The Empress Dowager's words, like a final ultimatum, echoed coldly and heavily in the deathly silent hall.

"What should be done?"

Every word was like a heavy hammer, striking Lin Wanwan's spine and the hearts of every bystander.

Everyone held their breath.

Looking at the empress kneeling on the ground, seemingly powerless to resist, they had already foreseen her fate—to hand over the Phoenix Seal, be confined to the palace, and become a puppet in name only.

Su Jinxiu stood beside the Empress Dowager, her eyes lowered, a victorious smile almost impossible to suppress curving her lips.

It's done!

Lin Wanwan, you're finished!

She could almost see the Phoenix Seal slipping from Lin Wanwan's hands and eventually falling into the hands of her aunt, or even herself.

The Empress Dowager looked at Lin Wanwan, who was still lying on the ground, her arrogance and coldness even more pronounced. What she wanted was the thrill of personally driving her opponent into a corner and forcing her to admit defeat!

She waited, waiting for Lin Wanwan to speak and say the words she most wanted to hear.

However, amidst this extreme oppression, just when everyone thought the outcome was certain, the empress, who had been lying on the ground trembling like a leaf, made an unexpected move.

She neither confessed nor continued kowtowing.

She simply...slowly, very slowly, raised her head.

The light inside the hall was dim, and no one could see the specific expression on her face. They could only see that her pale face seemed to carry a hint of... confusion?

Yes, I feel lost.

It's like someone who has just woken up from a nightmare, still feeling a sense of unreality about everything that's happening before their eyes.

"Um?"

Lin Wanwan softly uttered a confused single sound, with a slight nasal tone.

Then, to everyone's astonishment, she raised her hand and, with an almost sleepwalking, slow motion, gently tapped her forehead.

"oops……"

She spoke to herself, her voice not loud, yet clearly reaching everyone's ears. The panic and despair from before were gone; instead, there was a hint of... sudden realization and regret.

"Look at my memory..."

Everyone was stunned by these words.

What's going on? Has Her Majesty the Empress been scared out of her wits? What kind of time is this, and she's still talking about her memory?

The Empress Dowager's brows furrowed instantly, and an ominous premonition arose in her heart.

Su Jinxiu's smug smile froze slightly.

Then, something even more astonishing happened.

Under everyone's gaze, Lin Wanwan slowly, even somewhat languidly, stood up from the cold ground. She brushed non-existent dust off her knees, her movements calm and unhurried, a stark contrast to her earlier distraught and tearful state!

She straightened up, and the "sudden realization" expression on her face became even more pronounced.

Then, in front of everyone, she raised her slender hands and slowly reached into her seemingly loose but actually intricate black hair bun.

All eyes were fixed on her hand, like iron filings drawn to a magnet.

They watched as her fingers gently traced patterns in her cloud-like hair.

Time seemed to stretch out infinitely at this moment.

Inside the main hall, you could hear a pin drop.

finally!

Lin Wanwan's fingers seemed to touch something. A bright, almost innocent smile appeared on her face.

The next second, her small hand slowly emerged from deep within her hair bun.

When her hands were completely removed from her hair and revealed to everyone—

"Buzz!"

The entire hall seemed to resound with a silent roar!

In that instant, everyone's eyes were almost blinded by a dazzling light!

Lin Wanwan's fingertips were holding a... a phoenix hairpin with phoenix wings spread, seven treasures flowing, and gold threads wrapped around it!

The phoenix hairpin, illuminated by the candlelight in the hall, shone with dazzling brilliance and was absolutely gorgeous. The black pearl in the phoenix's eye shone even more brightly, sparkling with a lively light!

Gold-threaded phoenix hairpin with seven precious stones!

It's that "lost" gold-threaded phoenix hairpin with seven treasures!

How...how did it get here?!

How could it... have been found... in the Empress's hair?!

"boom--!"

It was as if a thunderbolt had exploded in the minds of all the concubines! They were all dumbfounded, their mouths agape, too shocked to utter a word.

The Empress Dowager's pupils contracted to pinpoints the instant she saw the phoenix hairpin! The muscles in her face twitched violently, and her confident expression shattered instantly!

Su Jinxiu was struck dumb!

The color drained from her face in an instant! She stared intently at the phoenix hairpin in Lin Wanwan's hand, her beautiful eyes filled with disbelief, horror, and fear!

Impossible! This is impossible!

How could she... how could she have found it?!

In the deathly silence of the entire venue, under the gazes of everyone who seemed to have seen a ghost, Lin Wanwan, the instigator, seemed completely oblivious to the eerie atmosphere.

