Meng Ruoyun's heart trembled slightly, and she pointed at Bai Yan: "You...you are a princess, do you intend to rebel?"

Bai Yan, upon hearing Meng Ruoyun's words, gently curled her lips: "How could that be? Isn't it you, Consort Yun, who's forming cliques and engaging in favoritism?"

Her gaze fell on Meng Ruoyun again: "Take her away."

Meng Ruoyun was taken to the main hall. Earlier that day, Meng Ruoyun had made trouble for Princess Tianfu, while Meng Ruoyun's supporters naturally targeted the princess's people.

If it weren't for the Black-Clad Guards rescuing Liu Jin'an and the others who worked under the princess, they would probably have been dead long ago, brought to the palace by the Imperial Guards!

Therefore, upon seeing Meng Ruoyun, Liu Jinan and the others looked at her with such hatred that they wished they could stab her to death! Regardless of whether the young prince would ascend the throne in the future, their princess faction was already irreconcilably at odds with Consort Yun!

Under the intense gazes of the court officials, Meng Ruoyun dared not raise her head again.

But at this moment, the princess bowed gracefully and said, "Your subject greets Your Majesty, long live Your Majesty."

Meng Ruoyun felt a slight pause in her heart. She looked up and saw the Grand Eunuch helping the Emperor walk past the screen.

These days, Bai Qing has aged somewhat due to illness, but he is still an emperor after all. Even though his face is pale, he still looks majestic and awe-inspiring under the bright lights.

After a moment of stunned silence, Meng Ruoyun immediately crawled to Bai Qing's side, grabbing his robe and asking, "Your Majesty, you see everything now, don't you?"

“Princess Tianfu has colluded with the Black-Clad Guards. In just one night, the entire inner palace is under her control. She clearly has ulterior motives!”

Meng Ruoyun knelt on the ground: "Your Majesty, I beg you not to consider the bond between father and daughter. Princess Tianfu must be severely punished!"

Bai Qing sat on the dragon throne, looking down at Meng Ruoyun. "Consort Yun, you want me to punish Tianfu?"

“Yes, Your Majesty!” Meng Ruoyun replied.

Bai Qing twirled the ring on his finger. "You're not thinking that I didn't know you switched the lotus seed soup that Consort Li sent over, are you?"

Meng Ruoyun said, "It was I who changed the bowl of lotus seed soup, but there was no poison in it. It only made Your Majesty fall into a deep sleep..."

She looked up at Bai Qing, her words earnest: "Your Majesty favors the princess, and the corrupt practices in the court are becoming increasingly rampant. As a concubine, how can I bear to see you make one mistake after another and ruin the great future of the Southern Dynasty?"

"My actions today were entirely out of necessity, but I have a clear conscience. I acted for Your Majesty and for the sake of the Southern Dynasty!"

Bai Qing looked at Meng Ruoyun expressionlessly.

What a fool! She keeps saying she's doing this for the good of the Southern Dynasty, for her own good, and to get rid of the princess who's bringing disaster to the country. But has she ever considered how the court will be maintained while she's been unconscious for the past few days?

Should we rely on her? Or should we rely on those ministers who want to use her to seize power?

Bai Qing pinched the bridge of his nose. "Tianfu replaced your soup with a detoxifying one, which is why I didn't faint. Consort Yun, I'll set aside the matter of forming cliques for personal gain for now, but do you know what crime it is to poison the emperor's food?"

A look of disbelief flashed across Meng Ruoyun's eyes. Then she thought of what Tianfu had just said... Was she using her to wipe out all the court officials who did not support her?

And what about His Majesty? He knew perfectly well, yet he colluded with Tianfu to put on a show.

Meng Ruoyun collapsed to the ground, tears streaming down her face: "Your Majesty, I have always been devoted to you. Has Your Majesty never believed me from beginning to end?"

She looked at the handsome features of the emperor before her. He was a high and mighty emperor, but couldn't he see her true feelings?

"How can Your Majesty treat true feelings as worthless as dirt?"

Bai Qing: ... "Do you know that your crime is punishable by death?"

Meng Ruoyun scoffed, "My heart is already dead. Does Your Majesty want my life? Take it."

Bai Qing: ...Didn't he take detox medicine? Why is his head getting more and more painful?

Just as he was about to speak, Meng Ruoyun's personal maid, Alian, suddenly stepped out from the side and knelt before the hall: "Your Majesty, I dare to say that today the princess and all the members of the royal family are present, and I want to expose a private matter of Consort Yun!"

A-Lian knelt down: "Inside Consort Yun's palace, there is a secret passage that leads to Prince Duan's residence. Consort Yun and Prince Duan have met secretly in this passage many times. There are several letters left by the two of them in the passage. Your Majesty is free to examine them!"

"Your Majesty, the second prince born to Consort Yun is not Your Majesty's biological son at all!"

"It was her illegitimate child from her affair with Prince Duan!"

Meng Ruoyun looked at Alian with surprise, as if she couldn't believe it: "Alian, what are you saying?"

She treats A-Lian like a sister. What is she saying?

Meng Ruoyun shook her head, "No, no!"

"Ah Lian, why are you framing me?!"

The other courtiers in the hall were completely silent. Since it involved royal secrets, no one dared to offend the emperor at this time—although Liu Jin'an did want to laugh a little.

Consort Yun held the Second Prince in her hands, which was like having an ace up her sleeve, but she drowned before she could even play it. For someone from the opposing camp, the fact that he didn't applaud on the spot was already a testament to his restraint.

Bai Qing looked at the hysterical Meng Ruoyun and waved his hand, ordering the head steward to lead people to investigate the secret passage that A-Lian had mentioned.

Before long, the Grand Eunuch returned with several Imperial Guards, carrying a stack of letters: "Your Majesty, this servant did indeed find letters in the secret passage..."

"The secret passage under the Empress's bed does indeed lead to the Prince's residence."

Bai Qing muttered to himself, "I had long heard that the previous emperor had built a secret passage in the inner palace, but this palace is not small, and I have never paid attention to it for so many years... but I never expected this..."

Bai Qing's gaze quickly fell on the dates of the letters. He opened and read a few, then put them down again.

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