Zhao Ping bowed deeply, his head bowed so low he dared not lift it.

"The Empress Dowager has arrived."

A woman dressed in a magnificent phoenix robe, exuding elegance, was helped in by palace maids. Her complexion was not good. Jing Xi walked with a limp, while He Siyue wore a veil and dared not show herself.

Mu Tiantian couldn't help but sigh, "Jing Xi's body is amazing. He can still get out of bed after being beaten twenty times."

Qi Tong, seemingly guessing her thoughts, said: "After Jing Xi was dragged away and flogged, Zhao Ping sent someone to inform the Empress Dowager, and she was also flogged twice."

Mu Tiantian: [Zhao Ping reported this? So he's also one of the Empress Dowager's people?]

Qi Tong: [Yes, from this perspective, Long Xinghuang really doesn't have anyone he can trust.]

Thinking about it carefully, Long Xinghuang is quite pitiful. He was born with poison in his mother's womb and was destined not to live past thirty-five.

Originally, according to the normal course of events, Long Fantian assisted Long Xinghuang until his death.

Finally, Long Fantian will ascend the throne according to the imperial edict left by the late emperor, so that the world can develop better.

As a result, a deviation occurred midway, leading to the current situation of mutual suspicion and even near-war.

"Mother Empress," Long Xinghuang stepped forward to greet her.

Mu Tiantian knelt and bowed, saying, "Greetings, Empress Dowager."

Jing Huarong looked her up and down; she was quite pretty, and she had heard a lot about her these past few days.

She specifically investigated this Mu Tiantian, but found nothing. The information she had was limited to what Zhao Ping had reported.

I heard she's connected to Lin Miao, and it's possible she is Lin Miao.

Long Xinghuang even hit Jing Xi for her sake.

Upon hearing the news, Jing Huarong rushed over immediately. Jing Xi was one of her people, and the fact that Long Xinghuang dared to punish Jing Xi without her approval gave her a bad feeling.

The Empress Dowager did not allow Mu Tiantian to get up, but made her kneel. Jing Xi glared at her fiercely, and He Siyue's gaze towards her was not very friendly either.

On Mu Tiantian's first day in the palace, they learned that the Emperor had bestowed upon her a wooden figurine.

Everyone in the palace knew that the wooden figure was something the emperor treasured very much. Even the usually favored Holy Maiden, Xia, was punished for accidentally breaking one. There was even a threat that if Xia touched it again, her hands would be chopped off.

This shows how important these wooden figures were to the emperor; no one was allowed to touch them.

However, he bestowed the wooden statue upon this woman, which filled them with a sense of crisis.

The harem was originally empty; even with Xia, there were only three people. Moreover, Xia had not yet been included as a concubine, and with the Empress Dowager intervening, a single saintess posed no threat.

However, Mu Tiantian suddenly appeared out of nowhere. She was said to be engaged to the Regent and would be his future wife. Logically, her engagement to the Regent should not pose a threat to the harem.

However, for some reason, the emperor placed her in a side hall of the inner palace, not only bestowing upon her a precious wooden statue but also forbidding anyone from visiting her. These actions made people take the matter seriously.

After all, Mu Tiantian has not yet married Long Fantian and could enter the palace at any time.

Jing Huarong looked at Long Xinghuang with a kind face and asked, "My son, what mistake did Jingxi make that warrants twenty strokes of the cane?"

“Fabricating rumors to smear me,” Long Xinghuang replied coldly.

"I didn't..."

Jing Xi wanted to defend herself, but Jing Huarong glanced at her, and Jing Xi shut her mouth and dared not say a word.

Jing Huarong smiled kindly, "Jingxi has roughly told me about it. It's just a story, and she's trying to immerse herself in it. My son has misunderstood. You know that Jingxi loves to listen to and tell stories. You rarely come to see me. If it weren't for Jingxi keeping me company day and night and telling me stories, I would have been bored to death long ago."

