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

After rolling around a few times and feeling less pain, Su Li knelt on the ground and tugged at the corner of Qing Yanzi's robe to explain.

“Master, I don’t understand what you mean. How could I possibly have any ulterior motives towards you? You gave me my life; without you, I would have died long ago.”

Qingyanzi didn't trust Suli at all, or rather, he never did.

He had absolutely no feelings for Su Li; all he felt was to abuse and enslave her at will.

He kicked Su Li away: "Is that so? But I don't believe it. Guards, throw your senior sister into the meditation room and let her reflect on her actions."

The moment the words "quiet room" were uttered, the entire room fell silent for a moment.

Fear appeared on everyone's faces.

It is clear that the quiet room is not as serene as its name suggests.

Su Li, in particular, was pale and trembling all over.

"What are you all standing there for?" Qingyanzi shouted loudly when no one moved.

His shout prompted two disciples in blue robes to step forward and drag Su Li to the backyard.

They stopped beside an artificial hill, moved a protruding rock, and revealed a hidden passage. Entering the passage, they found it dark and damp, clearly a breeding ground for the "Five Poisons".

The concave pool was crawling with poisonous creatures, and these snakes and insects outnumbered those in Qingyanzi's study and the dark room by dozens of times.

"Senior Sister, please forgive us." The two disciples in green robes bowed and apologized to Su Li. Then, one of the disciples in green robes struck out with his palm, pushing Su Li into the Five Poisons Pool.

The Five Poison Pool is the quiet room that Qingyanzi mentioned.

Ning Hanshuang returned to the Prince Su's residence, covered in injuries.

Gu Junxi was surprised and worried to see Ning Hanshuang injured. She helped Ning Hanshuang sit down and brought out a first-aid kit to bandage Ning Hanshuang herself.

Ning Haitang was angry with Ning Hanshuang. Even though she knew Ning Hanshuang was injured, she still followed her into the pharmacy, but she didn't go in. She just stood at the door and watched.

Gu Junxi reached out to pull open Ning Hanshuang's collar, but Ning Hanshuang held her hand down.

Gu Junxi raised an eyebrow in confusion. Ning Hanshuang looked at Ning Haitang: "Little sister, I have a few words to say to Xixi alone."

Ning Haitang leaned against the door, arms crossed, motionless, and said sarcastically, "You've already injured yourself all over again, what else can't I know? When you really die, don't blame me for not taking good care of you when you meet your parents in the afterlife."

Being stubborn but soft-hearted is probably a common trait among the Ning family.

Ning Hanshuang really couldn't do anything about her younger sister. She had long been used to her sister's way of speaking and wouldn't really get angry with Ning Haitang.

She compromised: "You can listen if you want, but you have to promise me you won't cause any more trouble for Lili. She must have had a good time all these years she's been away from home."

"You saw Su Li?" Ning Haitang asked in surprise.

Gu Junxi's heart stirred, and she guessed that her premonition was correct. The female disciple accompanying Qingyanzi should be Su Li.

If the mother was following Su Li, why was she injured?

Ning Hanshuang did not answer Ning Haitang, but just stared at Ning Haitang stubbornly and repeated, "Promise me."

Seeing that Ning Hanshuang was not joking, Ning Haitang stopped arguing with her. She didn't like Su Li, but she was still her niece.

She said reluctantly, "Who wants to cause trouble for her? Anyway, if she's going to harm someone, it'll be you."

Seeing that Ning Haitang finally agreed not to cause trouble for Su Li anymore, Ning Hanshuang breathed a sigh of relief, coughed twice with a pale face, and a bitter smile appeared on her lips.

“Su Li is my child, how could she possibly harm me? I almost met my end at the Imperial Preceptor’s residence today. If it weren’t for Su Li’s help and cooperation, I probably wouldn’t be seeing you all today.”

"I never imagined that Qingyanzi's usual air of otherworldly wisdom was all an act."

Ning Hanshuang recounted everything that had happened to her at Qingyanzi's residence.

