It is I, the old woman

Even with Zhongli Wuyan's extensive knowledge and experience gained from living in the deep palace for so long, she was speechless after hearing Shangguan Jin's words.

Qiwu Palace was the Empress's palace. The Empress died in the palace, and her body was never seen again, but she perished in a fire. This would be a momentous event in any dynasty.

No wonder Shangguan Jin drew his sword and stormed before the emperor to demand an explanation.

Shangguan Jin flicked his wrist, and the ice bamboo in his hand emitted a sharp whistling sound. He said, word by word, "Yanxiu, as the first lady of my Shangguan family, entered the palace alone. She never wielded power, never vied for favor. No matter how Sima Yan turned the harem into chaos and corruption—she never hindered him in the slightest, posed no threat to any of his women, and even went through the hardship of bearing him children."

He said in a low voice, "Jianzhang Palace is so large, with nearly ten thousand women, why can't it accommodate Yanxiu and her child? Our Shangguan family has been loyal for generations, serving the emperor for nearly a hundred years. We have abandoned our love for our daughters and sent the most precious woman in our family to the palace to maintain the dignity of the imperial family. Is this Sima Yan's way of repaying us?"

As he spoke, all three involuntarily looked towards the Cloud Dragon Palace behind them. There, the palace doors were half-open, the lights were bright, and the sounds of revelry and dancing drifted out. Zhongli Wuyan then realized that Sima Yan inside the Cloud Dragon Palace was engrossed in the music and dance, unaware of what was happening outside, and even less aware that Shangguan Jin was standing below the steps, sword in hand, ready to kill him.

Zhongli Wuyan finally understood the reason for Shangguan Jin's fury.

He must have received news of the Empress's passing, which aroused his suspicions. He rushed to the palace to see the Empress one last time, only to find the Qiwu Palace engulfed in flames and Sima Yan indulging in revelry.

Rong Yuexian, An Shihe, and she were not fully aware of the details, but they felt they could no longer persuade her.

If it were a woman from their own family who entered the palace and met such an end, they would probably do the same thing.

But Sima Yan was not an ordinary person, but an emperor. They had the duty to protect him, but they absolutely could not allow Shangguan Jin to rush in with his sword.

The three were fully focused on dealing with Shangguan Jin when suddenly a cold, sharp female voice rang out behind them:

"Shangguan Yanxiu has failed in her duties as a woman and has not upheld the virtues of womanhood. She has been in the palace for many years but has not served the emperor or fulfilled her duties as empress. Moreover, she even tried to elope with a stranger and was caught red-handed by the emperor. Such a woman who has disgraced the imperial family should die. Burning her body would save face for everyone. Shangguan Shisan, are you still going to speak up for her?!"

Zhongli Wuyan recognized the voice as belonging to her junior sister Chu Yuanyi, but she had no time to be surprised by her sudden appearance.

Chu Yuanyi naturally arrived after seeing the fireworks signal released by Rong Yuexian.

Chu Yuanyi's words were earth-shattering, leaving everyone present terrified and deeply moved.

Shangguan Jin's eyes narrowed slightly, and the chilling aura of the Ice Bamboo Sword in his hand intensified. He said coldly, "Wind and Thunder Slash?"

Chu Yuan didn't even flinch, and shouted, "It is indeed this old woman!"

Zhongli Wuyan immediately knew that something terrible had happened.

Shangguan Jin was always refined and gentle, but when he heard others insulting Shangguan Yanxiu in this way, he would never swallow his anger.

What shocked and angered Zhongli Wuyan was that even if what Chu Yuanyi said was true, his unrestrained and scathing remarks were completely contrary to the demeanor of the Four Mansions of Heavenly Secrets as senior masters.

Whatever the situation between Shangguan Yanxiu and Sima Yan, it is none of their business to interfere. Their duty is solely to protect the emperor's safety; they should never meddle in royal family affairs.

Zhongli Wuyan felt a sense of unease.

A fierce, chilling wind swept over us, and the sword light was so bright it was almost like daytime.

Zhongli Wuyan instinctively stepped back to avoid it.

Chu Yuanyi screamed in agony.

