“The venomous empress was resurrected after being killed by her son.

The Nangong Shuo siblings are far from the weak and easily bullied people they appear to be. Although Nangong Shuo hasn't yet earned much favor from Nangong Qing, he still maintains control over his own palace. This incident is simply a trap laid by Empress Ping, whose hidden schemes are more complex than they first appear.

Jiang Mingzhu had sent the message, and soon after, she heard that a first-class palace maid from Jinxiu Palace had accidentally fallen into the pool.

Jiang Mingzhu couldn't help but smirk upon hearing the news. The siblings were far more decisive and ruthless than she had anticipated. What intrigued her was how they would feel once they learned that it was Empress Ping who had orchestrated this entire matter.

The more Jiang Mingzhu thought about it, the more she realized how capable Empress Ping truly was. To carry out so many actions without anyone noticing was no small feat, which suggested that Empress Ping had considerable influence. Being ensnared by such a trap left Jiang Mingzhu feeling deeply frustrated.

 Your Majesty, should we continue the investigation?"

Although the two palace maids had already died, since they came from Shou'an Palace, all the servants in Shou'an Palace should be brought to the Shenxing Court for interrogation. However, doing so would disgrace Ping Tai Fei.

"We should investigate from other angles. Ping Tai Fei once raised me for a period of time, and I know her well. She shouldn't have done something like this. The two palace maids might have been planted by someone behind the scenes in Shou'an Palace."

Lin Xian understood the Emperor's meaning after hearing this.

"However, Your Majesty, Yi Qing has been following up on this case. If Cining Palace learns of this, they may not easily let it go."

The Empress Dowager was never easy to deal with, and this time, she nearly became the scapegoat. If the Emperor didn't explain this to her, things might get tricky.

Nan Gongqing rubbed his brow, feeling a headache coming on.

"I will explain it to the Empress Dowager."

Though he said this, Nan Gongqing knew it wouldn't be an easy task. Despite the agreement with the Empress Dowager, she was still his mother, and her word carried weight. Moreover, that "agreement" might very well be another one of her tricks.

"Mother, this matter has no solid evidence. Moreover, those two maids were only second-class maids working in the garden. It might be that they were planted by someone else. It wouldn't be appropriate to make a big deal of it."

"Are you saying that it's fine to let Shou'an Palace off the hook? Does Ping Tai Fei think she is more important than me, the Empress Dowager?"

"I didn't mean it that way. Those two palace maids are dead…"

"Dead or alive, it doesn't matter. They were from Shou'an Palace. No matter what, Ping Tai Fei is responsible for failing to manage her people."

Jiang Mingzhu spoke while casting a cold glance at Nan Gongqing. "Someone, bring Ping Tai Fei here!"

Jiang Mingzhu knew that with Nan Gongqing protecting her, Ping Tai Fei couldn't be punished without solid proof. But letting her go so easily would be unfair to others.

Moreover, this incident had Ping Tai Fei's fingerprints all over it. With her long reach, she needed to be punished properly to set an example.

"Empress Dowager…"

"What? Does the Emperor want to be unclear about right and wrong? Am I not allowed to discipline Ping Tai Fei?"

Jiang Mingzhu's words left Nan Gongqing speechless. Although he was the Emperor, the Empress Dowager was his mother, and filial piety weighed heavily on him. Moreover, the Empress Dowager was within her rights to discipline Ping Tai Fei.

The Empress Dowager summoned Ping Tai Fei, and she had no choice but to appear.

"Your servant pays her respects to the Empress Dowager. May the Empress Dowager be well."

"I am not well at all. Ping Tai Fei, one of your palace maids plotted to harm the crown prince. Do you think you can cover it up by silencing them?"

When Ping Tai Fei heard that the Empress Dowager had accused her of such a serious crime, she was so frightened that she turned pale and kneeled on the ground. Seeing Nan Gongqing present only made her more nervous.

"Your Majesty, such an incident in my palace is a failure on my part. I didn't manage my people well. But I would never dare to harm the crown prince. The crown prince is so clever and lovable. I adore him and would never wish him harm."