Hearing his mother's scolding, Long Xinghuang said with self-reproach, "It was my fault."

Mu Tiantian knelt on the ground listening to the mother and son's small talk, rubbing her knees while secretly rolling her eyes.

Even small talk is so drawn out.

After an unknown amount of time, Long Xinghuang's loud shout woke Mu Tiantian up.

"no!"

Jing Huarong only wanted Mu Tiantian to come to her palace, but she didn't expect him to react so strongly.

She glanced at Mu Tiantian indifferently, a glint of light flashing in her eyes, fleeting and unfathomable, making it impossible to discern her thoughts.

Long Xinghuang realized his lapse in composure and calmed himself down, explaining, "Mother, Miss Mu is engaged to the Prince, so it's inconvenient for her to stay in the palace any longer. I will send her out of the palace before sunset."

Jing Huarong was very composed. Even though Long Xinghuang went against her wishes, she didn't get angry. Instead, she went to Mu Tiantian and helped her up, her smile kind and friendly, as if she were trying to befriend her. "Miss Mu, please get up quickly. You must be tired."

Mu Tiantian was flattered, but she didn't show it. She smiled sweetly and calmly, "I'm not tired."

She sensed that the Empress Dowager was up to something, so she tried her best to appear innocent and harmless to avoid being targeted.

He Siyue and Jing Xi exchanged a glance, their eyes filled with shock. The Empress Dowager would actually take the initiative to make amends?

Jing Huarong gently touched her hand and looked closely at her eyes. Her bright black pupils did indeed resemble Lin Miao's quite a bit.

She had an idea.

"Your Majesty, Empress Dowager, the Regent requests an audience. He says he wants to take Miss Mu back to his residence," a guard reported.

Long Fantian waited outside the palace.

He learned from Mu Tiantian's letter that the Empress Dowager had close ties with the Imperial Advisor Xin Liangmu, as well as General Jing Huaxiong.

According to Ulana's confession, she lost one of her arrows the day before the assassination attempt at the hunting grounds; she only wanted to kill Shinryoku.

The location where it was lost was also near the Imperial Preceptor's residence.

It's less like it was lost and more like it was stolen.

In addition to the information Dongxue had gathered, he was certain that the person who killed him was sent by Xinliangmu.

But there must be someone behind Xin Liangmu. As for whether this person is the Empress Dowager, Long Xinghuang, or a scheme by both of them, we still need to find out.

Long Xinghuang's condition remained the same as before; he occasionally suffered from poisoning and needed medication to relieve the pain. However, he spent his days reviewing memorials, and his physical condition was not very good.

In the past few days, he has only summoned Xin Liangmu, and what he said was all trivial.

On the same day that he summoned Shin Ryang-mok, the Empress Dowager also summoned Shin Ryang-mok, and the two mentioned the hunting grounds during their conversation.

Therefore, just as Mu Tiantian wrote in her letter, the Empress Dowager is very likely the real mastermind, while Long Xinghuang is completely unaware of it.

However, he has one more very important question.

How could someone who was confined to a side hall all day know so much information?

After a long while, Zhao Ping came over, looking ashamed. "Your Highness, the Empress Dowager said that she and Miss Mu hit it off immediately and had a very pleasant conversation. Therefore, she would like Miss Mu to stay in the palace for a few more days. Please return to your residence and wait for her."

Long Fantian's expression darkened. "I wish to discuss the marriage with Mu Tiantian. I hope Eunuch Zhao will inform her of this."

"Your Highness, this is the Empress Dowager's decree. This servant has no choice. However, the Empress Dowager said that Your Highness can rest assured that Miss Mu is safe in the palace. She will be well taken care of and there will be no problems."

Long Fantian pursed his lips and remained silent for a long while before turning and leaving.

Not long after leaving the palace, they encountered the Imperial Preceptor's sedan chair, which was heading towards the palace.

It seems he's going to break into the palace again at night.