The unsheathed "Ice Bamboo" was like an elegant bamboo branch, solemnly and lightly touching her forehead, and then easily moving to her right eye.

Fresh blood splattered like bamboo leaves, scattering sporadically on the ground.

Shangguan Jin sheathed his sword and turned around, presenting his back to the four of them.

In the darkness of night, only the green robe fluttered in the wind, and the sword's aura swept across the land with chilling force.

Shangguan Jin said in a deep voice, "Insolence is unacceptable; a light punishment is warranted. All four of you, come at me together!"

At this point, he drew his sword and blinded Chu Yuanyi in one eye. Today, his relationship with the Four Constellations of Tianji was irreconcilable. For both public and private reasons, the Four Constellations of Tianji would not let him go.

He no longer cared about seniority or the order of the martial arts world.

There is only one battle left.

It wasn't until this moment that A Qiu realized that Chu Yuanyi's right eye had been injured by Shangguan Jin, the Grand Secretary of the Great Huan Dynasty.

She finally understood why Chu Yuanyi hated the Shangguan family so much, repeatedly calling Shangguan Yuqi "the slut of the Shangguan family."

The cold poison she suffered from was the result of long-term poisoning by Su Jinlan, a maidservant of Empress Shangguan, and her right eye was also destroyed by Shangguan Jin. No wonder she hated the Shangguan family so much.

The name Su Jinlan flashed through her mind, then suddenly became clear. She abruptly asked, "Senior Zhongli, there was a maid named Su Jinlan by Empress Shangguan's side. Did she later go to serve you?"

A Qiu had personally witnessed Su Jinlan delivering food to Chu Yuanyi at Qiwu Palace, and the food she was delivering was the very two items she was currently carrying on her arm.

Fish sashimi and mutton soup at Shui Xian Lou.

Upon seeing this, Chu Yuan burst into tears and recounted her childhood memories of visiting the Narcissus Pavilion with Zhongli Wuyan.

A Qiu had a strange feeling at that moment. What a coincidence that Su Jinlan, who came from an official family, would know the dishes that Chu Yuanyi liked to eat when he was young.

It wasn't until she was in the back garden of the Temple of Music that she heard Rong Yuexian mention the name Su Jinlan again.

Rong Yuexian was referring to Su Jinlan, a palace maid in Baoyue Garden.

Baoyue Garden is the palace where Zhongli Wuyan is currently cultivating in seclusion.

If it's not a case of the same name, then it means that Su Jinlan's current owner is Zhongli Wuyan.

Otherwise, it would be impossible to explain why Su Jinlan would frequently visit Chu Yuanyi and bring her food over the years. Su Jinlan herself only had hatred and no gratitude towards Chu Yuanyi; she could only be doing so at the request of her master.

Zhongli Wuyan said calmly, "Yes. After the fire at Qiwu Palace, all the palace maids were sent to the Yeting Palace and tortured to extract confessions. Because Su Jinlan was a maid of the Shangguan family, the Emperor Emeritus could not bear to torture her. Since I was by her side, I asked her to come to my temple to serve me in my cultivation. In this way, she was silenced, and the royal family could rest assured."

Aqiu then asked, "The Empress is dead. Since Su was her dowry maid, why doesn't Lord Shangguan take her out of the palace and back to the Shangguan family?"

Zhongli Wuyan sighed, “The Grand Secretary stormed the palace with a sword that night, followed by the Empress’s funeral and the mausoleum, all of which were major events. How could he have time to care about a maid? Moreover,” she looked at A Qiu again, her gaze softening, and said deeply, “Su Jinlan was also unwilling to leave the palace and preferred to stay there because she also had a promise to Empress Shangguan.”

She sighed and said, "Because Su Jinlan has been by my side all these years, she told me about some of the things that happened in Qiwu Palace that were not of great importance to the Empress. That's why I later learned why Yuan Yi had to get involved in the Emperor's family affairs."

A-Qiu wanted to know as much as possible about anything related to Chu Yuanyi, so she immediately asked, "Why did Aunt Yuanyi get involved in this mess?"

