The grand palace courtyard was in utter chaos, but the soldiers brought by Wen Yuesheng quickly subdued the rebellious troops in almost no time.

Duke Xu was ashen-faced and detained, kneeling to the side.

The hall doors, tightly shut ever since their rebellion, were finally opened.

The Emperor stepped out slowly, his face cold as frost.

Upon seeing the bloodstained grounds and the mess all around, his expression grew even darker.

The ministers rescued by Wen Yuesheng collectively let out a sigh of relief upon seeing the Emperor unharmed.

“Your Majesty, I report that the rebel Prince Heng Guang has been executed. The masterminds of the rebellion—Ren Fang of the Eastern Army and Meng Qin, commander of the Imperial Guards—are also dead,” announced by Duke of Zhongyong as he stepped forward and raised his voice.

The scene was a mess, and the smell of blood filled everyone’s nostrils.

The Emperor regained his composure, his gaze falling upon Duke Xu, who was being held.

“Xiao Rui(Prince Heng Guang) was my firstborn son,” the Emperor said.

At these words, Duke Xu lifted his eyes slightly.

After Prince Heng Guang’s death, he seemed to have been completely drained of vitality.

“I gave you all a chance!” The Emperor’s face was taut as he spoke, finally closing his eyes.

Concealing weapons was already a grave crime, and sparing Xiao Rui’s life was a show of mercy.

Had they refrained from such actions, even after the Empress Dowager’s death, the Emperor would have kept Xiao Rui(Prince Heng Guang) alive.

But Xiao Rui had chosen to seek his own demise.

With a deep and solemn expression, the Emperor declared, “Issue my decree: Xiao Rui and his faction committed the crime of treason and shall be executed!”

“Take Duke Xu to the Meridian Gate and execute him by beheading as a warning to all! Xiao Rui and all his descendants shall be stripped of their royal titles, relegated to commoner status, and exiled three thousand li away. They are forbidden to step foot in the capital for the rest of their lives.”

The officials below quietly responded in acknowledgment.

The sky, which had just cleared, turned gloomy once more.

That evening, Wen Yuesheng finally arrived at the Princess’s residence.

As soon as he entered the residence, he saw that Yan Ling, Zhang Yulin, and Duke of Zhongyong were already waiting.

Xiao Rui’s collusion with the Eastern Army, the Imperial Guards, and certain key court officials meant that the court and its surroundings were bound to undergo upheaval.

Yan Ling had been busy but had managed to make time to come to the Princess’s residence.

Standing beside him, Zhang Yulin’s expression was grim.

He spoke in a low voice: “…Today’s events were not beyond the expectations of the Princess and Lord Yan.”

“Just moments after we reached the Imperial Palace, generals led the stationed capital army to the palace.”

The mobilization of tens of thousands of soldiers startled Zhang Yulin. He had a brief encounter with the general leading the capital forces, who held the Emperor’s tiger tally.

“It seems that His Majesty had long been prepared for this,” remarked the loyal Marquis of Courage, glancing at Wen Yuesheng.

Digging deeper, there seemed to be more to it.

Most of the generals were trapped in Fuzhou due to heavy snowfall, and yet, under these circumstances, the Emperor had still chosen to leave the capital and go to the palace for shelter.

This decision was suspicious in itself. Furthermore, during the rebellion of the Eastern Army, half of the soldiers had not followed Duke Xu’s orders to leave.

Even if most of the soldiers were unaware of the bigger picture, news reaching the capital would have ensured the Emperor was not unprepared.

More importantly…

“Upon leaving the palace this evening, Prince Jingkang and Prince Yong’an arrived conspicuously late,” the Marquis of Courage said, looking at Wen Yuesheng. “During Xiao Rui’s actions earlier today, these two princes were called to the side hall of the palace to assist His Majesty with state affairs.”

“And that side hall was under the constant guard of the Yulin Army.”

In other words, before Xiao Rui could act, Prince Jingkang and Prince Yong’an had already been protected.

In a sense, this could also be seen as a form of surveillance.

The Emperor had protected them, but he also wanted to observe whether these two harbored ulterior motives. Clearly, by the time Wen Yuesheng arrived and Xiao Rui was executed, neither prince had appeared, thus passing the Emperor’s test.

