Yue would be doomed!

This kind of Gu poison is unknown to most people. Just who is Zhang Meifang?!