After hearing this, Gu Junxi felt that the Qingyanzi mentioned by Ning Hanshuang was the same as the Qingyanzi she had deduced.

His true nature is that of a hypocrite who appears virtuous but is actually sanctimonious.

He orchestrated the taking away of Su Li, who was just born, as well as the entire process of doing so.

Gu Junxi, with a somber expression, told Ning Hanshuang all about her speculations about Qingyanzi.

"Qingyanzi not only has grand schemes, but he is also our family's enemy. If it weren't for him, Gu Yuanbai wouldn't have concealed the fact that you gave birth to twins. However, there is currently no evidence to prove that he is Gu Juntang's father. Moreover, Gu Juntang has been missing for a long time, so there is no way to verify this."

Gu Junxi had heard that the people from the Xuanwang Mansion had been searching for Gu Juntang these past few days.

Although Mu Lingxuan did not make a big fuss, the Crown Prince's residence had been sending people to keep an eye on the Prince Xuan's residence. Anyone with a bit of information would know that this matter was not a secret.

After Gu Junxi said that, Ning Hanshuang and Ning Haitang both fell silent.

I hate the feeling of knowing your enemy is right in front of you, but being unable to take revenge.

In the end, it was Emperor Sheng, that incompetent ruler, who was in the way.

These individuals were now united in their desire to rebel. Once they replaced Emperor Sheng, dealing with Qingyanzi would be much easier.

But this matter requires careful consideration.

The most important thing right now is Su Li, and the Gu poison in Gu Junxi and Mu Lingye.

After exchanging glances, Gu Junxi said, "Mother, since Su Li gave you a look, signaling you to leave first, she must have something she can't say. Don't go looking for her for now. See if she comes to us. If she doesn't come to us within two days, we'll find a way to secretly contact her."

"Okay," Ning Hanshuang replied. Although she really wanted to take Su Li away, this was the only option for now.

Because she didn't know what secrets Qingyanzi had over Su Li, taking Su Li away rashly might harm her.

Perhaps her discovery at Qingyanzi's residence today has already harmed Su Li.

Thinking about all this, Ning Hanshuang became anxious.

However, even with her anxiety, Ning Hanshuang had to endure it. She let Gu Junxi examine her injuries. The injuries weren't serious, but the poison was a bit tricky. However, given Gu Junxi's current medical skills, the poison wasn't uncurable.

After Gu Junxi went to great lengths to detoxify Ning Hanshuang, she had Ning Hanshuang sent back to the Ningyuan Marquis's residence.

For the next two days, Gu Junxi stayed at Prince Su's residence to study Gu techniques. Mu Lingye, on the other hand, stayed at the Crown Prince's residence, deliberately creating the impression that they were arguing and having a cold war.

Ning Hanshuang was still waiting for Su Li to come to her. Seeing that the deadline she had set was about to pass, Ning Hanshuang was getting impatient and discussed with Gu Junxi about going to see Su Li again.

Gu Junxi verbally agreed that if Su Li didn't come looking for her after tonight, they would go to Su Li's place together first thing tomorrow morning. In reality, after Ning Hanshuang left, she secretly left the Prince Su's residence and sent someone to deliver a message to Mu Lingye, arranging to meet outside the Crown Prince's residence.

The moon hung high in the night sky, and Gu Junxi, dressed in a black outfit, stood alone. Mu Lingye walked up from behind and pulled Gu Junxi into his arms.

Mu Lingye kissed Gu Junxi's forehead, expressing his longing.

"No one's following us, is that right?" Gu Junxi clung to Mu Lingye's shoulder, looking warily in the direction Mu Lingye had come from.

Mu Lingye shook his head: "Xuan Ying is here. I've confirmed it. No one is following us."

Gu Junxi nodded, looked away, her eyelashes fluttered, and she suddenly smiled.

"What are you laughing at?" Mu Lingye placed his hands on Gu Junxi's slender waist, looking down at her.

Gu Junxi's face flushed slightly, and she couldn't stop smiling. She gently poked Mu Lingye's firm chest with her small hand: "I just suddenly felt like we were a young couple who had eloped behind our families' backs."