"I don't believe it!" Tears streamed down her face as if there was no end in sight. She looked up, her eyes becoming much clearer. "I don't believe it. Fourth Brother wouldn't do that to my mother. My mother treats him like her own son!"

"Young lady, it's all true." Suddenly, an old woman appeared in the Sanqing Hall. She was ugly, with white hair and wrinkled skin, dressed in black, and had one blind eye with white in it.

Zhao Shu looked at Wang Jiyang; this man was quite well-prepared.

When the Queen Dowager saw the old woman, she clutched her head and shook it frantically, "No, I don't believe it, this can't be true."

The old woman looked at her with pity. "Girl, as soon as you entered Biyou Palace, your aunt passed away. The eldest young master didn't lie to you. The fifth young lady didn't die either; she's still alive and well, and she even has a grandson."

The Dowager Princess could not accept this fact. She shook her head desperately, "No, no, it's not like that. You betrayed my mother, you betrayed my fourth brother, you're lying."

"Whether you lie or not, you won't survive today. Don't worry, I've taken control of the Wang family. I won't care if the Empress Dowager rolls up a straw mat and throws your body into the moat. You'll even have to go to the palace to express your gratitude." After Wang Jiyang finished speaking, he took Wang Jiyang's hand and walked out, leaving only a cold and desolate figure for the Empress Dowager.

Zhao Shu glanced around and then called to Xiao Guozi and the others to prepare to leave. The old woman seemed to have only come to say a few words, and after speaking, she coldly followed Wang Jiyang out.

Seeing everyone about to leave, the Dowager Princess Wang scrambled to her feet. "You won't be able to fool me! You won't be able to!" she cried, pointing at Wang Jiyang's back. Her voice was shrill, and her eyes were like those of a demon, sending chills down everyone's spine.

In fact, Zhao Shu wronged her. She had indeed broken down, but she still had faith in her heart, so she became clear-headed when she was on the verge of death.

Wang Jiyang ignored her and continued walking forward. Before long, he disappeared from sight. Zhao Shu hurriedly said to Chu Chun, "First, keep Lord Wang here for me."

"Yes, Princess." Chu Chun hurriedly went to chase after Wang Jiyang.

Zhao Shu slowly walked to the side of the Dowager Princess, squatted down, and Xiao Guozi protected her, preventing her from having a chance to hurt Zhao Shu.

“Your Highness.” Zhao Shu’s voice was soft, as if she were speaking only to Your Highness. “Some people are alive, yet they are already dead; some people are dead, yet they live on forever. The former refers to you. How pathetic. But that’s not even more pathetic. What’s more pathetic is not knowing why you are so pathetic, having lived in vain. Those who were killed by Wang Kuanqi will have their revenge taken. But what about you? Whether you live or die, you are less than a withered blade of grass in winter. No one remembers you. Whether you live or die, even the lowest courtesan has patrons who write poems for her and visit her grave every Qingming Festival to pull weeds and pour wine. But what about you? After you die, you will probably only become a lonely ghost, without even the right to be reincarnated, let alone have a different identity or a different birth in the next life.”

After she finished speaking, she stood up, looked at the statue of the Three Pure Ones, and said, "Whether Lord Wang is lying to you or not, you know very well in your heart. Think about it, everyone must die, but if you die without avenging your great enemy, are you willing to accept it? Are you worthy of having come to this world? Of course, someone like you who has no dignity, no feelings, and no humanity is no different from an animal. How could you think of avenging your mother? Today, when you return to the palace, I, the princess, will ask my grandmother for permission to live in the Three Pure Ones Temple from now on, so that the Three Pure Ones can enlighten you. However, you may not have the chance, because my royal uncle will not let you live past tomorrow. I may be the last person you see in your life. After you die, do not come looking for me. If you want to find me, go find Wang Kuanqi."

“Princess, this place is ominous. You should hurry back to the palace. The Empress Dowager must be worried. Why waste words with such people? Lord Wang just said that tomorrow he will throw a rolled-up mat into the moat and that will be the end of it. If you ask me, you are just too kind-hearted. Some people are not worth it.” Xiao Guozi chimed in from the side.

Zhao Shu shook her head. "How can a person be so cold-blooded and heartless? The Dowager Consort is still a Dowager Consort. How can you treat her so disrespectfully? You must never say such things again." Zhao Shu pretended to scold Xiao Guozi.

“Princess, you are too kind-hearted. You were unmoved even when the Dowager Consort’s mother was subjected to slow slicing. Why do you pity her? In my opinion, the sooner the better.” Xiao Guozi spoke casually, as if the person in front of him was not the noble Dowager Consort. He was disrespectful and unruly, but Zhao Shu did not stop him.

The Dowager Consort Wang slowly stood up, her eyes bloodshot. "Whatever you want me to do, I'll agree. I'm not helping you. The Empress Dowager killed my son, and I will haunt her even as a ghost. But I will not let go of the vile woman who killed my mother!"

Zhao Shu sneered, "You're not helping me, you're helping yourself. My grandmother killed your son? Ha, think about it, which of the princes' mothers came from a prominent family? From the moment you married into the royal family, you could never have a son. It wasn't my grandmother who killed your son, it was the Wang family who killed him, because you were a Wang family woman and couldn't have a son! The Wang family knew this from the beginning, but none of them told you!"

The Dowager Queen laughed heartily. "That's right, all of that is true. My whole life has been a joke, a wasted life, a wasted life. How pathetic, how truly pathetic! What's even more pathetic is that I only now realize just how pathetic my life has been."

"Tell me, what do you want me to do?" she said, her laughter fading, like a zombie.

Seeing her ashen face, Zhao Shu couldn't help but feel sad. There must be something hateful about a pitiful person. If we were to trace the root of this tragedy, we could only say that she was unlucky to be born into the Wang family, with no one to support her, and she herself was too confused to understand things.

“Identify Wang Kuanqi,” Zhao Shu said.

The Dowager Princess trembled slightly, her fists clenched, and she slowly nodded, "I agree."

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