My elder sister forced me to become a concubine; I was reborn and remarried into the emperor's

"You dare to stop me? Aren't you afraid that when the Regent returns, I'll go and complain to him about you?"

These words were quite intimidating; Zhou Fuhai turned pale with fright, and his legs trembled slightly.

But he still didn't lower his arm to stop her, and said in a pleading tone, "Madam Wei, what are you saying? Even if I had a few times the courage of a dog, I wouldn't dare to imprison you."

"Then move aside."

"The Regent has instructed that you are not allowed to leave Changchun Garden even a step. My dear aunt, my little darling, please have mercy! Whatever you want, we servants can get it for you. Why are you making things difficult for us? You also want to go to the East Palace? That's a place the Regent has repeatedly warned you not to go near."

When Wei Nanxun saw that Zhou Fuhai was truly terrified, his face covered in tears, and he was praying to Buddha and his ancestors, she felt both anxious and amused.

He then told him to dismiss the other palace servants, and pulled him aside to whisper, "I didn't mean to make things difficult for you, but I really have an urgent matter to attend to and need to leave the palace. Eunuch Zhou, you must help me."

When Zhou Fuhai saw her, it was as if he were seeing his own ancestor.

Upon hearing this, he was truly about to kneel before her: "Lady Wei, it's not that I don't want to do you a favor, but the Regent has instructed me that your safety is more important than my head."

Wei Nanxun suddenly realized that the most important part of that sentence, "Waiting for him to come back," was the word "reassurance."

He might not know what Pei Yuyan and Jiang Qiongzhi were plotting, but he certainly knew that Pei Yuyan would harm her.

So they wouldn't even let her go home, and only let her stay in Changchun Garden.

She understood his desire to protect her, but she was not a caged bird, nor a dodder clinging to a tall tree; she was an eagle capable of soaring.

If Zhou Fuhai can't help her, then who else in the palace can?

-

"Who gave you permission to touch her?"

Pei Yuyan stared coldly at the woman standing in front of the desk, his tone impatient and annoyed.

The response he received was also one of dissatisfaction: "You didn't even discuss with me your plan to seduce Pei Ji. Do you really think that kind of woman can seduce Pei Ji? You're underestimating him too much."

The one speaking was Jiang Qiongzhi, who wore a dark hooded robe over her clothes, covering herself from head to toe and disappearing into the darkness.

The collaboration between the two was naturally initiated by Jiang Qiongzhi. She approached not only Wei Mingzhao, but also Pei Ji after he repeatedly rejected her.

She had to find another way; she could endure his indifference and disregard, and even enjoy the abuse.

But she couldn't stand it; he had eyes for someone else.

Since she couldn't have his complete love, she would let him see only her.

For this reason, she was willing to cooperate with someone like Pei Yuyan. She didn't care who won or lost, or how many people died; all she wanted was Pei Ji.

Man Ziyou went to Beijing this year and met her once. Since then, he has often sent her letters, and it can be said that he is her admirer.

She acted as a go-between for Pei Yuyan and the second son of the Northwest King, and naturally, she was also the one who devised the plan to lure Pei Ji out of the capital.

Using the child to frame Wei Nanxun was a plan she and Wei Mingzhao devised separately, unknown to Pei Yuyan.

Jiang Qiongzhi was unaware that Pei Yuyan secretly used Yue'e to seduce Pei Ji.

Unexpectedly, their own selfish motives led to a lose-lose situation. Not only did neither of their plans succeed, but they also ended up helping Wei Nanxun.

Pei Yuyan was pleased that Wei Nanxun was alright; he didn't care about the life or death of the child, Wei Mingzhao, or Yue'e.

"You haven't answered my question yet. Who gave you permission to touch her?"

Jiang Qiongzhi curled her lip and gave a disdainful smile: "I'm afraid no one will appreciate Your Highness's deep affection..."

She looked down on Pei Yuyan, such an incompetent man. If he really wanted to get a woman, he had plenty of ways and means. He was clearly no better than her, yet he was pretending to be a love saint.

Before she could finish speaking, her throat was grabbed tightly.

Pei Yuyan was expressionless, his eyes were gloomy, and he was close to her face, his voice sounding like it was squeezed out from the shadows.

"Who do you think you are? Don't think that just because I listened to your plan, you have the right to lecture me. If it weren't for me, you would have been kicked out of the palace by now."

Jiang Qiongzhi's face was already a little red. She thought that Pei Yuyan's gentleness towards Wei Nanxun meant he was indecisive.

Unexpectedly, he was really going to kill me.

She had to tug at his arm gently, and just before she was about to faint, he finally let go.

"If you dare to act on your own again and try to harm Ah Xun, I will make sure Pei Ji dies without a burial place."

Jiang Qiongzhi coughed incessantly, leaning against the table in a disheveled state, her fingernails gripping the table so tightly they almost dug into the wood.

The last time she suffered such abuse was at Pei Ji's hands. She didn't feel embarrassed; on the contrary, she felt a faint sense of pleasure. But it wouldn't be the same if the person was Pei Yuyan.

Unfortunately, she still needed Pei Yuyan's help at this moment, so she had no choice but to swallow her anger.

"Your Highness is right to reprimand me. This will not happen again. Please also deliver the person to me intact as agreed."

Pei Yuyan certainly wanted Pei Ji dead; the humiliations Pei Ji had inflicted on him were enough to make him die a hundred times over.

But he didn't want him to die so easily. The thought that Pei Ji would have his tendons severed, unable to live or die, and living a miserable life like a living dead filled him with a strange sense of satisfaction.

"You'd better keep your word."

Jiang Qiongzhi forced a smile, already thinking about how to drag this man down to hell after she got Pei Ji.

-

Wei Nanxun, on the other hand, was naturally unaware of the schemes these two were up to.

Dressed in the clothes of a palace maid, she followed Zhou Fuhai to Cining Palace.

After returning from the Imperial Garden yesterday, the Empress Dowager has been bedridden, saying that her headache has flared up again, and she refuses to see anyone.

In other words, Zhou Fuhai had been serving her all along; if it were someone else, they wouldn't even be able to enter her bedchamber.

After much thought, Wei Nanxun realized that leaving the palace wouldn't be difficult, since threatening suicide would leave Zhou Fuhai powerless against her.

Leaving the palace alone wouldn't be enough; she needed to know Pei Ji's whereabouts and catch up with him outside the capital.

Then she couldn't let Pei Yuyan and the others notice her movements, otherwise, alerting them would cause them to change their plans.

Not only do they need to help her leave the capital without anyone noticing, but they also need to know Pei Ji's whereabouts.

From this perspective, the only person in the entire palace who could help her was the Empress Dowager.

Empress Dowager Jiang sat on the bed, wearing a headband, and looked very listless.

Wei Nanxun brought the medicinal soup to her side. The two exchanged a glance, and Empress Dowager Jiang's expression changed. She then ordered the nanny to take all the palace maids out of the room.

"Wei family girl, why aren't you staying at Changchun Garden? What are you doing here?"

Wei Nanxun knelt down and kowtowed several times to the Empress Dowager, as if she had made a decision, and said: "Your Majesty, I am willing to swear on my life that everything I am about to say is true."

"You said."

"Crown Prince Pei Yuyan poisoned His Majesty and now he intends to harm the Regent."

"How dare you, Wei clan! Slandering the Crown Prince deserves death!"