After returning to the capital, the eldest daughter saved her entire clan with her medical skills.

"Father, Mother, Brother, Ruanruan misses you so much. Please don't go."

Suddenly, the woman inside the iron cage crawled on her knees to the side closest to the iron gate, her fair fingers gripping the iron bars tightly. She looked at the iron gate with a silly smile on her face, as if she had seen her dearest loved ones.

"You madwoman! I don't care if you understand or not, I am now the Empress of Chu Qin Dynasty. The Crown Prince loves me, not you. Xue Ruanruan, do you think you can escape this reality by thinking you're crazy?"

The beautiful woman, who was laughing wildly, suddenly stopped smiling and looked at the woman in the cage, wishing she could devour her alive.

"If it weren't for the power struggle between the Grand General and Regent Murong Xun, why would the Crown Prince have married you as his concubine? Stop dreaming!"

"I was already the Crown Prince's woman long before you were discussing marriage with him, and it all happened in your boudoir. I haven't even thanked you yet, hahaha..."

The beautiful woman's face was like the weather in March, sometimes sunny, sometimes cloudy, unpredictable.

"Furthermore, I was the one who told His Highness the Crown Prince the secret of your possession of the rare spatial jade pendant. Unexpected, isn't it? Otherwise, why do you think the Crown Prince is so eager to be with you?"

"I have to say that God has really blessed you. Everyone around you is so kind to you, and even the divine doctor is willing to give you the priceless treasure, the Space Jade Pendant."

"But so what? In the end, it still fell into the hands of me and the Crown Prince."

"I really should thank you properly. I must say, the spatial jade pendant is truly a magical treasure. The spiritual herbs and rice grown inside are even more precious than elixirs."

"I owe my current complexion and beauty to the magical plants you cultivated in the space. Otherwise, I could not have transformed myself so much in just half a year, becoming as beautiful as a demon, with the Crown Prince falling head over heels in love and saying that he would marry no one but me in this life."

"There's one more thing I forgot to mention. Regent Murong Xun has long harbored feelings for you, but I don't reciprocate. So, I used a little trick to deliberately mislead you into thinking he's a cold-blooded and ruthless villain."

"Xue Ruanruan, your current miserable state, neither human nor ghost, is largely due to your naivety and ignorance, hahaha..."

The beautiful woman laughed out loud without restraint, both for ruining her best friend's marriage and for preventing her from marrying the regent.

That incomparably handsome and extraordinary man, like a banished immortal, if she can't have him, no one else can either!

Especially Xue Ruanruan, who always outshone her.

The maniacal laughter echoed throughout the dark room, and the rats on the floor scurried about in fright.

The beautiful woman was lost in her own thoughts, completely unaware that the woman in the iron cage, who looked dazed, suddenly trembled, as if a mysterious power was surging within her.

The madwoman clutched her chest tightly, her lips trembling slightly as if she were muttering something to herself. Her voice was low and hoarse, carrying an indescribable pain and confusion.

The maniacal laughter suddenly ceased, and the beautiful woman extended her exquisitely styled long fingernails into the iron cage, gripping the madwoman's chin tightly, her eyes filled with smugness, malice, and pleasure.

"Xue Ruanruan, do you know who planted that treasonous letter that was found in the Zhenguo General's mansion back then?"

"Now that things have come to this, I have nothing left to hide. I might as well tell you the truth. It is I, your best friend, Shen Yuanxiang."

"I must thank you for your unwavering trust in me, which has allowed me to win the Crown Prince's favor."

"Look at the phoenix crown on my head, the phoenix robe on my body, and all these rare treasures on my body. Then look at your tattered and smelly clothes. Did you ever think that you would end up like this?"

The beautiful woman, like a smug little person, kept pushing the other's limits, oblivious to the crazy woman's strange behavior.

"Although you are loved by your parents and brothers, and have won the favor of the powerful and treacherous minister Murong Xun, the one who laughs last is me, Shen Yuanxiang, not the so-called medical immortal Xue Ruanruan in the people's mouth!"

The beautiful woman laughed wildly, as if she had gone mad, her laughter unrestrained and shrill.

The madwoman in the iron cage trembled, loosened her fingers from playing with her hair, and looked through the gaps in her hair at the woman laughing maniacally outside the cage, her eyes flashing with intense hatred.

"Oh, by the way, do you know why the Regent has disappeared?"

The beautiful woman laughed even more triumphantly, her long fingernails digging into the iron cage and drawing a deep, bloody gash on the madwoman's face.

The madwoman's confused, anxious eyes gradually cleared, and she trembled slightly as if she were enduring immense pain.

The beautiful woman was so engrossed in her own emotions that she didn't notice the change in the madwoman in the iron cage, and continued talking to herself.

"The Crown Prince told him that you were secretly sent to Fufeng by General Xue, and that an ambush was set up on the way. Murong Xun, that infatuated man, fell into the trap and was knocked off a cliff by the Crown Prince's men. He must be nothing but bones by now."

His smug expression suddenly changed, and a hint of jealousy appeared in his eyes. He wished he could tear the madwoman to pieces.

But she couldn't do that; she wanted to live, to live well.

Let that bitch Xue Ruanruan watch as she gradually kills all those who love her, and see how she climbs step by step to the pinnacle of power.

Suddenly, the madwoman who had been kneeling on the ground lunged at the beautiful woman, her eyes filled with madness and ferocity, like a hungry wolf eyeing its prey, and bit down hard on her fingers.

The beautiful woman was clearly unprepared for the sudden turn of events, and the intense pain nearly made her faint.

She stared in horror, trying to pull her hand back, but it was too late.

The madwoman bit her hand like a hungry wolf, tearing at it violently.

The beautiful woman let out a piercing scream, her face instantly turned pale, and large beads of sweat appeared on her forehead.

She struggled desperately, trying to break free from the madwoman's iron grip. However, the madwoman held on tightly, as if trying to tear her body apart.

A low growl escaped her lips, like that of a wild beast, sending chills down one's spine.

"what!"

A scream echoed through the dark room. The beautiful woman lay sprawled on the iron cage in a bizarre posture, her face contorted in pain, her body convulsing.

"Guards! Guards! Murder! Drag this madwoman out and feed her to the dogs!"

The intense pain made the beautiful woman forget all about her image, and she screamed hysterically.

The rough and urgent voice sounded like the squeals of a pig being slaughtered during the Chinese New Year—unpleasant and jarring.

The maids, eunuchs, and guards outside the dark room were startled by what they heard. They exchanged glances, their eyes revealing hesitation and schadenfreude.

They knew without even guessing what had happened inside, but none of them moved; they remained silent in place.