Murong Lie felt it was utterly absurd, so absurd that it was beyond words.

He paused for a few moments before continuing, "What about Jiang Tian? Hasn't she ever clarified anything?"

The subordinate didn't dare to raise his head and whispered, "No, it seems she tacitly agreed..."

Murong Lie's face turned ashen.

Okay, that's really great.

Little did he know that his rebirth in this life, merely to see Jiang Tian, ​​would unexpectedly lead to trouble.

"Have someone bring Jiang Tian here."

Murong Lie didn't waste any more words and said through gritted teeth.

"yes."

Jiang Tian arrived quickly, still with her honest and simple appearance, and her clothes were no different from what she wore on other days.

Have you heard the rumors circulating in the Eastern Palace lately?

Murong Lie sized her up, narrowed his eyes, and spoke with a sense of pressure.

Jiang Tian remained calm and composed, as always: "This servant has heard."

"After hearing that, what are your thoughts?"

"This servant has no feelings."

Murong Lie's face turned even paler, and a cold smile appeared on his lips: "Only you and I were here that day, and only you and I know what really happened. Since others have spread rumors, you should have protected your master's reputation. Why did you choose to remain silent?!"

His last question was asked in a very strong tone, sounding extremely angry.

Jiang Tian's tone was calm: "These are all other people's speculations. They didn't mention them to me, so I can't clarify."

"Why can't you clarify this? Just tell your roommates that I summoned you to ask you some questions. Is that so difficult? You're just running away!"

Murong Lie's eyes were extremely sharp.

He has never liked referring to himself as "I am alone," as this title seems to foreshadow that he will live a solitary life until his death.

Anyway, he's an impolite person, and nobody cares what he calls himself.

But today, Murong Lie was truly angered by Jiang Tian.

Everyone says she's an honest person, and she's far too honest!

"They wouldn't believe me even if I told them; everyone only believes what they see in front of them."

Jiang Tian told him earnestly.

Murong Lie considered himself to be quite composed, but faced with Jiang Tian's somewhat sincere gaze, he was so angry that he couldn't speak.

Saying something won't be believed, and not saying it are two different things.

How did this palace maid end up by his side in her past life and become his personal maid?

How could someone with no sense of propriety and no eloquence become his personal maid and even poison him? Murong Lie almost wondered if the sun had risen in the west.

"So you've accepted that you've become my woman?"

Murong Lie squinted at her.

He wanted to see what ambitions this woman was hiding.

Jiang Tian looked at him with some confusion: "I am your woman. The Empress asked me to teach you, and although you refused, I cannot give myself to anyone else."

Murong Lie remained silent.

At that moment, he realized that the two of them were not on the same page at all.

If he continues talking to this woman, he'll get angry and damage his liver, which will ultimately harm himself.

"You may leave."

Murong Lie finally gave the order.

"yes."

Jiang Tian arrived leisurely, and left leisurely.

Her free coming and going caught the attention of many people.

After Jiang Tian left, Murong Lie gave a strict order: anyone who dared to spread rumors about him and Jiang Tian would be imprisoned.

For a time, everyone in the Eastern Palace was unsure of the Crown Prince's intentions.

The Crown Prince is getting on in years, yet he doesn't have a single woman by his side, and there's more than one woman who's eager to make a move on him.

To be honest, the palace maids who served as his bedchamber attendants were the ones who truly became his women.

Even though he didn't favor her, she was still registered in the palace, and Jiang Tian would have to follow him for the rest of her life.

From this perspective, if Murong Lie really favored Jiang Tian, ​​it wouldn't be a big deal.

That is her duty.

Whether Jiang Tian was actually favored or not remains a mystery.

That day, Jiang Tian was suddenly summoned by the Crown Prince. When she returned, her clothes were wet and torn, she walked with a limp, her face was flushed, and she unconsciously avoided people... everything about her showed that something was unusual.

Jiang Tian usually keeps a low profile, and no one gets close to her, so no one can get accurate information from her.

The palace maids and eunuchs of the Eastern Palace knew best about the Crown Prince's eccentricities.

If it were any other prince who favored a palace maid, they would certainly be granted a title, a residence, and elevated to the status of a master.

However, when the Crown Prince sent Jiang Tian back, it was considered normal by everyone.

After all, Murong Lie's abnormal behavior has been going on for more than just a day or two.

His temperament was notoriously unpredictable. The emperor didn't give him any power, and the empress kept a close eye on him. For his own amusement, the crown prince once had more than ten dogs prepared in the courtyard, with a piece of meat hanging from each one. At a certain time, they would all be released on their own, and whoever's dog ran the fastest would get the meat.

The palace maids were terrified, wishing they could grow wings and fly away, fearing they would be bitten.

The Crown Prince, watching this scene from afar, grew increasingly sinister with a smile.

With a master like that, the palace maids and eunuchs wouldn't be too surprised by anything he did.

It doesn't seem so unacceptable to favor a woman and then send her back.

Now that the Crown Prince has forced them to keep quiet, the palace maids and eunuchs are convinced that there must be some reason behind Jiang Tian's relationship with the Crown Prince.

Why would anyone go to such lengths for a mere rumor?

These rumors are harmless, and that's what everyone in the palace thinks.

After all, they had heard even more outrageous rumors about the Crown Prince, but he never pursued them.

On this one matter, however, the Crown Prince flew into a rage.

The angrier someone is, the more abnormal it indicates.

Jiang Tian has always been an honest person, and since she has never denied it, it means that it's almost certainly true.

In a short time, Jiang Tian's status rose accordingly.

Her days in the Eastern Palace were much better.

Compared to the heavy cleaning work she used to have to do, her workload is much lighter now.

After the rumors disappeared, Murong Lie stopped paying attention to it.

After his rebirth, he had many things to plan ahead. How could he possibly keep arguing with a palace maid? That would just be because he had too much free time.

But to his surprise, dealing with just one rumor triggered a chain reaction that left him overwhelmed.

One day, the empress sent someone to summon him to see her.

Murong Lie had very complex feelings towards his mother, the Empress Dowager.

He sometimes even felt sorry for his mother, thinking that if she had been a man, she wouldn't have had to support a son like Liu Shan who didn't want to be helped up.

The empress was a true advocate of power. When she married the emperor, she was fulfilling her family's mission and striving to revitalize the family.

After giving birth to Murong Lie, she placed all her hopes on him, and the Empress would correct his every move repeatedly.

Her core purpose in life was to cultivate a good emperor.

But Murong Lie did not want to be emperor.

But it's no use saying all this now. We've started over, so we should definitely fight for what we need to fight for.

Murong Lie, unwilling to endure the poison any longer, died in agony.