The Empress was completely stunned, frozen in place as if struck by lightning, her face filled with disbelief.

At this moment, the faces of the people around seemed to change, each face filled with mockery and ridicule.

It was as if she had become a clown in everyone's eyes, and no matter how much she struggled, she could not change anything.

How dare they treat her like this!

Suddenly, a faint, pleasant fragrance wafted over and entered her nose.

The queen's face instantly turned ferocious and twisted, her emotions completely out of control, and her sharp, piercing scream echoed throughout the night sky.

"I am the Empress! You cannot treat me like this!"

"I'm not sick! I'm not sick at all!"

The Empress shoved away the nanny who was standing next to her, and, as if she had gone mad, glared fiercely at the Consort Xi who was closest to her, her face contorted with a ferocious expression, as if she wanted to tear the other woman to pieces.

She pointed at Consort Xi, her voice sharp and piercing, "You lowly woman—you're not even worthy to wash my feet, yet you dare to think you're on equal footing with me!"

Every word was filled with endless hatred and anger, sending chills down one's spine.

Consort Xi was frightened by the Empress's frenzied appearance and involuntarily took a few steps back. As her sleeves fluttered, the last bit of fragrance was scattered on the Empress by the wind.

The empress's eyes widened, her gaze filled with a frenzied, bloodshot look.

"And you—"

"you--"

The Empress's reddened gaze swept from Jiang Jiaojiao to Prince Chen, Jiang Jingtian, and even General Weiyuan.

Suddenly I realized...

Prince Chen had unknowingly acquired so many helpers.

When did it start?

Yes...

After I got engaged to Jiang Jiaojiao, the root of all this was that idiot Jiang Jiaojiao.

"Empress!"

The emperor coldly retorted, his eyes icy and filled with deep disappointment, "What else do you want to cause trouble for?"

"Making a scene?"

The Empress's face turned pale, her eyes bloodshot. "Haven't you been the one causing all this trouble all along? You heartless and treacherous! You said that if you ascended the throne, I would be the Empress, but you want that little slut Yun to be the Empress, and even want to make her child the Crown Prince!"

"How dare she, a lowly country bumpkin, covet my position as Empress!"

The queen was furious, her voice sharp and piercing, cutting through the darkness.

"My eldest prince is dead, and she is pregnant! Doesn't that mean her child has taken my son's life?"

"I also want to hate you! I hate your heartlessness and ingratitude!"

"But I can't do it—"

The empress's emotions became increasingly out of control, her eyes flashing with madness and jealousy.

As night fell, a gust of wind ruffled Consort Xi's hair, revealing a red ribbon around her neck. The Empress's eyes instantly widened in terror, and her body trembled involuntarily.

"Who...who are you?"

The Empress's voice was filled with fear and disbelief. Her eyes widened, her finger trembling as she pointed at Consort Xi, and she screamed, "Who are you—"

"It's you! It's you—you've come to claim my life!"

"I am the Empress appointed by the late Emperor! Come on! Come on! Consort Yun, you vile woman, come and take my life! Come on!"

"You deserve to die! You deserve to die! So what if I poisoned you! You, a lowly country bumpkin, dare to compare yourself to me!"

The queen screamed wildly.

Suddenly, a chilling aura erupted from the emperor. He grabbed the empress's arm, his eyes bloodshot as if he wanted to devour her, his voice low and furious: "The poison in Yun'er's body... you're the one who put it in!"

Jiang Jiaojiao suddenly looked up and grabbed the hand next to her.

It feels icy cold to the touch.

Li Yan, standing beside her, was stiff as a statue in a frozen pool, staring intently at the Empress, his lips pale, unable to believe what he was hearing.

Chen Jin'er was also startled and silently wiped away the last trace of datura pollen from her fingertips.

She stared at the Empress in disbelief, a surge of anger rising within her. So, Consort Yun really had died of poisoning, and that poison... was administered by the Empress.

The Empress was startled by the Emperor's voice, and a sliver of clarity returned to her eyes.

But……

When she saw the deep-seated hatred in the emperor's eyes, she suddenly... burst into laughter.

"Hahaha...I'm so stupid, really!"

"I thought you really hated that bitch's son because of her. Father and son hating each other, what a beautiful scene! If Consort Yun were watching from heaven, she would be more miserable than dead! Hahaha..."

"turn out to be--"

"This is all a trap! You actually disbanded the Dragon Guard and made him your bodyguard!"

"You don't hate him at all; you're clearly trying to protect him, to protect that bitch's son. You've lied to all of us! He's the one you truly cherish!"

"Hahaha...you've fooled them all!"

"Now that the poison in his body has finally been cured, you can't wait any longer, Prince Chen? Have you already decided on him all along? Hahaha, very well! When it comes to acting, who in this palace can compare to you?"

The Empress laughed loudly, tears streaming down her face. She suddenly looked at Consort Xi's eyes, which were exactly the same as Consort Yun's.

Do you really think His Majesty dotes on you?

The emperor's expression changed drastically. "Shut up—"

"Hahaha, what is Your Majesty afraid of?"

The emperor's eagerness and concern were like the sharpest knife in the world piercing her chest.

Her heart was aching terribly!

If she's not having a good time, nobody else will either!

then……

The Empress stared at the Emperor with undisguised sarcasm, her tone full of mockery: "Oh—are you worried that she will avoid you like Consort Yun did?"

"Hahahaha... Well, I'm going to say it anyway!"

"Consort Xi! His favor towards you is only because you have the same eyes as Consort Yun. Whether it's the rank of Consort, Imperial Concubine, or Noble Consort, it's all to provide a solid backer for Consort Yun's son, our good Prince Chen!"

"Shut up--"

The emperor roared like thunder, and with that roar, a resounding slap landed hard on the empress's face.

The slap was so powerful that the Empress was sent flying and crashed heavily to the ground.

"You wicked woman! I will depose you! I will depose the Empress—"

The emperor's gaze was like a sharp sword, piercing straight at the empress. His anger had reached its peak, and he could no longer tolerate the empress's actions.

All the palace maids and eunuchs knelt on the ground in terror, their bodies trembling. They dared not look up at the emperor, and a deathly silence fell over them, except for the emperor's roars echoing in the air.

"How dare you! I am the Empress appointed by the late Emperor! How dare you depose me!"

The queen lay on the ground, screaming with all her might.

"Guards—draft an imperial edict!"

"The Empress Dowager has arrived!"

The eunuch's chanting rang out simultaneously with the emperor's roar.

A royal carriage slowly approached.

The imperial carriage was surrounded by carved beams and painted rafters, inlaid with gold and the seven treasures of Buddhism, making it appear extremely noble.

The Empress Dowager sat on the imperial carriage, her hair styled in a high bun adorned with an ancient jade hairpin. Her eyes were deep and compassionate, seemingly containing boundless wisdom and mercy. She held prayer beads in her hand, and her clothes were simple and elegant, giving her the appearance of a bodhisattva who was detached from worldly affairs.