The Empress Dowager nodded reluctantly.

Seeing that the Empress Dowager's eyes kept glancing towards Weiyang Palace, Zhou Jingzhi quickly said, "Mother, once the Empress's illness has healed, I will take her to pay her respects. I hope Mother will forgive me and take care of her health."

The Empress Dowager gave the Emperor a meaningful look and said, "Very well, since the Empress is ill, I will not see her for now and will return to the palace."

For several days in a row, Weiyang Palace was guarded by guards, and no one knew the Empress's true face. Even the people who went in to deliver meals every day did not see her.

Rumors spread like wildfire in the palace, the most common being that the emperor had found a woman of unknown origin from somewhere, and had shown her extraordinary favor, even going so far as to bestow upon her the title of empress.

He kept her hidden away in the Weiyang Palace every day, keeping her as a kept woman.

Zhou Jing'an was also very curious about this. According to his scouts, there seemed to be a woman living in Weiyang Palace, but no matter how much he inquired, he could not find out who she was.

At this moment, Zhou Jing'an couldn't care less about these issues; the matter at hand was causing him considerable distress.

Since the account books were lost, he hasn't had a good night's sleep, and he doesn't know when Zhou Jingzhi will take them out and make them public.

Wei Cong stood to the side, and the people below began to murmur and stir.

“Your Highness, now that the account books are lost and the Emperor has established a new Empress, if this goes on for too long, the late Empress will lose favor with the Emperor and become a useless pawn,” said Lin Ying, the Vice Minister of Revenue.

As soon as he spoke, the others echoed him. Not to mention Prince Chen, they too had been unable to eat or sleep properly lately.

Seeing that Zhou Jing'an remained silent, Wei Cong coughed twice.

"Then what do you think should be done?" Zhou Jing'an asked.

Wei Cong cupped his hands and said solemnly, "I think we should take advantage of the late Empress's continued usefulness to make a deal with the Emperor, which might help us salvage some of our losses."

Upon hearing this, Zhou Jing'an frowned. He had considered using Jian Yang as a bargaining chip, but given the current situation, who could guarantee that the emperor had already given up on her? What if they lost the account book and their reputation?

"I still have a use for her." He narrowed his eyes, looking at the ministers with a hint of warning.

Wei Cong felt a chill run down his spine upon seeing this. Why was his master still acting so recklessly at a time like this? Didn't he see that the ministers were already getting impatient? With the account books missing, it was possible that they might switch sides at the last minute.

"Your Highness, we can't delay any longer. If the other ministers find out that the account books are missing, things will get out of control," Wei Cong said hurriedly.

"Yes, Your Highness, we can't delay any longer." Another chorus of agreement followed.

Zhou Jing'an felt somewhat dejected. Was there really no other way out?

If Jian Yang were willing to stand on his side, he would definitely give her a chance to show her skills and shine, and he himself would be even more powerful.

“It is not appropriate for me to appear in this transaction. Wei Cong, go and contact the Netherworld Pavilion and hand Jian Yang over to them. Let them spread the word to lure the Emperor and Jian Hong here.” Zhou Jing’an clenched his hands and gritted his teeth.

How could there be no way out? Zhou Jing'an had his own plans. If he simply handed the person over, wouldn't all his scheming over the past few days have been in vain? Thinking of this, a cold smile appeared on Zhou Jing'an's face.

A command arrow was prominently displayed on the gate of the General of the North's mansion. The guards hurriedly pulled it out and sent it to Jian Hong.

"Tomorrow at noon, in the eastern suburbs of the city, I will redeem the person alone."

Jian Hong's eyes widened in horror at the sight of those few words. How could he not recognize the symbols on the paper? The most ruthless assassin organization in the martial arts world—the Netherworld Pavilion.

That scoundrel Zhou Jing'an actually dared to hand his sister over to that group of people.

The emperor also received the news, and after receiving it, he rushed to the general's mansion. At the same time, a plan was born in his mind.

The next day, Jian Yang had just woken up when a wad of cotton cloth was stuffed into her mouth and she was tied up. She was dragged and pulled away from the dungeon, and she could hardly open her eyes because she hadn't seen sunlight for a long time.

Just as her eyes were adjusting to the light, a sack was put over her head and she was shoved into a carriage. Jian Yang was speechless. What on earth were these people up to?

About an hour later, the carriage slowly came to a stop, and Jian Yang was roughly pulled off, almost losing her balance.

These damned bastards, couldn't they just tie her eyes shut with a strap? A sack is dirty and heavy.

Fortunately, the linen was sparse, and even in broad daylight, Jian Yang could still see her surroundings through the gaps. She secretly observed and found herself in a forest, surrounded by a group of people wearing masks.

In movies and TV dramas, this kind of situation usually involves some kind of underworld organization, right? Jian Yang thought of the ruthless killers in martial arts novels and suddenly shuddered.

She furtively touched her sleeve; thankfully, the poison powder was still there, but with her hands bound, there was nothing she could do. She spat out the cloth stuffed in her mouth, cleared her throat, and said:

"Brothers, could you please take this sack off for me? It's so stuffy, and I have a heart condition; I'm afraid I'll faint."

Upon hearing this, Jian Yang felt a gust of wind rush past her, and the sack was reduced to shreds.

She trembled even more. Good heavens, even martial arts prowess shouldn't be this powerful! If she had moved even slightly from those blows, she would have been disfigured, if not killed.

The assassins ignored her, waiting for someone to arrive.

"Clop clop clop," came the sound of horses' hooves from not far away, startling Jian Yang.

In this situation, the male protagonist usually descends like a god, sweeping away all enemies and rescuing the female protagonist from the villains. Will that man come back?

The person approached; it was Jian Hong, and only Jian Hong.

Jian Yang's eyes welled up with tears. In times of crisis, she knew she had to rely on her brother! No man could be trusted; only her own brother was the best!

Jian Hong looked at Jian Yang, who was tied up, and was furious.

"Why is there only one person? Where is the other one?" the masked man finally spoke.

Upon hearing this, Jian Yang was stunned. Good heavens, so she had notified that scoundrel, but he didn't come.

"Who else is there besides me? I have already redeemed the person according to your demands, so what exactly do you want?" Jian Hong said angrily.

The decree did not specify what would be used to redeem the person, but after much discussion with the emperor, Jian Hong decided to take the silver notes and go to the appointment first.

“The ledger,” the masked man said coldly.

"The ledgers are not in my possession."

Hearing Jian Hong say this, the assassins looked at each other in confusion. The patron was demanding the account books, but the person who had them hadn't come. Whose books were they?

"Whoosh—" Jian Yang felt a chill on her neck as the masked man placed his sword against it.

"Hand over the ledgers."

Upon seeing this, Jian Hong's eyes turned bloodshot. He was about to draw his sword when he saw that the sword mark had already landed on Jian Yang's slender neck.

“The ledger isn’t in my hands. I believe the person behind you ordered that you not to harm her. If you kill her, you’ll get nothing,” Jian Hong said through gritted teeth.

The situation reached a stalemate, and just as Jian Yang was rapidly considering what she should do, the masked man finally spoke.

"Silver notes".

Jian Yang was speechless again.