Princess, she is the one who facilitated the extradition.

The crown prince fled for his life, but Gui Yao secretly made his move, and the people of Fengyi Palace couldn't stop him at all.

The Empress stamped her foot in anxiety and hurriedly ordered her trusted nanny, Wang, "Go and tell the Duke of Zhenguo that the Crown Prince knows about that matter."

After giving her instructions, she quickly followed him to the Imperial Study.

Little did anyone know that not long after Wang Mama left Fengyi Palace, she was knocked unconscious by Gui Yao and thrown near the Imperial Study.

The two ghosts followed Gui Yao the whole time. Bai Yunshu asked her from a distance, "Miss, shall we go in and listen?"

The tiger tally in Gui Yao's hand, brimming with malevolent energy, made her feel uneasy whenever she got close.

They originally intended to prevent Gui Yao from hearing unpleasant words, but they didn't expect the Empress to have this, which made them afraid to approach.

I don't know whether to be glad the princess went with her or to pity her for going with her.

I saw such a heartless and foolish mother.

Gui Yao put the tiger tally into his spatial storage, glanced in the direction of the imperial study, and said, "No, let's go back."

De Shun will tell her everything.

Upon hearing this, the two ghosts exchanged a glance and gave up on the idea of ​​watching.

Upon seeing her daughter's miserable state, the Empress's first question was about her identity. Now that her daughter was gone, all she cared about was the tiger tally.

"He's a real piece of work."

Bai Yunshu complained to Mi Po in a low voice.

Mi Po sighed softly, "When people die, they are reborn into the animal realm, and animals may also be reborn as humans. Not all people are human."

"She's worse than an animal; she and Zhang Er really are siblings."

Bai Yunshu had personally witnessed Zhang Er's ruthlessness towards his son, so she was particularly angry with the Empress and muttered curses under her breath.

As he was cursing, he realized, "I've been stupid for decades, my brain hasn't worked properly since."

Given the relationship between those two beasts in the Zhang family, this girl is my, Xiao Ye's, own cousin. I, Xiao Ye, have gained another relative in this world.

Ono can disregard the treacherous elements of the Zhang family, but he must accept this marriage with the young lady.

Ono's younger sister was also her own child. Thinking about this, Bai Yunshu felt even more resentful towards the Empress.

"No, I have to ask Ono to burn more paper money for me so I can invite some wandering ghosts to blow more eerie winds on the Empress, so she can never have good luck again."

Mi Po nodded, "Let's go and talk to the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion too. It's not a good thing for a family with bad morals to prosper."

Gui Yao overheard their conversation and warned, "Don't go to the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion. He's involved in evil magic, and there might be something going on there."

Ghost soldiers cannot be created by ordinary people; he must have someone skilled in evil arts at his disposal.

It's unclear whether this person is the one in the black robe or the fake princess.

Gui Yao now suspects that the Ghost Market is also related to him. The Empress is foolish and listens to his lies, but even someone as dim-witted as the Crown Prince can tell that the one with real ambition is the Duke of Zhenguo.

He wanted to seize the Feng family's empire, but those who followed him were far from enough.

The Ghost Market exploits people's desires to gain leverage over them, which aligns well with the Duke of Zhenguo's motives.

Even if the ghost market wasn't his, it must have been in cahoots with him.

The two ghosts listened to Gui Yao and followed her out of the palace.

After leaving the palace, Gui Yao asked Mi Po, "How did you die?"

If Mi Po fulfills her promise ahead of schedule, she will naturally repay her in kind.

Mi Po was taken aback by the sudden question and fell silent for a long time before slowly saying, "Burned alive... to death."

"sky!"

Bai Yunshu covered her mouth.

Gui Yao's eyes darkened. "Do you want me to help you get revenge?"

Mi Po shook her head, her face showing no hatred. "They're already dead, so there's no need for revenge."

Gui Yao was slightly surprised. "So you want me to keep an eye on the old lady of the Yue State Duke's household?"

Mi Po had no willpower, so Gui Yao couldn't immediately guess what she wanted to do.

"Save people."

Mi Po said apologetically, "It's not that I don't want to talk about it, but there are some things I'm not sure about and it's inconvenient for me to say."

"How could you be so heartless? You died such a tragic death and you didn't even seek revenge."

Bai Yunshu found it hard to understand Mi Po's magnanimity. Burning someone alive—what a deep-seated grudge! Just thinking about it is painful.

Gui Yao interjected, "Because the person who burned you to death was someone you cared about, right?"

Mi Po was taken aback, then smiled helplessly, "You can't escape the princess's eyes."

But he didn't say who the person he cared about was.

Gui Yao didn't press further, and said to Bai Yunshu, "Go home. If you feel weak, you can go to Xuanji Tower to recuperate for a while."

He then said to Mi Po, "I'll have the bird keep an eye on Yang's place. We'll meet up at the Duke of Yue's mansion tonight."

The Yang family member she mentioned was the old lady of the Duke of Yue.

Mi Po nodded, "Okay."

Actually, when she approached Gui Yao, it wasn't because she really wanted her to keep an eye on the old lady of the Yue State Duke's household.

What she wants is for Gui Yao, the person who can see her and help her, to step in and help her in time if the thing she fears happens.

When Gui Yao went to the Duke of Yue's mansion that day, she guessed Mi Po's true intention, so she added, "I'll go back to Xuanji Tower and then to Prince Jin's mansion. If you need anything, you can come to Prince Jin's mansion to find me."

She needs to bring some food for Qingqing before going to see the prince.

The one person and the two ghosts made their agreement and then went their separate ways.

