Princess, she is the one who facilitated the extradition.

After being imprisoned for so long, the deposed empress has long lost her former elegance and grace.

She wore a plain white dress that was somewhat dirty, and her hair was disheveled, making her look like a madwoman.

She really is going crazy.

In the cold palace, there were no servants to attend to them. They had to fetch water from the well themselves. They were served two meals a day, which were either spoiled or raw and watery. The only thing on their bed was a hard quilt that hadn't been aired for who knows how many years.

She has enjoyed wealth and luxury for over forty years; she has never suffered such hardship.

So she eagerly asked, "Your Majesty, you've come to fetch me, haven't you? I know I was wrong. I really didn't harm Baozhu, nor did I harm the Crown Prince."

She couldn't stay in this cold palace for even a day longer; she had to go back to the Phoenix Palace.

"You still don't realize your mistake?"

When the emperor saw her, he thought of the suffering his daughter had endured and was already burning with anger. Hearing her words, he knew that she had not reflected on her actions at all.

"Your Majesty, I was wrong. Please forgive me."

But she really didn't harm Baozhu; someone must have been behind this.

But she cannot speak of these things for now, as His Majesty is unwilling to hear them. Once she goes out and finds out who it is, he will not let her off lightly.

Seeing her like this, the emperor knew that she still firmly believed in the Duke of Zhenguo.

He suddenly turned around, drew a long sword from the waist of the Imperial Guard, and strode to the deposed empress. After a flash of cold light, the deposed empress screamed in agony.

"Ah, Your Majesty, Your Majesty, spare my life..."

The emperor severed her tendons in her hands and feet, saying, "This pain is nothing compared to the pain you inflicted on Zhuzhu."

"I will not kill you for now; that would be too lenient. But if I question you later and you still dare to argue, Zhang Yan, I will personally gouge out your eyes and peel off your face."

These are all things that Zhuzhu has endured, and Zhang Yan should also go through them.

He said coldly, "I have no patience for your perfunctory answers."

As night deepened, while the other women slept peacefully at home, his daughter, a princess, had to toil all night.

He didn't want to waste any more time with the deposed empress. "If you can't get the answer from me, I'll ask the crown prince."

Under the illumination of the palace lanterns, the emperor's face was filled with a fierce look, and the deposed empress knew he was not joking.

She hurriedly replied, "Please ask, and I will answer."

Although she resented the Crown Prince for betraying her and causing her to fall into the cold palace, the Crown Prince was also her hope.

If the emperor deposes even the crown prince, she will truly have no chance of advancement.

"Thirteen years ago, the State of Lu invaded our borders. When I learned that Zhuzhu had been kidnapped, I fainted."

The emperor pointed his sword at her eyes. "Is the news of Zhuzhu'er's abduction, and my coma, related to you?"

"no."

The deposed empress looked up in shock, "Your Majesty, I did not! How could I dare to lay a hand on you?"

"Was it the Duke of Zhenguo who gave you the idea to conceal my coma and deal with the officials who entered the palace?"

The deposed empress moved her lips, her eyes filled with fear as she guarded against the long sword in the emperor's hand.

The emperor narrowed his eyes and thrust the sword forward. "Speak quickly."

The deposed empress hastily changed her words, "Yes, Father is only thinking of His Majesty. His Majesty is the pillar of the Great Sheng Dynasty. If His Majesty is ill, it will surely make the State of Lu even more arrogant and will also dampen the morale of our army..."

"He was also the one who ordered the theft of Gu Xiao's memorial."

The emperor had already received his answer, so he was too lazy to listen to the brainless nonsense spouted by the deposed empress.

If the Empress didn't cause his coma, then it was the Duke of Zhenguo. The Empress had pawns of the Zhang family by her side, and the Empress herself was also a pawn of the Zhang family.

"Was it your idea or his to have the Crown Prince wet the register of memorials?"

The deposed empress's eyes showed even greater terror.

So many years have passed, why would Your Majesty suddenly bring up this old matter?

Stealing imperial edicts is a capital offense; she cannot admit to it.

"Your Majesty, Your Majesty didn't... Ah..."

The long sword pierced the deposed empress's right eye. Just as her shrill scream was about to rise, Gui Yao kicked out a pebble, which silenced her.

The sound was trapped in her throat, and the pain felt even more intensely trapped inside her body.

The deposed empress had never experienced such agony; she felt she would die in pain.

Then he heard the emperor instruct Li Deshun, "Stop her bleeding, don't let her die easily."

After being crippled, with her hands and feet crippled, she could only let Li Deshun do as he pleased, but the hemostatic medicine could not stop the pain.

The pain in her eyes, in particular, forced her to press her forehead against the ground to alleviate even a little bit of the pain.

The emperor looked at the woman in agony on the ground without a shred of pity. He was thinking about how his own daughter had endured this pain.

