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

Chu Qingyue met those venomous eyes, her expression unchanged:

"Your Majesty, Yue'er's tears ran dry seven years ago on the day you were poisoned."

"Seven years on the Northern Sea battlefield, I've seen too many dead people; my heart has long since hardened."

She paused, then added, "So I hope Mother will understand, Yue'er... can't cry."

"Can't cry?" The Empress chuckled softly, her voice hoarse and broken. "Or do you simply not want to cry?"

She slowly stood up, her mourning clothes fluttering in the air, like a walking skeleton.

"I remember that when the Imperial Preceptor saved Che'er yesterday, you stood on the steps and said something."

The Empress stopped three steps away from Chu Qingyue, so close that they could see the candlelight reflected in each other's eyes.

You said—'Forced relationships are a curse, forced blessings... are a calamity.'

Her voice suddenly rose, sharp as a blade: "Now that Che'er has been robbed and killed tragically, are you satisfied?!"

Several elderly relatives were horrified.

Chu Qingyue smiled.

That smile was very faint, like the first thin layer of ice on a lake in early winter, seemingly fragile, but hiding a bone-chilling cold beneath.

"What do you mean by that, Mother?" She tilted her head slightly, a strand of silver hair slipping down.

"The eldest prince used the Fish Intestine Sword to assassinate the Imperial Preceptor, breaking the oath that 'killing the preceptor is betraying Heaven,' and was thus struck down by heavenly lightning—this is what the Imperial Preceptor said himself, what His Majesty heard with his own ears, and all the civil and military officials can attest to it."

She took half a step forward.

The step was extremely light, yet the Empress involuntarily stepped back.

"Could it be that Mother Empress believes," Chu Qingyue's voice was low and clear as ice beads falling onto a jade plate, "that the Imperial Advisor is lying? That His Majesty is feigning? Or perhaps... Mother Empress believes that the Eldest Prince should not have died?"

"You—!" The Empress's face turned deathly pale, and her lips trembled.

Chu Qingyue's gaze swept over the coffin, a fleeting light flashing in her eyes—a light so fast no one could catch it—like a hunter eyeing its prey already trapped.

Chu Xuanjing, kneeling to the side, felt a chill run down his spine.

Why does that look seem so familiar?

"Please accept my condolences, Your Majesty." Chu Qingyue withdrew her gaze, her tone returning to respectfulness.

"Although my elder brother committed the heinous crime of murdering his teacher, he is still of royal blood. Father has already granted him permission to be buried with the rites due to a prince, which is an immense favor."

She paused, her voice as soft as a feather, yet every word pierced the heart:

"After all... according to the late Emperor Taizu's instructions, those who kill their teachers should have their bodies exposed for three days, their bones crushed and their ashes scattered, and they should not be allowed to enter the ancestral temple or receive sacrifices."

"Now that things have turned out this way, my elder brother should be grateful."

"Chu Qingyue!!!" The Empress completely broke down and raised her hand to slap her.

That palm strike contained twenty years of pent-up resentment, the pain of losing a child, and the fear of that face that bore a striking resemblance to that person—but the hand remained suspended in mid-air, unable to move.

An invisible spiritual force restricted her movements.

Everyone turned around.

Si Chen stood at the entrance of the mourning hall, dressed in a purple robe, his silver hair flowing like a waterfall, his eyes filled with the desolation of starlight.

He slowly withdrew the spiritual light swirling around his fingertips, behind him stood the Chu Emperor, whose face was ashen.

"Empress," the Chu Emperor said in a cold voice, "behave properly in the mourning hall."

The empress trembled all over, her fingertips digging into her palms until blood seeped out.

Chu Qingyue stepped forward, her expression genuinely concerned:

"Since Mother does not believe that the death of the eldest prince was 'divine punishment' and believes that there is another injustice involved, Yue'er has a way to resolve Mother's inner conflict."

Her voice was as gentle as if she were discussing today's tea:

"The Empress Dowager has been included in the Chu family genealogy and is a legitimate member of the Chu family. Naturally, she is also bound by the 'Oath of the Great Ancestor'."

