Xi Xi was so thirsty from talking that she felt it was difficult to repeat what the three of them had been saying. So she simply showed Chen Xiao a video and stood by, ready to add to it as needed.
The screen immediately lit up, displaying the chat footage from that time.
Chen Xiao spotted the Empress at a glance, for no other reason than that the Empress looked remarkably like Yin Yuyao. Although both were over sixty years old, the Empress was extremely well-preserved and still possessed the charm of her youth, though her temperament was the complete opposite of Yin Yuyao's.
Because Yin Yuyao has lived for too long, seen too many people, and experienced too many things, her eyes have a calmness that comes after suffering, even an excessive calmness, as if she has transcended this place and is in a detached state.
The Empress, on the other hand, had been at the center of power for decades, and her eyes and brows were filled with the silence that came from being tainted by power. Perhaps these two words are unrelated, but they are extremely suitable to be put together to describe her.
Chen Xiao then looked at the eldest princess. The eldest princess was Yin Yuyao's eldest daughter and was already forty-six years old. However, she was beautiful and did not resemble Yin Yuyao. But her demeanor was somewhat similar. Her eyebrows and eyes were gentle and calm, and her posture was upright. Chen Xiao could tell at a glance that this eldest princess was a woman with a strong inner strength.
The Crown Prince, sandwiched between the two, was hardly noticeable. Chen Xiao only noticed him last, and immediately concluded: this was a hypocrite, ignorant, and unworthy of his position. Although the Crown Prince appeared outwardly virtuous, his eyes betrayed him; his gaze was filled only with lust, wealth, and power.
The video started playing, and Chen Xiao stopped looking at the group and began to watch attentively.
The Empress and the Crown Prince clearly knew they would come and were waiting for them. However, they only saw the eldest princess and not the second princess. The Empress was not surprised, because she knew that the second princess had always been so clear about right and wrong. The second princess hated her and disliked the Crown Prince, so naturally she would not come to see them, just as she had treated the emperor in the past.
The Empress stared at the eldest princess for a long time, and seeing that she had no intention of speaking, she spoke first, "How has Mu Yang been doing in Jing Kingdom these past few decades?"
Mu Yang was a title that the eldest princess received when she went to marry a foreign ruler. For the empress to address her in this way and ask her such a question was like a sarcastic jab at someone's sore spot.
However, the Empress's expression was indifferent, and her tone was flat, revealing neither her intentions nor any particular concern for the eldest princess.
Princess Muyang simply looked directly at the Empress and calmly replied, "Thank you for your concern, Your Majesty. I am doing well in Jing Kingdom. The late Emperor of Jing Kingdom was a year older than my father, so he naturally treated me like a daughter. However, I was somewhat unfortunate and was unable to leave behind any children to rely on, which is why I was sent back."
The story of Emperor Jingguo's fondness for young girls was widely known back then. Emperor Rongchao offered his eldest princess to him, but he preferred the second princess. However, since the eldest princess wanted to come along, he thought it would be a good thing for the sisters to serve him together.
So the two princesses went to Jingguo for a marriage alliance, and rumors of their mistreatment often reached Rongchao afterward.
This is definitely a painful memory for Rong Chao.
But thirty-one years have passed since then, yet the person involved now brings it up so calmly, glossing over those painful memories, and even referring to himself as Mu Yang, adding the phrase "a man of little fortune."
The Empress smiled faintly after hearing this, glancing at the eldest princess's face. "Where is Mu Yang unlucky? I've heard that the new emperor of Jing Kingdom is truly devoted. He fought twenty brothers for the throne for the woman in his heart, and immediately set her free after seizing the throne. He is a rare and sincere person."
Xi Xi added appropriately, "That's right. The new emperor of Jingguo is in love with Princess Muyang, but he has kept it a secret all along, just so that Muyang can leave Jingguo and embark on the path of vying for the throne. Muyang only realized this when she was released, but the empress knew because she had planted people in Jingguo."
When the new emperor of Jing Kingdom was mentioned, Princess Muyang's face finally showed a hint of emotion. During those difficult years in Jing Kingdom, it was the seventh prince who treated her and her sister with courtesy and took good care of them. If it weren't for his help, they would have died in a foreign land long ago.
But she wasn't curious at all about why the Empress knew about this, and she readily admitted it, "The new Emperor is indeed sincere, but unfortunately the timing is wrong, perhaps just like the Empress and the Emperor."
The Empress then laughed, her eyes showing more sincerity as she looked at Princess Muyang. "If you were my child, I would help you become the first female emperor of the Rong Dynasty."
The Crown Prince, unable to get a word in edgewise, listened quietly to their reminiscing until his mother uttered these words, at which point he looked at the Empress with some surprise.
Unfortunately, he had no say and was ignored by both women.
Princess Muyang smiled sincerely, "It's still a pity that the Empress is only my aunt. However, my mother said that I could also call you Empress Mother, but after thinking about it carefully, I decided against it. The Empress back then was not as lovely as the current Empress."
Xi Xi added, "Because Yin Yuyao traveled directly to the time after her marriage, and Yin Yuyao's younger sister was very close to her, she could tell at a glance that Yin Yuyao was not the real person. Therefore, she believed that this fake Yin Yuyao had taken her sister's soul. In addition, Yin Yuyao later proved to be ageless and immortal, which made her even more certain after she learned about this."
"When the emperor announced that Yin Yuyao had 'died of illness,' she managed to enter the palace and become Consort Yao. Later, she found the secret room. Due to the rules, Yin Yuyao could not reveal her identity directly, but it was indeed under the arrangement of the fake 's' that she possessed the original owner's body, causing damage to the original owner's soul and preventing reincarnation. After a conversation, she guessed that her sister might have already had her life taken by this demon, which is why she turned evil at that time."
At this point, Xixi couldn't help but spit out a curse at that fake 's', which had harmed so many people and indirectly caused all this chaos. It was disgusting!
When the Empress heard Princess Muyang mention Yin Yuyao, she composed herself. "Indeed, I wasn't a good person back then, but I never have been. But my sister is a good person, and Yin Yuyao is a good person too. I only realized this later. Your affair with Muling was all because of me. So, I'll repay you for what I have."
After speaking, the Empress deftly drew a magnificent dagger from her sleeve, and the sharp blade pierced through her body. The Crown Prince's eyes were no longer filled with desire, but instead with shock and fear.
Then the empress let go, and he fell to the ground, dying with his eyes wide open.
Seeing the Empress so casually kill her beloved son, Mu Yang smiled and nodded, saying only, "The Empress is still soft-hearted and intentionally protects His Highness the Crown Prince."
The Empress didn't even glance at the Crown Prince, keeping her eyes fixed on Princess Muyang the whole time. Upon hearing this, she said calmly, "Even if he's not the best, he's still my own son, so naturally I'll have some feelings for him."
Then he rose from the dragon throne and walked down step by step to Princess Muyang, where the two looked at each other at eye level.
The Empress's hand, holding a dagger, slowly approached Mu Yang, but Mu Yang showed no intention of dodging. She knew the Empress wouldn't kill her, not because of any immunity from death token, but because---
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