"That's hard to say, Ping Tai Fei. I truly cannot figure out your intentions."

"I would never do such a thing. Please, Your Majesty, look into it carefully. Please, Your Majesty, examine it!"

"How can we investigate when the people are dead? Ping Tai Fei, are you intentionally acting with impunity now?"

Jiang Mingzhu sneered, "Ping Tai Fei, regardless of whether those two palace maids were acting under your orders, they were your people. Would you accept being punished for failing to manage your own palace?"

"I dare not object, Your Majesty. I will accept whatever punishment you see fit."

Ping Tai Fei said this with tears in her eyes, though her tone was filled with an air of grievance.

"Mother, Ping Tai Fei did raise me for a time. Please, for my sake, be lenient in her punishment."

"Since the Emperor has said this, I cannot disregard his request."

When Jiang Mingzhu spoke these words, Ping Tai Fei looked both grateful on the surface, but a flash of smugness passed through her eyes.

"I won't punish you too severely. Ping Tai Fei, go kneel outside Cining Palace. Stay there for half an hour, and after that, you may leave. Consider this your punishment." Jiang Mingzhu smiled coldly. As long as she still had power in the palace, her words still carried weight.

"But, Empress Dowager, I…"

The punishment was not too harsh, but having to kneel like that would ruin her reputation.

Ever since Nan Gongqing ascended the throne, Ping Tai Fei, who had raised him for a while, had been treated with respect by the Emperor. Although she couldn't compare to Jiang Mingzhu in power, she still had dignity in the palace.

"Ping Tai Fei, I believe this punishment is reasonable. Do you think that, just because the Emperor supports you, you can disregard my authority?"

Jiang Mingzhu said this on purpose. Ping Tai Fei could only play small tricks behind the scenes, but in the face of real power, she had to kneel.

Nan Gongqing was somewhat reluctant to see her suffer, but with the Empress Dowager's character, this punishment was already light. After all, Ping Tai Fei had been caught, and even if the Emperor wanted to protect her, he didn't have the position to do so.

"Yes, Your Majesty. I accept the punishment."

Ping Tai Fei was a clever woman. She knew that this punishment couldn't be avoided and knelt straight in front of Cining Palace with her maids.

"What? Ping Tai Fei was punished to kneel outside Cining Palace?"

The Empress heard the news with disbelief. The Empress Dowager had never made things difficult for Ping Tai Fei before, so it seemed she had done something to anger the Empress Dowager this time.

"The news from Cining Palace is that the crown prince's incident was related to Shou'an Palace. Unfortunately, the two palace maids from Shou'an Palace are dead, and there's no evidence. The Empress Dowager was enraged and punished Ping Tai Fei."

As the mother of the crown prince, the Empress couldn't help but investigate. She entrusted everything to Nan Gongqing, but the Emperor was not her only ally. Moreover, her network within the palace was limited, and the information she had was scarce. After hearing this, her face darkened.

"Could it really be Ping Tai Fei?"

"I've never had a conflict with Ping Tai Fei. Because of the Emperor's relationship, I've always treated her with respect, even more so than the Empress Dowager. I never thought she would be so ruthless."

"However, Your Majesty, there is no evidence that Ping Tai Fei did this. The two palace maids were not her trusted subordinates. They were just second-class maids working outside, perhaps planted by someone else."

The Empress was not so convinced.

"There's no such thing as coincidence in this world. I've been in the palace for many years, and the one thing I don't believe in is coincidence. Many things that seem coincidental are actually arranged by someone behind the scenes."

If it weren't for the Empress Dowager's action with the Heart-preserving Pill, the palace maids in Ping Tai Fei's palace would never have been exposed.

The more she thought about it, the more the Empress was convinced it wasn't just a coincidence.

"Ping Tai Fei, well done! From now on, keep an eye on Shou'an Palace. If they dare to harm my son, even if she once raised the Emperor, what does it matter?"

