I, the villainous eldest prince, will suppress everything!

Looking at the handprint gradually turning red on Night Owl's face, and then at Xiao Xue'er pretending to be scared and hiding behind Pei Qingluan, Wang Long realized that he had almost fallen for Xiao Xue'er's trick.

Suppressing his anger, he asked, "May I ask, Your Highness, why did you slap him for no reason?"

Xiao Xue'er said, "It wasn't bestowed by me, it was bestowed by me on behalf of Her Majesty the Empress."

Upon hearing this, Wang Long's gaze shifted to Pei Qingluan.

Pei Qingluan stood ramrod straight, neither humble nor arrogant.

She didn't become empress for so many years for nothing.

She said, "That's right, it was bestowed upon me by the Imperial Concubine."

Wang Long frowned: "Why?"

Pei Qingluan countered, "May I ask, Your Highness, whose palace is this?"

Sitting in the sedan chair, Wang Long reluctantly clasped his hands together:

"Of course, it's Your Majesty."

"Since the palace belongs to His Majesty, then my concubine and I can move freely within its walls. But your subordinates have blocked our way without cause today, forcing us to take a detour. What is the reason for this?"

The night owl covered its face, looking at Wang Long with a wronged expression.

He was acting on Wang Long's orders.

But he also knew that Wang Long wouldn't side with him on this matter.

Sure enough, Wang Long said with a smile, "Your Majesty the Empress and Your Highness the Imperial Concubine, please calm down. It's all a misunderstanding."

"Since it's a misunderstanding, the Imperial Concubine and I will proceed along this path. Does Your Highness have any objections?"

Wang Long glanced at Wang Bao, who was standing on the rooftop not far away, and Cen Feng, who was under the eaves.

To be honest, he really didn't want the two of them to walk here.

Who knows what kind of trouble the two might cause when they pass by Wang Bao?

Some time ago, if he hadn't been careful, Qin Han would have succeeded.

But we can't find a good reason to prevent them from leaving here.

In the end, Wang Long had no choice but to compromise, but he still implied a threat in his words:

"Presumably, Her Majesty the Empress and the Imperial Concubine are intelligent people and would not speak carelessly."

Xiao Xue'er interjected, "Of course, the Empress and I are intelligent. Otherwise, with countless women in the world, how come I became a Noble Consort and Sister Pei became the Empress? Isn't that right, Sister Pei?"

Pei Qingluan chimed in, "Sister Xue'er is absolutely right. We are the two smartest people in the world."

After saying that, regardless of whether Wang Long agreed or not, the two left together.

Wang Long and his men followed closely behind to prevent the two from ruining his plans.

Soon, the two arrived at the foot of the main hall where Wang Bao was standing, and they could see him as soon as they looked up.

"Lord of the Pass, what are you up to now?"

Pei Qingluan deliberately stopped with Xiao Xue'er and looked up to ask.

Before Wang Bao on the roof could answer, Wang Long, who was following behind, lowered his voice and shouted:

"Your Majesty, weren't you just saying you were a smart person?"

Pei Qingluan didn't even bother to turn around and look at him, saying, "You're a smart person. Can't a smart person even say hello?"

Xiao Xue'er chimed in, "Of course we can say hello."

After saying that, Xiao Xue'er waved her arms at Wang Bao on the roof and said happily, "Lord of the Pass, it's been a long time."

Upon seeing the two men on the rooftop, Wang Bao quickly bowed and clasped his hands in greeting.

"Your Majesty, I pay my respects to the Empress and the Imperial Concubine."

He could be unruly in front of Wang Long, but he couldn't be unruly in front of Pei Qingluan and Xiao Xue'er, because the two of them were rulers and masters.

Seeing that the two refused to leave and even started talking to Wang Bao, Wang Long gripped the sedan chair handle tightly in anger.

The two of them did it on purpose, but Wang Long was powerless to do anything about it. He couldn't just kick them out.

He would still do this if Wang Bao wasn't in front of him, but in front of Wang Bao, he faced many constraints.

"Rise."

Pei Qingluan helped Wang Bao to his feet, then looked up and said, "The wind and snow are heavy today, so please be careful, Marquis of the Pass, and don't fall."

Wang Bao straightened up, scratched the back of his head sheepishly, and said, "Thank you for your concern, Your Majesty. I am deeply grateful. I will now get down."

He had intended to drown his sorrows in alcohol as usual, but who knew that the Empress and the Imperial Concubine would catch him red-handed. It would be one thing if the two were just ordinary people, but they happened to be his juniors, his nephew's wife. He was so embarrassed that he didn't know where to put his face and really wanted to find a crack in the ground to crawl into.

After saying that, Wang Bao was about to climb down the ladder when Cen Feng quickly grabbed the ladder from below.

