He remarried after his mother's death, seized power over the world, and slept on the emperor�

The voice was neither fast nor slow, yet it struck the hearts of everyone present like a heavy hammer.

Captain Wang froze abruptly, looking at the rather simple-looking carriage with a mixture of surprise and uncertainty.

"Who...who is in the car?"

"How dare you play tricks in front of Prince Xin's mansion! Get out here!"

He had barely finished speaking.

The carriage curtain was slowly lifted by a pale white hand.

Granny Zhang quickly stepped forward and respectfully helped the person out of the carriage.

An elderly lady dressed in a dark purple brocade robe with auspicious and longevity patterns slowly stepped down from the carriage, supported by Zhang Mama.

Her hair was gray and neatly styled in a bun. Although the years had left their mark on her face, her eyes were calm and deep.

She simply stood there quietly, and her aura was so overwhelming that it was hard to breathe.

The Dowager Princess spoke first, but did not address Zhang Mama directly.

"Captain Wang? Since when have the swords of your city garrison been commanded by a lackey and pointed at the gates of the Ji family?"

The knife in Captain Wang's hand fell to the ground with a clang.

Those servants and soldiers who were fierce and menacing just a moment ago were now pale-faced and trembling like leaves.

The once arrogant and domineering Aunt Zhao, who was shouting that she would kill people, suddenly lost all color in her face.

Her pupils contracted sharply, her lips trembled, and she couldn't utter a single word.

"thump!"

Aunt Zhao's legs went weak, and she tumbled and crawled to her knees, kowtowing frantically in the direction of the Dowager Empress.

"Bang! Bang! Bang!"

"The... the Dowager Consort! The Dowager Consort! It's you! It really is you who has returned!"

"This servant...this servant deserves to die! This servant was blind and did not recognize your greatness, and offended you!"

She kowtowed and wailed loudly.

"Your Highness, please let me explain! This is all a misunderstanding! A huge misunderstanding!"

She turned around abruptly and roared fiercely at the servants and maids behind her who were already terrified.

"What are you all standing there for! Kneel down now! Pay your respects to the Dowager Empress!"

Suddenly, a large group of people knelt down in front of the Prince Xin's mansion.

"Greetings to the Dowager Consort! May the Dowager Consort live a thousand years!"

The voice that greeted him was filled with undisguised fear and trembling.

The Dowager Empress didn't even glance at them.

Her cold gaze fell on Captain Wang, who was so frightened he was about to collapse.

"I heard it clearly from inside the carriage just now."

Her voice was calm and undisturbed, yet it sent a chill down Wang's spine.

She said that the people around me are assassins.

"She said she wanted to kill them on the spot."

The Dowager Princess stretched out her finger, first pointing to the ringleader who had started the trouble, and then to Aunt Zhao, who was kneeling on the ground kowtowing repeatedly.

"To offend the Empress Dowager, to be an insubordinate, to slander and frame her."

"These two people..."

She uttered two words calmly.

"To be beaten to death."

Upon hearing this, the entire room fell silent.

The leading servant rolled his eyes, and a puddle of water quickly spread beneath him; he had wet himself on the spot in fear.

Aunt Zhao's crying stopped abruptly. She suddenly raised her head, her face filled with despair and disbelief.

"No...no...Your Highness, please spare me! I'll never dare to do it again! I know I was wrong! Please, Your Highness, have mercy!"

She broke down in tears, her forehead bleeding profusely from hitting the bluestone slab.

But the old lady's eyes remained unmoved.

Lieutenant Wang's face was ashen; he gritted his teeth, about to give the order.

Just then.

Suddenly, a clear and loud announcement came from inside the mansion gate.

"The Princess has arrived!"

The gates of Prince Xin's mansion were wide open.

A line of maids and servants filed out, lined up on both sides, and stood respectfully with their heads bowed.

Immediately afterwards, a woman walked out slowly, surrounded by a crowd, as if she were the center of attention.

She wore a dark blue robe embroidered with phoenixes and flowers, the fabric gleaming with a dark luster in the sunlight, the phoenixes embroidered on it with gold and silver threads lifelike.

Her makeup was exquisite, with powder applied to the very white, making her phoenix eyes appear even narrower and longer, with the corners of her eyes slightly upturned, exuding an innate arrogance.

Her thin lips were adorned with the most fashionable crimson lipstick, and a smile that seemed gentle but was actually aloof played at the corners of her mouth.

She was Lin, a concubine of Prince Xin.

Jiang Bingning's gaze was fixed on that face.

It's her!

In his previous life, he had met Consort Lin several times under the guise of visiting his mother.

Every time, she was always so gentle and virtuous, showing concern for her own well-being and being extremely caring towards her younger sister.

But Jiang Bingning would never forget the scene when the capital fell, when she dragged her off the bed and held a dagger to her neck, and the maniacal smile on her face, contorted with fear.

"Your mother, Liu Jingyi? Ha... she's a complete idiot!"

"Do you really think she died of depression?"

"I added just a tiny bit of that 'good stuff' to her daily calming soup—something that made her feel depressed and listless!"

"She thought I was a good person until she died!"

Those poisoned words seem to have echoed in my ears just yesterday.

Jiang Bingning's hands, which were hanging by her sides, suddenly tightened, her nails digging deeply into her palms.

The Lin family...

Let her be smug for a few more days.

Now that I'm back, I'll make you experience every single one of the tricks you used on my mother, tenfold!

Consort Lin moved gracefully to the Dowager Empress and performed a flawless curtsy.

"Your daughter-in-law greets your mother. Mother, you must be tired from your long journey."

Her voice was so soft it seemed to melt water; anyone who heard it would think she was a dutiful and good daughter-in-law.

The Dowager Empress didn't even lift her eyelids.

She glanced coldly at Consort Lin out of the corner of her eye.

"Mother?"

A casual question caused Consort Lin's smile to freeze instantly.

"I remember that the position of Yun Han's principal wife is still vacant. How dare you, a mere concubine, call me 'mother'?"

Upon hearing this, Consort Lin's face immediately turned red and white.

Consider how powerful the Lin family was in the Northern Di, and how her father was the Grand Secretary who held immense power in the court.

Even His Majesty the current emperor has to give him some face.

I have never suffered such public humiliation!

But the person in front of her was Ji Yunhan's biological mother, so she could only suppress her anger deep inside.

She took a deep breath and bowed down again, this time lowering her posture even further.

"It was the daughter-in-law who overstepped her bounds."

"May Your Majesty be well."

The Dowager Empress then let out a barely audible snort.

Her gaze shifted downwards, landing on Consort Lin's magnificent black phoenix-patterned robe.

"We Northern Di people have always revered black, and the beauty of the phoenix and the dragon is something that can only be used by the wives of kings and nobles."

"You're just a concubine, how dare you dress so ostentatiously?"

The Dowager Empress's gaze was like a knife, scraping across Consort Lin's face.

"Anyone who didn't know better would think that our Prince Xin's Mansion doesn't even understand these basic rules."

"Go back and change your clothes."