Lanxiang then looked towards the doorway and asked in confusion, "Who could it be so late?"

Long En seemed to know what was going on, and only instructed Lanxiang: "You stay here, I'll go take a look."

Soon, Long En returned with the results.

Hesitantly, he said to Lanxiang, "Something urgent has come up, and I have to leave now. I'll be back tomorrow."

Seeing his somewhat flustered expression, Lanxiang quickly realized that he must be going to the palace again.

She got a little angry, looked at him, and stopped him, saying, "I won't allow you to go back to that cage. Have you already forgotten what you just said?"

From his questioning gaze, Long En feared that the relationship they had just built up during this brief period of peace and tranquility would be destroyed.

He gripped her shoulders tightly and explained anxiously, "No, I will never forget my promise to you. I'm only leaving for a little while, I'll be back soon, you believe me, okay?"

Lanxiang's eyes were filled with unwavering determination as she said to him once more, "You are not allowed to go!"

But in the end, Long En slowly let go of her hand, turned around and left. Lan Xiang said to his back with utmost seriousness, "If you dare to step out of this door today, I will never forgive you in this life!"

Upon learning that the palace was aware of the matter, Long En, with his back to Lan Xiang, was indeed extremely anxious. After much deliberation, he finally made a resolute decision and left.

Lanxiang took two steps forward, leaned against the door frame, and shouted at the departing figure of the person who had just stepped out, mounted his horse, and rode away in a cloud of dust: "You'll regret this!"

The next morning.

Early in the morning, Long En knelt down and appeared in the Empress Dowager's Yong'an Palace.

The two faced each other and remained silent for a long time.

Finally, it was the Empress Dowager who broke the suffocating silence.

Grape wine,

Golden Pot,

A fifteen-year-old girl from Wu was carried on a fine horse.

Eyebrows painted with indigo, red brocade boots,

She sings with a distorted sense of propriety.

Drunk in my arms at the tortoiseshell banquet,

What can I do for you beneath the hibiscus-covered curtains?

After reciting the poem, the Empress Dowager softly questioned him, "I had no idea that you had such a promising daughter."

Unbeknownst to him, during the time he spent with Lanxiang, Long En had to admit that he had gradually let go of his obsession: "That position originally belonged to the Xuanyuan lineage. It did not belong to me, and now, I no longer want to fight for it."

The Empress Dowager was shocked upon hearing this and roared in anger: "Then let me tell you, that position is not something you can have or not have."

Long En said, "No matter who becomes emperor, it will not affect your wealth and honor. Therefore, please forgive me, Empress Dowager. From today onwards, please pretend that I was never born, and I will never appear before you again."

Just when things had reached this critical juncture, all our efforts were in vain.

Upon hearing this, the Empress Dowager exclaimed in shock, "All these years of painstaking management, do you really think that I've only done it for my own wealth and glory? Have I become like this all for her sake?"

In the blink of an eye, Lanxiang was brought to the palace covered in wounds and disheveled.

Long En stared wide-eyed in disbelief, then shakily rose and stepped forward to tidy Lanxiang's hair, asking, "Lanxiang, what happened to you? Who did this? Who did this?"

Lanxiang was exhausted and could barely speak, managing to utter three words in a broken voice.

"I……"

"hatred……"

"you……"

Tears instantly blurred his vision. Long En turned to the Empress Dowager and roared, "What exactly have you done to her?"

The Empress Dowager, however, remained aloof and looked down on everything.

"Who are you? And who are she? How dare they control your fate! Doesn't she like serving men? Well then, I'll grant her wish. Just now, did you satisfy all the old guards in this palace?"

Upon hearing this, Long En was so angry that his whole body was trembling.

"Why, why were you so cruel to her?"

"Her body has just recovered, and it took me a lot of effort to soothe some of the pain in her heart."

"Why?"

"Why?"

"This is clearly all my fault, so why are you taking your anger out on her?"

“She has suffered enough growing up.”

"What did she do wrong?"

"In the end, she is yours too..."

Before he could finish speaking, the Empress Dowager, no longer wanting to hear any more, immediately stopped him.

"Shut up, or I'll make her disappear from this world right now!"

Long En held Lan Xiang tightly, feeling her limp body slipping out of his arms again and again.

The Empress Dowager asked him again, "So, you still want to insist on your own way and refuse my arrangements?"

Long En did not speak.

The Empress Dowager pressed on, "By the way, I heard that in your mansion in the city, there's an elderly man on his deathbed..."

"grandmother……"

"Can't……"

"Can't……"

Even though she was already wounded and unable to hold on, upon hearing that the Empress Dowager intended to harm her grandmother, Lanxiang suddenly woke up and said weakly.

Finally, Long En gave in: "I'll listen to you, I'll listen to whatever you say!"

After hearing the answer that satisfied her, the Empress Dowager summoned two guards.

"Guards, take him away and keep him under strict guard. No one is allowed to let him out without my order."

One of the guards asked, "And this woman..."

The Empress Dowager thought for a moment and said, "Put her and that old woman together in the imperial prison to await their fate."

As Long En struggled in the guards' hands, he cried out, "No! Don't lock them up!"

The Empress Dowager said, "Once you obediently ascend the throne and become the ruler of this land, I will naturally release them!"

Without allowing him any further questions, he immediately ordered, "Take him away now!"

But Long En seemed to want to say something more: "No, you can't..."

At this moment, Eunuch Shou whispered in his ear, "Young master, if you still want them to live, then stop talking."

Even now, as Long En watched a guard drag Lan Xiang away from him, he still told her, "Lan Xiang, don't be afraid, I will protect you, I will definitely protect you!"

