The mad princess forces love upon him, and the aloof imperial advisor trembles every night.

————The Residence of the Princess Zhenguo———

When Chu Qingyue used her lightness skill to return to the princess's residence, the sky suddenly flashed with lightning and thunder, and a torrential downpour began.

As she hurried towards the room, she said to Liuyun and Chixiao, "Inform Chi, Mei, Wang, and Liang. We will discuss matters in the study after one incense stick's time in Cangming."

Chi Xiao and Liu Yun bowed and withdrew.

Just then, the white tiger cub from before staggered to her feet. Her eyes darkened, and she kicked it away, saying, "Get lost—!!!"

But the white tiger cub rolled over and continued crawling towards her, reaching her feet and licking her instep. She squatted down, and the white tiger cub rolled on the ground, its humble and fawning manner resembling the way she knelt before Si Chen seven years ago, begging him not to send her to a political marriage.

She squatted down and cursed:

"Useless thing, I just hurt you. You are the king of beasts, why are you so humble and trying to please me? Humility and flattery will not bring you dignity."

She didn't know if she was cursing it or someone else.

----study---

When Cangming removed the silver mask from his face and entered the study with Chixiao and Liuyun, they saw Chu Qingyue, dressed in red with white hair, leaning against a rosewood chair while holding a white tiger cub.

"Greetings, Master." Cangming and the others clasped their hands in greeting.

Chu Qingyue said, "Get up."

Cangming took out a box and said, "Your Highness, did you suffer from a relapse of the poison during this full moon? This pill was left by Mianmian before she left. It can alleviate your discomfort after the poisoning."

Chu Qingyue took the box and said, "It's alright. Evil lives on for a thousand years. A black dragon like me has killed countless brothers and fathers, staining the imperial city with blood. I'm sure I'll live to be a hundred."

As she spoke, she placed the two hexagrams on the table.

Cangming and Canglan exchanged a glance, then picked up the divination chart and read it through.

Chi Xiao was the first to speak out, "Your Highness, this is utter nonsense! Who is this charlatan who dares to insult Your Highness like this? I will immediately lead men to skin him alive and stuff him with straw."

Chu Qingyue said, "Go..."

Chi Xiao said, "Your Highness, please tell me who this person is. I will be right back." After saying that, he turned and left.

Chu Qingyue said, "Si Chen"

Chi Xiao immediately fell silent and stood obediently to the side.

Chu Qingyue chuckled and said, "Useless thing, why aren't you going? Didn't you say you'd skin someone alive? Didn't you say you'd be right back? Didn't you think you were something special? What? Are you scared of Si Chen now?"

Chi Xiao groaned in despair: "In this Cangqiong Continent, apart from our own prince, who can defeat that old monster who has lived for four hundred years? Is that called Si Chen? That should clearly be called the Grim Reaper. With a wave of his sleeve, even if they have the highest martial arts skills, they cannot move. He can save them in the blink of an eye."

Cangming glanced at Chixiao's cowardly appearance and said, "Your Highness, it seems that the Grand Preceptor did not present this divination to His Majesty."

Chu Qingyue said, "Yes. If my father knew, the imperial edict ordering my death would have arrived long ago."

Chu Qingyue asked, "What's been happening lately at the Prime Minister's residence, the Empress's Phoenix Palace, and the Third Prince's residence?"

Cangming said, "The Prime Minister's residence has already ordained Pei Jiaojiao and sent her to the Lotus Terrace Nunnery. Pei Yu went in and talked with her for half an hour. After she came out, she stopped causing trouble."

"The Empress and the Crown Prince resent the Imperial Advisor because he did not fully heal his injuries."

"Moreover, the eldest prince spent 20 taels of gold to buy Chu Xuanjing's life, which is related to him by blood, so Consort Li is just right."

Chu Qingyue said, "Oh, so his mother... is dead."

Cangming said, "Yes, Your Highness."

"Everything is proceeding according to our plan. We captured the Fifth Princess, killed all her guards, and the Third Prince paid 30 taels of gold."

"They pushed their own mother out to take the blame, and Consort Li's body was also thrown into a mass grave according to His Majesty's decree."

"But...the Li family secretly sent people to collect the body and quietly buried it on a barren slope next to the Li family's ancestral graves."

She smiled alluringly and said, "Very well. The road to the underworld is cold; someone should see you off and burn some paper money for you."

The little white tiger rubbed against her palm, making a purring sound.

Looking into its pure blue eyes, Chu Qingyue suddenly asked them, "Do you think I'm being too soft-hearted?"

Liu Yun and Chi Xiao were taken aback.

"If I were to follow my old ways, I would have chopped up Li's body and fed it to the dogs, then ground her bones into powder and sprinkled a little into her son's food every day, so that he could taste his mother's flesh and blood."

"Or, we could make her head into a wine vessel, and at every palace banquet, fill that cup with strong liquor and present it to Chu Xuanjing—I'd like to see if he'll drink it or not."

She spoke casually, but Liu Yun and Chi Xiao's faces turned pale inch by inch.

"But I actually feel..." Chu Qingyue picked up the tiger cub and slowly walked to the window.

"That's for the best. Let her be buried whole, and perhaps someone will even secretly pay their respects."

"Because the living suffer more than the dead." She looked down at the little one in her arms.

"For the rest of his life, Chu Xuanjing would remember every single day that he was the one who pushed his mother to her death."

"This kind of slow, agonizing torture is worse, slower, and more agonizing than being cut into a thousand pieces."

She looked at Cangming and asked, "How is Chu Xuanjing's injury? Did you pay for treatment? After all, the Li family isn't short of money."

Cangming said, "At the Third Prince's residence, Chu Xuanjing was seriously injured. We spent 50,000 taels of gold to buy the Broken Heart Ointment from Jinxue Pavilion. He should be able to recover before the Heavenly Sacrifice Ceremony."

After listening, Chu Qingyue lowered her eyes, tapped her fingers lightly on the table, and after a moment of silence, she raised her eyes and said, "Cangming, inform Mei Shiliu to tell Chu Xuanche and the Empress three things."

The first thing is that I stayed at the Star-Picking Tower for five days, and the Imperial Preceptor used his spiritual power to heal all the scars on my body that I had accumulated over the past seven years.

The second item is the heart's blood of the Grand Preceptor, Wuqingdao, which can cure all diseases, especially the eldest prince's infertility.

The third matter is that the Imperial Advisor wants to make me the Crown Prince.

Liu Yun's face turned deathly pale. This was putting the Imperial Advisor in a very difficult position! And placing His Highness in the eye of the storm!

She took a box from her sleeve and gave it to Cangming, saying, "Cangming, inform Mei Shiliu that on the day of the sacrificial ceremony, Chu Xuanche should take this pill. How can he forget such a 'wonderful' memory of Mu Langju so easily?"

"Alas! Life is so tiring. I am a kind-hearted person, how can I bear to see my half-brother suffer? I should send him... to his death."

Cangming clasped his hands in a salute and said, "Yes, Your Highness."

Chu Qingyue stroked the white tiger cub in her arms and laughed seductively and wildly, saying:

"And my third brother, his mother is dead, he must be so lonely."

"I am a compassionate person, how could I bear to separate them, mother and child?"

"So... let's also send off the Third Prince and his mother for a reunion during the sacrificial ceremony."

Chi Xiao and Liu Yun exchanged a glance, a chill running down their spines.