No sooner had Wang Bao made a move than Pei Qingluan said again:

"No need. It was the Empress and the Consort who came at the wrong time, disturbing the Marquis's enjoyment."

It would have been better if we hadn't talked about it, because once we did, Wang Bao would have been even more eager to climb off the roof.

The palace was Pei Qingluan and Xiao Xue'er's home; he was causing trouble on someone else's rooftop.

This is only because he's the uncle; otherwise, they would have sent someone to kick him out long ago.

But to everyone's surprise, Pei Qingluan repeated, "No need!"

This time, the voice was more firm, the expression was more resolute, and it was a commanding tone.

Wang Bao was stuck on the roof, unsure whether to go down or not.

Seeing the expression on Pei Qingluan's face, Wang Bao was so frightened that he quickly knelt on one knee and bowed, saying, "Your Majesty, I was being foolish. Please calm your anger!"

Pei Qingluan clasped her hands together, pressing them against her lower abdomen, and said:

"During this time, the Marquis of Guanwai climbed onto the roof several times to drown his sorrows in wine. I do not know where I have failed to entertain him properly, and I humbly request the Marquis of Guanwai to enlighten me."

Wang Bao, kneeling on one knee, lowered his head even further, cold sweat beading on his forehead. He said:

"Your Majesty, I dare not. Please calm your anger."

"Anger is understandable, but why is the Marquis of Guanwai acting this way?"

Why else could it be? Of course, it's because of what his elder brother, Wang Long, has been doing in the capital during this period.

While his eldest nephew Qin Li was away from the capital, his elder brother Wang Long supported the deposed emperor to restore the throne.

This was not what he wanted, but he could not bring himself to draw his sword against his elder brother.

As a result, he was in a state of contradiction and confusion every day.

That's why he often climbed onto the roof to drown his sorrows in alcohol.

But he couldn't say these words.

If he were to reveal this, what kind of situation would that put his elder brother in?

Wouldn't that confirm his elder brother's crime of treason and rebellion?

Why doesn't the Marquis of Guanwai answer?

Pei Qingluan asked.

As time went on, beads of cold sweat actually appeared on Wang Bao's forehead as he knelt on one knee.

It wasn't fear; he commanded 200,000 Liangzhou cavalry, how could he be afraid of a noblewoman?

Rather, he didn't know how to answer.

Seeing Pei Qingluan pressing forward relentlessly and refusing to back down, Wang Long couldn't help but cough twice and said, "Someone, Her Majesty the Empress is tired. Escort Her Majesty the Empress and the Imperial Concubine back to the palace."

A group of eunuchs immediately came out to escort the two back to their respective palaces.

Xiao Xue'er wanted to resist, but when she saw the look Pei Qingluan gave her, she did nothing.

Before leaving, Pei Qingluan said, "Two hundred thousand Liangzhou cavalry have arrived outside the capital. I do not know why the Marquis of Guanwai has mobilized troops here. Please give me an answer. There is no rush. Think it over before you answer."

After saying that, Pei Qingluan flicked her sleeves and left. Xiao Xue'er followed Pei Qingluan's example, flicking her sleeves as well, before leaving as well.

Watching the two women leave, Wang Bao lowered his head even further from the rooftop.

On the sedan chair carried by eight men, Wang Long looked at the backs of the two women, his feelings complicated.

On the way back to the palace, Xiao Xue'er couldn't help but ask, "Sister Pei, why didn't you just confront her directly, instead of beating around the bush like that?"

"Silly little sister!"

Pei Qingluan stopped, turned around, and gently stroked her head. "The capital is in Wang Long's hands. During this time, we've reached a tacit understanding with him: neither of us can cross our bottom line, or people will die!"

The reason they didn't ask Wang Bao directly was because it touched on Wang Long's bottom line.

Because Wang Long never admitted that he was plotting a rebellion, but rather that he was purging the court of corrupt officials.

To save your life, there are some things you can't say and some things you can't do.

Xiao Xue'er nodded as if she understood, "I understand."

"What do you understand?"

Pei Qingluan asked, as if amused.

Xiao Xue'er's eyes crinkled into crescent moons with laughter. "I just know what Sister Pei tells me to do, and I'll do it."

"So clever."

Pei Qingluan praised him with a smile.

"So what do we do next?"

Xiao Xue'er asked.

Pei Qingluan thought for a moment and said, "Go save someone."

"Who?"

You'll find out when you get there.

……

The Cold Palace.

Inside a Buddhist temple.

The Buddha with the missing arm is looking at the scene before him with a kind and benevolent expression.

The long-absent King Qin Han was found tied to one of the legs of a giant Buddha statue with a rope.

His body was covered in wounds, old ones and new ones, countless and shocking.

