The palace hall was completely silent.

Jiang Luoluo and Xie Yizhi embraced for a long time until she realized that many eyes were looking at them, and then she suddenly came back to her senses.

She gently broke free from Xie Yizhi's embrace, her cheeks slightly flushed. She glanced down at him and said reproachfully, "Your Highness..."

Xie Yizhi's smile deepened, and he gently rubbed her soft hair with his fingertips, his gaze full of doting affection.

Xiao Lingchuan couldn't help but click his tongue twice, half teasing and half reminding: "Yizhi, now is not the time for you two to be all lovey-dovey."

Luo Luo just publicly humiliated Empress Dowager Du. Getting past the Empress Dowager won't be so easy, will it?

Xie Qiyu also stopped smiling, his tone becoming slightly serious: "Indeed, sister-in-law, how do you plan to deal with the Empress Dowager?"

Xie Yizhi frowned slightly, tightened his grip on Jiang Luoluo's hand, and said in a deep voice, "I'll go with you."

Jiang Luoluo shook her head, her gaze clear and firm: "If Your Highness goes, it will only anger Empress Dowager Du and backfire."

Only by going alone can I have room to maneuver.

If the Empress Dowager truly intends to take drastic measures, then it won't be too late for the Prince to intervene.

She glanced at Xie Qiyu and Xiao Lingchuan, smiled gently, and said with a calm expression, "Brother, Second Brother, there's no need to worry."

As they were talking, a eunuch came quickly over, bowed respectfully, and reported: "Your Majesty, Your Highness Prince Yi, Rong Momo, the Empress Dowager's attendant, has arrived and requests that Princess Yi come to Cining Palace immediately."

The air seemed to freeze for a moment.

Xie Yizhi's hand tightened unconsciously, and Jiang Luoluo gently patted the back of his slender hand, her voice gentle: "Your Highness, trust me."

She leaned slightly forward and whispered in his ear, "I kept the Empress Dowager occupied in Cining Palace so that Your Highness could discuss the next steps with my elder brother and second brother."

Xie Yizhi gazed at her intently, and finally slowly released her hand.

Watching Jiang Luoluo leave with Rong Momo, his fingertips curled slightly, and a flash of murderous intent appeared in his eyes.

Inside the Cining Palace, the air was thick with the scent of sandalwood, and the atmosphere was somber.

Jiang Luoluo knelt upright in the hall, her voice earnest: "Your Majesty, you are unaware of the truth, Princess Anrou is wicked and has arranged to meet me at Liuyun Pavilion."

But he took the opportunity to stab me with a poisoned needle, rendering me unable to move, and even tried to ruin my reputation.

Fortunately, the prince arrived in time, preventing her from succeeding.

She raised her head slightly, her tone sincere: "The reason why His Highness took people to deal with those servants who spread rumors and the manager of Liuyun Pavilion was simply for the sake of the royal family's reputation."

Empress Dowager Du gave a cold snort, her tone as cold as a knife: "Jiang Luoluo, how many faces do you have?"

Are you one of my people, or one of Prince Yi's people?

Jiang Luoluo's heart trembled slightly, then she knelt down and kowtowed, her voice firm: "Your Majesty, your daughter-in-law is just someone who wants to live."

"Smack!"

With a sharp crack, the delicate teacup slammed to the ground, splashing tea everywhere and spreading it to Jiang Luoluo's skirt.

Empress Dowager Du's gaze darkened, and she laughed in anger: "What a sharp tongue you have!"

You've brought a whole bunch of servants to testify before the Emperor, clearly intending to slap me in the face in public!"

Jiang Luoluo remained silent for a moment, then raised her eyes, her voice gentle yet firm: "Your Majesty, this matter arose because of me. I, your daughter-in-law, led the servants to the Emperor's court only to file a complaint against Princess Anrou and seek justice for myself."

She paused, her expression innocent: "I just didn't expect that Princess Anrou had already passed away, and that this would inadvertently ruin your plans."

If I had known beforehand that the Empress Dowager intended to use this opportunity to deal with Prince Yi, I certainly wouldn't have intervened at this time.

Jiang Luoluo spoke each word earnestly, as if she were sincerely apologizing to Empress Dowager Du.

Empress Dowager Du narrowed her eyes, scrutinizing the woman before her.

As she listened, a doubt began to creep into her heart: could this really just be a coincidence?

Her previous assumptions were unfounded; no one had informed Jiang Luoluo at all.

But she was, after all, Empress Dowager Du, who could turn her hand to make clouds and rain, so how could she be easily deceived by a few words?

She stared coldly at Jiang Luoluo, her voice low and deep: "Coincidence? How many coincidences are there in this world?"

Empress Dowager Du stared coldly at Jiang Luoluo kneeling on the ground, her eyes sharp as knives: "Jiang Luoluo, it's clear that someone tipped you off."

"You know I intend to use Princess Anrou's matter to deal with Xie Yizhi, which is why I rushed here with everyone to testify, right?"

Jiang Luoluo met her gaze without flinching, her tone firm: "Your Majesty, if that were truly the case, I wouldn't be here at Cining Palace right now."

She lowered her eyes slightly and said earnestly, "I am extremely afraid of death. If I had a guilty conscience, I would never have come here alone. Now that I am here, you may fight or kill me as you please."

Empress Dowager Du squinted, scrutinizing her closely, as if trying to peel away the lies from her face bit by bit.

She hesitated for a moment, quickly weighing the pros and cons in her mind.

The Prince Yi's mansion is now like an impregnable fortress. The people she planted have all been eliminated by Xie Yizhi. The only one who can get close to Xie Yizhi now is the woman in front of her.

If she were really killed, she would have completely lost her last piece of the puzzle.

Moreover, Xie Yizhi controls the Flying Eagle Army and the Flying Feather Army. If they were to completely break off relations, the consequences would be unpredictable.

Her gaze darkened slightly as she quickly reviewed the intelligence she had gathered in the past. Jiang Luoluo was not a person of great righteousness.

Would she really be willing to risk entering the imperial court for Xie Yizhi?

In Empress Dowager Du's view, this was absolutely impossible.

Perhaps it really was just a coincidence?

Her gaze turned cold, but she eventually withdrew her murderous intent and said calmly, "Continue to keep an eye on Prince Yi's every move. When I need you, I will have Rong Mama come to your residence to find you."

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