She was so certain that the lip rouge would fall into the hands of the Eighth Princess.

One reason is that they can't detect the toxins in this lip balm. What a joke! It's purified using high technology and is inherently non-toxic.

But the emperor was accustomed to using ambergris, and there was that sandalwood table, and the cinnabar in the ink on his table, and the cinnabar on the nib of his brush...

None of them can be missing.

It would be a miracle if they could find it with their ordinary silver needles.

Unfortunately, the emperor had recently moved his documents to the Eighth Princess's palace to appease her, and spent several days there reviewing memorials.

Now it all depends on our Eighth Princess's luck.

In any case, as long as the Emperor is certain that the lip rouge is not poisonous, he will definitely send it to the Eighth Princess for inspection.

It's not for her to use; after all, how could a royal princess use something that someone else has used?

If the Eighth Princess takes a liking to her, the Imperial Workshops will be quite busy from now on.

This edible lip balm is truly one of a kind in the world.

She and Xiao Yi worked hard for a year, and they only managed to produce two small jars in total.

Thinking about it, it seems a bit of a pity.

But the thought of the person behind it all instantly cheered Yun Qingluo up.

Whoever it is, we'll find out soon enough.

Yun Qingluo walked briskly towards the Empress's Palace.

The Empress's residence.

Once outside the palace walls, one could hear a noisy commotion inside.

Yun Qingluo was startled. She quickly ran a few steps to the palace gate, pushed aside the guards who came to stop her, and rushed in.

"Your Highness, you cannot enter without the Empress's permission."

"Your Highness..."

"Get out of here! I'll only say it once!" Yun Qingluo stopped and looked coldly at the group of palace servants blocking her way.

The one leading the group appears to be the Empress's head maid.

She said with a disdainful look, "Your Highness, the Empress has not invited you in. Please wait patiently."

Yun Qingluo stared coldly at her, when suddenly she heard Qiu Shui's sobbing coming from inside.

Yun Qingluo panicked and kicked aside an old nanny who was blocking her way.

The old woman was caught off guard and fell backward. She slipped on the snow and fell down in a row.

Yun Qingluo lifted her foot and ran inside, stepping on the head palace maid's arm.

The sound of bones breaking rang out along with screams, but Yun Qingluo completely ignored them.

When the heavy curtain was lifted, Yun Qingluo's legs went weak, and her heart stopped beating.

His body moved faster than his brain; his instinctive reaction was to rush forward and catch the swaddled baby falling from the sky.

Yun Qingluo gasped for breath, clutching the swaddled baby tightly in her arms.

Zeyan, who had been quiet all along, burst into tears upon seeing her.

Yun Qingluo's heart clenched painfully.

When Zeyan cried, Yun Qingluo noticed brown liquid coming from the corner of his mouth.

Yun Qingluo's heart skipped a beat. She pried open Ze Yan's mouth and saw that his tongue was stained brown.

Yun Qingluo's heart, which had just settled, jumped back into her throat.

"Don't be afraid, Zeyan. Don't cry, Mommy's here. Don't cry." Yun Qingluo's heart ached as she looked at Zeyan's aggrieved little face.

Zeyan rarely cried since birth, especially on the way back to Beijing. His sensible and mature nature made her wonder if he was possessed by something.

This was the first time Yun Qingluo had seen him show such a wronged side, and her heart ached terribly.

An even louder cry rang out.

Yun Qingluo froze, looking in the direction of the sound.

The Empress was holding the child, her hand on Qian Yue's neck, and Qian Yue's face immediately turned red.

Yun Qingluo felt as if someone was choking her, and she couldn't make a sound.

She stepped forward, and when the Empress saw Yun Qingluo's bloodthirsty, scarlet eyes, she panicked.

His grip tightened, and Qian Yue's crying stopped abruptly.

Yun Qingluo's eyes widened in fury. He lightly touched the ground with his toes and flew over using his light footwork.

He kicked the empress away while taking his precious daughter in his arms.

The moment Yun Qingluo lowered her head, tears finally fell.

Xiao Qianyue was pinched so hard she almost rolled her eyes back, her fair and delicate face covered in bruises.

There were marks around his neck from the strap, and fine red veins.

Clouds slant down, blurring my vision with tears.

Unable to recognize his temper, he roared, "Autumn Water, Autumn Moon."

Qiu Shui and Qiu Yue let out sobs, but Yun Qingluo couldn't even look at them.

The two little ones seemed to be frightened by their own roar; their crying suddenly stopped, and their little bodies couldn't help but tremble.

In that instant, Yun Qingluo seemed to see the image of Achen in Zeyan.

Ah Chen, is this how you grew up?

Having lost his mother at birth and lacking the protection of his maternal clan, he was destined to become a thorn in everyone's side because he was the child of a woman favored by the emperor.

Ah Chen, was he also tormented by those women in the same way?

When Ah Chen cried out, did anyone rush out to protect him?

When Ah Chen was choked to death, did anyone kick away the person who was choking him?

No, I don't think so.

Yun Qingluo's tears fell onto Zeyan's small face, startling Zeyan, who trembled even more violently.

Yun Qinglu cursed herself inwardly, thinking she deserved to die.

"Good children, Mother is not yelling at you. Don't be afraid. Zeyan and Qianyue are Mother's most beloved treasures. How could Mother be mean to you?"

"Cry if you want to, don't be afraid, don't be afraid anymore. Mother is here. Mother will protect Zeyan and Qianyue. No one will bully you anymore, okay?"

Yun Qingluo's hands trembled slightly as she held the child. Her face was gentle, but her feet showed no mercy.

With a kick imbued with internal force, the emperor sent the empress flying, crashing into the corner of the table below and losing consciousness.

The concubines immediately gasped in surprise, which again startled the two little ones.

The emotions that had just been calmed down were stirred up again, and fear and apprehension were evident in the eyes of the two little ones.

Yun Qingluo felt a pang of panic; she was afraid that her two children would be traumatized.

Yun Qingluo avoided the child and turned her head to look at the concubines on both sides.

He said in a deep voice, "Anyone who makes another sound will have their tongue chopped off and fed to the dogs. Dark Nine!"

No sooner had Yun Qingluo finished speaking than a group of men in black rushed in from nowhere, each holding a concubine hostage and holding a knife to their necks. The concubines immediately stopped screaming.

An Jiu, her voice choked with sobs, knelt before Yun Qingluo, her eyes red-rimmed, and said, "An Jiu is here!"

Before entering the palace, the princess secretly contacted him and asked him to lead a group of people to follow her in secret.

If it weren't for the princess's strict order, he would have rushed out and chopped up these crazy women long ago.

Yun Qingluo then glanced at Qiushui and Qiuyue.

But in that one glance, her heart felt as if it were being fried in a scalding pan of oil.

Not far away were Qiu Shui and Qiu Yue, their faces streaked with tears, their tongues cut out.

The two people were restrained by eight people, their hands and feet bound, and they were covered in blood.

This was completely different from her usual playful, joking, and cold demeanor.

Yun Qingluo glanced at it briefly before quickly looking away.