After transmigrating into the book, I helped my mother reconcile with her divorced husband.

"You're quite self-aware." Lu Zhiyuan took a step back. "It's already a blessing that you bear some resemblance to the Empress. I suppose the person who chose you for the palace was drawn to your eyes. Unfortunately, you and the Empress are worlds apart. The Empress is kind, understanding, and wise. You are utterly foolish."

"How dare you! I am still the Emperor's concubine!" Consort Yu was furious and raised her hand to slap her, but a silver needle pierced her palm, and her eyes nearly burst open: "Lu Zhiyuan, how dare you assassinate a concubine in public!"

Lu Zhiyuan pouted and said to His Highness the Crown Prince, "Crown Prince, she has wronged me."

"I saw it. It was indeed Consort Yu who tried to slap Miss Lu. Perhaps she remembered where she was, because she suddenly stopped and turned the tables on her."

“Your Highness, she was the one who insulted me first. I didn’t want to teach her a lesson, but she actually used a poisoned silver needle to injure me.”

"Humiliation?" The Crown Prince's face turned cold. "I would like to ask Consort Yu, is what Miss Lu said humiliating to you?"

Consort Yu hesitated to speak, so the Crown Prince answered for her.

"Is it that Consort Yu lacks self-awareness, or does Consort Yu think that it's a blessing to resemble my mother to some extent?"

Consort Yu explained, "That's not what I meant. Your Highness has misunderstood. I was angry at the last four words she said."

The Crown Prince sneered: "Miss Lu, where did you go wrong? Consort Yu, you are indeed incredibly foolish. Your grandmother passed away first, and all the imperial relatives are here keeping vigil, yet you actually conspired with someone from the inside to attempt an assassination. If you are not incredibly foolish, then who is?"

Consort Yu was startled: "Your Highness, please don't talk nonsense. I did not do those things."

"You're so stubborn, just like Consort Jin." Lu Zhiyuan shrugged. "When the assassin was struck by the silver needle, you were the only one hiding behind others, silently letting out a sigh of relief. When the assassin revived, you were the only one looking tense. When I asked the guards to take the assassin away, out of all these people here, you were the only beauty who spoke up. Your relationship with the Crown Prince isn't good, yet you're here worrying about His Highness the Crown Prince. Don't you think your concern is a bit too abrupt?"

"I--"

"What do you mean, 'I'? You're finished for assassinating the crown prince!" Lu Zhiyuan pointed at her with her hands on her hips. "Thank you for taking this one with you, guard!"

Consort Yu tried to struggle, but a single glance from the Crown Prince immediately silenced her with a guard covering her mouth. Xu Rui, as expected of the head eunuch serving the Empress, calmly led the ladies and members of the royal family back into the palace to continue their vigil for the Empress Dowager. Princess Ping Le wanted Lu Zhiyuan to accompany her, but upon meeting the Crown Prince's gaze, she immediately withdrew her gaze.

She fears no one but her brother, the Crown Prince.

The Crown Prince was not skilled in interrogation and was at a loss when faced with the silent female assassin and the vehemently denying Yu Meiren's claims. Lu Zhiyuan stuffed a half-eaten piece of fruit into the Crown Prince's hand and asked him which one to interrogate first. The Crown Prince pointed to the female assassin, and Lu Zhiyuan nodded, ordering someone to take Yu Meiren to the next room.

The female assassin, her eyes red, glared fiercely at Lu Zhiyuan. If it weren't for her, she would have already left that damned, death-filled palace.

Lu Zhiyuan had seen this kind of gaze many times, especially on people on the verge of death. Holding the silver needle, she waved it in front of the female assassin and asked, "Will you tell me yourself, or wait until I've tortured you? You've seen my methods, and you've tasted the effects of this silver needle. You should know whether you can withstand it."

"Pah!" The female assassin spat at her with great effort.