Needless to say, he suffered a lot of torture during this period.

At this moment, a brightly colored venomous snake.

It was crawling all over him, spitting out its foul-smelling tongue towards his face.

It seemed that the next bite would land on Qin Han, killing him instantly.

Not far in front of Qin Han stood Shadow Serpent.

All the injuries on his body were inflicted by the Shadow Serpent.

Shadow Snake supported her right arm with her left hand, while her right hand gently caressed her alluring face.

After a while, the Shadow Snake spoke:

"Your Highness, are you still not going to confess? Who exactly sent you to say those things to the Marquis of Guanwai?"

"If you confess, I will release you immediately."

According to Wang Long's plan, he had no intention of telling Wang Bao at all.

From beginning to end, Wang Bao will be kept in the dark and completely unaware.

Wang Long would meticulously weave a lie to make Wang Bao work for him.

But to everyone's surprise, Qin Han came into contact with Wang Bao.

When Wang Bao learned the truth, he began to drown his sorrows in alcohol.

Qin Han's eye was swollen, making it difficult to see Ying She's face clearly.

He said, "You dare call yourself a subject? If you are a subject, I command you to kneel!"

"Ha ha ha ha!"

Shadow Serpent suddenly raised his head and burst into laughter, "Your Highness, what time is it? Why are you still arguing about these things? Is it meaningful?"

"This throne of the Great Zhou will one day belong to my prince, and you, the former prince, would better confess obediently, or you might still be able to leave with a whole corpse."

Qin Han sneered, "Whether your body is intact or not, I don't care. But you probably won't have a good ending in this life."

Seeing that Qin Han was still as stubborn as before and refused to say anything, Ying She stopped pretending.

She stepped forward, grabbed the venomous snake from Qin Han's body, and was about to stuff it into his clothes.

"Your Highness, my precious dog loves human flesh the most. This is the first time he's tasted the flesh of a prince. He'll like it."

After talking about the shadow snake, he was about to stuff the venomous snake into Qin Han's clothes.

But who knew that the next moment, something unexpected would happen.

A flying golden hairpin accurately struck the snake at its vital spot, pinning it to the Buddha statue.

The venomous snake opened its mouth wide in misery, its body twisting and contorting incessantly.

The next moment, two more golden hairpins flew over.

The venomous snake was immediately nailed to the Buddha statue, its long body drooping down.

Everything happened too fast; Shadow Serpent had no time to stop it.

When she realized what was happening, her eyes widened, and she immediately flew into a rage.

Turning his head, Shadow Serpent looked towards the palace entrance and roared:

"Who is it? Show yourself! You killed my darling, you'll pay with your life!"

Pei Qingluan led Xiao Xue'er in.

The three golden hairpins that were just shot out.

It was she who pulled it from Xiao Xue'er's hair bun.

Upon seeing that it was the Empress and the Imperial Concubine, Ying She's expression softened somewhat, but he was still furious.

Xiao Xue'er hid behind Pei Qingluan and whispered, "Sister Pei, how did you know that the King of Jiang was imprisoned here?"

Pei Qingluan reached out and patted her arm, signaling her not to be afraid, and replied:

"Although the capital city is also under Wang Long's control, the world inside and outside the palace is completely different."

"The King of Jiang is a criminal to Wang Long. It is far better to keep him inside the palace than outside. The Cold Palace is the only place to imprison him."

Xiao Xue'er nodded, indicating that she understood.

"What are you two whispering about?"

Shadow Serpent glared at the two people at the palace gate, her enraged expression turning her once alluring face into a hideous and grotesque expression.

Xiao Xue'er mustered her courage, stepped forward, puffed out her chest, and glared, saying:

"You! Don't you have any manners? I am the Imperial Concubine, and this is the Empress. The two most honored women of the Great Zhou are standing before you. Not only do you not bow, but you dare to question us! Kneel down!"

Shadow Snake did not kneel; he was still immersed in the pain of his beloved's death.

She raised this snake from a young age, putting in countless hours of effort.

Who knew she would die like that? How could she bear it?

The fact that they didn't take direct action against the two was already a consideration for their status.

Shadow Snake carefully pulled out the golden hairpins, her heart bleeding with each one she pulled out.

"Take the baby's body down, hold it in both hands," Shadow Serpent said.

"Your Majesty, are you not going to give this humble general an explanation?"

Pei Qingluan untied the fox fur cloak from her shoulders as she said, "Explanation? What explanation do you want?"

"You imprisoned the King of the Frontier without authorization and even tortured him; I haven't settled accounts with you yet!"

With a whoosh, Pei Qingluan threw out her cloak.

The once flimsy cloak transformed into a rapidly spinning shield, hurtling towards the Shadow Serpent.

