First annul the engagement, then sever ties with the empress; the empress reigns supreme.

Gu Junxi's method of disguising herself as a palace maid was not clever or cautious, so it's not surprising that the Empress Dowager saw through her disguise.

Gu Junxi also learned from Murong Yuan that Mu Lingye had agreed to take Feng Wu into the Crown Prince's residence; otherwise, she wouldn't have rushed into the palace after persuading Feng Yang.

The Empress Dowager's summons was obviously for the Phoenix Dance in the Phoenix Sun.

In addition, Mu Lingye's crimes of deception and scheming should also be investigated.

But the Empress Dowager was an elder, and the concept of filial piety was so powerful that she couldn't be ignored.

Gu Junxi and Mu Lingye exchanged a glance and walked hand in hand toward the Empress Dowager's palace.

At this moment, Mu Lingxuan, who had fallen into the lotus pond and been completely ignored, had already climbed out on his own.

The shallow water in the lotus pond had no real impact on him; he was just completely soaked.

Xingchi brought a clean cloak and draped it over Mu Lingxuan.

Mu Lingxuan's attention was entirely focused on Gu Junxi and Mu Lingye as they left: "Those were eunuchs from the Empress Dowager's palace. They're going to the Empress Dowager's palace together! Gu Junxi escaped from prison, and the Imperial Guards are searching for her throughout the entire capital. If she goes to the Empress Dowager's palace now, wouldn't she be walking into a trap?"

Stephen Chow scratched his head awkwardly, somewhat reluctant to tell his master the truth, as if he were always a step behind.

“Your Highness, when I went to fetch the cloak just now, I overheard the palace servants saying that Princess Fengyang’s poison has been cured, and that Princess Fengyang herself testified that it was Princess Fengwu who poisoned her. This matter has absolutely nothing to do with the Crown Princess; she is innocent!”

Innocent? So Gu Junxi wasn't blinded by jealousy. Mu Lingxuan was surprised, pulled his cloak tighter around himself, and narrowed his eyes thoughtfully.

He suddenly recalled the scene when Gu Junxi was unwilling to take out the medicine from her purse for Feng Yang and Feng Wu to use when they were in the back mountain of Dacheng Temple.

Therefore, he created the opportunity for Feng Wu to frame Gu Junxi.

After figuring things out, Mu Lingxuan began to regret it.

He pursed his lips, looked again in the direction where Gu Junxi and Mu Lingye had left, his expression becoming complicated, and then began to blame Gu Junxi again.

If Gu Junxi had told him honestly that she was afraid Feng Wu would use the medicine in the purse to frame her, would he have forced her to do it?

Ultimately, Gu Junxi refused to believe him; all of this was Gu Junxi's own doing.

And just now, even though he had already cleared his name and restored his innocence, he was unwilling to tell him the truth when he saw his anxiety. What is it about him that he lacks compared to Mu Lingye?

Mu Lingxuan's eyes flashed with intense jealousy and hatred.

In the Empress Dowager's palace.

Feng Wu had already left with the Qin envoys. When Gu Junxi and Mu Lingye arrived, the Empress Dowager had already dismissed everyone except for a senior palace maid.

The Empress Dowager's face was cold and stern, unlike her usual kind expression, indicating that she was truly angry. She launched her attack the moment she saw Gu Junxi and Mu Lingye.

"Your Highness, is it fun to fool me like this? I am truly disappointed in you."

Mu Lingye bowed, his expression indifferent, without the slightest hint of guilt: "I do not know what my grandmother is talking about."

Mu Lingye became increasingly out of control, and the Empress Dowager felt that the old method of using kinship to bind him was no longer effective.

If all the soft methods fail, then we have no choice but to use hard methods.

Mu Lingye pretended to be stupid, but the Empress Dowager directly revealed her true colors.

"Wasn't the matter of Feng Wu and Mu Lingche something you plotted?" The Empress Dowager closed her eyes. "Forget it, what's done is done. Asking questions now won't do any good. Your marriage to Feng Wu is off, but your marriage to Feng Yang must go through!"

Special arrangements were made. Normally, only one princess could be married off, but there was no guarantee Mu Lingche would ascend the throne. To be on the safe side, another princess had to be included. Besides, Feng Yang's face was already disfigured, so she wouldn't be of much use back in Qin.

The Empress Dowager believed she could make the decision on such a trivial matter. At most, she would write a letter to the Qin Emperor after the matter was resolved.

The Empress Dowager's plan was shrewd; she was determined to win over Mu Lingye and was doing everything she could to place one of her own in Mu Lingye's inner circle.

So all that previous concern and care for Mu Lingye was indeed for ulterior motives.

Gu Junxi held Mu Lingye's hand tightly with heartache.

Mu Lingye sensed Gu Junxi's emotional fluctuations, but instead of being saddened, he smiled at her reassuringly.

The Empress Dowager's true colors were already clear when she married Gu Junxi.

I'm definitely a little sad, but at least I'm no longer emotionally affected by it.

Mu Lingye refused without giving any face: "I will not marry Feng Wu, much less Feng Yang. Grandmother, you should give up on this idea as soon as possible. If you summoned me here today just for this matter, then I will return to my residence. My Crown Princess has been framed and spent the night in prison last night; she is already exhausted!"

After stating his position, Mu Lingye took Gu Junxi's hand and prepared to leave.

Since the facade has already been torn off, and Mu Lingye is showing such disrespect, the Empress Dowager is not afraid to tear it off even further.

She remained seated, coldly staring at the backs of Mu Lingye and Gu Junxi as they walked side by side, her voice even colder and deeper.

"Your Highness, if you insist on opposing me, then don't blame me for showing no mercy. Back then, in order to marry the Crown Princess, you lied and claimed to be the one who spent the night with her, and the Emperor didn't know. I think perhaps now we can let the Emperor know. What do you think, Your Highness?"

With an undisguised and blatant threat, Mu Lingye tightened his grip on Gu Junxi's hand, turned around with a chilling aura, and looked at the Empress Dowager.

Suddenly being stared at by Mu Lingye, the Empress Dowager felt as if she were being watched by a wild wolf, as if that wolf might leap up at any moment and bite her neck. The Empress Dowager felt an intense pressure emanating from Mu Lingye; she was first startled, then her eyes revealed excitement.

Mu Lingye was always calm and rarely got angry, but it was precisely when Mu Lingye got angry that it proved her threat had worked.

Gu Junxi is Mu Lingye's Achilles' heel.

A woman who has lost her chastity before marriage is already lucky to become the Crown Princess; it is absolutely impossible for her to become the Empress.

The Empress Dowager, confident of victory, persuaded him: "Crown Prince, as long as you listen to me and marry Fengyang, I guarantee that this matter will be kept secret forever and no one will ever know about it again."

Upon hearing this, Mu Lingye's aura became even more oppressive, but he showed no intention of letting go of Gu Junxi's hand from beginning to end. On the contrary, as if he was afraid, he gripped Gu Junxi's hand even tighter.

Gu Junxi felt her fingers were being gripped so tightly by Mu Lingye that they were painful. Seeing that Mu Lingye was in a bad mood, she endured it without making a sound.

She blinked, observing the emotions between Mu Lingye and the Empress Dowager, trying to discern something.

Mu Lingye was indeed provoked and threatened by the Empress Dowager's words, but something was wrong. The person who was with her that night was clearly Mu Lingye.

If Mu Lingye understood this clearly, the Empress Dowager's threat would have no effect on him whatsoever; it would be nothing but a joke.

So Mu Lingye didn't know that the person she was with that night was himself!