Seeing that Feng Yuan was being somewhat obstinate, Xiaoying sighed.

“I was wrong not to tell you the truth before and to conceal my identity. But think about it—although we’re brothers, we don’t have a life-and-death friendship that requires baring our souls to each other.”

Feng Yuan showed no intention of reconciling with her. His pitch-black eyes were half-lowered, brewing something unknown, as if they could silently drown a person.

Xiaoying knew of his coldness and continued her efforts: “I did bear the title of your master for a few days, and I can’t just teach martial arts without teaching principles of conduct. Look at this palace—why isn’t there a single servant attending you? Because they’re all afraid of you. Your previous reputation for madness was too great, and you’ve hurt many people. They don’t know when you might go mad again, so naturally they dare not approach, preferring to stay outside doing cleaning chores.”

Feng Yuan finally smiled, though the smile didn’t reach his eyes: “So?”

“So, others can get angry, laugh, or show displeasure whenever they want, but you must keep everything bottled up inside. You can’t let it out recklessly, or people will use it as an excuse to put you in an irredeemable position again! Grand Brother, the deep palace is lonely—how can one manage without a confidant? Look, you have this sincere brother right in front of you—will you take me or not?”

After saying this, Xiaoying lay sideways, placing her fair, delicate face on the golden plate that had held the lamb leg, smiling at Feng Yuan.

Her words were clear: although His Majesty had relented, it didn’t mean Feng Yuan could rest easy from now on.

Today, her true gift was herself.

It remained to be seen whether Feng Yuan would be willing to form an alliance with her again, using each other to advance further.

This time, her words moved Feng Yuan. He looked at her playful face for a while before coldly saying, “Since you’re… a brother, I cannot refuse.”

Hearing this, Xiaoying merely made her fawning smile even more brilliant.

With this, the two reached an agreement once more, and Yan Xiaoying, having resolved a major concern, breathed a sigh of relief.

However, she still had one request that required Feng Yuan’s assistance.

Since General Ye had rarely returned to the capital, she wanted Feng Yuan to help her find an opportunity to visit General Ye’s military camp outside the city to broaden her horizons.

At these words, Feng Yuan’s gaze turned completely cold, and he remained silent for a long time.

That day in the hall, Xiaoying had noticed that the relationship between Feng Yuan and his maternal uncle, General Yezhong, didn’t seem harmonious. Her request was indeed somewhat imposing.

Since her probe was unsuccessful, Yan Xiaoying withdrew her request: “Alright, I won’t trouble you. I’ll find my way. You rest well and be careful of those around you—don’t fall into someone else’s trap again!”

With that, she casually waved her hand, preparing to slip out of Feng Yuan’s chambers.

But Feng Yuan called her back, rose, and took out a medicine packet from his waist, handing it to Yan Xiaoying.

“What is this?”

Feng Yuan looked at her, his eyes flickering slightly: “A return gift for Fourth Brother… poison extracted from my previous food. I’ve tested it—silver needles can’t detect it. Take it if you have a use for it.”

Xiaoying now knew the capabilities of this hermit from the desolate palace. If he said he could extract poison from food, it was certainly no exaggeration!

A poison that could drive people mad? Interesting! Giving this to his dear Fourth Brother, whom he intended to poison through his brother’s hand?

However, Xiaoying truly needed some assistance, and when faced with a gift, it would be impolite to refuse. She reached out and accepted it.

Having concluded her alliance with the Grand Prince, as a filial imperial child, she still needed to show filial piety to the Empress.

The Empress had been punished to kneel in the imperial Buddhist hall, worshiping Buddha and cultivating her mind for a month—a resounding slap to her face, stripping away all dignity as the mother of the nation.

This incident had created such a commotion that even the Empress Tang’s father, the head of the Tang family—Duke Jing Tang Hongsheng—had come to the Buddhist hall to reprimand his daughter.

As Xiaoying stood outside the Buddhist hall, waiting for word, Duke Jing came out with a gloomy face.

Unlike those in-laws who rose to prominence through their daughters’ positions, the Tang family had never relied on the Empress but on the connections and merits accumulated over generations.

If Tang Shi performed well as Empress, she would naturally bring glory to her clan. But if she performed poorly, she would be a burden to the Tang noble clan!

It was particularly unfortunate that the unexpected Prince—Emperor Chunde became Emperor, and the one who became Empress was a concubine-born daughter not highly regarded by the Tang family.

Her birth mother was of humble origin and had raised her daughter to be shallow-minded, only knowing how to compete and grab, with no sense of the bigger picture.

