He Le'an and Xue Huiyu came out of the Buddhist hall, she wanted to instruct the maid to inform Qianqin Wangfei to send a doctor, be careful and cautious. The little maid rushed over and said: "Yueguo Wangfei, news from the palace, the 19th princess has disappeared in Shigu Academy!!"

  The 19th Princess was Cheng Shuwei's daughter, Zhong Sun Zeyao. She had a group of maids and servants by her side, as well as two bodyguards. It wasn't like her to just disappear without warning. He Lüan furrowed his brow and said to Xue Hui, who was worried:

  "I'll go to the palace to take a look, you stay in the mansion and wait for news. Whether it's me or Mei sister who returns first, I always feel that you're not safe either. Before I return, or before the prince and his brothers return, no matter what news you hear, don't leave."

  Xue Hui nodded and said, "You be careful too."

  **

  He Le'an's anxiety grew even more before she left, and she instructed the gatekeeper: "Before I return, do not let anyone in or out of the palace for any reason. Send someone to the patrol camp to request increased patrols around the Qianqin Wangfu, and send another person to the Shuai Da Jiangjun Fu to pay attention to the movements of the Jin Ning Hou Fu's side house."

  "Yes, Princess of Yueguo."

  When He Le'an arrived at the imperial palace, Zhong Sun Ze Yao had already been found, but... she was already dead. Cheng Shu Huan was heartbroken. Emperor Hui Xi was furious and ordered that all maids and guards responsible for taking care of the 19th princess be buried alive as punishment. All teachers and students from Shi Gu Academy, regardless of their background or royal connections, were temporarily placed under house arrest within the academy, not allowed to enter or leave, nor visit anyone.

  She gazed at the pale face, which was almost completely destroyed by the sharp blade, and the body below the neck was almost charred. The pitiful and innocent corpse made her bite her lip and call herself to calm down again. She raised her eyes to look at Emperor Hui Xian, who was comforting Cheng Shu Wei in the inner chamber, and asked: "Your Majesty, have you summoned a physician to examine her?"

  Upon hearing this, Emperor Hui Xie and Cheng Shu Mei looked at her in confusion. He Le An said: "My wife encountered danger yesterday, the person who blocked the danger for my wife also had similar marks on their body as the princess, I suspect that this series of conspiracies were done by the same person."

  Hui Xi Emperor waved his hand and declared Tai Yi as the imperial physician.

  The imperial physician came forward with trepidation, and examined Princess Chong Sun Ze Yao with a look of great fear. He said: "I report to Your Majesty, the 19th princess was scalded by the sap of the fig tree. At her age, she should have died immediately, but the perpetrator was ruthless, and had given the princess an antidote before poisoning her."

  That is to say, before Zhong Sun Ze Yao's death, she was struggling in the pain of cutting flesh and scraping bones. What kind of person would not even let go of a child and treat them so brutally? Cheng Shu Wei hated it extremely. In those tearfully red and swollen eyes, the resentment that shone through was like a string of broken pearls. With tears, she knelt down and begged sorrowfully:

  "Your Majesty, we beg of you to avenge our poor nineteen!"

  Huì Xī's heart ached to the point of almost shattering, he hastily pulled her up and hugged her into his arms to comfort her. Then, he coldly ordered: "Investigate! Investigate thoroughly for me! Absolutely no leniency! Absolutely no indulgence! Implicate the entire clan!"

  At this time, a small eunuch reported in a panic: "Your Majesty, the Imperial Concubine, the Princess of Yue, the wife of General Shi's mansion is outside the palace asking to see the Princess of Yue, it concerns Shao's daughter who is temporarily staying at the residence of the Marquis of Jin Ning."

  He Le'an's heart skipped a beat as a bad premonition flashed through her mind, but she remained calm and asked to withdraw from the presence of Emperor Hui Xī and Princess Chéng Shū Méi.

  Cheng Shuwei heard that in the Jin Ning Hou Fu, she first thought of Xue Huiyu, sobbing and saying urgently, "Huiyu...she..."

  "I'll have her stay at the Qianqin Wangfu and not leave until I return. Your Majesty needn't worry."

  Cheng Shuwei instructed, "The perpetrator is cruel, be careful." She wanted Emperor Hui Xie to dispatch the Imperial Forest Army to protect He Le'an.

