Her first thought was neither to seek justice for Sheng Jingyu nor to help the Emperor.

I had a suspicion in my mind, wondering what if it was Nian Huaizhong and others who did it?

If the Emperor wants to investigate, they will surely die after a thorough investigation. First, control the cursing and let the Emperor calm down.

The criticism has been brought under control, but something has happened to the Su family.

It was still dark, and Su Wenyuan didn't dare to think about what would happen after dawn.

"Why don't you stay home and remain under house arrest?" Su Wenyuan suggested.

Sheng Jingyu noticed the worry in her eyes and chuckled, "If I don't go, Su Lin'er will have died in vain, and we'll never find another opportunity to let everyone know the Empress's true colors."

"Whether she lives or dies is irrelevant." Su Wenyuan no longer cares about her.

It's a pity that we'll never find another chance to expose the Empress.

Sheng Jingyu said, "This is a rare opportunity. Don't worry, nothing will happen."

Many people can't sleep tonight; there's a large group of insomniacs in the palace.

The Empress heard the news yesterday, and the Emperor must already know, but since he didn't ask her, she has been pretending not to know.

What worried the Empress most was that Granny Cheng had disappeared.

The rumors circulating outside even included the entire story in great detail.

The Empress couldn't understand how such details had gotten out.

I wanted to secretly find Granny Cheng and ask her, but I found that Granny Cheng had already disappeared.

She also arranged for people to search, and even Sheng Zixi helped her look for it. The palace was almost turned upside down, but they still couldn't find it.

If it weren't for the fear of being discovered by the Emperor, the Empress would have turned the entire palace upside down searching for her.

Granny Cheng knows too much about her. If Granny Cheng betrays her, her reign as Empress will be over.

Before dawn, Sheng Zixi paced anxiously outside Chengming Palace, wanting to go in but afraid of disturbing the Empress's rest.

With more and more things to do, Sheng Zixi was the first to break down.

He wasn't the one at the center of the vortex, yet he was constantly worried and had many things on his mind.

He had a feeling that something big was about to happen, but he was clueless and had no one to ask.

At first, he wanted to secretly ask Sheng Jingyu. Although the two had broken up before, Sheng Jingyu didn't hold a grudge and was still willing to give him some pointers.

This time it will definitely work too. Give him some reassurance and he can sleep peacefully.

Who would have thought that such a thing would suddenly come to light? The Empress actually poisoned Sheng Jingyu!

Sheng Jingyu was blind for so many years; was it done by the Empress?

Sheng Zixi knew that the Empress wasn't that good to Sheng Jingyu, but she never expected her to be poisoned.

He wanted to ask the Empress for clarification, but before he could even open his mouth, the Empress assigned him a task: to secretly find Granny Cheng.

Judging from the Empress's reaction, Sheng Zixi knew the truth.

But if you say that Su Lin'er overheard this, Sheng Zixi definitely won't believe it. It must be that the Empress left a loophole that Sheng Jingyu and Su Wenyuan discovered.

The news circulating outside didn't originate from Su Lin'er; it was created by the couple themselves. They simply used Su Lin'er to spread the word.

If that's the case, getting Su Lin'er to change her mind and tell the truth could also punish Sheng Jingyu for fabricating facts to frame the Empress.

Sheng Zixi came to see the Empress for this reason, and finally, unable to wait any longer, he stepped forward and knocked on the door.

The palace maid opened the door and saw Sheng Zixi. Before she could even bow, someone rushed over and whispered a few words in her ear.

Sheng Zixi's expression changed drastically, and she walked straight in, disregarding all rules and etiquette.

The Queen was startled, but fortunately she wasn't asleep either; she was sitting in a chair chanting sutras, praying that this trouble would pass smoothly.

"You may all leave!" Sheng Zixi ordered.

The palace servants slowly withdrew, and Sheng Zixi waited a little longer, afraid that they hadn't gone far enough.

Seeing his caution, the Empress knew what he was going to ask and nodded directly, admitting, "It was I who did it."

Sheng Zixi was shocked and looked around warily. After confirming that no one was around, she said, "Why would Mother do this? Prince Chen has always trusted you."

He thought about the conversation between Sheng Jingyu and him at the Prince Chen's residence after Sheng Jingyu's eyes recovered.

Sheng Jingyu said that for a period of time, he genuinely trusted the Empress.

The Empress gave him a cold glance and asked, "What do you think? If he's not blind, didn't you see what the situation was like in the previous dynasty?"

Even when he was blind, Sheng Zixi could still be seen by everyone, and his achievements would be praised and commended. He could even attract the help of some ministers.

But once everyone learned that Sheng Jingyu could see, no matter what Sheng Zixi did, she couldn't attract anyone's attention.

With such a vast difference in their abilities, the Empress naturally disapproved of him.

Seeing that the confusion in Sheng Zixi's eyes gradually disappeared, the Empress got down to business.

"I've thought it over. Since the message came from Su Lin'er, it's best for her to explain. After dawn, go out of the palace to see her. Give her whatever she wants."

The mother and son came up with the same solution: if they couldn't shut everyone up, they could only address the root cause.

Su Lin'er's explanation was more effective than her own.

Sheng Zixi said, "Su Lin'er is dead. The maids in the mansion discovered it. Su Yuan and Su Xian are missing. The authorities have been notified. The Su mansion is in complete chaos right now."

It would be strange if things didn't descend into chaos after something like this happened.

The Empress strode up to Sheng Zixi, her face contorted in a grimace, and asked, "Su Lin'er is dead?"

I finally came up with a solution, and it's gone just like that?

The Empress's shrill, piercing voice forced Sheng Zixi to take two steps back. "Yes, she's dead, and her mouth has been sewn shut with needle and thread. News will spread at dawn, and then..."

"Then people will say that I killed him to cover it up!" The Empress roared almost maniacally, finishing up what Sheng Zixi hadn't finished saying.

Sheng Zixi quickly covered her mouth, signaling her to be quiet.

In such a quiet night, even a slightly loud voice will be heard.

"What a vicious scheme! Does the Su family have no one else?" The Empress's eyes were bloodshot; she was on the verge of collapse and could not withstand any further stimulation.

If any other member of the Su family were to stand up and say that she fabricated the story, that would be acceptable.

Sheng Zixi had already said it once, but the Empress was probably too excited to listen.

He could only repeat himself: Su Yuan and Su Xian were missing.

One of these two men is the father, and the other is the younger brother. Their words can be somewhat credible, but the person is gone, and we don't know where he is.

Then there are the concubines and servants in the mansion; it's no use for them to stand up.

The Empress's smile grew increasingly manic, and her voice grew louder and louder, beyond Sheng Zixi's ability to stop her.

Fortunately, she just laughed and didn't say anything inappropriate.

After the Empress finished laughing, she said in a hoarse voice, "I didn't kill anyone. This matter can't just be pinned on me like this. Investigate thoroughly and find out the truth..."