Inside the imperial study, the crown prince tearfully recounted the events of the day, "Father, please save Zhuzhu'er! Your son is useless; I cannot find out where she is."

The emperor looked at his son, who was crying like a dog, and felt a slight sense of relief as he grieved for his daughter's tragic death.

Although her son had many flaws, thankfully he wasn't completely bad. "Your mother killed your sister, what do you plan to do with her?"

The prince's sobs choked.

He didn't think that much about it.

The emperor said painfully, "Think carefully now, is your mother doing this for you or for the Zhang family?"

What role did the Zhang family play in this incident, that they so cruelly harmed your sister?

Is this truly to solidify your position as heir apparent, or to eliminate those who can truly assist you, so that you can only depend on them and become their puppet?

When the Empress arrived, she heard the Emperor's words and immediately knelt down, saying, "Your Majesty, I am innocent! The Crown Prince has been possessed by Gui Yao, who has opened his eyes to evil spirits, and is now talking nonsense."

Baozhu is perfectly fine. Hasn't she been corresponding with you and sending you gifts all these past three years?

She is closest to you; if she listens to the Crown Prince and suspects her identity, she will be heartbroken.

"Is the Crown Prince talking nonsense?"

The emperor slowly walked down the steps to the empress's side, and suddenly kicked her in the chest.

"If Baozhu was alright, why would you have let her fake her death on her way back to court, and then marry into the Eastern Palace under a different identity?"

His jaw was clenched, the flesh on his cheeks twitching slightly, and his voice was as cold as ice, "What, you intend to make the Crown Prince and his sister commit incest, becoming a laughingstock for the world, so that your Zhang family can take advantage of the situation?"

"What do you mean by faking death...?"

The Empress was alarmed. How did the Emperor know all this? She replied nonchalantly, "Your Majesty, I long for Baozhu to return home soon. How could I let her fake her death..."

"Bang!"

The emperor grabbed a paperweight from his desk and smashed it on the empress's head. "You are unworthy of being a mother, so you should not be one."

From the moment he learned that his daughter's murder was related to the Empress, he wanted to take action.

For countless days and nights, he agonized over his daughter's skinned face, and then learned that her eyes had been gouged out. His heart was almost numb with pain.

But the wicked Empress kept surprising him, and his Zhuzhu suffered far more than he had imagined.

How could the Empress, as a mother, carry the tiger tally, imbued with her daughter's blood and bones, on her body day and night without feeling the slightest guilt?

Beating her was too lenient; he wanted her to suffer to death.

Blood immediately streamed down the empress's forehead.

In their more than twenty years of marriage, she had never seen the emperor lay a hand on her. Terrified, she hurriedly pulled at the crown prince, saying, "Your Highness, tell His Majesty that you are lying through your teeth."

The Crown Prince felt sorry for her when he saw her being beaten, but the Empress still denied it and insisted that he was lying. The Crown Prince felt sorry for her, but he was also heartbroken.

"Mother, is the wife you chose for me that fake princess?"

The empress dared not admit it in front of the emperor and hurriedly denied it.

The emperor looked at her with deep eyes, "When I learned that Baozhu had been harmed by you, I wished I could tear you apart, skin you alive, and grind your bones to dust."

But considering the Crown Prince, and knowing that you are at least sincere towards him, I couldn't bear to put him in a difficult position, so I held back my anger.

As a result, you had no sincerity towards the Crown Prince at all, and placed an ambitious woman who dared to impersonate the eldest princess and dreamed of ruling the Southern Yao kingdom by his side.

Whether it's to find a wife for the Crown Prince, or to have her spy on and manipulate him, you and your father know the truth perfectly well.

The emperor spoke slowly and in a low voice, yet it struck the empress's heart like a heavy hammer.

"Your Majesty, I have not. You have truly misunderstood me."

The Empress wanted to say that she made this arrangement because the other party did not seek romantic love, and was a good match for the Crown Prince.

But if she were to say it, it would be an admission that Nan Yao was a fake princess, and that she was incredibly audacious to switch the princess with someone else.

"Still trying to argue."

The emperor sneered, "I made it clear to you that day that I would have the Duke of Ningguo personally go to welcome the princess, but you instigated the Crown Prince to volunteer."

It's just that you're taking advantage of your son's complete trust in you so you can manipulate things. Have you ever thought about that?

Without knowing the truth, how much pain and remorse must the Crown Prince have felt for the rest of his life, watching his sister die right before his eyes?

The emperor's footsteps pounded heavily on the gold bricks as he approached the empress step by step. "You said you killed your daughter for the sake of the crown prince, so is this also for the sake of the crown prince?"

Or is it that in your heart, your son is just as cold-blooded and heartless as you?

"Your Majesty..."

The Empress hadn't really thought of that, so she didn't know how to argue her point for a moment.

The crown prince's heart gradually shifted towards the emperor.

He had always thought that his father favored his sister, but it turned out that his father loved him just as much.

The Emperor cared so much about his sister, yet he endured her death for his sake.

He could claim to love his mother, but he never truly thought about his feelings.

Regardless of what the Emperor said, if Nan Yao discovers the switch of the hostage and launches an attack on Da Sheng, the two countries will go to war. Without Zhu Zhu'er, Da Sheng is very likely to become a vassal state of Nan Yao, or even perish.

His situation as the crown prince is therefore quite precarious...

He closed his eyes briefly, then opened them again; the heartache for the Empress in his eyes had vanished.

The emperor lowered his gaze, surveying the two figures on the ground, taking in the crown prince's expression. "Crown Prince, have you decided how to deal with her?"