“It seems the Emperor’s choice of successor lies between these two,” the Marquis of Courage said candidly, as this was a private discussion.

“What about Prince Weiyang?” Zhang Yulin scratched his head.

The Marquis nodded.

Prince Weiyang had performed decently today, but in the Emperor’s eyes, this son had long been excluded as a contender for succession.

In fact, it could be said that Prince Weiyang had been completely abandoned.

This was why Xiao Rui’s followers, after much effort, had only managed to secure Prince Weiyang.

The Emperor had made full preparations: the side hall guarded by the Yulin Army and the ten thousand troops en route.

Today, no matter what Xiao Rui did, death was inevitable.

It was only because Wen Yuesheng arrived in time that Xiao Rui was unable to unleash further atrocities before his execution.

There was more that the loyal Marquis of Courage didn’t explicitly state—matters related to Wen Yuesheng.

Today’s setup was not only a trap for Xiao Rui but perhaps also a test for Wen Yuesheng.

After all, even the Imperial Guards had traitors. For the Emperor to place complete trust in Wen Yuesheng was almost impossible.

The outcome of this test, however, seemed to have eased some of the Emperor’s concerns about Wen Yuesheng.

The following morning, during the court session, Xiao Rui and Duke Xu’s faction were purged. Among those punished most severely, apart from the key conspirators, were all involved generals of the Imperial Guards.

The three elite armies were the last line of defense for the imperial palace. If even they harbored treasonous thoughts, how could the Emperor sleep peacefully at night?

What surprised everyone, however, was the decree issued by the Emperor just before the court session ended…

“From this day forward, Princess Sinning is appointed as commander of the three elite armies, overseeing all troops and holding half of the tiger tally.”

The court erupted in shock.

The Dowager Empress’s expression changed drastically, and just as she was about to rebuke the apparent insolence, she saw the general in front of her open the ornate box placed before her.

The box was designed to reveal its contents only to those directly in front of it, meaning only the Dowager Empress and the palace attendants behind her could clearly see what was inside.

“Ah—” The maidservant serving the Dowager Empress, who still held a bowl of medicine in her hands, let out a shriek.

Upon seeing the contents of the box, she was so terrified that she nearly lost her mind.

She collapsed to the ground, spilling the medicine everywhere.

Her face turned deathly pale, and she seemed on the verge of vomiting.

As for the Dowager Empress herself, the sight hit her like a bolt of lightning.

She abruptly stood up, her face contorted with an almost deranged expression.

“You… you…”

Having lived a life of luxury and privilege for most of her years, the Dowager Empress had never encountered such a horrifying scene.

Staring at the contents of the box, she was so overwhelmed by the shock that she couldn’t utter another word.

Wen Yuesheng, however, remained expressionless.

Her voice was cold as she said, “Does the Dowager Empress not recognize it?”

“Isn’t this the very grandson you doted on most? And your own biological younger brother?”

The Dowager Empress’s face went through a spectrum of colors at these words.

She struggled to breathe, and her body slumped backward.

“You… ah… Rui… ah… you all…” Her trembling lips could only form fragmented sounds, unable to articulate a complete sentence.

The palace attendants in the hall were similarly petrified by the scene, so much so that they failed to notice the Dowager Empress’s sudden change in condition.

Wen Yuesheng’s face remained icy as she continued, “Years ago, when the late Emperor was still alive, Consort Su enjoyed unparalleled favor in the palace but had only one child, the eldest princess.”

“After the late Emperor passed, Consort Su fell ill and died. The current Emperor ascended the throne, and the eldest princess married into another family.”

“Only the Dowager Empress kept nursing old grudges from the inner palace. On the day the eldest princess was to give birth, you sent someone to her residence to reveal the cause of Consort Su’s death.”

“That led to the princess suffering a severe hemorrhage during childbirth. Although the imperial physician managed to save her life, the combined grief and trauma left her deeply depressed.”

“The child was still in swaddling clothes, not even a year old, when the eldest princess succumbed to illness and passed away.” Wen Yuesheng paused briefly before continuing, “By the following year, you were already arranging a new match for Wen Xun.”