  **

  After He Le'an confirmed that the person was a trusted aide of Shi Qinghe, she followed him. When he said "please be mentally prepared", she knew that Shao Yingxue was in trouble. When she arrived at a dilapidated wooden hut on the outskirts of the city, Zhong Sunyue was already there. Following his indication to look into the corner, she saw her own dead body and that of Zhong Sun Zeyao were identical, "……"

  People see through the death of others, and when they advise others to let go of the deceased, it's only because the deceased is a stranger to them, and the pain is not in their heart. But when a familiar and beloved person lies colorless in front of them, that's when the sorrow really sinks in. He Lian felt a pang in her heart, biting her lip, telling herself not to be swayed by emotions.

  Jiang Sun Yue pulled her into his arms and comforted her, "If you want to cry, then cry. In front of me, you never have to pretend to be strong."

  She was heartbroken, and a sour feeling surged from her heart into her nose, "If she hadn't come to find me, then I wouldn't..."

  Later, the maidservant of the Jin Ning Hou Fu's detached house told them that Shao Yingxue had gone out alone to sell some embroidery for money. However, no one expected that this outing would cost her her life. Later on, someone remembered her and said she was kind-hearted, having helped up a pregnant woman who almost fell over. Some people also found out that she had sent the uncomfortable pregnant woman home, but when they found the pregnant woman later, it turned out that she had been bribed as well, with no other useful information to be gained.

  In the silence of the room, He Le'an stood by the window, staring blankly at the elegant scenery in the courtyard. Beside her was Xue Huiyu and many maidservants, but she remained silent, lost in thought, unaware of how much time had passed until Zhong Sunyue returned.

  He Le'an suddenly said without turning his head: "Is it Meng Duo Jiao?" Calmly, without a hint of doubt.

  "But you would never have thought that she poisoned everyone in the entire Tai Ning Marquis's estate." Zhong Sun Yue said, "Including Su Xuan Zhan. When I arrived at the Tai Ning Marquis's estate, she was sitting expressionlessly beside Su Xuan Zhan. Seeing us arrive, she even smiled, as if she had been waiting for us all along, and also said that she wanted to see you."

  He Le'an turned his face and smiled: "Then let's go, I also want to see her."

  Xue Huiyu wanted to go together, He Le'an said, "When I returned from the palace, I invited Yin Yuanzhang of the Imperial Hospital to come and take my mother's pulse. I'm afraid the maids are not careful enough, can you help me listen to the diagnosis? I'll tell you about Meng Duojuan when I get back."

  "Alright then." Xue Hui knew that she just didn't want to hear Meng Duo's heart-wrenching words and that the health of the humble king's consort was indeed important.

  **

  Sitting in the carriage, He Le'an leaned against Zhong Sunyue's shoulder and said, "Actually, Meng Duoju wants to see us three." If she thought about it simply by changing positions, she could think of what Meng Duoju wanted to say to her, Xue Huiyu, and Cheng Shuwei.

  "As clever as you are." Zhong Sun Yue said, "She indeed made such a request. I had my people suppress it, but His Majesty found out that she was the one who did it and has already issued an order to execute her entire clan. Ah Qian is leading the Imperial Guards to carry out the order and confiscate their property."

  This not only caught them off guard, but also made Ruiqin Wang lose the chess piece Su E that had been used for many years. If Zhong Sun could find some useful evidence of Ruiqin Wang's rebellion from the Su Mansion, it would be even better.

  He Lian knew what he was thinking, shook his head and said: "It's useless. The king's city is dense, even if he cooperates with Su Xuan for many years, he won't let Su Xuan grasp any conclusive evidence that can point to him. Moreover, the more favorable the situation seems to us, the more careful we should be. Meng Duo's move, although it caught all of us off guard, but after Su Xuan, the chess piece closest to the king, died, our clues were cut off even more."

  To prevent such an unbelievable and ridiculous drama from happening again, the wise king will surely tighten his grip on his pawns. As long as there is a hint of suspicion, that person will become the most secretive corpse, leaving no clues for anyone to investigate.

  Zhong Sun Yu furrowed his brow and said, "In all these years, not one of the people we sent to get close to Rui Qing Wang has succeeded. Either they couldn't get in or they died under mysterious circumstances. He's extremely skilled at preventing others from infiltrating his ranks. His own ability to infiltrate is also very strong. We've discovered many of his spies in various fu, and we've assigned people to specifically keep an eye on them."