Zhongli Wuyan sighed and said, "Initially, it should have been to repay the kindness of Empress Dezong. When Yuan Yi first entered the palace, her family arranged for her to enter Qiwu Palace and become the Empress's maid."

A Qiu gradually understood. No wonder Chu Yuanyi was unwilling to leave Qiwu Palace no matter what, even though she was in such a sorry state and Qiwu Palace had become an abandoned palace.

She certainly wasn't attached to her rival, Empress Shangguan, but rather because Qiwu Palace had always been the residence of empresses. Chu Yuanyi was wholeheartedly loyal to her former mistress, Empress Dezong.

She spent all her years in Qiwu Palace since entering the palace, so even in her old age, she was unwilling to leave those ruins.

Zhongli Wuyan continued, "Yuan Yi was honest and easy-going, and Empress Dezong trusted her greatly, promoting her all the way to become the head palace maid of Qiwu Palace. However, Empress Dezong also passed away very early, when she already had a crown prince, Sima Yan. At that time, there were many beauties in the harem, and Empress Dezong was worried that Sima Yan would not be able to grow up safely after her death. So before she died, she repeatedly instructed Yuan Yi to protect Sima Yan in the harem no matter what."

A Qiu said, "Aunt Yuanyi must have done her best to fulfill the entrustment of Empress Dezong."

Sima Yan's smooth ascension to the throne, becoming Emperor Wu after Emperor Dezong, is the best proof of this.

Zhongli Wuyan sighed, "To be honest, Empress Dezong was quite perceptive. She must have realized that Yuan Yi was no ordinary palace maid, yet she didn't expose her. Sima Yan was raised by Yuan Yi from a young age, and by the time the Empress passed away, Sima Yan was already fifteen or sixteen. Although Yuan Yi was only in charge of one palace, she was enough to ensure his safety. And as long as that was done, his ascension to the throne as the Crown Prince would have been a matter of course. However,"

She sighed, "Initially, it might have been out of gratitude to Empress Dezong, but watching a tiny baby grow from infancy to adulthood, it was impossible not to feel affection. Yuan Yi gradually came to regard Sima Yan as her own son and took care of him with all her heart. Sima Yan also regarded Yuan Yi as a second mother. It can be said that in the entire Jianzhang Palace, the person Sima Yan trusted most was Yuan Yi, his aunt who came from the Empress Dowager's side. Therefore, when he married his new empress, he still kept Yuan Yi in Qiwu Palace. Whether it was to take care of her or to keep an eye on her, he was essentially entrusting Shangguan Yanxiu to Yuan Yi."

Ah Qiu recalled the past grievances and felt heavy-hearted. She said, "Therefore, no matter how much Empress Shangguan fell out of favor or how secluded she was in the deep palace, no matter how prominent others were, no one in the palace could ever slander or harm her. Aunt Yuan Yi's existence served this purpose."

Zhongli Wuyan sighed again, "Who can argue with that? Since Yuan Yi was entrusted by Sima Yan, she would definitely keep a close eye on Shangguan Yanxiu, so what she said probably wasn't all false. And from Sima Yan's perspective, she naturally has no good feelings towards Shangguan Yanxiu."

A Qiu couldn't help but ask, "What happened after that night when the four of you confronted the Grand Secretary in front of the Cloud Dragon Hall?"

Zhongli Wuyan smiled bitterly: "Actually, none of us really wanted to fight Shangguan Jin at the time. We just wanted to persuade him not to act rashly that night, but the situation was beyond repair, and the reason was Yuan Yi."

A Qiu asked in surprise, "Because the Grand Secretary injured Aunt Yuan Yi's eye?"

Zhongli Wuyan said with a bitter smile, "Not only that, after Yuan Yi was struck by the sword, he fell to the ground, vomiting blood and his true energy reversed. At the time, we all thought that Shangguan Jin's sword energy had seriously injured Yuan Yi. Senior Sister Rong immediately disregarded everything and went all out to seek justice from Shangguan Jin."

No one expected that Shangguan Jin's sword, aimed at Chu Yuanyi's face, would not only so easily blind her right eye, but also cause Chu Yuanyi to immediately fall to the ground, spitting out blood incessantly.

I'm afraid even Shangguan Jin himself didn't expect this.