Princess, she is the one who facilitated the extradition.

"I don't."

The Empress immediately retorted, saying that she was also deeply upset after hearing the Crown Prince's words.

But what pained her most was not her daughter's death, but rather, "Your mother treated you with all her heart, how could you think of her like this?"

She firmly believed her daughter was still alive and well, "How can one easily believe the words of a dead soul?"

"Why did the Empress Dowager poison her?"

The Crown Prince's eyes reddened. "Mother, don't rush to deny it. We are mother and son. If you lie to me this time, you will never hear a word of truth from me again."

The crown prince is destined to be the empress.

Upon hearing this, the Empress felt a little flustered. "Your mother is doing all this for you, Crown Prince. You cannot break your mother's heart."

"But my mother lied to me, used me, and deceived me."

The prince's lips trembled.

Since Zhuzhu'er is dead, then Nan Yao's princess is a fake.

The Empress Dowager ordered him to fetch the fake princess; was she trying to use him again with the same old trick?

The reason he was sent to escort his sister was to switch her with another woman; and what was the purpose of sending him to pick up the fake princess?

In his eyes, the Empress showed disappointment, pain, and estrangement.

From childhood to adulthood, he was inferior to his younger sister in everything, but his mother often praised him, so he thought, at least in his mother's heart, I am intelligent.

But wasn't it because the Empress Dowager repeatedly used him that she thought he was simple-minded and easily deceived?

"Mother, where is Zhuzhu?"

The empress was frightened by his gaze and stammered, "I had your maternal grandfather send her to Baiyue."

Your maternal grandfather has been sending people to visit her all these years, and she is doing very well in Baiyue.

The more capable a person is, the more likely they are to develop ambition. I did this because I was afraid that if she went to Nanyao, she might develop inappropriate thoughts.

"At that time, she will be far away, and we will have no control over what she does. If the truth about her expedition becomes known to the world, will your position as crown prince still be as secure as it is today?"

She and the future of the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion depended on her son, and she did not want him to become estranged from her.

The Empress praised the Emperor, saying, "This matter has always been a hidden danger. That's why I thought of sending the fake princess to infiltrate Nan Yao, steal military intelligence and court secrets, and plant a spy there in advance."

At that time, with the help of your maternal grandfather's family, you will be able to subdue Nan Yao in one fell swoop, and that will be your achievement.

Even if the secret of your expedition is discovered in the future, you will still have the merit of unifying the world. Who would dare to object?

"To subdue Nan Yao?"

The Crown Prince thought the Empress was delusional.

"After the various kingdoms were pacified, I advocated launching a full-scale attack on Nan Yao because of Zhu Zhu'er."

But later, his sister told him about Nan Yao's strength, and that the best outcome for Da Sheng in the face of Nan Yao would be a draw, so he gave up the idea.

In the past three years, he has seen the confidence of a strong country in Xiao Huaijin, and he dared not have any other thoughts.

But his mother and maternal grandfather actually dared to try to seize the Southern Yao kingdom, and he sneered.

"Who will subdue Nan Yao? Your son? Or your exiled second uncle?"

"Among my court officials, where is there a lack of outstanding military generals?"

The Empress, however, was quite confident. "When Baozhu quelled the rebellions of the various kingdoms, wasn't it also thanks to her women infiltrating beforehand and working together from the inside?"

These past two days, she has indeed been thinking that the war between the two countries would be a good opportunity for her second brother to return to the court.

The crown prince realized for the first time that his lack of intelligence was something he had inherited from his mother.

"Did your maternal grandfather tell you all this?"

The Empress Dowager, confined to the deep palace, was like a frog at the bottom of a well. To seize a country, especially a powerful one, was not as easy as she claimed.

If it were truly so easy, why did none of the officials in the court share the burden for their father before Zhuzhu pacified the various countries, allowing the surrounding nations to bully and invade them?

But his mother firmly believed it; he couldn't think of any other reason besides his maternal grandfather brainwashing her.

"Your maternal grandfather did all this for us, mother and child."

The Empress hoped that her son would inherit his father's favor, so she did not deny the Crown Prince's words and even took out a tiger tally from her purse.

"I know you think the Empress Dowager is delusional, but with this, it will definitely work."

The crown prince stared intently at it, "The tiger tally that commands the Five-Colored Army?"

The tiger tally was a credential exclusively used by the imperial court to dispatch regular troops; it could not be used by non-regular troops.

So when the Five Colors Army only had a few hundred people, the young Baozhu carved a fish-shaped talisman himself.

He found it amusing to watch the group of girls solemnly accept the messy fish-shaped talisman.

After Baozhu led the expedition in his stead and annihilated the State of Lu in one fell swoop, he had nothing to do at the royal estate, so he decided to carve another fine piece for her by hand as a way of thanking her.

When the emperor learned of this, he ordered someone to send him a fine piece of jade and granted him permission to carve tiger tallies for the Five-Colored Army.

Baozhu was overjoyed upon receiving it and never parted with it. Now, however, the tiger tally that could command the five-colored army was in the hands of the Empress Dowager.

How it came about is no longer a question.

It wouldn't be difficult for the Empress Dowager to take the tiger tally from Zhuzhu'er.

However, "the Five-Colored Army has already disappeared throughout the world. Without the precious pearl, it is almost impossible for the Empress Dowager to command them with just this Tiger Tally."

The Five-Colored Army didn't recognize the Tiger Tally, but rather the face of the precious pearl.

Thinking of something, he was incredulous: "Does Mother want that fake princess to deceive the Five Colors Army again?"