  As they spoke, they had already arrived at the Tai Ning Marquis's residence. Meng Duo Jiao was shackled to a tree trunk with thick iron chains. Upon seeing her, he burst out laughing: "I expected as much! The Prince of Yue would never do as I wished, but no matter, being able to see you makes me very happy already! Su Xuan said you're clever, but I didn't believe it - yet here I am, having tricked both Chong Sun Ze Yao and Shao Ying Xue!"

  He Le'an quietly gazed at the madness in her eyes, coldly smiling and saying: "You've taken advantage of loopholes to harm Zhong Sun Ze Yao and Shao Ying Xue, what's the point? I'm still standing in front of you, unaffected, whether it's this face or Mei sister's face, nothing has changed. What do you have to be happy about?"

  "It's also, your heart is as black as this, you won't be sad about Shao Yingxue's death, Zhong Sun Zeyao was just Cheng Shuwei's child after all, you won't feel any pain, but when you see them in your midnight dreams, I hope you can still be as calm as now, hahaha! Meng Duo Jiao laughed exaggeratedly, "After all, they didn't need to die. But because of you, all because of you, they died, if it wasn't for you, I wouldn't have killed them!"

  "I wonder if they'll resent you? I've heard that when the dead have too many grievances in their hearts, they become vengeful spirits! Hahaha!"

  "What a joke, if there really are ghosts in the world, Dongfang Niang would have come to take revenge on me long ago." Seeing Meng Duo's puzzled expression, she said, "Wasn't it me who killed her that day? Oh, and I forgot to ask you, does your cousin know that she had a crush on Yueguo Wang since childhood? When my husband's identity hadn't been restored yet, I told her about it, and she died with so much resentment."

  "I also told her that the person she should hate more is you, because when she went back to Fengzhou City to recover from her illness, you seduced her husband and even got pregnant with a bastard child. By the way, where is that bastard child of yours?"

  The eunuch beside him said respectfully, "Reporting to Princess of Yueguo, that child has been poisoned to death."

  "It doesn't matter, bring the corpse over." He Lian ordered, looking at Meng Duojuan who was glaring at her with hatred, smiling brightly and saying, "You endured for him for many years, even indirectly causing your own father's death. I suppose when you poisoned him, it was hard on your heart too. You know that if he hadn't died, I would have had plenty of ways to torture him, but you thought me too kind."

  "Even if I die, I will torment you, and there are still many ways to do so."

  He Le'an said, "However, you are indeed worthy of it. The Su and Meng families will all be trampled under your feet."

  "Su Weng is so arrogant, thinking he's clever, but doesn't know that water can both carry and capsize a boat. He didn't see the general's fierce temper in your bones, if you were to resist, he would be caught off guard. Not only will he die, but everyone in the mansion will suffer a bad fate. I reckon they're all waiting for you to go to hell soon. Tell me, why are you so ruthless and cruel?"

  "Damn it!" Meng Duo Jiao spat out a mouthful, "If I were ruthless and cruel, he would be the devil of this world. Since we will both die anyway, I'll make sure to drag him down with me, even in death, it's better than leaving my son behind for his future wife to humiliate!"

  "She said resentfully, 'He Le An, what makes you so happy?! I was deceived by Su Xuanzhe, that bastard, and went astray. If Rong Yu didn't die, I could have made amends with her. You killed her and blocked my way to make up for it. Heaven should punish you, the murderer, not me! Why do I have to suffer so much?!'"

  Meng Duo jiao xi sheng li jue dao, "Ni yi ge di jian de shu nu, ping shen me ke yi gao gao zai shang! Ping shen me!"

  Translation:

  "Meng Duo exclaimed in a shrill voice, 'You're just a lowly illegitimate daughter, how dare you be so arrogant! How dare you!'"

  "I've never envied your noble birth, nor coveted what you've had since childhood. I've also never forced myself to have what doesn't belong to me, and even more so, I don't resent others for easily obtaining things!" He Lian said calmly:

  "You are so good, born with a silver spoon, pampered by your parents, loved and protected by your siblings. You have never experienced the hardships of being an illegitimate child. You were born with a good hand, but you still manage to mess it up. And then you blame others for not giving way to you? Why should I deliberately make myself worse off just because you are legitimate?"

