Disguised as a man, she became the biggest villain in the book.

Zhang Zhiyuan hurriedly went to the palace and reported the events that had occurred at the Grand Commandant's residence to the Emperor in detail. Xue Huaiyu seemed unsurprised; he simply waved his hand casually, indicating that he was already aware of the matter.

In fact, Ye Churan and the Prime Minister had warned him beforehand, and Xue Huaiyu had already anticipated all of this.

So, several days earlier, as the Prime Minister had instructed, he had secretly sent a letter to General Pei, requesting him to lead the army back to the capital.

At this moment, General Pei had already led his troops to the outskirts of the capital, awaiting further action.

Of course, General Pei alone was not enough, so the Prince of Huainan also came.

After dealing with the Minister of War, Xue Huaiyu immediately wrote a letter informing the Prince of Huainan of the assassination of his son. He then told the Prince of Huainan that the mastermind behind the assassination was an official from the Grand Commandant's faction. Now that the official who assassinated the son had been executed, Xue Huaiyu also asked the Prince of Huainan to lend a hand in quelling the Grand Commandant's affair.

The reason why the Prince of Huainan was willing to lend a helping hand was twofold: firstly, he wanted to avenge his son, and secondly, he was mindful of his long-standing friendship with the late emperor.

When he feigned illness and went to Huainan, the late emperor did not make things difficult for him. Now that the late emperor's son has asked him for a favor, he naturally will not refuse.

There are four city gates in total, located in the east, west, south, and north. The Prince of Huainan guards the east gate, General Pei and Pei Wenyu guard the south gate, and Shen Jin, who was also ordered to return to the capital, is in charge of guarding the west gate. Zheng Luoqi and Zheng Yuxiang are in charge of guarding the north gate.

As for why Zheng Luoqi and Zheng Yuxiang were there, Xue Huaiyu wanted the Prime Minister's help, and Zheng Yuxiang and Zheng Luoqi made a request: they wanted to kill the Wen family.

Zheng Luoqi appeared before everyone, dressed in a set of shimmering silver armor, looking heroic and dashing.

His eyes revealed a ruthless and sinister look, as if he was ready to fight the Wen family to the death.

Standing beside him, Zheng Yuxiang appeared calm and resolute, his gaze fixed intently ahead, as if he had been waiting for this day for a long time. Zheng Yuxiang was not skilled in martial arts, so he served as Zheng Luoqi's strategist. (As an aside, Zheng Luoqi's martial arts skills were taught by a teacher, not his father.)

...............

Inside the palace

The Empress Dowager sat in the main seat, her gaze coldly fixed on Chen Xianlin kneeling on the ground. At this moment, Chen Xianlin's cheeks were flushed red, and the clearly visible handprint on her swollen face was particularly distinct.

"Do you think you're so clever?" The Empress Dowager's lips curled into a mocking smile as she looked at Chen Xianlin with disdain. "I've been navigating this inner palace for many years. What kind of tricks haven't I seen?"

The Empress Dowager smiled and continued, "You followed me here so readily, didn't you ever think that I might be on guard?" A sly smile flashed in the Empress Dowager's eyes as she continued to look at Chen Xianlin with amusement.

Chen Xianlin inwardly groaned. Her original plan was to infiltrate the scheme herself, turn the tables, and control the Empress Dowager and Wen Yanxi. Everything was arranged, waiting only for the crucial moment to strike and seize control.

But man proposes, God disposes. The Empress Dowager pulled off a surprise attack, catching her completely off guard.

Now, all the people Chen Xianlin brought have been killed by the Empress Dowager, including Chen Xianlin's maid Chunxiao.

The Empress Dowager had just sent someone to kill Chen Xianlin, but the knife seemed unable to hit Chen Xianlin no matter what. The Empress Dowager was so angry that she slapped Chen Xianlin twice and found that she could hit him.

Afterwards, the Empress Dowager ordered someone to administer arsenic to her. It worked, but she didn't die immediately. She just suffered pain for a while and vomited a lot of blood. The poison was still there, so she couldn't die.

The Empress Dowager discovered this; killing her was out of the question, but torturing her was acceptable.

"I don't know who you are, you vixen, but since you've fallen into my hands, you must be incompetent," the Empress Dowager said coldly, looking at Chen Xianlin with disdain.

Chen Xianlin was filled with mixed feelings. She had been told since childhood that she had brought death to her mother, and now she found that she could not be killed. She was in a bad mood and began to doubt whether she was really a witch.

"I don't know how much you can endure. It would be best if you didn't die, but I can make you wish you were dead," the Empress Dowager said calmly.

"How about the finger torture? I'd like to hear Consort De's beautiful voice! Guards, carry out the torture!" the Empress Dowager ordered expressionlessly.

(The finger-crushing punishment was an ancient form of torture inflicted on criminals. It involved inserting a finger-crushing device (a type of torture instrument) into the criminal's fingers and then tightening it forcefully, causing extreme pain. This punishment was particularly effective against female prisoners because their fingers were more delicate and easily injured. The finger-crushing punishment not only caused physical pain but could also, in severe cases, break the finger bones.)

"Ah!!!" Chen Xianlin's scream echoed in the hall.

Although Chen Xianlin will not die, she will feel pain and she will get hurt.

"Wen Wanfang, you will die a horrible death! The Wen family will not succeed!!! Ah!!!" Chen Xianlin cursed and screamed in pain.

The Empress Dowager ignored Chen Xianlin's insults and continued, "She still has the energy to curse? What kind of work are you doing? Do you also want to experience the taste of this torture?"

Upon hearing the Empress Dowager's words, the person in charge of executing Chen Xianlin immediately increased the severity of the punishment.

"Chen Xianlin, do you think that Emperor sent you to this palace because he loves you, or because you will hinder his grand ambitions?" the Empress Dowager asked, staring at Chen Xianlin.

Chen Xianlin was in so much pain that she couldn't speak, and she could barely kneel steadily. All she could do was glare fiercely at the Empress Dowager.

"Pfft! Hahahahahahaha!"

When the Empress Dowager saw Chen Xianlin like this, she couldn't help but laugh: "Did that Emperor promise you the position of Empress if he wins? And then send you here to monitor me and Consort Xi?"

"Why would you be so stupid? If you want to ascend to the position of Empress legitimately, it's just a matter of his word. Why bother with this trick of eliminating wicked officials to gain a good reputation? Only those without power need a reputation."

"Do you believe that the Emperor doesn't care about your life or death at all?" The Empress Dowager continued, staring at Chen Xianlin. "He loves his throne more. The fact that he's using you as a pawn today is the best proof. The Emperor knew our Wen family would take you hostage, yet he still agreed to let you come along."

"Do you think the emperor wouldn't notice? That shouldn't be the case! We've made it so obvious, how could he not see it?"

"He already knew you were in danger, yet he still released you. Do you think he really cares about your life or death? Hahahaha!" The Empress Dowager found Chen Xianlin's stunned expression extremely amusing.

"Do you know why our Wen family chose you as a hostage instead of someone else?" The Empress Dowager continued, looking at Chen Xianlin.

"That's because you have the Pei family behind you. If our Wen family wins, it would be perfect to use you to threaten General Pei. Oh, and there are also civil officials. There are quite a few imperialist officials, led by your father!"

"As for the Prime Minister, he will definitely be killed. When our Wen family ascends the throne, with the support of your father and General Pei, it will be a smooth process!" The Empress Dowager said to Chen Xianlin triumphantly.