The Empress Kneels in Her Palace to Admit Her Mistakes After Slaying Her Ways in the Female-Oriented

The Duke of Ren's Mansion.

Ren Tianye sat alone behind his desk, his brows furrowed.

On the table lay the document that Su Jin had brought, with the three large characters "King of Yunjing" clearly written on it.

These three large characters pressed down on us like a mountain.

He originally thought that after entering the capital without bloodshed, as long as he dealt with the death of the empress, he could conquer the entire world, and after a year or two, he could force the new emperor to abdicate and establish a brand new country.

But now...

The words "King of Yunjing" jolted him awake from his reverie.

The Prince of Yunjing occupied the secondary capital, Yunjing, and after years of hard work, he had become a local ruler, no different from a feudal lord, or even a regional military governor.

It's a tiny country with a very limited scope!

Such a small country cannot be conquered without war.

The key point is...

Within the territory of the Great Yu, there is not only the Prince of Yunjing who has real power!

"I thought I could control the whole country, but I never expected that this country would be full of holes. Sure enough, the path you didn't take, God will make you take every single one of them again."

Ren Tianye couldn't help but sigh.

He deeply felt how messy the mess Xiao Jingyuan and Xiao Mingzhao had left him.

Just then, a sound came from outside the door.

"My lord, my lord..."

Su Jin rushed over, bowed, and said impatiently, "I have ordered Xie Changfeng to interrogate Wei Chengye. That Wei Chengye is a coward. He confessed everything before we even used torture."

"According to him, his father had a close relationship with the Empress when he was alive. However, after the Empress became the Empress of Dayu, his father deliberately distanced himself from her in order to avoid suspicion."

"However, Wei Chengye's father knew a lot about what happened before the prostitute entered the palace, and he told Wei Chengye about it. Now, Wei Chengye has revealed it all."

Ren Tianye's eyes lit up: "Oh?"

"That's a good thing."

"How's it going? Have you found anything useful?"

"Yes!" Su Jin said with a serious expression, "According to Wei Chengye, the prostitute was only a mediocre woman in the brothel before, and her behavior was dissolute, so she was not popular with many patrons."

"There was absolutely no chance of getting close to Xiao Jingyuan, but the prostitute received help from someone... who was the woman who held the love knot."

Ren Tianye's gaze unconsciously sharpened as he listened.

He had actually suspected this possibility, but he wasn't sure.

After all, the courtesan's appearance and temperament were just ordinary, yet she could make a king so devoted to her, even bringing her lover into the palace and bestowing upon her the title of Prince of Yunjing. It was simply too outrageous.

This is not something that can be taught by ordinary people.

Must be a master!

A master among masters!

Ren Tianye had never been sure if there were such unparalleled masters within the Great Yu Dynasty, but now... he was certain.

"What is the woman's background?"

"This woman's identity is a mystery, even Wei Chengye doesn't know it. All he knows is that she comes from a top-tier martial arts force."

"This powerful faction in the martial arts world uses the knot of hearts as its symbol!"

……

Northern Xinjiang, outside Qingyuan County.

More than ten fine horses galloped wildly on the muddy and dirty road.

The horse was moving at an extremely fast speed, showing absolutely no mercy to the steed, and simply rushing on regardless.

The leader was none other than Su Hong, the head of the Su family in the Northern Frontier, who was now highly valued by Ren Tianye and put in charge of the entire Northern Frontier's commerce, as well as expanding into the Central Plains.

Su Hong was exhausted from riding horses at breakneck speed for several days, his face was pale and he was swaying slightly.

But he didn't stop at all!

He dared not stop!

He needed to rush back to his hometown as quickly as possible to investigate whether his third niece, Su Li, was truly dead.

Since receiving Su Jinchuan's letter, Su Hong has not slept a wink these past few days. A huge sense of panic has quickly enveloped him like a shadow.

The news that Su Li might not be dead hung over his head like a sword pointing to the heavens.

He simply couldn't believe it. How could Su Li, who had been reported dead,... come back to life?

They even went to the capital to assassinate the Grand General... no, now the Duke!

They paid a heavy price, and the Su family in the Northern Frontier, which had finally managed to recover, has once again fallen into a quagmire from which they cannot extricate themselves!

and……

The questions raised in Su Jin's letter also left Su Hong feeling extremely uncomfortable.

Su Jin actually suspected that he had released Su Li out of consideration for family ties!

Yes, Su Li is his third niece, the offspring of his eldest brother. As Su Li's second uncle, he will protect her whenever he has the chance.

Even if preservation measures are necessary, this kind of preservation method is not the right way to do it!

At that time, although her third niece, Su Li, harbored fantasies about Ye Fan, that good-for-nothing, and about her marriage to Duke Ren Tianye, this matter only circulated within their Su family and did not spread outside, let alone reach the ears of the Duke.

Therefore, in the eyes of Duke Ren Tianye, Su Li was basically not a person.

If that's the case, why would he need to use a "fake death" scheme to deceive everyone? Wouldn't that be completely unnecessary?

Even if Su Li offended the Duke, given the merits of the Su family in defending Yunji City and subduing Song Wan's 60,000 troops, how could the Duke, with his magnanimous heart, possibly pursue such a matter?

Even if there were to be an investigation, he could have simply knelt down and begged for mercy, and that would have been the end of it. Why resort to such an absurd and bizarre method as faking his death?

Su Hong was both anxious and furious.

He handed over the business of the Northern Frontier Su Mansion that very day, bid farewell to Sun Xiang, the garrison commander of Yunji City, and rushed back to his hometown. Now that he was getting closer and closer to his hometown, his unease and fear were growing stronger.

Fortunately, he had remained calm despite his many years of ups and downs in officialdom. He continued to ride his horse at full speed, finally arriving at his hometown residence.

As always, the mansion was majestic, but it was devoid of the festive atmosphere of welcoming guests. No colorful decorations or lanterns were hung on the lintel; only plain silk hung down, swaying silently in the wind.

Su Hong dismounted before his horse had even come to a complete stop. The steward from his hometown was already standing silently with a group of servants, all dressed in plain clothes and standing with their heads bowed.

"Master, the matter of the Third Miss... has already been handled in accordance with the clan's rules, and we are just waiting for your return to review and decide."

Su Hong didn't say anything and went straight to the ancestral hall.

Pushing open the ancestral hall door, the ancestral tablets remain solemn, while on the left side, among the younger generation's seats, there is now a clean and tidy cypress wood memorial tablet.

Plain wood, without gilding or ornamentation.

Only in the very center, in small print, is written: "The position of Su Li, the third niece of the Su family."

The small print beside it reads: "Respectfully erected by the entire clan!"

The simplest offerings were placed in front of the memorial tablet, and a small table was set up next to it, covered with a white cloth, on which were placed small, frequently used items that Su Li often wore: a jade love knot, a pearl earring, and a small glass teacup.

Su Hong felt a surge of instinctive sadness, but in the next instant, his gaze sharpened: "Are you sure, Li'er, is dead?"

……