However, Lanxiang seemed to have long since disappeared from sight and hearing.

To cover up their true intentions.

soon.

The absurd rumor that the King of Western Qin, under the pretext of inspecting the military situation on the border of Dongning, colluded with the enemy and betrayed his country, and was later killed in a dispute with the enemy general over interests, spread throughout every corner of the Lingkong Continent.

Overnight, the Qin Prince's mansion was ransacked.

Pedestrians on the street were talking about it.

This matter also reached Yi Shangyun's ears.

"How outrageous! How could such a thing happen? He has always been upright, honest, and dedicated to assisting the government and protecting the people. How could they slander him like this?"

After saying that, he coughed lightly.

"Why is Miss coughing again..."

Not only was Yi Shangyun anxious, but Yan'er was also extremely worried. While gently patting Yi Shangyun's back, she handed him a cup of hot water and said, "After such a thing happened, I wonder where His Highness Prince Qin is right now? I imagine the person who is most upset right now is His Highness himself!"

Upon hearing this, Yi Shangyun could no longer suppress her unease. She put down her teacup and said as she left, "No, I have to find Lu Yuan and ask him to come up with a solution. I have to go to Xi Qin right away!"

At this moment, Xuan Yuan Yue came in carrying a tea tray. She vaguely heard Yi Shang Yun's words and teased her with a smile: "Oh my, you said you didn't have anyone in your heart, but you're already going to go find someone again after just a short while after court."

Seeing Xuan Yuan Yue enter, Yi Shang Yun looked her in the eyes seriously and said, "Yue'er, something has happened!"

Hearing Yi Shangyun's words, Xuan Yuan Yue was truly stunned: "Now that things have come to this, what should we do? How can Father Emperor distort the truth like this?"

Yi Shangyun thought for a moment and said, "No matter what, I have to see him."

Seeing her worried expression, Xuan Yuan Yue asked, "Yun'er, you've always liked Uncle Qin, haven't you?"

In recent days, Yi Shangyun has recalled countless times everything that has happened since she came to this space.

Faced with someone like him, she truly couldn't refuse.

Because every time I rejected him, my heart ached so much.

She was actually very scared.

If she were to return to her own time and face Wei Mingxuan soon, yet still carry such profound memories of Xuan Yuanhan, what would she do?

But what if she can never go back in this life?

"I don't know how to say it, but one thing I'm sure of is that I can only feel at ease knowing that he is alive and well."

Xuanyuan Yue smiled: "I knew you wouldn't be so heartless to Uncle Qin."

So she took Yi Shangyun's arm and led her toward the table, saying, "Come and try the pastries I made for you. After you finish eating, I'll personally accompany you to find Lu Yuan!"

Yi Shangyun followed and was indeed somewhat surprised: "This is..."

Xuanyuan Yue nodded smugly.

Yi Shangyun happily picked up a piece from the top and took a small bite.

However, it quickly came to a stop.

Xuanyuan Yue realized something was wrong and asked, "What's wrong? Is it not tasty?"

So he eagerly reached out to try it himself: "I was in such a rush just now, I haven't even tried it myself yet. Did I not do it well the first time?"

Yi Shangyun grabbed Xuan Yuan Yue's hand tightly as she landed on the plate, her hand still in mid-air.

At this moment, Xuan Yuan Yue saw that bright red blood was flowing from the corner of Yi Shang Yun's mouth.

Upon seeing this, Yan'er quickly came forward with a handkerchief to wipe her face: "Miss, what's wrong? Princess, what did you feed you? Someone, someone come quickly!"

Instantly, footsteps filled the hall in a chaotic rush.

Xuan Yuan Yue was terrified: "How could this be? I noticed you were coughing a lot these past few days, so I tried making this pine nut and lily pastry using your method. I made it myself, how could it be poisonous?"

At that moment, Mei Zhixuan happened to see all of this and was immediately stunned.

He turned around and went back to Mei Xiyuan: "I told you, you are not allowed to use her, why did you still... Do you know how heartbroken and guilty this will make Yue'er for the rest of her life?"

Mei Xiyuan, however, didn't care at all: "If we don't use her, then who else do we have to use? Besides, it would be a real waste not to use such a useful pawn."

Mei Zhixuan reiterated his stance: "Don't talk nonsense. Yue'er has never been a pawn!"

Mei Xiyuan chuckled and countered, "From beginning to end, have you truly never held this view for a single moment?"

"I……"

Seeing Mei Zhixuan hesitate, Xuan Yuan Yue, who had been standing outside the door and knew everything, strode in, her anger having caused her to lose her reason.

Holding a dagger, he went over and held it tightly to Mei Xiyuan's neck: "Why did you do this? Quickly give me the antidote!"

Even in this critical situation, Mei Xiyuan still spoke provocatively: "This poison is colorless and odorless, and there is no antidote. Once it enters the mouth, even a tiny bit will surely lead to death within half a month."

Upon hearing this, Xuan Yuan Yue was so anxious she almost cried: "What did you say? Your current situation isn't her fault. She's also trapped in this deep palace, unable to have the one she loves. Besides, even though she's now the ruler of a country, she never thought of harming you and your children. She even ordered people to take good care of you, and yet you..."

Upon hearing this, Mei Xiyuan went mad: "How could my current state not be caused by her? Who cares about her charity now! If it weren't for her, I would be the most noble princess of Dongning Kingdom, the only one Qin King Xuanyuanhan, the God of War of the Spirit Void, truly loved. How could I suffer such neglect and humiliation..."

"You're insane! You're absolutely insane!"