The knot in my heart has been untied.
Liu Cang died suddenly.
Lin Huaiyin told Xiao Zhian about his many deceitful crimes, but Xiao Zhian did not thoroughly investigate the Censorate.
One sinks into the clouds.
One Liu Cang.
The Secretariat and the Censorate, one drafting government decrees and the other controlling the flow of information, were both trusted confidants promoted by the imperial court.
The Grand Secretary of the court colluded with the White Lotus Rebels, plotting a rebellion. This case shocked the court and the country, and the officials were in an uproar. Xiao Zhian could not abolish the Censorate in a moment.
Mu Zhanjuan was in charge of punishing corrupt officials, appeasing the people, and collecting evidence in the local areas. As long as Xiao Zhian confirmed that the situation in the local areas was improving, stabilizing the central government became the top priority.
Ruling an empire is not about seeking personal revenge.
To eradicate evil completely, Xiao Zhian wanted to eliminate treacherous officials and cleanse the court, but he could not leave the court empty, officials insecure, or without anyone to rely on. He had to be careful not to arouse public opinion or speculation that his successive punishments of the inner circle's trusted ministers were not for the sake of the country, but rather to compete with the inner circle and suppress them out of personal motives.
Things should be done step by step.
Xiao Zhian, residing in the Eastern Palace, devised a plan before taking action.
Whether the Liu family truly knew or pretended not to know about Liu Cang's crimes, their only hope now lies with Consort Hui and the imperial heir in her womb.
Whether it's a prince or a princess, as long as they are born safely, the Liu family will have a solid foundation, and Consort Hui will be able to secure her position as the secondary empress.
But misfortune never comes singly. Just as Old Madam Liu finished handling the funeral arrangements and was exhausted, Consort Hui sent someone with a message under the guise of offering condolences. Only then did she learn that her daughter's unborn child had also encountered trouble!
Consort Hui was pregnant and could not leave the palace to attend the funeral, nor could she see her father one last time. In her letter, she detailed the connection between the imperial fetus and the pills given to her by Princess Pingyang, as well as the various unnatural symptoms she had experienced since becoming pregnant.
After reading the letter, Madam Liu burned it as instructed. She didn't dare to consult anyone, so she disregarded the mourning period and came to the Holy Water Temple to see the so-called nun who could communicate with the gods.
After a brief conversation, Madam Liu realized that the nun's claim of communicating with the gods was nonsense. After several probing attempts, she finally learned about Lin Huaiyin's connection with Shengshui Temple.
Thinking of the special care His Highness the Crown Prince gave Lin Huaiyin a bowl of medicine to prevent miscarriage every day, Madam Liu realized that the person His Highness the Crown Prince had asked her to find was actually Lin Huaiyin, so she made up her mind to wait for her in front of the jade hairpin.
Lin Huaiyin walked to the Buddhist shrine, presented the jade hairpin with both hands, and followed Madam Liu to a quiet place to talk.
One in front, one behind; one old, one young; each with their own thoughts.
Madam Liu wanted to protect the imperial fetus.
Lin Huaiyin's evidence to bring down Princess Pingyang.
After hearing the late empress's story, Lin Huaiyin no longer intended to cure the emperor. She agreed with her father's approach—the emperor's death was not a pity; it was better for him to die than to come back to life and disgust people.
More importantly, his father's dismissal of the prime minister and the abolition of the imperial edict at Danfeng Gate caused this cold-hearted and vicious emperor to lose face. If he were to come back to life, he would surely take revenge and settle scores with the Lin family.
Finally, the Crown Prince Regent was a formidable figure, and he was also working to eliminate old abuses. The empire might be transformed under his rule, and Lin Huaiyin did not want to offend him, much less allow a muddle-headed and selfish old emperor to hinder him.
Upon reaching the bamboo grove, there was no one around.
Lin Huaiyin signaled the guards to keep watch around the perimeter.
Madam Liu also dismissed her maids.
Once the others had gone far away, caught off guard, Old Madam Liu knelt down before Lin Huaiyin, pleading, "Third Miss Lin, please save Her Highness's life!"
Lin Huaiyin was caught in the skirt by Old Madam Liu and was momentarily at a loss.
The once powerful and influential Lady of the Imperial Decree suddenly collapsed like a mountain, disregarding everything for her daughter and family. This scene reminded Lin Huaiyin of herself in her past life.