Don't bother, most of them grew up with Baozhu, it's hard to fool them.

"They did not live in seclusion."

The Empress lowered her eyes to look at the Tiger Tally. "They were refined into Yin Soldiers. Yin Soldiers do not recognize the Tiger Tally, but they recognize the soul aura of their master."

This tiger tally, having been soaked in Baozhu's heart's blood and Xuanji's bone powder for three years, had long been imbued with Baozhu's essence and blood.

"Bone powder? You're still saying Baozhu isn't dead?"

The crown prince's finger trembled as he pointed at the tiger tally. "If she hadn't died, where would the heart's blood and bone powder have come from?"

The powdered bones, and those five-colored women, were all killed by the Empress Dowager.

He backed away in terror.

His mother was so vicious.

"With the protection of magic, taking only a little of her heart's blood and a piece of Xuanji bone will not harm her life, and she will recover quickly."

Seeing his anger, the Empress hurriedly explained, "Your Majesty has no choice. With these five thousand Yin soldiers, my son can be invincible."

"Mother!"

Tears welled up in the Crown Prince's eyes. "Don't use me as a pretext. You never told me that you would hurt Zhuzhu for my sake."

If magic can solve everything, then why doesn't the Empress Dowager take away her own body, or the lifeblood of her maternal grandfather and uncle?

You have taken your sister's life and placed it on your son's shoulders, and you also say that the ghost soldiers were forged by your son. Who forged them? And where are the ghost soldiers now?

"If I hadn't come today, when did Mother intend to tell me the truth?"

"I didn't tell you because I was afraid you would feel burdened."

The Empress took two steps to catch up, "It's inconvenient for the Empress Dowager to do things in the palace, so everything is being done by your maternal grandfather."

"Your Highness, we are also heartbroken, but Baozhu is truly not dead. Your maternal grandfather would never lie to me. Baozhu is also his granddaughter, and he loves her dearly."

"elder brother."

It was at this moment that Gui Yao appeared before the two of them, in her most terrifying form.

Her arms and legs were spread apart and nailed to a wooden frame. Her body was covered in blood and flesh, with only two bleeding black holes remaining in her eyes. Her face skin had been peeled off, and a long nail was hanging from the flesh of her throat.

"Zhuzhu'er..."

When the prince saw her like this, his pupils dilated violently, and his mouth gaped open like a dehydrated fish.

"elder brother."

Gui Yao took the nails off the flesh and held them in front of the Crown Prince. "These are coffin nails. They were originally going to nail them into my forehead, throat, and heart, so that my soul would perish in this world and I would never be able to go to the underworld to file a complaint."

She said it was all for you, brother, but brother, I never thought of competing with you.

Never before, brother. For these three years, not a single day has passed without pain. You said I was your dearest sister, that you would always protect me, but why have I ended up like this? Why, my brother?

"Mother!"

The crown prince finally roared, "Is this what you meant by 'Zhuzhu'er is perfectly fine'? Open your eyes and see for yourself how she's perfectly fine."

He tremblingly reached out his hands to touch Gui Yao, but the icy coldness, which didn't belong to a living person, completely broke him down. He hugged Gui Yao's body tightly.

"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have been jealous of you, I shouldn't have been careless and let her hurt you like this. I failed to protect you, I broke my promise."

But believe me, I really never intended to take your life, Zhuzhu'er. I promised Father that I would let you live a peaceful and happy life for the rest of your days, and I've always remembered that…”

Gui Yao also shed tears, her tears mingling with the blood in her eyes, and she turned to look at the Empress.

The Empress gasped and covered her mouth in shock the moment Gui Yao appeared. Seeing Gui Yao looking over, she asked in a trembling voice, "You're not Baozhu, who are you?"

Her father wouldn't lie to her; Baozhu was in Baiyue, so this couldn't be Baozhu.

Gui Yao's gaze shifted to the tiger tally in her hand.

Just now, neither Aye Niang nor Mi Po dared to approach Fengyi Palace, and there were no other dead souls in Fengyi Palace.

She was still wondering what was strange about Fengyi Palace.

The reason is that the tiger tally had accompanied her in battle for five years, absorbing her murderous aura, and was later imbued with her blood and bones, so ordinary ghosts were naturally afraid of it.

With a slight twitch of her fingers, the tiger tally in the Empress's hand was in hers. Gui Yao pushed the Crown Prince away, her figure gradually moving backward. "Brother, if you really feel guilty, then save the Five-Colored Army. They are heroes and should not be harmed and defiled by her."

"Zhuzhu'er..."

Watching the person disappear before his eyes, the prince called out and searched.

The Empress also cried out, "She took my tiger tally! Crown Prince, don't believe her! She's not Baozhu; she must be an evil spirit in disguise, here to sow discord between us..."

"shut up."

The prince abruptly turned to look at her, taking steps back, "You're terrifying, you're all terrifying..."

If they could treat Baozhu that way, will they be able to treat him the same way in the future?

The crown prince seemed to have never recognized his mother. He suddenly turned around and said, "Father, I want to go find Father."

Over the years, he has been able to sit securely in the position of Crown Prince because he has his father, his mother, and his sister behind him.

But now his mother is not the same as before, and his sister is dead; he only has his father left.

The Empress dared not let him escalate the matter to the Emperor's ears, and she spoke up to stop him, "You are not allowed to go."

The crown prince, terrified by his ruthlessness, had already run away. The empress, left with no other option, could only shout to the palace servants, "Stop him! Don't let him leave..."