How could she possess the temperament of a mother of the nation? First, for petty gains, she had colluded with her half-brother and people from the Tang family’s second branch, creating such a mess with the corruption in Jiangsu and Zhejiang.

Then the palace scandal of abusing the Grand Prince emerged—where could he, as the Imperial Father-in-law, hide his face?

So he had just directly told his daughter: the Tang family had many wise and intelligent daughters. If Tang Shi couldn’t perform well as Empress, she should quickly step aside for someone else!

The Tang family’s backbone wasn’t built on her petty schemes!

After Duke Jing left, Xiaoying was led by Song Ao to the outside of the Buddhist hall. From inside came the sound of things being thrown and smashed. Empress Tang seemed to be sobbing and cursing under her breath.

Worried about her loss of composure, Song Ao hurriedly consoled from outside: “Your Majesty… you are confined by His Majesty’s orders. This place is different from your sleeping palace—you must be more careful with your words…”

Just as she finished speaking, another crash of something being smashed came from inside the hall, then all fell quiet.

Empress Tang seemed to have composed herself and, striving for self-control, asked: “Has the Crown Prince arrived? Let him enter.”

Yan Xiaoying pushed open the door and entered. Empress Tang sat on a meditation cushion with disheveled hair and a pair of wrinkled, swollen, red eyes, looking suddenly ten years older.

Around her was a complete mess, with offerings of fruits and golden plates rolling all over the floor.

The Empress still hadn’t escaped her angry emotions and was breathing heavily.

Song Ao hurriedly went over to console the Empress in a low voice.

Tang Shi muttered hatefully: “If not for my father forcing me like this, how would I have taken one wrong step, then another, until today when I can no longer turn back…”

Recently, for some unknown reason, misfortunes seemed to be coming from all directions!

Feng Qiyuan’s mysterious disappearance after jumping into the water had already left her unsettled, but somehow the completely unrelated matter of the mad prince being abused had also been pinned on her.

Empress Tang instinctively felt this was the work of that bitch Consort Shang. Otherwise, why would that madman so coincidentally be discovered by Xiao Tianyang and then be carried on a door to disrupt His Majesty’s banquet?

All these years, that slut had been pretending to be virtuous. She had entered the residence first, and if she were truly virtuous, how could she have raised that bastard into a madman?

Now, her father was pressuring her with the Tang family’s ancestral prestige. If he were to learn about her secret scheme of swapping the Crown Prince all those years ago, given her father’s character, he would absolutely sacrifice her to preserve the Tang family’s reputation.

His Majesty had been an overlooked prince back then, pushed onto her only because no one else wanted him.

Now, after struggling all this way to finally become Empress, everyone was eyeing her position jealously.

Empress Tang turned her head to look at the slender youth bowing in greeting to her, thinking with utter despair: Why did that actress give birth to twins?

If only this one had also been a boy, she would have had more options and wouldn’t have been forced to the edge of a cliff…

But such thoughts were useless now. With no one to rely on, Empress Tang could only gather her spirits and try to restore order amid the chaos.

“I heard from A’Ruo that you went to visit the Grand Prince with just a lamb leg? Do you think you’re visiting village neighbors? Why be so stingy?”

Seeing the Empress picking a fight to vent her anger, Xiaoying pretended to be indignant: “Your Majesty is being punished because of this madman—I’m naturally upset and would truly like to teach him a lesson on your behalf. Please rest assured, I spat in that lamb leg. I’ll make sure he doesn’t enjoy it!”

The Empress laughed coldly inside—this little girl took her for a genuine mother! But this was fine; the upcoming plans could proceed more smoothly…

She steadied herself and feigned sadness: “You know, the Crown Prince jumped into the lake, and his fate is unknown. So I hope that starting today, you won’t leave the Eastern Palace much. Just pretend to be ill, and I will arrange the rest…”

To prevent complications, this chess piece… truly couldn’t be kept any longer!

From today onward, the Crown Prince would be announced as ill and could no longer appear in public.

Xiaoying hesitated: “Your Majesty, is this arrangement appropriate?”

Empress Tang glared at her fiercely: “You dare question me?”

Yan Xiaoying had never feared the Empress’s glares. She merely kicked aside a fruit plate at her feet, then pulled over a cushion to sit next to Empress Tang, preparing to help this desperate madwoman sort through the current situation.

“Whether the Crown Prince who jumped into the lake is alive or dead isn’t important. What matters is whether he has fallen into the hands of someone with ulterior motives!”

These words made Empress Tang’s eyelids twitch violently—this was actually what she feared most!

If that simple-minded Feng Qiyuan had fallen into the hands of Consort Shang and her son, wouldn’t she… be beyond redemption?