In her past life, she was imprisoned in the imperial prison. Even a mournful cry was a luxury. She could only painfully receive messages from the prison guards, accepting that she had been abandoned and that her entire Lin family had been brutally murdered.
In her past life, she didn't even have the chance to kneel down and beg for help.
Liu Cang was one of the murderers who helped Princess Pingyang cultivate the White Lotus Sect, caused her to fall into the hands of the traitors and be captured by Shen Congyun, and sent the Lin family's nine clans to hell.
Liu Cang is a blood feud, an enemy with whom there is no end.
Now that her enemy's widow was in such a state, Lin Huaiyin felt a mix of emotions, a bitter taste in her mouth.
"Miss Lin, you are also pregnant!" Old Madam Liu looked up at Lin Huaiyin with her pale face, tears streaming down her cheeks. "You were harmed by Shen, but Her Highness has also been alone in the deep palace for ten whole years. I have only seen Her Highness a handful of times, and now that Her Highness's father has passed away, I cannot even leave the palace to see him off. Miss Lin, I beg you, for the sake of being both daughters and mothers, please save Her Highness!"
Old Madam Liu wept uncontrollably.
Lin Huaiyin's mind was a little slow. She slowly clenched the jade hairpin, trying to say that she was different from Consort Hui and was not pregnant, but the words "Your Majesty," "Your Majesty," kept echoing in her ears...
To her surprise, she discovered that when Madam Liu addressed her daughter, she couldn't use her maiden name, but instead used the cold and formal "Your Majesty."
Lin Huaiyin suddenly felt like she couldn't breathe.
I used to only know the saying, "Once you enter the gates of a noble family, it's like entering a deep sea; from then on, your lover is just a stranger."
Lin Huaiyin never imagined that after entering the palace, becoming a woman in the harem, the emperor's woman, she would not even be able to get close to her own mother, nor could she attend her father's funeral. The women in the harem were either the former empress who was killed after the rabbit was caught, or Consort Hui who was caught in a conspiracy and whose life was hanging by a thread.
They were all "Empresses," and they had to fight against other "Empresses" for their own status...
Lin Huaiyin felt a chilling fear.
She thought of Xiao Zhian.
Last night she decided to stop thinking about Xiao Zhian and to be a dutiful subject, loyal to the Crown Prince. But now, she can't help thinking about him, and the more she thinks about him, the more frightened she becomes.
She didn't want to be a woman in the palace.
no way.
She was to be the third young lady of the Lin family, the daughter of her father and mother, the sister of her brothers, the sister-in-law of her eldest sister-in-law, the third sister of Mianfeng, and the aunt of her nephews.
She is a lady of noble birth, not just anyone can become an empress.
Lin Huaiyin will not be anyone's woman.
Except for marrying into the family, we do not accept any other arrangement.
Previously, Lin Huaiyin disliked Consort Hui because she was Liu Cang's daughter. From Xiao Zhian's perspective, she also disliked her for choosing consorts for him. Now, with a change of perspective, Lin Huaiyin can understand why women in the harem have to fight for survival, and she can't help but sympathize with Consort Hui.
Even though Consort Hui was also harmed by Princess Pingyang, Lin Huaiyin felt a lot of pity for her and knelt down to help Old Madam Liu to her feet.
"Miss Lin the Third".
Old Madam Liu was in tears and wanted to plead, but Lin Huaiyin took out a handkerchief to wipe away her tears.
"Madam, please don't worry."
Lin Huaiyin offered some words of comfort, but her mind raced with calculations.
Gongyang Yan has become a living dead, and this matter still depends on Xie Xincun's help. Xie Xincun has already seen Consort Hui's pregnancy and clearly knows the inside story.
However, Xie Xincun was in the hands of the Crown Prince, so if she wanted to succeed, she had to ask the Crown Prince first, and then ask Xie Xincun.
Two men's faces appeared before my eyes; begging them was like passing through the gates of hell.
Lin Huaiyin considered whether it was worth taking the risk for Consort Hui.
The answer is that she was afraid, and she didn't want to.
So she turned to Physician Lu, thinking she could try asking him to remove the silver needles from Gongyang Yan's body.
That's a good idea.