“And now, when a similar situation arises, why is the Dowager Empress so horrified?” Her cold gaze landed on the Dowager Empress, who seemed on the verge of collapsing. “Isn’t this exactly what you once did to Princess Hui Yi?”

When Wen Yuesheng first entered the palace to meet the Dowager Empress, she had heard of the Dowager Empress’s dislike for Princess Hui Yi, stemming from old grudges within the palace.

At the time of Princess Hui Yi’s death, the original Wen Yuesheng had been too young to remember much of anything.

Thus, she had no idea where the unraveling of her life in the original story began.

It wasn’t until she gradually gained power, and with the repeated setbacks suffered by Xiao Rui’s faction at her hands, that people who had known the truth back then began coming forward.

Princess Hui Yi had fallen into postpartum depression after learning that Consort Su, to protect her, had taken her own life.

This depression ultimately led to her untimely death not long after Wen Yuesheng’s birth.

The Dowager Empress, who claimed to be devout in her faith and treated the murderous scriptures she copied with such reverence, had only done so because her hands were stained with too much blood.

The weight of her sins was immense.

The Dowager Empress, gasping for breath, looked at Wen Yuesheng with terror in her eyes, her breathing becoming erratic.

Finally, one of the palace attendants reacted.

The maidservant beside the Dowager Empress cried out loudly, “Fetch the imperial physician, quickly!”

But her plea went unanswered.

The people around her remained motionless.

Her face changed drastically, and she stammered, “Princess, what are you trying to do… This is the Dowager Empress!”

“After today, the gates of the Dowager Empress’s palace will be sealed,” Yan Ling said coldly. “If anyone wishes to leave now, this is your last chance.”

As his words fell, the Dowager Empress’s bloodshot eyes snapped to him.

Yan Ling’s voice was like ice. “The two maids beside the Dowager Empress, Liu and Wang—grant them death.”

At these words, the Dowager Empress’s eyes widened in disbelief.

She pointed a trembling finger at him, but no words came out.

When her gaze met Yan Ling’s cold, unyielding eyes, memories suddenly flooded back.

In the past, when Yan Ling had been bullied in the palace, it was the Dowager Empress who had his wet nurse executed, forcing him to swallow his grievances.

Each time, Fu Rui would gleefully report the matter to the Dowager Empress afterward.

The Dowager Empress, who indulged Fu Rui and Xiao Rui, turned a blind eye to their actions.

To maintain their reputation, she forbade Yan Ling and those around him from speaking a word of the abuse.

Emboldened by her protection, Fu Rui and Xiao Rui became more and more reckless.

One time, they went too far, nearly killing Yan Ling.

That incident left Yan Ling gravely ill.

The imperial physicians diagnosed him with memory loss, stating he would need prolonged recovery.

At Consort Yan’s desperate plea, the Emperor finally allowed Yan Ling to leave the palace.

When he returned to the palace once again, everything had changed.

The Empress Dowager felt a stabbing pain in her chest, and her vision darkened repeatedly.

Yan Ling’s cold, expressionless face made her heart tremble with fear.

She could not sense it herself, but others could see her limbs twitching, and froth spilling from the corners of her mouth.

Yan Ling stood far away.

To him, this person, along with Princess Fuyue, Xiao Rui, and the others in their family, had long since become distant memories.

He no longer felt anything toward them.

But with Wen Yuesheng by his side, he knew she regarded him as an ally.

Her heart held a sense of justice, and if she knew about his past, she might even feel some pity for him.

So he spoke: “There were three years of my childhood where every waking moment was pure agony.”

“Thanks to the royal family, before the age of seven, there was not a single unscarred inch of skin on my body.”

“Every moment I writhed in pain meant nothing to Princess Fuyue or Prince Heng Guang in the past. Because they were born into royalty, with the Empress Dowager’s protection, they could act with impunity and trample on lives.”

Yan Ling paused briefly before continuing, “After I entered court, the Empress Dowager once had Xiao Rui attempt to win me over, even promising to marry Princess Furui to me.”

Behind him, Gu Yu’s face changed.

Such behavior… it was beyond despicable.

The perpetrators not only felt no guilt or remorse for their past atrocities but even sought to manipulate Yan Ling for their gain.

They used him to secure greater power and elevate themselves further.

How could they have the audacity?

Yan Ling said no more, his gaze lowered.