Thinking of this, Empress Tang’s gaze toward Yan Xiaoying was filled with murderous intent: Yes, if that were true, this fake absolutely couldn’t be kept! She must be eliminated immediately!

Yan Xiaoying pretended not to notice the Empress’s gaze, only anxiously saying: “…Your Majesty, with the Crown Prince gone, how much longer must I continue this disguise?”

Empress Tang slightly closed her eyes, her voice becoming calmer: “Since there’s no trace of him dead or alive, you still need to hold steady. When the time is right, I will naturally arrange for you to leave the palace…”

After Xiaoying left, Song Ao worriedly came to the Empress and said: “Your Majesty, if this little girl remains, she will eventually become a hidden danger that constrains Your Majesty!”

The Empress coldly snorted: “She cannot stay, but the Crown Prince cannot die violently! He must disappear. There can only be one Feng Qiyuan in this world. As long as the Crown Prince disappears, even if the real Crown Prince has fallen into someone else’s hands, he will no longer be my weakness but rather evidence of their intent to harm the imperial offspring!”

She couldn’t afford to covet the position of heir apparent anymore. As for how to make Xiaoying disappear, the Empress had already planned it out.

Blood couldn’t be shed within the palace. She planned to do as she had done when eliminating that actress couple of years ago—take this fake out of the palace at night, transport her to the outskirts, slash her face, then sink her into the river or bury her in a mass grave.

With the Crown Prince suddenly disappearing without reason, His Majesty would surely be enraged and order a thorough investigation of the palace.

At that time, whoever was hiding Feng Qiyuan would truly panic!

Thinking of this, Empress Tang called Song Ao to come closer and began giving instructions in a low voice.

When Xiaoying left the Buddhist hall, she couldn’t help but give a cold smile.

The city gates were closed, trapping her brother and subordinates. The longer they remained, the more likely complications would arise. They needed to leave the city soon.

Unfortunately, Feng Yuan wouldn’t help, so she couldn’t use the excuse of visiting the military camp to leave the city.

And with so many variables emerging in the palace, it wasn’t advisable for her, a fake, to stay much longer.

Her words just now had likely triggered the Empress’s murderous intent. That old hypocrite would certainly make a move against her!

Her purpose in entering the palace, besides rescuing her brother, was to make the Empress understand what “karmic retribution” meant.

That incense-filled Buddhist hall would only lead those with kind hearts who had temporarily lost their way to repentance. For those as venomous as snakes and scorpions, another method was needed to make them confess to the departed spirits!

As she pondered these matters, a group of young men and women in fitted attire approached from ahead, laughing and chatting noisily.

However, upon seeing the Crown Prince standing before them, these noble young ladies and gentlemen immediately ceased their laughter and came forward to bow and greet the Crown Prince.

Xiaoying recognized several of them from yesterday’s banquet—children of His Majesty’s old friends, along with some children of noble families from the capital.

With high summer just passed, the beginning of autumn had arrived.

The Dafeng royal family honored ancient customs, emphasizing “autumn hunts and winter hunts,” so at the beginning of autumn, they would go to the hunting grounds for the autumn hunt.

This time, by His Majesty’s grace, these young men and women were permitted to join, continuing the Dafeng tradition of valuing martial prowess. The palace’s small archery field had even been opened to allow these noble children to practice alongside the royal children.

This delighted the Third Prince, who was seen with two quivers on his back, hovering around Mu Yanyan, solicitously attending to her needs.

However, when Mu Yanyan saw the Crown Prince, her expression became uncomfortable, and she coldly snorted, turning her head away.

Back when the Crown Prince was selecting a consort, he had declared he would marry no one but her. Even after the Third Prince came to say he had taught the Crown Prince a lesson and made him retract his words, Mu Yanyan still felt uncomfortable.

Yan Xiaoying pretended not to notice and just smiled, exchanging pleasantries with everyone. She spent some time at the small training field before returning to the Eastern Palace.

The moment she stepped through the palace gates, Xiaoying sensed something was wrong—the guards at the palace entrance had been changed, all unfamiliar faces she hadn’t seen before.

She waved Jin Zhong over and asked about these guards.

Jin Zhong said that just a while ago, several guards had been temporarily reassigned, and new ones had been brought in to temporarily fill their positions.

It seemed the Empress was even more eager than she had thought and was probably planning to make her move tonight…

Xiaoying smiled, then turned to instruct Jin Zhong: “The Grand Prince has just returned to his old palace, and I see he doesn’t have enough staff. You’re an old hand from that palace—go back and help out for a couple of days.”

Jin Zhong’s face fell upon hearing this, and he lamented: “Your Highness, what have I done wrong that you no longer want me? Why are you sending me away?”