  "Just because I'm a concubine's daughter, you look down on me, just because I'm happy. You're not satisfied? Then try to be happier than me! The road is all yours to choose, if you go wrong it's all thorns, and your feet are full of blood blisters, you have to bear it too, it's not like I forced you to take this path, why blame me!"

  She stared at Meng Duo's eyes, which were filled with heart-wrenching pain. "On that day when you fell for Su Xuan's sweet words, I asked you if it was right to steal your sister's husband. On that day when you were pregnant and saw that Dongfang Niang had already died, yet still insisted on marrying into the Tai Ning Marquis' household, did I ever say any words of blessing? No, everything was your own choice. If things didn't go well, why blame me!"

  "It wasn't me who pushed you into the abyss, it was all of you, time and time again, finding fault with me, hurting me, and when you couldn't hurt me anymore, you even implicated people around me. How is it? Are you really satisfied after harming them to death?"

  "You've never been satisfied, have you?" He Lian said, "You still want to kill me now. Unfortunately, you can't touch a single hair on my head again, even if you die, I'll still live very happily, and you can't imagine how happy!" She walked closer to the ferocious her, stuffed a handkerchief into her mouth, at this time, the guard brought Meng Duo's son over.

  Unlike Chong Sun Ze and Shao Ying Xue, who were terrified and horrified, he was extremely calm, as if he had not felt any pain at all. He died instantly. He Lian ordered, "Cut the flesh of this child into pieces and feed it to the dogs. Boil the bones into a soup and serve it in front of his mother. Let her smell it, is it fragrant or not? The head will be left, hung on the gate of the mansion, exposed to the wind and sun."

  Everyone is dead, so there's no need to worry about the action. Anyway, when he died, he didn't feel any pain. Dying without a complete corpse is not painful or itchy for children.

  "As for this poisonous woman, death would be too easy for her. Strip off her teeth and clothes, hang them on the city gate, and flog her with a saltwater whip twenty times a day. But be careful not to let her die easily. Invite the best doctor to use the best medicine, so that in this life, people can see her ugly face!"

  "An er." Zhong Sun Yue smiled shallowly, "Salt water is too boring. After the skin splits and the flesh bursts open, sprinkle some honey on it and let the ants bite, that's the most heart-piercing itch." He waved his hand, signaling the guards waiting at the side to take Meng Duo Jiao and her son away for execution.

  **

  As expected, the Tai Ning Hou Fu dug three feet underground and didn't find anything useful. Even if He Le An and others searched for people who had close dealings with Su Xuan on ordinary days, it was of no use. Most of them were just his intentional cover-ups.

  Their caution over this period of time has been for nothing. Now, the only thing that can be known is that the wise and discerning Emperor Hui Xi is aware of it, and these past few days he hasn't been able to sleep well, always thinking about who might be secretly threatening his life. Others just think he's grieving over the loss of his beloved daughter and worrying about his cherished concubine has turned his hair white.

  The Empress Dowager saw Cheng Shu Mei enter, but Emperor Hui Xie didn't have the heart to care. She used all her strength to send some stunning beauties to Emperor Hui Xie, each with exceptional charm, but although Emperor Hui Xie slept with them out of courtesy, he didn't leave any affection and just slept with them once, which infuriated the Empress Dowager.

  What made her heart, liver, spleen, lungs and kidneys almost explode was that after Cheng Shuwei invited He Le'an and Xue Huiyu to a trip to Xiangguo Temple, their spirits were restored, and they followed Emperor Huixi around again as if nothing had happened.

  The Empress Dowager angrily swept away the objects on her dressing table and pounded the table, "How detestable! That slut Cheng Shuwei!"

  The maid knelt down in fear, and Empress Wan became more and more enraged as she thought of Cheng Shuwei's face. Over the years, there were people who were more beautiful than Cheng Shuwei, but no one dared to be as cold and hot towards Emperor Hui Xian like her, being distant and intimate at the same time.

  She found that the woman who could compare with her beauty, but had a similar family background, was rare. Even if she found one, who would dare to show a cold face to Emperor Hui Xi? But Emperor Hui Xi just fell for Cheng Shu Mei's tricks, and now it's her turn as the Empress, he has become indifferent! It's simply like heaven and mud!

  Only the emperor can treat her like this!

  Nor did she think that she was also from a beautiful and tender appearance, accompanying him until this year's old color declined!