Lin Huaiyin immediately promised to find a way, and then asked Old Madam Liu to tell her everything she knew. They agreed on a secret code for their future meeting, and then she hurriedly took her leave and went to Physician Lu's residence.
The carriage sped off again.
Qin Luo sent someone to the Eastern Palace to report the news that the Liu family had contacted Lin Huaiyin.
Lin Huaiyin was in the car, staring blankly at the jade hairpin.
Xie Xincun disappeared from the imperial prison.
The giant black meteorite remained unmoved, but Xie Xincun escaped.
The imperial prison, it turns out, was not a hell from which there was no escape.
Lin Huaiyin stared blankly at the jade hairpin, a warmth slowly rising in her heart. She cautiously wondered: Is it possible, is there even a one in ten thousand chance, is it possible that Heaven will take pity on His Highness the Crown Prince and, as Xiao Zhian said, use the jade hairpin to unlock the prison, escape from the imperial prison, and make a comeback?
In his previous life, did His Highness the Crown Prince use this hairpin to pry open a path to survival and gain a glimmer of hope in his desperate situation?
The warmth slowly illuminated Lin Huaiyin's eyes. She had witnessed Xiao Zhian's almost supernatural intelligence, and the Crown Prince of her past life was no less so. Taking the jade hairpin must have a profound meaning...
If His Highness the Crown Prince truly escaped from the imperial prison...
In her previous life, she was imprisoned in the imperial jail for ninety days, crying out to heaven and earth in vain. Lin Huaiyin dared not even entertain such a fantasy. Now, with Xie Xincun's existence right before her eyes, a small flame of hope ignited in her heart, like a spark falling on a plain, instantly igniting the heart that had been imprisoned by guilt. She finally dared to imagine that His Highness the Crown Prince might be alive.
He was alive, just as Xiao Zhian had said. His Highness the Crown Prince had turned defeat into victory, ascended the throne, and had three thousand beauties in his harem. He had long forgotten about her.
Or perhaps, His Highness the Crown Prince only saw her as a little dog he had casually rescued, someone who was ignorant of her own mortality, disobedient, and deserved to die...
There is a way out of the imperial prison.
His Highness the Crown Prince escaped.
She didn't kill His Highness...
Her hands trembled as she clutched the jade hairpin; Lin Huaiyin's breathing quickened and her heart pounded wildly.
Since her rebirth, she has fought her enemies to the death, protected herself and her family, and constantly changed her destiny in this life. She broke free of her shackles, returned to the Lin family, and regained her freedom, but she will always have her heart set on the Crown Prince whom she abandoned in the imperial prison.
She could not share her joy with His Highness the Crown Prince, nor could she change His Highness's fate. The more she tried to break free, the less she could break free; the happier she was, the less she could be happy. Until this moment, the wheel of fate was not only turning in this life, but also running parallel in the past life. They pushed together, crushing the conspiracy of Shen Congyun and Princess Pingyang with a thunderous roar.
She was reborn, and the Crown Prince escaped death. In their respective times and spaces, they both broke free from their constraints and found wonderful lives...
Very good.
Your Highness.
That's wonderful, Your Highness.
Lin Huaiyin was so excited she was at a loss for words. Her nose tingled, her eyes welled up with tears, and she held the jade hairpin in her palm, then held it to her chest and pressed it against her cheek. This was the token that connected her to the Crown Prince, and perhaps it was also the key to the Crown Prince's victory.
She was not useless. His Highness protected her. Her hairpin was used by His Highness. She did not let His Highness down. Although she died, she is now living very well. She lived according to His Highness's instructions.
Lin Huaiyin's vision blurred, and a cool breeze kept blowing in through the carriage curtains. She couldn't contain herself and really wanted to change her route to the imperial prison to personally investigate and find out how the Crown Prince could escape...
I want to go.
I want to go.
I want to go.
Lin Huaiyin couldn't take it anymore; she had to go and confirm right now that His Highness the Crown Prince had escaped.
However, before he could give any orders, the carriage slowly came to a stop near Physician Lu's house, in a narrow alleyway inaccessible to carriages and horses.
The road was narrow, so Qin Luo couldn't follow her closely. He was surprised to find that Miss Lin was light-footed, agile as a swallow, and full of energy from behind.
After waiting for a while, Physician Lu followed Lin Huaiyin out of the alley, with each of the guards behind them carrying a stack of medical books.
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