The moment the sword tip touched Emperor Chengtai's outer robe, the man was stopped by the other guards.

He glared at Xiao Qingyin resentfully, leaving behind the words, "Why don't you do something..." before spitting out blood and dying.

The guards surrounded Emperor Chengtai, while several others surrounded Xiao Qingyin, holding swords to her neck.

"They are suicide soldiers."

After prying open the guard's mouth to examine the poison sac, the Imperial Guard Commander addressed Emperor Chengtai.

Xiao Shengyuan, who was following far behind Emperor Chengtai, was as pale as paper.

Assassinating the emperor is punishable by the extermination of nine generations of one's family!

This wretched child, not content with taking revenge on his grandmother and stepmother, does he have to make the Xiao family pay the price with the Yun family?

Emperor Chengtai looked at Xiao Qingyin with a gloomy face.

"You want to kill me?"

Xiao Qingyin remained calm.

“I do not know him, nor do I know why he would frame me.”

She's so stupid.

real.

She only knew that the Third Princess regarded her as a thorn in her side and wished she could get rid of her as soon as possible.

I had no idea she was this crazy.

He could even use his own father, the emperor, as a pawn.

If only she could use that cunning to seize power and become empress.

They actually used it to mess with her.

It's still because of that ungrateful wretch Bai Musheng.

What a waste of such a poisonous liver and lungs.

Situ Yue looked terrified.

"Why...why did you try to assassinate my father? I was just praising you in front of him, saying I envied you..."

She covered her face and lowered her head, looking utterly ashamed.

The scene was deathly silent.

"Your Majesty, assassination is no small matter."

Bai Musheng suddenly spoke.

"It's probably impossible to reach a conclusion in a short time. It would be better to detain Miss Xiao for now and hand her over to the Dali Temple for trial after the autumn hunt."

Emperor Chengtai gave him an approving look and was about to agree when a tall figure strode over.

“Your Majesty, Miss Xiao has not committed any wrongdoing. You cannot detain her just because of what an assassin said.”

Yi Shuihan said in a deep voice.

"In particular, this assassin was likely planted by her enemies."

Situ Yue gritted her teeth.

That slut Xiao Qingyin wasn't satisfied with seducing Bai Musheng; she even managed to lure away the heir of the Marquis of Yong'an.

No one knew that Situ Yue's first choice was not Bai Musheng, but Yi Shuihan.

When Yi Shuihan was still a young boy, Situ Yue had already secretly fallen for him.

She planned to ask her father, the emperor, to bestow a marriage upon her and Yi Shuihan when she came of age.

Unexpectedly, Yi Shuihan was disfigured after joining the army.

Of course, she wouldn't be interested in someone who is disfigured.

This matter was buried deep in her heart.

Now, both men she had liked were speaking up for Xiao Qingyin, teaching her how to swallow this insult.

"But Miss Xiao is highly suspicious."

Situ Yue said loudly.

How did a girl who grew up in the countryside of Yizhou acquire such outstanding medical skills, horsemanship, and combat abilities?

The crossbow in her hand also looked extraordinary; I've never seen anything like it before.

She looked at Xiao Shengyuan: "I wonder if Lord Xiao could explain whether you had someone train Miss Xiao?"

Xiao Shengyuan quickly shook his head.

"Your Highness, I am truly ashamed."

After Lady Yun passed away, I followed my mother's and the Taoist priest's advice and sent my eldest daughter to the countryside.

As for matters concerning the inner quarters, I entrust them all to Madam Yao.

Yao is two-faced; she broke off contact with my eldest daughter without my knowledge, and I only found out recently.

Bringing the eldest daughter back was also Yao's idea.

After my eldest daughter returned, she and Madam Yao did not get along, and the two quarreled, causing unrest in the household, which also troubled me greatly.

The coachman and the old woman that Yao sent to fetch her eldest daughter were recently murdered.

At this point, Xiao Shengyuan glanced quickly at Xiao Qingyin.

"I cannot be 100% certain that she is my eldest daughter; it is possible that someone else is impersonating her."

His words completely absolved him of any responsibility, which only increased the suspicion surrounding Xiao Qingyin.

Everyone looked at Xiao Qingyin with wariness.

Could the person in front of me be a spy impersonating Miss Xiao?

Situ Yue was very satisfied with Xiao Shengyuan's words.

She feigned surprise and asked, "So the people who brought Miss Xiao back were all killed? Who killed them?"

"Your Majesty, I do not know."

Xiao Shengyuan replied.

"The case has been reported to the Jingzhao Prefecture, but there have been no results of the investigation so far."

"Could it be..."

Situ Yue looked at Xiao Qingyin.

"Did someone kill him to cover it up?"

"Sister Xiao isn't a bad person!"

Zuo Miaomiao cried out in alarm.

"The Prefect of the Capital hasn't even investigated yet, how can you pin this on Sister Xiao! You're clearly trying to frame her!"

Situ Yue sneered.

"You're protecting her so much, you wouldn't happen to be in cahoots with her, would you?"

"you!"

Zuo Miaomiao was so angry that she couldn't speak.

Xiao Qingyin squeezed her hand, signaling her to calm down.

Just as she was about to speak in her defense, Yi Shuihan's voice rang out first.

"Regarding the doubts raised by the Third Princess, I think I can explain them."

"First and foremost, it's her medical skills."

I sent people to Yizhou to investigate her long after she saved my mother.

Her medical skills were indeed learned from an old Taoist priest.

The old Taoist priest was an itinerant doctor with superb medical skills and a chivalrous spirit.

He never charges for his medical consultations; if you invite him to dinner or drinks, he'll even cover the cost of the medicine.

Three years ago, he fell off a cliff and died while collecting herbs. The local people even built a small temple for him.

All of this is documented and can be presented to His Majesty upon our return to the capital.

Xiao Qingyin was speechless with astonishment.

My dear reader, there's more to this chapter! Please click the next page to continue reading—even more exciting content awaits!