They were never as clever as someone else.

That individual, after Yan Ling grew up, did not dare take another step near him.

But they continued to command him from their high perch, as if he were still theirs to control.

So, he did as they wished.

He sent the reckless Princess Furui as a marriage envoy to Haozhou.

He left the Empress Dowager, who treated lives like dirt, to linger at the mercy of his whims, her survival dependent on his decisions.

Before Wen Yuesheng appeared, he had already set a trap.

He planned to plunge the Xiao royal family into a vortex of power struggles, letting them kill each other off.

That was the ending he had designed for them.

It was Wen Yuesheng’s arrival that made him abandon this plan.

The Xiao dynasty was not worth it.

Those who stood high above, determining the fates of others, were not worth it.

But Wen Yuesheng was worth it.

Wen Yuesheng’s cold gaze fell on the Empress Dowager, whose spasms left her barely able to move one hand, desperately gesturing in the air.

She spoke icily: “What do you want to ask?”

“Xiao Rui? Duke Xu? Or your niece, Consort Duan?” Wen Yuesheng glanced out the window. “At this moment, Consort Duan should have been sentenced to death.”

As her words fell, a stench of urine filled the air.

The Empress Dowager, who had lived in luxury for half her life, had wet herself.

Unable to withstand the shock, she collapsed with her mouth twisted and her eyes rolled back.

The winter wind was biting.

As they stepped out of the Empress Dowager’s palace, daylight shone brightly.

People hurried past, and someone’s panicked voice rang out: “The Empress Dowager has passed!”

The imperial physicians, rushing to the scene, were silent for a long time upon seeing the Empress Dowager lying lifeless in her own filth.

Walking out of the palace, Wen Yuesheng turned to Yan Ling and said calmly, “Care for a cup of hot tea?”

The cold mist in Yan Ling’s eyes dissipated, and he replied softly, “Sure.”

The palace was thrown into chaos by the sudden death of the Empress Dowager.

The streets of the capital, however, were unusually quiet.

The carriage stopped outside the Princess’s residence, and Wen Yuesheng and Yan Ling stepped out one after the other.

The person standing at the door froze for a moment, unable to react.

Zhang Feiyan nudged him. “What are you staring at? Hurry up and go!”

Prince Weiyang finally came back to his senses.

Since when had Si Ning become so close to Yan Ling?

In his memory, Yan Ling had never shared a carriage with anyone.

But he had no time to dwell on this.

The recent rebellion led by Xiao Rui had given him endless nightmares.

He couldn’t sleep, and his wife, Zhang Feiyan, suffered as well.

After much thought, Prince Wei Yangwang decided to seek medical help.

They had consulted many imperial physicians but to no avail.

This morning, he even accompanied Zhang Feiyan to her family home to consult renowned doctors, but they found no cause.

Before returning to the estate, Prince Weiyang suddenly thought of Wen Yuesheng.

He remembered that Wen Yuesheng had a skilled physician by her side, one who had cured Lu Qinghuai.

If they could treat someone as gravely poisoned as Lu Qinghuai, they should be able to address his problem.

With this in mind, Prince Wei Yangwang stepped forward quickly to block Wen Yuesheng’s path.

“Ahem, Si Ning.”

Wen Yuesheng turned to look at him.

Even Gu Yu couldn’t help glancing at him.

The Empress Dowager had just passed, yet here was Prince Wei Yangwang, running around in bright red attire.

His nerves must be something else.

When Prince Wei Yangwang spoke, Gu Yu was even more stunned.

“I have a presumptuous request,” he began, but Wen Yuesheng’s indifferent gaze made him falter.

It wasn’t the rebellion leader Xiao Rui who haunted his nightmares these days.

It was Wen Yuesheng’s cold expression as she dragged Ren Fang in front of him.

“What is it?”

Prince Wei Yangwang hesitated. This wasn’t a conversation for the doorstep.

But as Wen Yuesheng made to leave, he panicked and blurted out:

“Well, you see, I’ve been married to Zhang for years, but we still have no children.”

“I came today hoping the physician by your side could examine her.”

He suddenly lowered his voice as if it were a deeply sensitive matter. “To see if Zhang is truly infertile.”

Wen Yuesheng: …