She held up the perfectly intact phoenix hairpin, which was even slightly warm from her body heat, and gave it to the Empress Dowager with a bright, innocent smile that was also tinged with shyness.

That smile was as innocent as a child who had done something wrong.

She spoke, her voice clear and melodious, carrying a hint of relieved joy:

"Aunt, please calm down, I remember now!"

She shook the phoenix hairpin in her hand, making the seven-colored light so dazzling it made people dizzy.

“Last night, when I was doing my makeup in front of the mirror, I thought this phoenix hairpin was really beautiful, so I couldn’t help but take it out and try it on. I was thinking... I was thinking that when I come to pay my respects to you today, I will wear it and show it to you, so that you will be happy.”

As she spoke, she playfully stuck out her tongue, her face showing a hint of girlish naiveté and annoyance.

"Who knew that after I put it on, I looked at it for a while and then forgot about it. Later, when I went to bed, I forgot to take it off. This morning, Chun Tao and the others said that the phoenix hairpin was missing. In my haste, I completely forgot about it!"

Finally, she curtsied to the Empress Dowager and Su Jinxiu, her face full of apology, yet her tone was incredibly light:

"What a terrible memory I have! What a sin! I've made you and my sister worry for nothing!"

"boom!!!"

If the previous words were like a thunderclap, then Lin Wanwan's words now are no less than a magnitude 12 earthquake, shattering the worldviews of everyone in the main hall of Kunning Palace!

The entire venue remained deathly silent.

Everyone's eyes were fixed on the screen in a daze.

Their minds had completely shut down, unable to process the surreal scene before them.

Wearing it on my head... forgot to take it off?

For this reason... such a huge uproar was caused? The palace staff were severely punished, causing chaos throughout the Kunning Palace?

Who would believe this if I told them?!

But the facts are right in front of us!

That genuine "gold-threaded seven-treasure phoenix hairpin" is right here in the Empress's hands!

In an instant, everyone's gaze unconsciously and simultaneously shifted from Lin Wanwan to the faces of the Empress Dowager and the Consort Xian.

That gaze was incredibly complex. There was shock, astonishment, and bewilderment, but more than anything, there was a strange expression—a mixture of wanting to laugh and not daring to.

The Empress Dowager's face was beyond ugly.

That face, which was always well-maintained and elegant, was now a discolored mess, as if a dye shop had been opened. It turned green, white, and red, and finally, it all turned into an ugly liver color!

She felt as if she had been slapped a dozen times across the face with a red-hot iron! The pain was excruciating!

Filled with rage, she mobilized the entire harem, setting up the highest level of interrogation and arriving to judge the matter with overwhelming force.

And what was the result?

It turns out that the person just used the phoenix hairpin as a hair ornament and forgot to take it off!

Her elaborate charade instantly turned into a complete and utter joke!

She, the Empress Dowager, became the most foolish and ridiculous character in this joke!

Su Jinxiu, who was standing next to her, was already deathly pale!

Her body trembled slightly, uncontrollably. Lin Wanwan's words were more hurtful to her than the most vicious curse!

What does it mean to "worry for nothing"?

This was clearly a direct insult directed at her: "You idiot, you've been used as a pawn and you still think you've succeeded!"

Su Jinxiu felt as if everyone's gaze was like poisoned steel needles, piercing her body and leaving her nowhere to hide, filled with shame and indignation!

Amidst this awkward atmosphere, so convincing it could be dug out with your toes, Lin Wanwan seemed completely oblivious to the predicament of the two villains.

Looking at Su Jinxiu, whose face was ashen like the bottom of a pot, she actually took the initiative to walk up to her in a friendly manner and grabbed her icy hand.

Lin Wanwan's face was filled with sincere and heartfelt gratitude.

She squeezed Su Jinxiu's hand tightly and said sincerely:

"However, on the other hand, I still have to thank my sister for reminding me about today's events!"

Su Jinxiu's body suddenly stiffened.

Lin Wanwan continued in her clear and melodious voice, speaking loudly and clearly so that everyone present could hear her:

"If you hadn't rushed to tell my aunt and made such a big fuss, I probably still wouldn't have remembered where this phoenix hairpin is."

As she spoke, she gave Su Jinxiu an incredibly sweet smile.

"My sister truly has a deep sisterly affection for me!"

Lin Wanwan deliberately emphasized the pronunciation of the four words "sisterly affection".

Every word was like a resounding slap, landing hard and mercilessly on Su Jinxiu's pale face!