After a long time, Xiaoyu loosened his arms, but he had to make sure that Lin Mengya was safe and sound.

Lin Mengya was really getting tired of the pestering. Thus she pretended that her wound was hurting again, so that Xiaoyu would sit next to her obediently.

“The matter in the palace has come to an end for the time being. The Empress definitely won’t be able to get out of trouble this time. How is the progress on your end?”

Everything that happened during the day was actually a part of Lin Mengya’s plan.

However, apart from the three of them and Wanyan Lie, even Madame Jingrou and the Emperor were kept in the dark.

In order to make it look as real as possible, Lin Mengya personally put on a good show.

“Everything is ready, but Wanyan Jing won’t be able to come back for the time being. Uncle Lie followed our instructions and quickly found some loopholes. Now, Wanyan Jing is in a dilemma.”

There was a flash of light in Xiaoyu’s eyes.

This time, being with his sister, he had seen and learned a lot of things.

Although everything seemed calm now, once the storm hit, no matter how calm things were on the surface, it would be torn apart by the underlying dark waves.

Now, the peace and success that Wanyan Jing had tried so hard to maintain and keep up was secretly being pulled away by his people.

If he didn’t handle things well, the so-called kudos would turn into blame.

On that point, Uncle Lie had taught him a lot.

Even though he hadn’t left the capital, he had long since grasped the initiative.

“That’s good. I guess Yuanshu will be taken before the Emperor tomorrow. Baisu, have you arranged for someone to keep an eye on them in secret?”

Yuanshu was the dowry of the Empress, so she was the Empress’s confidant.

Since the Empress had come out of the coma, although she was in good health, she had always suspected that someone was trying to harm her.

Therefore, her diet and daily needs were now taken care of by her most trusted subordinates.

The Empress had a habit of eating Snow Pear Swallow Nest before dinner every day to nourish her face.

Yuanshu would bring it over to the Empress every day from the kitchen at that time.

So it was inevitable for Lin Mengya to run into Yuanshu when she went out at that time.

“Don’t worry, Miss. I’ve put everything in place. I won’t let anything happen to Yuanshu.”

Baisu nodded. She had sent someone to keep an eye on Yuanshu the moment she got back.

The news that Lin Mengya said before the Emperor that only Yuanshu had touched the incense box, had traveled to the Linqiu Pavilion by the spies planted around the Emperor.

The Empress was shocked and angry. She was afraid that the Emperor would really believe her, so she had sent her most trusted and abled dog to kill her.

Unfortunately, Lin Mengya had expected this to happen.

The quilt and pillows on the bed had actually been prepared in advance.

The dummy used to deceive the killer was made of a quilt and pillow.

However, Lin Mengya purposely hid in the bed, which had confounded the killer for the time being so that she would mistakenly think that she had killed Lin Mengya.

All they could see at the scene was a complete mess. No one would have known that this was all part of a plan.

“That’s good. I guess they must be very anxious now. The disappearance of Yuanshu will definitely make the Empress panic. Another thing, keep an eye on the palace maid in the greenhouse. Don’t let her ruin everything.”

Although Wanyan Jing was not in the palace at the moment, he had many spies. These spies were unlikely to sit by and do nothing.

“Alright, you can rest assured, sis.”

The three people in the room had long reached an agreement. An invisible net had firmly taken control of the Linqiu Pavilion.

As Lin Mengya expected, she was brought before the Emperor the next morning.

In the inner hall, Lin Mengya knelt on the ground with her head lowered, looking very scared.

The Emperor sat on the throne, and his expression was ghastly.

However, the one with the ugliest expression was the Empress, who was standing to the side.

She had long lost her arrogance in front of the Emperor.

Not only was her face drained of its colors, but she was also feeling uneasy.

Although she was standing still, her gaze was sweeping in every direction.

After seeing Lin Mengya, the Empress gave her a look that screamed contempt.

Lin Mengya pretended not to see it and kept her head down, trying hard to stay in character.

“Your Majesty, the poison in the incense has been identified. It’s a kind of venom called Hawkman Snake poison. The toxicity is not strong, but if mixed with spices for a long time, the person will slowly be poisoned and eventually become crazy and completely lose his or her original nature. It’s very hard to procure and even more difficult to detect.”

The person who spoke was a young man in yellow robes.

Lin Mengya knew that he was a disciple of the Grand Shaman. At this moment, the Grand Shaman was sitting in a chair by the side with his eyes slightly closed and a calm look on his face.

It was as if everything here had nothing to do with him.

“Yao Lu, do you have anything else to say?”

This time, it was the Emperor himself who spoke.

Although Lin Mengya did not have much contact with the Emperor, she knew that he would usually not interfere in the affairs of the harem easily.

However, what happened this time angered the Emperor.

That was the reason why he decided to personally interrogate the suspect.

