They were in charge of being beautiful, and she was in charge of taking the hits.

Sima Lingchuan looked at Sima Lingyu with a puzzled expression. Sima Lingyu opened her mouth and said a sentence. Sima Lingchuan's pupils suddenly dilated, and then her hand fell limply, and tears silently flowed from her eyes.

Sima Lingchuan's taut string seemed to finally snap, but he still smiled slightly and touched the embroidery on his clothes: "Lingyu, you must have misheard me."

“Brother, it’s true. Mother and Wu Chengye said it themselves.”

Sima Lingyu wanted to comfort Sima Lingchuan, but he was at a loss. Sima Lingchuan looked at him, his eyes filled with tears in the dim light. He was still alive, but the light in his eyes was gone.

"It's getting late outside. Let Xiaoyun arrange a place for you to stay for the night. I'm tired." Her voice was gentle, just as it always was.

Sima Lingyu wanted to say something, but Sima Lingchuan's eyes suddenly turned cold: "I said! I'm tired."

Sima Lingyu withdrew, and Mo Baiyun led him to the guest room. Sima Lingchuan clutched his newly embroidered clothes and wept uncontrollably. Then he looked at the scissors used for making the clothes, picked them up, and pointed them at his neck, stopping just a hair's breadth away from his skin.

The scissors fell to the ground with a sound. His mind was filled with the words Wu Ziyan had said to him before she left: believe her, you must believe her. And Xiao Yun'er, who had been with her since she was little, never seemed sad or upset.

He folded his clothes, wiped away his tears, washed up, and lay down on the bed. He comforted himself, saying, "Ziyan probably won't like it if she sees me like this. I can't do this."

In the dream, the sun was shining brightly, and she could almost smell the faint fragrance on Wu Ziyan's body. But in reality, Wu Ziyan was learning that Sima Lingyu had told Sima Lingchuan the painful truth.

She was afraid he might do something rash, so she was about to rush in when he picked up the scissors, but in the end he didn't do anything stupid, and she breathed a sigh of relief.

After he fell asleep, she secretly lit a calming incense stick, entered the room, and looked at his sleeping face. He did look much more haggard. She ran her finger across his lips and said guiltily, "I'm sorry, Lingchuan. I will make it up to you properly after everything settles down."

Sima Lingchuan suddenly murmured in his sleep, "Ziyan, Ziyan, don't go, Mother! Mother, why did you do this!"

Wu Ziyan hurriedly grabbed his hand: "It's alright, it's alright, Ziyan is here."

He held on tightly even in his dreams, and Wu Ziyan gently kissed his forehead: "Lingchuan, Lingchuan, sleep well."

She quietly left the room, and the next day, she went to the palace early. Of course, she did not go to see the Empress first, but waited for her on the road that Wu Chengye was bound to take.

She really wanted to see her dear second sister, to see her alive and well, and to see how interesting her expression would be.

The fake coffin of Wu Ziyan was less than ten miles from the city, but Wu Chengye still had to pretend to ask the Empress how to arrange Wu Ziyan's funeral. She walked there with a smile on her face the whole time.

"Second sister, tell me what good news you have so I can be happy?" She had been waiting for a long time, so she became nonchalant, squatting against the wall with her hand supporting her face. She only stood up when she saw Wu Chengye walking over from a distance.

"Of course, that got rid of the thorn in my side!" I answered instinctively, then realized that there was something wrong with my voice.

Looking at the sound, I thought I was seeing things. She was actually standing there alive. She was so small and weak, but why was she still alive?

"It's you! How could it be you!" Wu Chengye took a step back, his eyes filled with rage.

Wu Ziyan is still alive, and she stopped her halfway. Perhaps she has already met the Empress and told her everything. She will become the target of everyone's criticism. She didn't know what to do, so she was stunned for a while.

Seeing that he was stunned, Wu Ziyan probably knew what he was thinking. "Second sister, please don't be angry. I haven't met Her Majesty the Empress yet."

Hearing her reply, she narrowed her eyes: "Then aren't you afraid I'll kill you right here!" Wu Chengye's face was contorted with rage, his eyes flashing with ferocity.

"I'm scared, so scared! Then why do I dare to be here!" Wu Ziyan approached her step by step, while Wu Chengye had already retreated to the wall.

"What on earth do you want?"

Wu Ziyan wanted to whisper a few words in Wu Chengye's ear, and she cautiously stepped back, but there was already a wall behind her. There was no way to stop her, so she had to reluctantly listen to what he had said. After he finished speaking, Wu Ziyan put on her cloak and walked ahead.

Wu Chengye gritted his teeth in resentment and then caught up with her, walking side by side. They soon arrived at the palace where the Empress was resting. After being informed by a female official, Wu Chengye and Wu Ziyan entered the palace.

"Chengye, who is beside you?" Her Majesty the Empress looked at the two kneeling below the stage through the curtain, but there was a hint of knowing the answer already.

"Reporting to Mother Empress, it is Fourth Sister!"

The Empress raised her head slightly from her chair, and Wu Ziyan removed her hat and kowtowed: "Mother, please allow me to explain the whole story in detail."

"Ah."

She spoke a single word, yet it contained a great deal of meaning. She was still somewhat moved by the fact that Wu Ziyan was still alive, after all, for him, it was like losing something and then finding it again.

Moreover, it's rare that she didn't expose Wu Chengye's evil deeds even when she was kneeling down. I'm just curious how she ended up with Wu Chengye.

Wu Ziyan spoke in detail, then suddenly shouted out a name: "Sima Zongcheng, she has done a lot of obstruction this time. I have already written a memorial on the specifics and will submit it to the Empress Dowager in court another day."

The Empress felt a headache coming on. Did her fourth daughter really not know how entrenched the relationships were under the Prime Minister? Her voice was also very flat: "Alright, I understand. Ziyan, you stay. Chengye, you may leave."

"Mother Empress, I!" Wu Chengye wanted to say something more, or perhaps he was afraid that Wu Ziyan would reveal the truth.

"Ok!"

Her words were brief, yet carried an air of authority. Wu Chengye dared not speak further and quickly withdrew. After Wu Chengye left, the Empress rose from her chair and slowly walked down the steps, allowing Wu Ziyan to stand up as well.

The two looked at each other. Wu Ziyan's resolute gaze made her heart tremble. She sighed softly, "I originally wanted you to live a peaceful life, but you insisted on getting involved in this struggle. Do you regret it?"

The empress's gentle, motherly voice made Wu Ziyan extremely uncomfortable, or perhaps the empress had always doted on Wu Ziyan.

"Mother, it's not that I want to get involved, but the situation is pushing me into this mess."

"This time, although the Prime Minister was involved, Chengye was actually making moves in secret, wasn't he?" I don't know what he meant by saying this. Was it a test?

"Should I say yes or no, Mother Empress?" As she spoke, she looked up at the Empress. Who would dare to be so presumptuous in this situation?

"You're very smart, smarter than you used to be."