"If you take a knife and stab the Grand Preceptor—you don't need to actually hurt him, just have the intention to kill and make the move, and see if the heavenly thunder will descend again."

The mourning hall was deathly silent.

Everyone stared at Chu Qingyue in horror, as if they were looking at a demon who had crawled out of hell to claim lives—how dare she?

How dare you let the heir of a nation test the power of heavenly punishment?!

The Chu Emperor's face suddenly turned ashen.

In the depths of Si Chen's silver eyes, there seemed to be swirling nebulae, yet they returned to a vast and silent expanse—for four hundred years, he had witnessed countless schemes and plots, but he had never seen such a ruthless yet blatantly open conspiracy.

Chu Qingyue smiled gently, "If the heavenly lightning doesn't strike, it proves the so-called 'oath' was false, and my eldest brother died unjustly. If the heavenly lightning does strike..."

Her smile deepened, but it was cold and devoid of warmth.

"That proves that the spirit of the founding emperor is still watching over the descendants of the Chu family, and that the eldest brother... truly deserves his punishment."

"The Empress Dowager can finally give up hope and no longer suffer from suspicion and torment."

"This kills two birds with one stone, what do you think, Mother?"

The empress staggered backward, her back hitting the cold coffin.

The acrid smell seeped into her nostrils through the wood—inside was her son, the son she had worked so hard to place on the throne for twenty years!

Now she was a charred corpse, and the murderer stood right in front of her, forcing her to die in the gentlest of tones!

"You...you wicked woman..." the Empress spat out through gritted teeth, each word dripping with bloody hatred.

"You planned this all along... From the very beginning, you wanted him dead..."

Chu Qingyue tilted her head slightly, her eyes clear and innocent: "Why would Mother think that way? Yue'er just can't bear to see Mother tormented by suspicion day and night."

She stepped forward, her white skirt brushing silently against the floor tiles.

This step made the Empress tense all over.

"Or perhaps," Chu Qingyue curved her lips into a smile, the smile not reaching her eyes, "that is to say..."

"Is the Empress Dowager actually not convinced that the eldest prince is innocent?"

"Do you also harbor any doubts in your heart about whether he truly harbored murderous intent towards the Imperial Advisor, thus incurring divine punishment?"

A question that challenges the mind.

It pierces the abyss the empress dares not face most—does she really believe her son is innocent?

She was well aware that Chu Xuanche's personality had been twisted and insane since childhood.

"Shut up!" the Empress snapped, turning to Emperor Chu and kneeling down with tears streaming down her face.

"Your Majesty! Listen to this! She's trying to force me to my death, trying to destroy Che'er's last shred of dignity!"

The Chu Emperor's chest heaved as he stared at Chu Qingyue with a complex expression.

When did this daughter become so... terrifying?

She stood there, and with just a few casual words, she drove the Empress to her doom.

"Qingyue," he said in a deep voice, "enough is enough."

Chu Qingyue curtsied and said, "Father, you are wise. I was only trying to share Mother's burdens."

She looked up to meet his scrutiny.

"Moreover, my daughter believes that the Grand Preceptor is fair and impartial, and the oath of the founding emperor is no joke."

"Since it's a test, why not give it a try? If Mother dares not..."

Her gaze swept over the silent crowd, her voice clear and melodious like ice striking jade chimes:

"Then I ask you all to bear witness—from this day forward, if anyone questions whether the death of the First Prince was not 'divine punishment,' then they are questioning the Imperial Preceptor, questioning the Emperor, questioning... the Way of Heaven."

The last two words fell like a heavy hammer blow to everyone's heart.

Si Chen's silver eyelashes trembled almost imperceptibly.

For four hundred years, he had seen countless ambitions, schemes, and madness, but he had never seen such a contradictory existence—she placed herself as a sacrifice on the chessboard, each step treading on the edge of an abyss, yet she smiled like an innocent and cruel child.