Now hearing the words of the Grand Shaman’s disciple, the Emperor actually addressed the Empress by her full name. It was obvious that, in this matter, he did not consider their relationship as husband and wife at all.

“Your Majesty, I’m innocent! You can’t listen to those evil, cunning people. I’ve been serving you since I was fifteen years old. I have made mistakes in the past, but my love for you is clear as day and as bright as the moon!”

The Empress was slightly flustered and spoke without thinking. She was busy expressing her sincerity, yet she’d forgotten that some of those evil, cunning people she spoke of were existences that even the Emperor himself had to respect.

Sure enough, after leaving Wanyan Jing and Madame Hui, the Empress was just a complete idiot.

A mocking smile appeared on Lin Mengya’s face.

If the Empress were to find out who the real culprit was, she would probably be so furious that she would cough up blood and die.

“Shut up!”

His Majesty shouted coldly, and the Grand Shaman, who had been resting with his eyes closed, opened his eyes at this moment.

After glancing at the Empress indifferently, he closed them again.

However, everyone could see that the Grand Shaman was probably displeased with the Empress’s words.

“Your Majesty, I really didn’t do it! It’s true that I don’t like Madame Jingrou, but I would never do anything to harm you. Please make a thorough investigation and clear my name!”

Tears streamed down the Empress’s face as she sobbed pitifully.

But Lin Mengya knew that everyone present could forgive her in this room except for the Emperor and Madame Jingrou, who both wanted to kill her.

The Emperor would never forget what happened when Xiaoyu was born. Back then, the Empress, in order to protect her son’s status, took advantage of her family’s power to force Xiaoyu in exile, and thus he was separated from his son for so many years.

Besides, people like the Emperor hated to be threatened the most.

After all these years, the Empress had managed to wear down their already fragile relationship.

Even if Madame Jingrou was not in the picture, there would be other madams who would replace her and still put her in such an awkward situation.

Perhaps the Empress had feelings for the Emperor, but such love built on possessiveness and jealousy had long been spurned by the Emperor.

Not to mention that standing behind her was the Yao Family, which had always coveted the throne.

“Your Majesty, I don’t think it’s sister’s fault either. Maybe someone is trying to frame her. Please make a decision as soon as possible.”

That gentle voice had irritated the Empress even more.

The Empress angrily glared at her old nemesis. She had long since determined that this was a setup at the hands of Madame Jingrou in order to eliminate her.

Just as she was about to curse, she was quietly stopped by a palace maid beside her.

Now, the only person who was willing to speak up for her was her nemesis.

But the way she saw things, Madame Jingrou was just pretending to be kind and righteous.

“Since you said that you didn’t do it, why didn’t you hand over Yuanshu when I sent someone to get her?”

Despite Madame Jingrou’s persuasion, the Emperor refused to forgive the Empress easily.

Every sentence he uttered left the Empress powerless to resist.

“Well… I don’t know where that b*tch had gone to. Maybe she was afraid of punishment and had run away! Your Majesty, I really didn’t do it. Maybe Yuanshu colluded with others to slander me.”

The Empress felt guilty, so her attitude was no longer as firm as before.

Lin Mengya sneered. Truth be told, the Empress was not quite as innocent as she claimed.

This plan was based on ‘going with the flow’ as it were.

If it weren’t for their quick reaction, Madame Jingrou would probably really fall into their trap.

“Is that so? Then let Yuanshu explain it herself. Men, bring her here!”

The Emperor narrowed his eyes and looked at the Empress with ruthlessness in his eyes.

The Empress could not help but tremble as she looked at the Emperor with fear in her eyes.

Yuanshu was the Empress’s confidant, which meant that, over the years, she knew a lot of things about the Empress.

She had planned to get rid of the little b*tch overnight, but unexpectedly, she couldn’t find any trace of Yuanshu in the entire palace.

Little did she expect that Yuanshu had already fallen into the hands of the Emperor.

The deep fear that rose from the bottom of her heart made the Empress’s body weak.

However, it was quickly suppressed. As long as the Yao family and Wanyan Jing were still around, even the Emperor could not do anything to her easily!

She couldn’t panic. As long as she gathered herself and placed all the blame onto Yuanshu, she would be able to evade blame like the many times she had in the past.

“Your Majesty… Your Grace…”

Some vague words suddenly came from behind him.

The Empress turned around and saw Yuanshu covered with blood. She must have been tortured.

Clenching her fists, she ignored the pleading look that Yuanshu cast her way.

Instead, she glared at Yuanshu with a look of disgust.

“What a b*tch! Let me ask you, who bribed you to slander me?”

Lin Mengya was also kneeling on the ground, but at this moment, she had become a supporting role.

But no one could guess that it was Lin Mengya who stirred up the huge waves that swept up the palace and even spread across the entire Lieyun Empire.

At an angle that others could not see, there was a hint of playfulness in her eyes.

The fun was about to begin.