Mu Tiantian seized the opportunity and said to him, "Your Highness, I suspect that the Imperial Advisor used the Gu poison on me at the behest of the Empress Dowager. Do you want to know why they used the Gu poison on me? Do you want to know who really framed you?"

Long Fantian looked into her bright almond-shaped eyes, and his heart stirred slightly.

She seems to know... everything...

She seemed truly like a goddess, knowing everything...

...

Mu Tiantian changed into clean clothes and walked outside like a girl who had lost her soul.

The palace maid guarding outside noticed something was wrong with her and went forward to ask tentatively, "Miss Mu, what's wrong?"

Mu Tiantian didn't say anything, and just walked blankly towards Yongshou Palace.

Seeing this, the palace maid hurriedly stepped forward to help her and guide her forward, saying, "Miss Mu, come this way with me."

She pulled Mu Tiantian down a less crowded path, and the patrolling guards pretended not to see them.

About fifteen minutes later, Mu Tiantian was led to the lotus pond in Yongshou Palace, and the sound of bells became clearer and clearer.

A man dressed in white robes and holding a bell stood in the moonlight, his narrow, dark eyes suddenly lighting up when he saw someone walking slowly towards him.

Mu Tiantian's half-dry long hair was casually scattered, her skin glowed white under the moonlight, and there was a faint floral fragrance emanating from her body, the scent of flower petals from her bath.

In the pavilion, the Empress Dowager sat on a stone bench and took a sip of tea. When she saw someone arrive, she put down her teacup.

The bell stopped ringing.

Xin Liangmu called out softly, "Miss Mu?"

Mu Tiantian snapped out of her daze and looked at Xin Liangmu standing in front of her, feigning confusion, "Grand Preceptor? How did I... end up here?"

Xin Liangmu rang the bell.

The crisp sound made Mu Tiantian stare blankly into his eyes.

"Mu Tiantian, you only need to remember that what happens next will be a dream, but you will do as I say." After Xin Liangmu finished speaking, he shook the bell again and whispered to Mu Tiantian, "The Empress Dowager has something to discuss with you, come with me."

Mu Tiantian's eyes cleared up a bit, and she followed Xin Liangmu to the pavilion.

"Miss Mu, please sit down. I have something to tell you." Jing Huarong said with a smile, pulling Mu Tiantian to sit down and handing her a piece of pastry.

Just as Mu Tiantian was about to take it, Xin Liangmu reminded her from the side, "Empress Dowager, this Gu should not be used in excess, otherwise it will make her eyes cloudy and easily discovered."

The two men spoke to her without any attempt to hide their feelings.

Mu Tiantian could only pretend not to hear, try her best to act naturally, and treat this scene as a dream.

Jing Huarong began by asking, "Mu Tiantian, are you Lin Miao, Shi Changbo's apprentice?"

"yes."

"So, you faked your death five years ago? Why?"

"Yes, I offended the Emperor and was afraid of being held accountable, so I came up with this idea."

"And how did you get into the hunting grounds?"

"I suddenly lost consciousness on the way, and when I regained consciousness, I was shot with an arrow and could not remember how I ended up at the hunting ground."

Xin Liangmu's expression changed slightly upon hearing this.

Jing Huarong continued to ask, "Is your marriage to the Regent true?"

"yes."

"Has he found out who the assassin who shot you was?"

"No."

Jing Huarong glanced at Xin Liangmu after hearing her answer.

Xin Liangmu nodded.

Upon seeing this, Jing Huarong began to brainwash Mu Tiantian.

From now on, the person Mu Tiantian loves will become Long Xinghuang, and the wedding date for the emperor to take her into the palace will be the first day of next month.

As for Long Fantian, she saved him unintentionally and had no feelings for him, so she could not marry him.

After she entered the palace, she had to report Long Xinghuang's every move to the Empress Dowager on a regular basis.

After Jing Huarong finished speaking, Xin Liangmu shook the bell.

Mu Tiantian immediately pretended to have a blank look in her eyes and was led back the way she came by a palace maid.

Jing Huarong spoke calmly, "Grand Preceptor, if you want the Holy Maiden, I will mention it to the Emperor. However, your return to Miao territory requires careful consideration. I know you want revenge, but your assassination attempt has failed. Even if I wanted to help you, I am powerless to do so."

"This was my mistake, but I will certainly live up to Your Majesty's expectations next time," Xin Liangmu promised.

After a long pause, he asked worriedly, "But would the Emperor be willing to take her as a concubine? After all, she is the Regent's woman, and besides, the Regent is already engaged to her. If he does this, the Regent might..."

"I've raised him for so many years, I can naturally tell whether he likes or dislikes a woman. As for the Regent..." Jing Huarong sneered, "Do you think this marriage is real?"

"But Miss Mu just said that the marriage is true."

“She’s just a young girl, who knows how the Regent could have tricked her into thinking the marriage was real.” Jing Huarong believed that Xin Liangmu’s Gu worms wouldn’t be wrong, so she also thought that Mu Tiantian was telling the truth.

She believed that the Regent already knew that Mu Tiantian was Lin Miao, so he used the marriage to keep her by his side in order to control Shi Changbo.

Jing Huarong then tried to use the same method to keep Mu Tiantian there so that Shi Changbo would hand over the imperial edict.

She originally wanted to kill Long Fantian to end it all, but now every assassination attempt has failed.

Therefore, she had no choice but to find another solution.

She knew the contents of one of the imperial edicts: if the regent harbored rebellious intentions, he should be deposed immediately.

However, Long Fantian wields great military power, and many ministers in the court have submitted to him. If he were to truly rebel, she might not be able to win.

Unless we find evidence of Long Fantian's rebellion, and then have Shi Changbo hand over his will to persuade the other ministers, it will be simple.

So all these years, she has been sowing discord between Long Xinghuang and Long Fantian, in order to make Long Fantian intend to rebel and thus find the key evidence.

However, this evidence is extremely difficult to find.

Jing Huarong thought that perhaps she could use Mu Tiantian to complete her plan this time.

She instructed Xin Liangmu, "You must find a way to replace the bride with Jingxi on the night of the Emperor's wedding, during the bridal chamber, but you must not let the Emperor find out."

Xin Liangmu asked, "Then what should be done with Miss Mu?"

"I will tell you when the time comes."

...

After returning to the side hall, Mu Tiantian relaxed.

However, Long Fantian had already left, and the people he had placed by her side were nowhere to be found.

Mu Tiantian: [Seven Unifications?]

Qi Tong: [What is it?]

Mu Tiantian: [Where did you run off to?]

Seven-Tong: [I went... and looked into Shinragi. I think he has a lot of problems.]

Mu Tiantian: [Such a twisted person, of course there's a lot of trouble. What did you find out?]

Qi Tong: [Do you remember when I teleported you and Long Fantian directly to Mingfeng Valley? It seems Xin Liangmu saw you disappear.]

Mu Tiantian worried: "[This won't affect me, will it? Didn't you even notice, with just a system?]"

Seven Commanders: [The situation was urgent at the time, and teleportation consumes energy. It's understandable that I didn't notice it. As for the impact, I'm not sure, because Shinragi knew you were the person from ten years ago and even drew a portrait of you.]