Xiaoying didn’t bother arguing with him and kicked him lightly: “It’s just helping out for a few days, being neighborly. Stop with all this nonsense! When you’re there, don’t talk about my affairs—keep your mouth shut!”

Seeing the Crown Prince’s anger, Jin Zhong dared not speak further and left with a dejected face, looking back repeatedly as he walked away.

Although this little eunuch was somewhat gossipy, he was a good person. Tonight, the Eastern Palace was destined to become a hall of death. Xiaoying didn’t want to put him in danger, so she drove Jin Zhong away and strode into her sleeping quarters with her hands behind her back.

Besides the newly added guards, another unfamiliar palace maid came to find Jian Hu as night fell.

The two whispered for a long time in a side hall, after which Jian Hu, with a pale face, went to the imperial kitchen to fetch a night snack.

Jian Hu was particularly diligent today—at nightfall, she brought Xiaoying a fragrant bowl of soup, saying it was made with old ginseng from the imperial kitchen to nourish her body.

Xiaoying smiled as she accepted it: “Sister Jian Hu is so good to me today. Usually, you keep these good things for yourself, enjoying them behind my back.”

Jian Hu’s lips trembled as she forced a smile: “Her Majesty will reward you more in the future. Why bother counting this food? Besides, I… I’ve brought it to you now, haven’t I? Drink it quickly before it gets cold!”

Xiaoying slowly raised the soup bowl, observing Jian Hu’s nervous eyes, and couldn’t help but smile.

That smile was as bright as the warm spring sun, somewhat dazzling: “Sister Jian Hu, do you remember what I told you? You and I are interdependent. If you want to save yourself, you can discuss it with me, and I’ll think of a way out for you. Don’t harbor thoughts that you’ll be safe if I’m gone!”

Jian Hu felt guilty at these words, her eyelids beginning to tremble. She had never killed anyone before, and the fear accumulated over time seemed to grip her throat.

Looking at the smiling fake Crown Prince, she suddenly felt helpless and desperate.

Seeing that Xiaoying was about to drink, she grabbed Xiaoying’s wrist that was reaching for the soup bowl, tearfully looking at the bowl, wanting to reveal the truth, but not daring to.

Xiaoying smiled knowingly and pointed at the soup: “Is there something in it?”

Jian Hu hadn’t expected her to guess, and was struck dumb on the spot.

When her father had sent her into the palace, he told her she would enjoy a good life of luxury.

But her aunt had turned her into a murder weapon. Although she was sometimes lazy and cunning, she had never killed anyone!

Jian Hu wasn’t stupid. Just as this fake Crown Prince had said, if the fake Crown Prince died, the next to be silenced would surely be Jian Hu herself.

But Jian Hu had no idea how to escape this calamity.

Xiaoying wasn’t surprised and asked further: “Has the palace maid who delivered the medicine to you left?”

Jian Hu shook her head, biting her finger with cold sweat all over her forehead, tearfully whispering: “She’s still waiting outside for news. She said if you don’t drink it, she’ll come in and help me hold you down to force it down your throat…”

The old palace maid who came today was one the Empress often used. Jian Hu had personally seen how this palace maid punished erring palace servants—she would unhesitatingly thrust a sewing awl between a person’s fingers, not hesitating even as blood gushed out…

Xiaoying soothingly patted Jian Hu’s cheek: “It’s alright. Tell her I have a message for the Empress and ask her to come in.”

Jian Hu helplessly shook her hands, took a deep breath, and went out.

In no time, the palace maid entered, glancing at the untouched soup on the table. She glared fiercely at Jian Hu, signaling with her eyes for them to grab Xiaoying together.

As the palace maid turned her head, Xiaoying suddenly leaped up and gripped the palace maid’s chin, pouring the bowl of soup into her mouth.

Caught off guard, the palace maid swallowed quite a bit, choking and streaming with tears. Her face turned pale with fright as she covered her throat, trying to call for help, but Xiaoying covered her mouth.

Jian Hu was dumbfounded, never imagining that the usually smiling, frail young girl would suddenly transform into a god of death.

The palace maid struggled but was overcome with intense abdominal pain, trembling, and losing strength. She knew all too well the toxicity of the drug—she had administered it herself, a whole packet. Not even immortals could save her!

Jian Hu trembled like a sieve, watching as blood oozed from the palace maid’s seven orifices. She soon stopped struggling.

Xiaoying released her grip, wiped the blood from her hands with a silk handkerchief, and peered through the window crack to check outside. Then she turned to look at Jian Hu, who had collapsed on the floor: “Good sister, did she tell you how they planned to dispose of my body if I died?”