When Hongmu returned to Liuyun Palace, she saw that it was brightly lit. She realized something was wrong; Li Wanyue would definitely leave on her own. So Hongmu decided to play along. She first ran to the Phoenix Feather Guard's post, relayed the message to the sisters of the Phoenix Feather Guard, and then returned. Even if she was discovered when she returned, it wouldn't be considered dereliction of duty.

An Ruo reminded her, "Since that's the case, there's no guarantee that Li Wanyue won't use you as a test subject when you get back. You should take the Hundred Poisons Pill first."

An Ruo handed her a Hundred Poisons Pill, which was given to the Empress by the young princess when she visited her.

"The Hundred Poisons Pill?"

An Ruo nodded: "Yes, it can make you immune to all poisons. But we can't rule out some incurable ones. We must not take poisons lightly. In short, we must be careful. Preserving your life is the most important thing, you know?"

After swallowing the Hundred Poison Pill, Hongmu nodded: "Don't worry, Sister Anruo, I'm not stupid enough to actually swallow the poison."

An Ruo nodded. She had confidence in the sisters in the Phoenix Feather Guard, but just in case, she still wanted to give them some instructions.

An Ruo watched Hongmu's departing figure and thought that once this matter was over, the palace would be lively for a few more days.

After returning home, Hongmu deliberately ran very fast, getting himself covered in sweat and smearing dirt all over his face and body.

When Hongmu entered Liuyun Palace and saw Li Wanyue, he was shocked: "Oh my, Your Majesty, what are you doing here? I woke up and couldn't find you. I've been looking for you for ages."

Seeing Hongmu's anxious appearance and his dirty body, Li Wanyue would still have believed him if she hadn't heard the last words of the man in black.

"Oh, Redwood, you really went to see me? You went by yourself?"

Hongmu nodded: "Of course, Your Majesty. If you disappeared in the middle of the night, I wouldn't dare ask anyone else to help look for you."

Li Wanyue...

I can't refute that reason, but once a wariness takes hold, it's not easily erased.

Li Wanyue had someone bring her a cup of tea: "Hongmu, you're so thoughtful. Have a cup of tea to quench your thirst."

The maid carried the water over, and Hongmu took the tea: "Your Highness, it is my duty to come to you, and you have even given me a cup of tea. Thank you, Your Highness."

Hongmu picked up the teacup and drank it all in one gulp. After finishing, he wiped his mouth with his sleeve and then spat all the tea into his sleeve.

After watching her finish drinking it, Li Wanyue nodded in satisfaction, now it was time to see how effective the medicine would be. If Hongmu was a spy from another palace, then if the medicine worked, that wouldn't be a problem. If it didn't work, she could just kill her.

Although Hongmu knew that there was medicine in the tea Li Wanyue gave her, she didn't know what the medicine was or what to do. She vaguely heard the word "obedient" in the conversation between Li Wanyue and the man in black, so Hongmu decided to test the waters by pretending to have a headache.

"Ouch, my head! Your Majesty, my head hurts so much! Your Majesty, please save me!"

After saying that, Hongmu fainted. She wanted to see what Li Wanyue was up to!

Seeing that the person was unconscious, Li Wanyue sent her maid to check on them.

The young maidservant approached Hongmu and shook her, but Hongmu didn't react. Remembering that she had been waiting outside the palace but hadn't received the same favor as Hongmu, she thought that now that she could finally enter the palace, she could finally settle her personal score.

Taking advantage of the moment, the maid slapped her hard across the face. Hongmu's anger flared instantly; she nearly knocked off her mask. But she couldn't move. She knew Li Wanyue was testing her and couldn't give herself away. She silently made a mental note of the maid.

The maid saw that Hongmu had been slapped but was still unresponsive, so he must have truly fainted.

"Your Majesty, Hongmu has indeed fallen into a coma."

Li Wanyue glanced at her: "Who gave you permission to take action on your own? You have a lot of nerve."

She wasn't upset that Hongmu had been beaten, but rather that she felt the maid had acted without her permission, showing no respect for her at all.

The maidservant quickly knelt down and begged for mercy: "Your Highness, I just think that Hongmu is a spy from another palace, and I wanted to vent my anger for Your Highness."

Li Wanyue angrily said, "Whether she is a spy or not is still unknown. How can you prove that she is a spy? If you lay a hand on someone without permission again, I will cut off your hand."

"Yes, Your Majesty."

Li Wanyue stood up from the soft couch, walked to the redwood tree, and kicked it with her foot.

"Let's see if you listen to me when you wake up. Otherwise, how could I easily use this medicine on that person?"

Hongmu, who was pretending to be unconscious, could tell from the medicine's effects that it was indeed a drug that made people obedient. However, she couldn't rule out the possibility that Li Wanyue was deliberately testing her, so she would have to be more careful in the future.

Li Wanyue instructed, "Go, take the redwood away, and have her come over to serve you first thing tomorrow morning."

"Yes, Your Majesty."

Li Wanyue watched everyone leave before letting her guard down. If Hongmu was a spy, whose side was he on? And whose side did the man in black work for tonight? Why were they helping her? Even if they had a grudge against Rong Qi and Rong Xi, there weren't that many people involved!

No matter what Li Wanyue thought, she would never have imagined that the person behind it all was the innocent and harmless Rong Che.