Lu Zhiyuan dodged in time, avoiding contact. With a flick of her finger, the silver needle accurately pierced the acupoint. A sharp pain and itching assaulted her, her entire body feeling as if it were being gnawed by insects. The female assassin gritted her teeth, not uttering a single word.

“Not bad. Apart from my partner, you are the first person who can withstand this kind of poison.” He took out a second silver needle, crushed it, flicked it lightly, and inserted it into another acupoint.

The female assassin raised her head and weakly cursed, "Despicable!"

"I have never claimed to be an upright person!" Lu Zhiyuan flicked out the third silver needle: "If I hadn't been able to protect myself, I would have died by your blade long ago. What's so despicable about someone who wanted to kill me being caught and interrogated by me to find out who the mastermind is? Is it not despicable to let you and the real culprit behind you go without interrogating you? Do you think I'm stupid?"

As the third silver needle pierced through, the female assassin's gaze began to glaze over.

Lu Zhiyuan gave the Crown Prince a wink and began to question him: "What's your name? Where are you from? How old are you?"

The female assassin tried to stay conscious, but the answer slipped out.

"Yunqin, a native of Chu Zhao in the Southern Chu Kingdom, is nineteen years old."

"A person from Southern Chu? When did you enter the palace? And who is your master?"

"I don't remember." The female assassin struggled. "Yunqin has been in the palace since she can remember. It was the Empress who told Yunqin that Yunqin was from Chu Zhao of Southern Chu."

"Your Majesty? Which Your Majesty? Consort Yu, or the Consort Jin from the Brocade Palace?"

The female assassin shook her head and whispered, "Consort Rong!"

Lu Zhiyuan turned her head and asked the Crown Prince, "Which one of you is Consort Rong? Is she in the Empress Dowager's bedchamber?"

The Crown Prince shook his head, looking into Lu Zhiyuan's eyes.

The Consort Rong the female assassin mentioned was likely the one who previously resided in Ronghua Palace. She was a beauty sent as tribute from Southern Chu, but was actually from Northern Liang. Her parents were poor people abducted by Southern Chu. Her father was murdered, and her mother, because of her beauty, was taken away by a minor official from Southern Chu. When Southern Chu recruited beauties, her stepfather offered her up to secure his own career.

Consort Rong was shy and didn't like to talk to people. Even though she was favored by the Emperor, she avoided going out of the palace and rarely interacted with the other concubines. She liked to recite scriptures and copy them, sending each completed scroll to the Empress Dowager's palace. With the Empress Dowager's protection, although others disliked her, they didn't make things difficult for her.

While everyone else vied for the emperor's favor, she remained undisturbed, quietly staying in Ronghua Palace. The emperor, still young at the time, disliked the intrigues and power struggles of the harem, and seeing Rongfei's gentle nature, he grew fond of her. It wasn't until she bore a child that she aroused the late empress's jealousy, leading to a series of misfortunes.

"I've heard the story of that lady; the rumors of Ronghua Palace being haunted originated from her. Assassin Nineteen doesn't match that lady's age."

His Highness the Crown Prince lowered his head slightly: "There are some things that outsiders don't know. For example, Consort Rong didn't die at that time. She went mad and was imprisoned in the Cold Palace, where she was confined for nearly ten years before passing away. My father was fond of her and sent people to the Cold Palace to take care of her. If she was a palace maid in the Cold Palace, it wouldn't be surprising if she knew Consort Rong and had served her. It's even more likely if she entered the palace as a child."

Even madmen have moments of lucidity, but those moments of lucidity aren't necessarily true lucidity. Yunqin is young and grew up under the care of Consort Rong, so it's possible she mistakenly believed the words of a mad consort, and there's also the possibility of someone misleading her. Verifying this isn't difficult; just look up where Consort Rong grew up.

The Crown Prince's men were efficient and quickly found Consort Rong's file. Her stepfather was from Chu Zhao in Southern Chu.