Father, who is both a heir and a descendant, is still biased; the bound system has gone berserk.

They all thought that Hai Taifu was dead.

"Your Majesty, Granny Wang is trying to frame me. I did nothing wrong..."

Old Duan's face was filled with grief and indignation, but when she kowtowed, her eyes were full of resentment and malice.

Granny Wang, that damned wicked servant!

Granny Wang was no pushover either. She immediately said, "Your Majesty, everything this old servant has said is true. Moreover, the old lady has done far more than just this one thing; she also… uh!"

Before Wang Mama could finish speaking, Old Duan Shi pulled the hairpin from her hair and pierced her neck, going straight through her throat from back to front.

Because of the angle, Old Duan's movement was too sudden, and no one noticed it until it was too late.

Old Madam Duan's face was filled with rage: "That damned old servant, how dare he frame his master!"

"Your Majesty, I did not do the things that Granny Wang said. I was framed."

How could I, as the mother of the Empress, do something like poisoning my own husband?

I beg Your Majesty to see the truth; I am innocent.

This old slave, just because the lady of the house did not agree to help her children and grandchildren get rid of their slave status, she harbored resentment and even planned to take revenge. She is truly hateful!

"Your Majesty, in my haste, I only intended to teach her a lesson. I never imagined that this wicked servant's life would be so cheap. I accidentally stabbed this disrespectful servant to death. I beg Your Majesty to forgive me, considering that it was unintentional!"

Old Duan knelt down to beg for forgiveness, his face full of regret.

Emperor Cangxuan's eyes were chillingly cold.

Upon discovering that Granny Wang had been stabbed, Hai Qiongying immediately stepped in front of Emperor Cangxuan. At this moment, he looked at Old Madam Duan with murderous intent in his eyes.

This old woman is cunning and vicious; she must not be allowed to live.

Granny Fang glanced at Granny Wang, who lay dead with her eyes wide open, her eyes filled with schadenfreude.

This old servant has committed countless evil deeds; he certainly deserves a bad end!

She looked in the direction of Emperor Cangxuan, kowtowed heavily, and said:

"Your Majesty, this old servant is already a dying man. As the saying goes, a dying man's words are good."

Duan, do you think that by killing Granny Wang, you can cover up your evil deed of poisoning my son-in-law?

How could a servant like Granny Wang have obtained the Chi Fire Gu? Back then, you personally handed that Chi Fire Gu to me.

Duan, my young lady's death is also related to you. My young lady was in good health back then, how could she suddenly die of illness? It's just a pity that I have no evidence to expose you.

But now that I think about it, the way Miss died back then was also sudden. Duan, could it be that my young lady also died from the Chi Fire Gu?

Granny Fang glared at Old Duan with a face full of hatred.

Old Madam Duan was filled with shock and anger, "Granny Fang, you...you're spouting nonsense—"

Granny Fang said coldly, "Whether this old servant is framing you or not, I believe His Majesty and the eldest and second masters will definitely find out the truth."

"Duan, if you didn't do it, fine. But if you did, you'll definitely suffer retribution!"

After Fang Mama finished speaking, she suddenly pulled out the gold hairpin from her hair and stabbed it fiercely into her throat, piercing through it.

This was even more ruthless than when Old Duan stabbed Granny Wang.

Granny Fang died on the spot.

"mother!"

"grandmother!"

Zhao Daxing and Zhao Chengwang immediately cried out in grief, tears streaming down their faces.

The two rushed towards Granny Fang, weeping uncontrollably.

Hai Qiongyan and Hai Qiongying looked at this with complicated expressions.

It would be a lie to say they had no feelings for Granny Fang, who had taken care of them since they were children.

However, it is a fact that Granny Fang helped Old Lady Duan kill her father.

They remained silent for a moment without saying a word.

After a moment, Hai Qiongyan said, "Zhao Daxing, Zhao Chengwang, and Granny Fang have committed a serious crime. According to the law, you two should have your property confiscated and be made government slaves."

However, considering that Granny Fang was once my mother's personal maid, and their relationship as mistress and servant was one of mutual respect, I will set you both free. You may take Granny Fang and leave the mansion.”

Zhao Daxing and Zhao Chengwang looked up at Hai Qiongyan with tears streaming down their faces.

