The Xie family cemetery in Chenliu is usually off-limits to outsiders, but today was a special occasion. The eldest elder held a ancestral worship ceremony early in the morning, burning incense and inviting someone to perform a ritual.

"Please bring the coroner with me." The elder, with a solemn expression, led the coroner into the ancestral tomb.

A large crowd of people gathered outside the ancestral graves, all eager to see what answers the coroner from the capital would provide.

The county magistrate of Chenliu also brought two yamen runners in as witnesses.

Exhuming a body for examination is a serious matter, especially since the body was once that of the mother of a nation. Whether out of caution regarding the case or respect for the nation's mother, the coroner was extremely careful, even to the point of being tense.

He had examined so many corpses, but this was the first time he had examined the Empress's body. This would be the most glorious moment of his career!

The sunshade had been erected long ago, and the servants were wielding shovels, clearing away clumps of earth. Everyone present was silent, their expressions solemn and unusually serious.

Their expressions changed slightly only when someone unearthed the coffin.

The coffin was carefully lifted out of the pit, and everyone moved very quietly, as if afraid of waking the sleeping person inside.

The Taoist priest walked around the coffin, chanting incantations, then waved his whisk and said, "Open!"

The servants then stepped forward to remove the soul-suppressing nails. After the last nail was pulled out, and the coffin was opened to reveal white bones, everyone's expressions turned solemn.

The coroner put on his gloves, stepped forward, and began to get to work.

The people outside the Xie family ancestral graves waited quietly under the blazing sun. Not a single person uttered a word of urging, nor did anyone complain.

The Xie family members turned out in full force, standing in front of the ancestral tomb, craning their necks to peer inside. But they could see nothing but tiny figures.

As evening approached, the people inside slowly moved out like a swarm of ants.

The coroner had completed his mission, and the guard who had escorted him tucked the autopsy report into his pocket and rode away.

The Xie family members standing before the Xie family ancestral graves were all anxiously seeking an answer, even though they already knew the answer.

Everyone looked at the Grand Elder, who sighed and said, "The Empress was poisoned first, and then she was put into the fire after she died."

The crowd was in uproar.

Suddenly someone cried out in grief and anger, "I'm going to the capital to ask the Emperor to burn Gao Ping alive!"

Upon hearing this, the pent-up grievances and anger seemed to find an outlet, and everyone shouted, "Burn Gao Ping! Burn Gao Ping!"

The elder looked at his clansmen and the people of Chenliu. They had all received the Xie family's kindness and the blessings of Empress Jingxian, but this was not the time to act rashly.

"Gentlemen! Listen to me!" The Grand Elder raised his arm, and the crowd immediately fell silent. "Gentlemen, rather than having the murderer burned to death, I believe that making her kneel before the Empress's grave in repentance is the true punishment!"

Everyone initially thought of retaliating in kind, but after hearing the elder speak, no one uttered a word of dissent.

They all knew in their hearts that evil people would never truly repent. But the punishment of kneeling for a long time was a double torment to the evil person's body and mind.

"Very well! We are willing to write a petition to the Emperor, pleading with all the people!"

Everything that happened at the Xie family in Chenliu was written down in secret letters by those monitoring them and sent to Yuwen Wuji. On Yuwen Wuji's desk lay Xie Wanqing's autopsy report. His face was grim, and his heart was filled with more anger than anything else.

Xie Wanqing is dead, but the Xie family is still alive. The influence of the Xie family is so profound that when an elder of the Xie family said something, not a single person in Chenliu disagreed and they all agreed.

"They're all a bunch of good-for-nothings!" Yuwen Wuji roared. He was so angry that he couldn't catch his breath for a moment, and he slammed his hand on the table, panting heavily.

The people under his command are all useless! Otherwise, why would all the assassins he sent to kill Xie Liwei have returned empty-handed? Xie Liwei is not only alive and well, but he also flaunts himself in public every day!

Li Wei silently knelt on the ground to pick up the folded paper, thinking to himself, "It's not that they're useless, it's that the enemy is too powerful."

"Your Majesty, please calm down. Why be angry over such a thing!" Li Wei stepped forward and patted Yuwen Wuji on the back. "The crime committed by the wicked Lady Gao is a heartbreaking matter for everyone. You love the Empress so deeply that you have never made an empress. The whole world knows your deep affection. Now that the truth has come to light, you are the one who is most heartbroken!"

Li Wei's reminder jolted Yuwen Wuji awake. He had to feign deep love and anguish for Xie Wanqing; Gao Ping, she had to die!

That night, the jailers in the Ministry of Justice's prison distributed food. Gao Ping received a steamed bun, but she didn't eat it immediately. She tore off a corner of the bun and placed it in the corner of the wall. A moment later, a large rat ran out of its hole and ate the corner of the bun. After finishing, it turned around and went back into its hole.

Fifteen minutes later, Gao Ping tore off another corner and placed it in the corner of the wall, quietly waiting for the mouse to come out. But as time slowly passed, her eyes, which had been staring at the mouse hole, began to tire, and the big mouse still did not come out.

Her body curled up, her hands and feet began to grow cold, and the hand holding the steamed bun tightened, squeezing it into a ball. In a panic, she slammed the bun against the wall and screamed in terror.

The prison guards were used to the sounds of prisoners breaking down coming from inside the cell. They would just warn them to "shut up" and then go back to dozing off.

Gao Ping was terrified of dying; she really didn't want to die!

Will her son come to save her?

Will she be able to walk out alive?

The darkness of the dungeon swallowed her whole, and in that moment, she was filled with overwhelming regret. If only she hadn't killed Xie Wanqing, if only she hadn't been jealous of Xie Wanqing, if only she hadn't coveted Yuwen Wuji, if only she hadn't encountered Xie Wanqing on her journey into exile...

There are too many "what ifs," but there's no turning back in this world!

She spent her whole life chasing after people she could never have, love she could never have, and power she could never attain. She gave it her all, and she gained some things, and she also lost others.

Looking back, a sense of exhaustion washed over her.

She was really exhausted.

Unbeknownst to her, she fell into a deep sleep. In her dream, Yuwen Wuji ordered her execution. A white silk ribbon was tied around her neck, and a eunuch forcibly lifted her up and hung her with it. She screamed and struggled, turning around to see that the eunuch holding her was Gao Ruhai. Turning back again, she saw Mo Yu standing in front of her!

She opened her eyes in terror and found herself being strangled. The lack of oxygen made her arms weak, and her eyes rolled upwards uncontrollably.

"Who's inside!"

With a loud shout, the grip on her neck immediately loosened.

Gao Ping curled up on the ground, the air she breathed burning her lungs, tears welling in her eyes. She regretted it...

"Your Majesty!" A jailer ran over and whispered, "The Crown Prince sent me!"