Chang Lili followed behind in a daze, her mind a complete mess. She didn't even realize that her mother-in-law was leading her further and further astray, until they arrived behind a hidden fake rock.

"When I first saw you, I thought I had mistaken you for someone else. What are you doing here?" Chang Lili lowered her head and remained silent. Her mother-in-law was furious. "Still trying to hide it from your mother? What clothes haven't I packed for you? Do you think I wouldn't recognize you?"

Chang Lili bit her lip: "Grandma, weren't you in Jiangnan? I watched you leave."

The mother-in-law couldn't tell the truth, so she vaguely said, "I met an old friend on the way, so I came back with her. At that time, you weren't in the capital, and I didn't know anyone else, so I stayed here."

"Oh, I see." Chang Lili nodded in understanding. Her mother-in-law was staring at her, so she could only tell the truth, "Meng Yuxiu was summoned away by the Emperor. I think if we can find something to use against the Three Pages Gate and tell Meng Yuxiu, he will have leverage to confront the Emperor!"

"Nonsense!" The old woman was so angry that she couldn't catch her breath and started coughing, clutching her chest. "The sect leader here is my junior. If you go against her, you're going to kill me. I won't allow you to act recklessly!"

"But!"

"No buts. I'll see you out. Don't come here unless it's absolutely necessary."

Chang Lili lowered her head in disappointment and followed her mother-in-law out of the secret passage. She asked in confusion, "Where is the sect leader here? There aren't many people here. Why is it an assassin organization?"

The old woman gave a vague answer: "Don't get involved in this mess. Go back. The sect leader... has gone out on business."

Aunt Lu's secret training of barbarian women must not be known to Chang Lili, as her heart has already strayed.

The mother-in-law was unwilling to leave, so Chang Lili returned to the mansion dejectedly. When she noticed Meng Yuxiu returning safely, her face lit up with joy, and she took his arm: "The Emperor didn't make things difficult for you?"

"Yes." Meng Yuxiu adjusted her cloak. "Don't worry about me. I told the Emperor about the Three Pages Sect secretly training troops and about finding out who framed them. For this, the Emperor let me leave."

The emperor is a wise man and knows what is important and what is not. If he is disturbed by this, the matter of the Three Pages Gate will not be investigated clearly.

"That's wonderful." Chang Lili sighed, "I just came back from the Three Pages Sect's stronghold. If something really happened to you, I would save you no matter what."

Meng Yuxiu stared silently at Chang Lili, leaving her bewildered. Just as she was about to ask, Meng Yuxiu said in a deep voice, "Three pages mean 'smoothness.' The people in the sect are all remnants of the previous dynasty. You should not go there again."

Chang Lili was stunned.

She always had a strange feeling about the Three Pages Gate. Her mother-in-law said that the leader of the Three Pages Gate was her junior. So, her mother-in-law was very likely a person from the previous dynasty. What about herself?

With the emperor's tacit approval, Meng Yuxiu acted swiftly, giving no one a chance to breathe. He started with the Imperial Hospital and investigated meticulously, not even sparing the palace servants who served the emperor. If things continued this way, the person who poisoned the emperor was very likely to be found out, and Consort Lan was filled with anxiety.

"Your Highness, the princess would like to invite you to a gathering at Lanting Garden alone."

Bai Mei lowered her head, giving a meaningful hint, which startled Consort Lan: "Lead the way."

Lanting Garden is located in the back garden, close to the Cold Palace. Few people pass by on weekdays. Consort Lan walked and thought, her mind never at peace.

"Princess!" Consort Lan lifted her skirt and strode forward, wishing she could swallow the person in front of her whole. "Didn't you say His Majesty wouldn't investigate? What is this now? Don't you know who Meng Yuxiu is? In less than three days, it will be clear who poisoned him!"

Xiao Shu'er, still wearing her bamboo hat, stood beside the well: "Calm down first."

"How can you expect me to stay calm?" Consort Lan's voice was shrill. "His Majesty already has a problem with me. If he finds out I was the one who poisoned him, how can I possibly survive?!"

Xiao Shu'er said coldly, "You want to implicate me?"

Consort Lan laughed angrily: "What do you mean by confession? This was your idea all along! Princess, why don't you take the initiative to confess? His Majesty dotes on you. As long as you beg for forgiveness, how could His Majesty be so heartless towards you?"

Xiao Shu'er's eyes flashed with malice, her nails digging into her flesh as she stared at Consort Lan's back. She grabbed her hair and dragged her into the well.

"Rather than me confessing, you should take the blame!"

With a "thump," water splashed out of the well, some landing on Xiao Shuer's straw hat. She stared intently at Lan Fei's struggling figure, her expression ferocious and hateful.

"Help...help me...uh...help me!"

In the icy water, Lan Fei's fear intensified, almost threatening to engulf her. She looked up at Xiao Shu'er pleadingly, hoping she could save her, but when she saw Xiao Shu'er's face clearly, her heart skipped a beat, and a chilling terror gripped her limbs, making her struggles weaker and weaker.

"Go to hell!"

A surge of pleasure welled up in Xiao Shu'er's heart, and her excited hands trembled. She uttered a sentence in a sinister tone, which was addressed not only to Consort Lan but also to Chang Lili.

A sneer rang out, sending a chill down Xiao Shu'er's spine. She turned her head sharply, and a man emerged from the shadows. Chu Moyu looked at the messy scene with great contempt.

“If Meng Yuxiu sees the scene, you won’t escape.”

Xiao Shu'er asked warily, "Are you going to expose me?"

Chu Moyu's mockery deepened, and he felt immense pity for Xiao Shuer's low intelligence: "It wasn't me who exposed you, it was yourself. Look down at yourself, who wouldn't know that Consort Lan was murdered?"

The footprints on the ground were messy, especially when Lan Fei was dragged into the water, she was still struggling, and the ground was full of drag marks.

Xiao Shu'er's expression changed.

After training her soldiers, Aunt Lu returned to the pawnshop with her trusted confidante. Seeing her mother-in-law sitting in the shop, she went up to her and asked, "What's wrong? Why are you sitting here?"

The mother-in-law slowly shook her head.

She couldn't tell them about Chang Lili's visit. Although she had already informed the shopkeeper, she was still quite worried.

Aunt Lu didn't ask any further questions, but brought up another matter: "I need soft armor. I know that the child you're raising is very good at crafting weapons, and I'd like to ask her for help. Please agree."

The mother-in-law was completely uneasy, as she kept something from Aunt Lu: "I will tell her."

A slight smile appeared on Aunt Lu's cold face: "I need a lot of soft armor for my subordinates. If possible, I'd like to learn from her."

Mother-in-law: "I can't make that decision."

Aunt Lu nodded: "I know, I will get her consent for this. I need you to put in a good word for me."

The mother-in-law had no choice but to try to get Chang Lili to come out. The group gathered at a secluded teahouse, where the mother-in-law told Chang Lili about Aunt Lu's situation.

Chang Lili lowered her head and remained silent, looking at her mother-in-law. After thinking for a while, she said, "Okay, but I have one condition."

"you say."

Chang Lili said haltingly, “Once the soft nail is finished, you must let your mother-in-law leave! From now on, sever all ties and have no further relationship with her.”

Aunt Lu flatly refused: "Impossible. Aunt Chang and we are all on the same side. Since you care about your mother-in-law, you should join us!"