Although the Empress feared the Empress Dowager, she didn't think much of Ping Tai Fei. After all, she was just a Tai Fei. How could she think that, just because of her past relationship with the Emperor, she could escape her punishment?

Shou'an Palace.

After kneeling outside Cining Palace for an hour, Ping Tai Fei returned with a very sullen expression.

"Tai Fei, you…

Your Majesty, are you really just going to let Empress Dowager Ping off so easily? It seems too lenient."

Fang Ruo felt that such a resolution wasn't satisfying. The Empress was becoming softer and kinder now. If this were the past, Empress Dowager Ping would have been punished severely.

"The Empress Dowager Ping has the emperor protecting her, and we don't have conclusive evidence. We really can't move against her. The emperor is becoming more decisive."

"Empress Dowager Ping only pretends to have raised the emperor for less than a year. She really thinks of herself as the emperor's benefactor. She's good at pretending to be a kind person, but behind the scenes, she's been greedy."

"Then let's cut off her claws!"

Jiang Mingzhu wasn't the kind of person who would show mercy. Making Empress Dowager Ping kneel was indeed an insult, but simply letting it go wasn't possible. She whispered something to Fang Ruo, who's eyes lit up in understanding.

"Your Majesty, don't worry. I know what to do."

"I think the Empress will cooperate willingly. Though she's a bit timid in nature, any mother would do anything for her child."

Jiang Mingzhu thought to herself, although the Empress Dowager had two troublesome children, the Empress had a good son.

"Even though the Crown Prince is still so young, he is already very filial."

A voice from the system echoed: "Emperor's hatred increased by +10."

Jiang Mingzhu thought, although the Emperor appeared neutral on the surface, he still held a grudge. However, Jiang Mingzhu was never one to suffer silently. Even if the Emperor resented her, she would still deal with Empress Dowager Ping.

Empress Dowager Ping's method of winning people over was quite effective. The Emperor had some affection for her; otherwise, he wouldn't have held a grudge against Jiang Mingzhu because of her.

"Your Majesty, what's wrong?"

Fang Ruo noticed that her mistress was lost in thought.

Jiang Mingzhu shook her head, saying, "It's nothing. I was just thinking that I still need to reconcile with the Emperor. I want to live a few more years."

Fang Ruo remained silent. The relationship between the Empress Dowager and the Emperor was difficult to mend, especially with the prince's failure, leaving the Empress Dowager with no hope.

"Your Majesty, this is news from the border."

The secret agent delivered a letter, and when Jiang Mingzhu saw the familiar handwriting, her eyes became slightly moist.

"Is he… alright?"

Qin Xiao and Jiang Mingzhu were truly childhood sweethearts. Their families were of equal status and had an unspoken understanding of a future marriage. They had only been waiting for her to reach adulthood to make it official, but then she was chosen to enter the palace and become the empress, making their relationship impossible.

For both of them, this was an immense sorrow. At that time, she simply wanted to marry Qin Xiao and become a virtuous wife. But fate was cruel.

The Emperor's command could not be defied.

Neither the Jiang family nor the Qin family could afford to provoke the Emperor's anger.

For the sake of her family, she chose to enter the palace. She had even tried to persuade Qin Xiao, but he chose to go to the border to protect the peace of the kingdom, using another way to guard her. He remained unmarried his entire life and was eventually schemed against by foreign spies, dying in such a miserable way.

Even though Nan Gongqing hated her as the cruel stepmother at that time, he still felt sorry for Qin Xiao's death, saying that Da Qi had lost a national pillar.

"General Qin won another great victory recently. For the next few years, those barbarians won't dare to invade Da Qi. The Emperor has ordered a reward and promoted General Qin to be the Duke of General. He'll be returning to the capital soon."

When speaking of the man who seemed like a god, even Fang Ruo showed admiration, her eyes shining.

Jiang Mingzhu snapped out of her thoughts, and upon hearing this, a faint smile appeared on her face.

"It's been so many years. It's about time he returned."