He never dared to ask, and he learned from Li Deshun that his daughter had not yet regained her memory.

It's better if I can't remember.

The longsword lifted the deposed empress's chin. "I'll give you one more chance. Answer my question."

Gui Yao moved his foot, and the stone released the deposed empress's mute acupoint.

"Yes."

The deposed empress was not someone who could endure hardship; the pain drained her strength and spirit, including her family ties.

All she wants now is to suffer less.

"Father said that when Gu Xiao returned to the capital after his defeat, and his second brother accepted everything from him, he would definitely be unwilling and would speak ill of his second brother and the Zhang family in front of His Majesty."

Your Majesty is a benevolent ruler; even though he was defeated, you did not punish him. You might be instigated by him, so I took the memorial away.

"I feared the officials in charge of reporting would find out, so I lured him into getting the register wet by promising him permission to leave the palace for a stroll."

The deposed empress was in so much pain that her teeth were chattering. She closed one eye and said, "Your Majesty, I told you that De Shun did not serve Your Majesty well and caused Your Majesty to fall into a coma. Wetting the register was to teach him a small lesson."

The Crown Prince felt sorry for His Majesty and also harbored resentment towards De Shun, therefore he cooperated with my actions.

The emperor blamed her for not being a good mother, so she spoke up for the crown prince, hoping that the emperor would take pity on her.

But the emperor knew that she was speaking up for the crown prince now only in order to get out of the cold palace.

Moreover, he deposed the empress not because of the crown prince, but because she helped outsiders to murder Zhuzhu'er.

"I detest the infighting in the harem and do not want an empress who is too clever, so I chose you."

But now I am truly fed up with your foolishness, Zhang Yan. All these years you have been able to sit firmly in the position of Empress, not because of the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion, but because of Zhuzhu'er.

Because she was born of you, she was entitled to a higher status due to her daughter, yet you have destroyed your own glory with your own hands.

"No, I didn't..."

The Empress still insisted that Baozhu was still alive.

Before she could finish speaking, a soothing melody drifted to her ears: "The moon has risen, close the gate. Child, sleep peacefully, do not cry..."

It was Guiyao humming.

After singing two lines, she scoffed, "You said I've been stronger than my brother since I was little, so you don't need to worry about me."

My brother needs your protection, so you had the Duke of Zhenguo imprison me in Baiyue.

But do you know that ordinary people can't even reach Baiyue? Even the Duke of Zhenguo didn't send me there.

"you……"

The deposed empress's perfectly intact eyes trembled violently. "You, you are..."

Gui Yao only glanced at her indifferently before turning and leaving the Cold Palace. She didn't need a mother-daughter reunion; what she wanted was the truth and revenge.

Clearly, the deposed empress knew very little about the Duke of Zhenguo's conspiracy, but there were some things she was actually well aware of.

For example, when she helped steal memorials, the deposed empress might not have been unaware of the truth. And when she died tragically, the deposed empress simply refused to admit her mistakes.

"Foolish woman."

The emperor dropped his longsword and sneered, "The Duke of Zhenguo has been using and deceiving you all along. How could someone as cunning as him not know that your safety depends on the precious pearl?"

But he still disregarded your life and death to achieve his goal.

"No!"

The Empress cried out, "Impossible! You're lying, Your Majesty! You're deceiving me..."

"When she called herself 'your concubine' again and uttered that one word, they cut out her tongue."

The emperor left after saying this and went to chase after Gui Yao.

The cries behind her abruptly ceased, and the deposed empress could only prostrate herself on the ground and weep softly.

She was really scared.

Gui Yao stood at the entrance of the Cold Palace waiting for the emperor.

The emperor caught up, saying, "She cannot die yet..."

To avoid alerting the enemy, he also needed to utilize the crown prince.

But he didn't want his daughter to misunderstand that he was unwilling to avenge her, so he wanted to explain.

But Gui Yao called out, "Father!"

All the emperor's words were stuck in his throat, making his eyes sting with tears.

"Father, may I take revenge myself?"

"it is good."

The emperor tilted his head slightly. "That's how it should be."

Gui Yao took a step closer and wrapped her arms around his waist. "Father, you've lost weight."

Compared to when they met at the restaurant a while ago, the emperor looked much thinner, and Gui Yao suddenly felt a pang of heartache.

With just a few words, tears welled up in the emperor's eyes, which he couldn't hold back even with his head tilted back. "You're getting old, so you should be thinner and more wiry."

"Father, eat more. If you get better, you can spend more time with me."

The Great Sheng dynasty also needs a wise emperor like her father. Perhaps he is not decisive enough, but he cares about the people and is her unwavering support.

The emperor placed his large hand on his daughter's head, "I will do whatever Zhuzhu says."

Gui Yao smiled, but as she smiled, her eyes welled up with tears.

Da Shan found her father, and she returned to her father's embrace, where she felt warm and secure.