Chu Moyu walked around the street corner. The stone slabs, washed by the spring water, showed no signs of blood. Apart from the abandoned and dilapidated shops, they looked almost the same as before.

A large crowd had gathered in the courtyard, mostly ordinary people, who were cursing the man who was tied up and thrown to the ground.

Squatting on the artificial hill, Sun Nan wished he could kill the ordinary man with a single sword stroke, and crumpled the letter in his hand into a ball in a fit of rage.

A person walked slowly towards them.

Sun Nan raised his hand to make a shushing gesture, jumped off the artificial rock, and stared intently at the person entering the courtyard.

"Chu Moyu!"

Chu Moyu raised an eyebrow: "What? Now that the emperor is dead, the monkey has become the overlord, and you're going to turn on us?"

Sun Nan scoffed, pushed through the crowd, pulled out the man inside, and threw him in front of him: "You know this man, right? He's your subordinate. You ordered him to tamper with the timber, assassinate the emperor, and provide false information! It was all so that the emperor would target innocent people like us, so you could take advantage of public anger and use us as pawns to pave the way!"

"Drinking human blood and eating human flesh! This is the Three Pages Sect! What a Three Pages Sect!"

It was earlier than expected.

Facing the hostile gazes of the crowd, Chu Moyu's handsome face turned cold: "Can you guarantee that this fabricated news isn't a divisive tactic? The Three Pages Sect has never treated you unfairly."

Sun Nan sneered: "The person you planted among us has been exposed. You think you can still use us? Dream on! Kill him and avenge our innocent family members who died tragically!"

The people hated the emperor, but they hated the Three Pages Gate even more, because he had destroyed their homes.

With their enemy right in front of them, they charged forward with all their might, ready to devour his flesh and drink his blood!

Chu Moyu stepped back, executed a graceful sword flourish, dealt with the attackers, and quickly left without lingering.

Sun Nan led his men in pursuit!

Who sent them the message?

Chu Moyu's doubts grew like a snowball.

Back in the underground palace, before Chu Moyu could even send someone to investigate, Aunt Lu stopped him.

"Mo Yu!" Aunt Lu demanded angrily, "Why did you do this?"

"I don't understand."

“I have no objection to you getting rid of Meng Yuxiu. But you bribed the prefect of Huzhou! Ali almost died at their hands. How could you be so careless? If Ali knew, what would she think?”

Chu Moyu's expression changed: "Aunt Lu, who told you about this?"

"Xiao Lingshou," Aunt Lu said unhappily, "At first I didn't believe it, until he produced evidence that even the turmoil in the capital was caused by you. Mo Yu, just how many things have you done behind my back?"

Chu Moyu fell silent.

No wonder Xiao Lingshou was so confident. Chu Moyu said, "I only want to restore my country."

With just that one sentence, Aunt Lu's anger vanished: "You're right. We've endured for so many years just for this moment. My Da Shun will never disappear!"

Chang Lili had been lying in bed for several days, feeling uncomfortable all over.

It was a rare privilege for Meng Yuxiu to allow her to get out of bed and walk, but he followed closely behind, afraid that she might fall or bump into something.

Chang Lili was unhappy and glared at him. Her throat itched, so she coughed in a low voice, which made Meng Yuxiu's brows furrow even more.

"I'm not afraid, so why are you?"

Meng Yuxiu remained silent.

Chang Lili bit her lip, her face completely pale: "My body..."

Before she could even ask, Aunt Lu interrupted her as she entered.

"Princess."

Chang Lili turned her head to look at her and Chu Moyu.

Aunt Lu said anxiously, "We can't wait any longer. Xiao Lingshou has already decided to ascend the throne. If we delay any longer, how will the Great Shun Dynasty be able to restore its kingdom?"

“I know all that you’re saying,” Chang Lili said. “Aunt Lu, have you ever thought about who will be the emperor after the country is restored?”

"You are the Empress's only bloodline, so it must be you!"

"I don't have that ability."

"You have us," Aunt Lu said firmly, "and the child in your belly!"

"no!"

Chang Lili's vision went black, but Meng Yuxiu caught her with lightning speed. Chang Lili mustered her last bit of strength.

“I don’t care about power or status. I’ve avenged myself. To do so, my best friend, Lu Ming, died in the palace. That’s enough. In the afterlife, I have the face to meet my parents. As for restoring the kingdom… Aunt Lu, you’ve done a good job. Let me go. I want to leave the Three Pages Sect…”

Jiang Yingxue was injured in the riot, and she asked Mengxin to inquire about Lu Ming's current situation. Upon learning that Lu Ming had died in the palace chaos, Chang Lili nearly collapsed and couldn't take it anymore.

"You are a princess, you are the princess of the Great Shun Dynasty, only you can win the hearts of the people!"

Chang Lili kept her head down and didn't say anything.

Aunt Lu was both angry and disappointed!

Chu Moyu angrily confronted Meng Yuxiu: "Was it him? What did he say to you?!"

"No, please don't... cough cough..."

Meng Yuxiu's expression changed, and he reached out to pat Chang Lili's back to help her catch her breath. Chang Lili softly leaned into his arms.

"Call a doctor!"

Aunt Lu was startled and hurriedly went to find the doctor, who arrived panting heavily. The doctor took her pulse.

"The poison in the patient's body is extremely strange; it has already seeped into his bloodstream and cannot be stimulated by any means. If we are not careful, the poison will enter his heart meridian, and even Hua Tuo will be unable to save him!"

"poison?!"

"The emperor wasn't so kind. The materials he gave Ali were all highly poisonous. She worked day and night to forge weapons for you, and the poison had long since seeped into her heart."

Meng Yuxiu tenderly stroked her cheek. "She asked me to keep it a secret, and I did, but now it seems you're trying to kill her! Lu Zixin, I ask you, what's the difference between what you're doing now and what happened in Yun Kingdom back then?"

Aunt Lu did not speak.

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