"Your Majesty, all of this is slander. Your Majesty's loyalty is as clear as day and night. You must not listen to the slander of petty people!"

The Third Prince knelt on the ground, weeping bitterly.

"Hmph, slander?" The Emperor swept all the memorials beside him to the ground with a clatter. "You dare say that the armory has absolutely nothing to do with you? That the guards of the capital aren't your men? That you didn't order the gunpowder to be smuggled in from the Di Kingdom? You used your daughter's marriage as a pretext to break ties with the Wu family, so that I would believe you weren't secretly colluding. Cui Anchen, oh Cui Anchen, since I took this throne, I've never thought of guarding against you. We're brothers, yet you tried to kill me. If I hadn't discovered this early, it would be you standing here right now!"

"Your Majesty, I am innocent! I am innocent! Your Majesty, I have no intention of treason. It must be a slander by villains. Ah yes, it is a divisive tactic by the Di Kingdom. Your Majesty, you must believe me and investigate this thoroughly!"

"Enough!"

The Emperor slammed his fist on the dragon throne, heartbroken, and said, "Cui Anchen, out of consideration for our past brotherhood, I will spare your life. From this day forward, you will be confined to the Prince's Palace and shall not leave without my summons. We shall never see each other again, in life or in death."

"Brother! Brother, you can't do this to your younger brother, you can't, brother..."

The Third Prince was carried out, and the Emperor slumped to the ground, looking as if he had aged ten years in an instant.

"Guards, there's no need to investigate any further. Dismiss the entire Wu family from their posts and exile them. Execute Wu Yan and display his head to the public. Anyone implicated should be punished according to their crimes. Also, appoint the Crown Prince to oversee the state. I'm tired."

"twitter."

Xiang Wan didn't care about what was happening inside the Emperor's Palace.

Half a year had passed, and by exposing that weapons workshop ahead of schedule, Xiang Wan knew that this day would come sooner or later.

Once, the original owner married into the Wu family and devoted herself to them. It wasn't until ten years later that she discovered the Wu family's secret collusion with the Third Prince. Wu Yan, hoping to gain favor by marrying into the imperial family, entrusted many secret matters to the original owner, a woman, to manage, which didn't attract much attention.

Because her mind was preoccupied with her various workshops, Cao Ruwan took the opportunity to become involved with Wu Yan. At that time, Ji Meiniang had already been divorced, and Yuan Xiqing had become the official wife of the Cao family. When Princess Jinyi and Wu Yan met in secret, their whereabouts were inadvertently exposed, alerting their political enemies from different factions. The Third Prince, in a moment of ruthlessness, proactively reported the Wu family for illegally manufacturing weapons, alleging a plot to rebel.

The Wu family secretly gave instructions and made arrangements in advance, pushing the original owner out as a scapegoat. The cause was that box of Di Kingdom glass ornaments that had been kept at the bottom of the chest.

At that time, the Di Kingdom invaded the border, and the Fei Kingdom intended to join forces with it to jointly attack the Cui Kingdom.

The Third Prince and the Wu family both wield great power. At this time, it is necessary to unite to resist foreign enemies, so it is not advisable to touch them. Therefore, the original owner of this body became the only one to be pushed out to take the blame.

As they walked down the street, they heard countless people talking. Xiang Wan, with Zi Juan by her side, stood at the street corner, watching the Wu family's property being raided and Wu Yan being escorted away. Cao Ruwan stood there forlornly, as if she had lost her soul.

The political landscape of the capital was reshuffled. The Wu family fell, and the Feng and Jiang families lived in constant fear, hesitant to make a single misstep. However, some families seized the opportunity to rise and establish themselves in the capital. Among them were those who were on good terms with the Ji family, and the younger generation of the Qiu family gradually came into the Crown Prince's sights.

Although the Ji family did not see any major improvement from then on, they were no longer easily touched by others. This was probably the peaceful life the original owner wanted.

So many people from the Wu family and the Prince's mansion were involved, but the execution of Wu Yan was a deliberate scheme by Xiang Wan.

During her time in contact with the Wu family, Xiang Wan had intentionally or unintentionally gathered evidence of their clandestine illegal activities. She then ordered Huan'er to secretly infiltrate the Shuntian Prefecture prison and inform him that Princess Jinyi was pregnant and that the Wu family was suspected of treason. The Emperor was merciful and would not kill anyone from the Prince's Mansion, but he would certainly not let the Wu family off the hook. If he were willing to take full responsibility for the crimes, it was possible to spare his bloodline.

The incident happened suddenly, and everyone in the Wu family and the Wang Mansion was placed under surveillance. No one informed them. As Wu Yan spent more and more time in prison, his hopes of getting out became increasingly slim, and finally he signed and fingerprinted the document.

His final request was to return to the Wu family home for one last look.

The once glorious Wu family saved everyone else at the cost of Wu Yan's life.

Xiang Wan was also present when he was beheaded at Caishikou.

How much resentment and hatred did the original owner harbor in his past life? If Wu Yan were not allowed to taste it before his death, wouldn't that be too merciful?

Before the appointed time, Xiang Wan picked up a steamed bun and threw it at Wu Yan, who was kneeling.

With her hair disheveled, Wu Yan slowly raised her head and saw Xiang Wan standing in the crowd. Her eyes glazed over, as if she had returned to last winter, to that snowy afternoon when she met her.

She stood amidst a cluster of red plum blossoms, smiling gently at him. His heart stirred, and he was about to approach her when she vanished. Later, his father told him he was to be married; the marriage had been arranged by his grandfather. At that moment, his heart resisted, but he didn't voice it.

On his wedding night, he caught a glimpse of that stunning face and was overjoyed.

After their marriage, they lived in harmony; he worked hard outside the home, while she managed the household. Later, in pursuit of a better future, he dragged her into a whirlpool of trouble. But she wasn't afraid, quietly handling matters that were inconvenient for him to handle directly. She became increasingly shrewd, while he grew increasingly anxious. He felt he had married a partner, not a wife. Gradually, he became less and less patient with her, and couldn't resist having an affair with her younger sister.

When their actions were exposed, he chose to run away and shift all the blame onto her.

It was in this place, at this moment, that he stood below the stage, watching her face despair as she calmly faced death. Until her dying breath, she didn't utter a single word. Only a tear, softly and slowly, slid down her cheek, dripping to the ground and blooming into a tiny, insignificant splash…

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