Neither of them spoke, but they kowtowed three times earnestly, then carried Granny Fang away.

After they left, Hai Qiongyan looked in the direction of Emperor Cangxuan and knelt down. "Your Majesty, Duan murdered my father and should be executed according to the law. However... she is, after all, the Empress's mother. May I ask Your Majesty, how should she be dealt with?"

Upon hearing this, Duan immediately shouted, "Hai Qiongyan, you can't convict me based solely on the one-sided testimony of two wicked servants!"

Hai Chaoyun's death has nothing to do with me, and the curse he was afflicted with has nothing to do with me either!

Emperor Cangxuan's face was cold: "Still dare to argue? You dare to harm my Grand Tutor! You deserve to die!"

Upon hearing Emperor Cangxuan's words, Lady Duan panicked and cried out, "Your Majesty, I am the Empress's mother and the Second Prince's maternal grandmother..."

"If I were to die, Hai Qiongyan and Hai Qiongying would have to observe mourning. Your Majesty, I cannot die!"

The Crown Prince's eyes flashed. "Eldest Uncle, Second Uncle, if the news of Duan's cruelty to my maternal grandfather gets out, it will likely damage the reputation of the Hai family and the Empress's reputation as well."

After all, having a mother who killed her husband isn't something to be proud of.

The Crown Prince's lips curled into a cold smile as he said, "The Empress's mother, Lady Duan, is critically ill. From today onwards, she will likely be unable to appear in public."

Duan's eyes widened suddenly.

She looked at the Crown Prince with a mixture of shock and anger, "Crown Prince, you, you—"

A glint flashed in Hai Qiongyan's eyes, and he bowed, saying, "Your Highness is absolutely right. I understand."

Although Duan was "alive," her suffering was a hundred times worse than death.

Hai Qiongying then said, "Before Granny Fang died, she said that Mother's death might also be related to Duan Shi. Eldest brother, Mother's illness back then came about strangely."

Upon hearing this, Hai Qiongyan looked at Duan Shi.

At this moment, Duan was completely enveloped in fear.

She couldn't believe they actually dared to treat her like this. What else did they want? To find out the cause of Hua Xiang's death?

She was, after all, the Empress's mother.

The two illegitimate sons of the Hai family were bad enough, but even His Majesty wanted him dead.

"I want to see Her Majesty the Empress, I want to see His Highness the Second Prince, Your Majesty, please allow me to see Her Majesty the Empress..."

She cannot fall into their hands; that would be a hundred times more terrifying than death.

"Your Majesty, Hai Chaoyun's death truly has nothing to do with me. How could I possibly harm my own husband..."

She knew very well that now, as long as she stubbornly refused to admit it, since the two old servants, Granny Wang and Granny Fang, were already dead, she had nothing left to worry about.

[Ding! The face-slapping mechanism has been triggered. Host, please uncover the cause of Madam Hai's death and exhume her body for examination.]

The system's voice rang in Ying Yufu's mind.

The crown prince turned his head instantly and looked at Ying Yufu.

Ying Yufu was now completely troubled.

[Little Dian, I'm afraid this task is impossible to complete. Old Madam Hai has already been laid to rest. She was the mother of the Empress Yuan. If I were to tell His Majesty and the Hai family that I wanted to exhume her body for an autopsy, wouldn't I be beaten to death?]

[You earn points when it's challenging, so keep it up, host!]

Xiao Dian is rather unrighteous.

Ying Yufu looked worried and distressed.

Just then, she heard the Crown Prince say:

"Father, eldest uncle, second uncle, if you want to know the true cause of your grandmother's death, you must open the coffin and examine the body."

Upon hearing this, not only Hai Qiongyan and Hai Qiongying, but even Emperor Cangxuan was instantly shocked.

"Your Highness, what are you saying?"

Emperor Cangxuan said in a deep voice.

Crown Prince: "Father, I do not want my maternal grandmother's cause of death to remain unknown. I wish to exhume her body for an autopsy to bring justice to her."

Emperor Cangxuan looked at him with a complicated expression.

Both Hai Qiongyan and Hai Qiongying had complex expressions.

Xiao Dian: [Host, your Crown Prince husband is simply a great help. With him speaking up for you, your mission is practically guaranteed.]