Not to be outdone, Shadow Serpent drew his sword and cleaved the flying cloak in two.

But before she could be happy for long, Pei Qingluan's jade-like hand attacked from behind her cloak.

The shadow snake was startled and quickly dodged to the side.

Unexpectedly, Pei Qingluan's hand moved like a ghost, climbing up her wrist and easily snatching the long knife from her hand.

Then, with his other hand, he clenched his fist and slammed it into her chest.

Shadow Snake winced in pain, clutching his chest and staggering back several steps.

Having barely managed to regain his footing, Shadow Serpent nearly coughed up a mouthful of blood.

Her eyes widened in shock as she looked at Pei Qingluan. "I never imagined that Her Majesty the Empress was actually a martial arts practitioner."

Pei Qingluan casually twirled her sword, assumed an attacking stance, and said:

"Then what do you think an empress should be like? A vase to serve the emperor? A tool to produce offspring for the royal family? If I hadn't been summoned to the palace by His Majesty, the one standing before you would be Pei Twelve from Jiangnan!"

After saying that, Pei Qingluan gripped the hilt of the knife with both hands and thrust it fiercely at Shadow Serpent.

The shadow snake dared not be careless and jumped backward continuously.

Watching this tense and exciting scene, Xiao Xue'er excitedly clenched her fists and cheered for Pei Qingluan.

"Your Highness, stop watching the show and put me down first."

Qin Han, still tied to the Buddha statue's leg, said weakly.

"oh oh."

Xiao Xue'er then realized what was happening and quickly ran over to help Qin Han untie the ropes binding him.

After the rope was untied, Qin Han fell to the ground uncontrollably.

He was so badly injured that he could barely stand up.

"What should we do now?"

Xiao Xue'er squatted down and asked Qin Han.

Qin Han glanced at the battle situation and said, "Let's leave first and get out of here. We don't want to hold Her Majesty the Empress back."

"well."

Xiao Xue'er quickly helped the seriously injured Qin Han up, and they were about to leave the Cold Palace.

The Shadow Snake saw this and, of course, wouldn't let the two succeed.

But the long sword cut off her path, Pei Qingluan said coldly:

"Your opponent is me, yet you still have the mind to care about others. It seems I'll have to use my true abilities."

……

Your Highness.

On the sedan chair carried by eight men, Wang Long was still urging Wang Bao to get down quickly, coughing incessantly.

For some reason, Wang Bao was willing to come down when the Empress and the Imperial Concubine were still here, but as soon as they left, he became unwilling to come down.

At this moment, Wang Bao sat on the roof, his back to Wang Long, oblivious to everything happening outside.

Just then, a soldier rushed over.

He wasn't qualified to report the matter directly to Wang Long, so he first whispered it to Judge Wu, who was standing nearby.

Upon hearing this, Judge Wu couldn't help but widen his eyes in disbelief.

He waved the soldiers away, then quickly came to Wang Long's side and whispered to him what had happened in the Cold Palace.

Upon hearing this, Wang Long was furious and ordered Judge Wu to handle the matter personally.

Judge Wu clasped his hands in a fist salute, then quickly left with his men. Before leaving, he asked Night Owl to come with him, fearing that he might not be able to handle things alone.

They rushed as fast as they could, but by the time they arrived, they were still too late.

The whereabouts of King Qin Han are unknown; it is unclear where he has been sent.

Xiao Xue'er looked like she had just returned, panting just like them.

Inside the hall, Shadow Serpent was beaten so badly he couldn't even get up.

Empress Pei Qingluan placed one foot on the back of the Shadow Serpent, raised her hands high with her sword, and was about to cut off the Shadow Serpent's head with one stroke.

"Your Majesty, spare his life!"

Judge Wu quickly stepped forward and knelt down.

To everyone's utter surprise, Judge Wu knelt down immediately.

If they were truly siblings, it wouldn't be enough for them to kneel down like that.

Pei Qingluan slowly lowered the knife in her hand, frowned, and said:

"If you had arrived any later, I really would have taken action."

"Thank you, Your Majesty, for sparing my life!"

After saying this, Judge Wu banged his head on the ground with a loud thud, leaving the night owl beside him bewildered.

No, is this really the same Judge Wu he knows?

Does Judge Wu have some kind of leverage that Pei Qingluan has over him?

"Brother, why are you kneeling before her! Get up!"

The night owl pulled Judge Wu up.

After Judge Wu stood up, he still made sure to bow to Pei Qingluan:

"Thank you, Your Majesty, for sparing my life."

Pei Qingluan dropped the knife in her hand and lifted her foot, allowing Ying She to finally catch her breath.

Seeing this, Judge Wu quickly knelt down beside Shadow Snake, reached out and hugged her tightly, as if afraid of losing her. Their faces were pressed close together.