"Your Majesty, rest assured, but... what do you think should be done with this Deng Er?" Feng Chenlan asked, narrowing her eyes as she looked at Nalan Yao.

When she met Feng Chenlan's sharp eyes, Nalan Yao almost couldn't keep up the act.

Forcing a smile, she said, "The Deng family, using my name to bully the emperor, have harmed the people and damaged the imperial dignity. They deserve to die a thousand deaths! Even being torn apart by five horses wouldn't be an exaggeration."

Nalan Yao said through gritted teeth.

"What the Empress says is absolutely right." Feng Chenlan nodded: "Then, I will exterminate the entire Deng family, including nine generations of relatives, and the Empress will personally oversee the execution."

Upon hearing this, Nalan Yao's pupils contracted slightly.

"Your Majesty, I obey." But on the surface, she still had to pretend.

"His Majesty."

"It's getting late, Your Majesty should go back and rest." Feng Chenlan waved his hand, not wanting to see Nalan Yao's face again.

“Yes, Your Majesty!” Nalan Yao gritted her teeth.

He turned and left the Hall of Mental Cultivation.

As she stepped out of the Hall of Mental Cultivation, the smile on her face vanished completely. She raised her hand, and her palm was covered in bright red blood.

"Feng Chenlan, you still can't forget her? What do I have that I can't compare to that bitch? We look exactly alike, so why won't you even glance at me?" Nalan Yao said through gritted teeth. "If it were her, you certainly wouldn't suspect her, would you? Ha, Feng Chenlan, you'll never see her again in this lifetime!"

"Mother."

At this moment, Feng Wan walked towards us.

"Your subject has also heard about the trouble that has befallen the Deng family. The Second Elder has already been arrested and imprisoned! Should we..."

“The Deng family can no longer be allowed to live.” Nalan Yao lowered her voice and grasped Feng Wan’s hand.

“But…” Feng Wan looked at Nalan Yao in disbelief, “Mother?”

“The Deng family’s crimes have been exposed. Fortunately, I did not participate openly, otherwise, your father would definitely not have let me off easily.” Nalan Yao still felt lingering fear when she thought about the scene when she faced Feng Chenlan.

She had only seen Feng Chenlan like that once, and that was after she discovered that secret.

Feng Chenlan felt the same way! That familiar sense of fear had just returned.

Feng Wan looked at her hand, which was being held tightly, and was somewhat taken aback. She had never seen her mother like this before.

"I heard that someone broke into the Deng family and broke the Great Elder's formation. Who could it be, someone so powerful?" Feng Wan exclaimed inwardly. Could it be that the Deng family had offended an ancient martial arts family?

Aside from the power of ancient martial arts families, Feng Wan couldn't think of anything else that could cause the Deng family to fall overnight.

Nalan Yao shook her head: "I don't know either. But I have already sent people to investigate thoroughly. As long as she leaves any clues, she won't be able to escape."

Nalan Yao hated this bitch to the core! How much effort and thought she had put into helping the Deng family rise again? All of it was destroyed overnight, all gone!

=========

"Your Majesty, it's getting cold." Eunuch Wu took out a cloak and draped it over Feng Chenlan.

Feng Chenlan stood on the high tower, from where she could overlook the entire Azure Dragon Imperial City.

A cold wind blew, lifting the robes and making them flutter.

"Eunuch Wu, why does that person seem somewhat familiar to me?"

The image of the girl from not long ago, along with her clear voice, floated into Feng Chenlan's mind.

Although it was only a glance from afar, he felt an unprecedented sense of familiarity.

A green figure appeared in Feng Chenlan's mind. The memory was so distant that the girl's appearance was somewhat blurry in his memory.

"Eighteen years have passed, and I can hardly see Ali's face anymore. What do you think we should do? I seem to have forgotten her face."

Feng Chenlan murmured, her voice carried away by the wind, as if she were talking to herself.

Eunuch Wu remained silent; he knew that His Majesty was not speaking to him.

After a long while, Feng Chenlan sighed, looked at the slowly rising sun on the horizon, and a helpless smile appeared on his lips.

=========

The next morning, the streets and alleys were plastered with posters detailing the Deng family's crimes.

The incident caused quite a stir. At first, everyone just thought that the Deng family was just being arrogant and spoiled because they were relying on the imperial family's authority. Little did they know... that they had actually done so many despicable things in secret.

Some victims finally had the opportunity to have their grievances cleared up.

"Abducting young girls for dual cultivation? So the Deng family elder's cultivation was so high, obtained through such a despicable method?"

"Pah! That's an animal!"

"How could this beast have lived all these years, having abused so many girls?"

The people were filled with righteous indignation; they were just unarmed civilians!

Just because they are weak, do they have to suffer the torment of those in power?

"Isn't the Deng family able to develop so rapidly because of the Empress's protection? All these years, hasn't the Empress known anything about it?"

"Without the Empress's protection, could he have remained hidden for so many years without being discovered?"

"Yes! I don't think the current Empress is a good person either!"

"Shut up! Her Majesty the Empress is kind-hearted. Have you forgotten how many people would have died during the drought years ago if it weren't for Her Majesty's disaster relief efforts?"

"That beast from the Deng family must have deceived Her Majesty the Empress!"

"Yes, if it weren't for Her Majesty the Empress leading the troops to suppress those demons eighteen years ago, the entire capital would have been devastated, with countless lives lost!"

"That's right. If it weren't for Her Majesty the Empress's heroic act, none of us here would be here today. We would all be reporting to the King of Hell long ago!"

Eighteen years ago, the demon race rampaged and invaded the Azure Dragon Imperial City. It was Nalan Yao, who was only a teenager at the time, who led troops to suppress the demons and repelled tens of thousands of them.

That time, it also saved countless people! Because if Azure Dragon City had fallen, half of the Canglan Continent would have... become a mass grave!

Upon hearing this, the man fell silent.

"The Deng family is a bunch of beasts. They not only deceived the Empress and took advantage of her kindness, but also harmed so many young girls."

"He deserves to die! He deserves to die!"

On the day the second son of the Deng family was to be tortured, people from all over the city came, and rotten eggs and leaves rained down on him.

"Aaaaaah!" The Second Elder roared in fury, but couldn't utter a single word.

"You deserve to die! This kind of person should go to hell!"

"That's right, he deserves to go to the eighteenth level of hell. Letting him die like this is too good for him!"

Upon hearing these sounds, Deng Lao Er's eyes widened in disbelief, and he couldn't utter a complete sentence.

When that elegant and noble figure appeared on the city wall, Deng Lao Er became even more excited. He desperately tried to break free of the cage, his eyes bloodshot, and he let out a beast-like roar.

"It's Her Majesty the Empress! Greetings, Her Majesty the Empress! Long live the Empress!"

The moment the people saw Nalan Yao appear, they all knelt down and bowed their heads in submission.