  At this time, the little eunuch carefully reported: "Your Majesty, General Andong requests an audience—"

  "Quickly invite him in!" Hearing that her own brother had arrived, Empress Wan immediately composed herself and said.

  **

  The night was dark and gloomy, He Le'an suddenly woke up with a start, his whole body covered in cold sweat.

  Zhong Sun Yue gently patted her on the back of the head and kissed her forehead, "It's okay, I'm here."

  He Le'an leaned into his arms, "I dreamed that the throne was changed, and there was great chaos." The humble prince's mansion was destroyed, the Jin Ning Marquis' mansion was buried with him, and all of them would be implicated because of her. Everyone around her had died, leaving only her still alive, standing dazed in the wind and rain, not knowing what to do.

  Zhong Sun Yue gently patted her back, "I won't let you get so flustered easily, I promised you that I would provide a place for you to settle down, don't think too much, sorry, if it weren't for me, you wouldn't have to bear so much."

  "I never regretted it." He Lan hugged him tightly.

  **

  A three-day heavy rain took away the thick summer heat. He Le'an and Xue Huiyu walked slowly in the bustling market, the wind blowing towards them carried the fresh scent of mud, Xue Huiyu said: "This capital city, it seems like nothing big is a big deal, after just a few days, people won't remember it anymore, no wonder they often say that those who can stay under the imperial city for years are not simple."

  "Ordinary people, after tea and dinner, it's enough to just chat, things that don't concern them, why bother remembering. What can be done anyway?" He Lian smiled and said, "Here, talking too much is also a kind of sin, easily inviting deadly trouble, everyone is careful." But some people are spoiled by family power and forget themselves, always thinking that the power they have is enough to protect themselves from doing whatever they want.

  Xue Hui's lips curled up, "Brother came back last night and went to the Qianqin Wangfu first. He must have brought letters for you from Didi and Chunjuan. He really has a carefree spirit, on his way back, he even took a detour to the mountains in the outskirts of the city to hunt some wild game."

  These years, Your Majesty has always wanted to give the young master of the Jin Ning Marquis's estate a job. But this young master of the Jin Ning Marquis's estate insists on being a prodigal son, letting others take care of his children, and spending his days idly, either running off to tea houses to listen to stories or running off to brothels to play with prostitutes, saying that being an official is too tiring and doesn't pay well, but others can only yearn for such a life.

  "Hmm." He Lian said, "The handwriting of the children in my family is getting better and better. Even if I can't see them for the time being, I can still read their letters." She also wanted to be with them every day, but unfortunately, it was too dangerous around her.

  Xue Huiyu said proudly, "Look at them, who taught them since they were young?"

  "Yes, thank you, clever little aunt."

  "I'll take that as a thank you." Xue Hui said, but didn't know if her brother's excuse for taking care of the child would still work after he was gone. In fact, there was no official appointment, and her brother had also been secretly helping to investigate some things. However, Emperor Hui Xi was really greedy and wanted everything to be useful to him. When things were going well, he would bestow favors from above, but when they weren't, he would confiscate property and exterminate families.

  He Le'an walked into a cosmetics shop with her, "The Mid-Autumn Festival is approaching. In the capital, only you and Xue Shi-zi are left in the Jin Ning Hou Mansion. At that time, I will still let you live in our mansion as before. I will prepare some delicious food for you." Thinking of something, she smiled and said, "The General's family has him alone, my mother doesn't like to participate in lively events, so it would be better to invite him over too."

  At the mention of this person, Xue Hui's face flushed with a suspicious blush, "Why do you need to take care of him like that? He is used to being alone."

  "Aren't you sure he's really into you? Still being stubborn. Others have accompanied you to talk about your worries for half the night."

  "It's all because I was too easy on him. The wine was on me, but his mouth is really clumsy, he can't even say a word of comfort!"

  He Le'an couldn't help but joke and laugh: "Yes, yes, yes! Your eldest sister is willing to let him accompany you on the roof for half a night, it's his good fortune for three lifetimes, but it's too stingy, even the wine has to be paid by you. Next time I meet him, I'll definitely give him a good scolding. He should prepare 49 different jars of wine in the mansion, and next time when discussing matters with you, he can say with great fanfare..."

  "These wines were all selected by Miss Xue herself, take whichever flavor you like."

  "I think he won't mind if you take his flavor away too."

  Xue Huiyu's face turned bright red.