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

Chu Qingyue's smile remained unchanged:

"Then so be it—Father, I am willing to lead all the civil and military officials to search together."

"All of you gentlemen can testify that if I have framed you, please point it out on the spot."

The Empress's face turned deathly pale, and she knelt down with a thud.

"Your Majesty! This is unacceptable! The Pei family has been loyal and virtuous for generations; how can we endure such humiliation! Your Majesty!"

The Emperor of Chu glanced at her, then looked at Chu Qingyue, remained silent for a moment, and finally slowly said:

"Granted."

"By imperial decree, Princess Chu Qingyue is granted the Imperial Sword and is to lead all civil and military officials to the Prime Minister's residence to search for embezzled funds and verify the identities of the assassins."

"No one may obstruct this; everyone must actively cooperate."

He paused, looked at Chu Qingyue, and added:

"Qingyue, don't take advantage of my favor to act recklessly."

"If the Pei family is innocent, Chu Qingyue will be dealt with according to the law."

"If the Pei family is guilty..."

His gaze swept over the unconscious Pei Wenzheng, his voice icy:

"They will be dealt with according to the law, and there will be absolutely no leniency."

"Dismiss the court."

Chu Qingyue lowered her eyes, concealing the fleeting sarcasm in them.

pet?

Father, you always say things that your son doesn't have.

From childhood to adulthood, you have given your son so much.

For example, the suffering he endured in the cold palace before the age of five; the pain of being beaten all over by his brothers and sisters; the heartbreak caused by your indifference.

There was also the torment, bloodshed, and humiliation he endured during the seven years after his marriage to Bei Ming at the age of thirteen.

Father, you have given me so much, yet you have not given me... any affection.

She finally composed herself, bowed respectfully, and spoke calmly:

"Yes, Father. Your subject... obeys the decree."

The officials gradually left the main hall.

Chu Qingyue walked to the Empress's side and reached out to help her up: "Mother, the ground is cold, let me help you up."

The Empress flung her hand away with such force that she almost knocked Chu Qingyue down, but instead of moving her, she nearly fell herself.

Chu Qingyue wasn't annoyed; she simply smiled slightly, her fingertips subtly sliding through the Empress's sleeve—

A white porcelain bottle was already in her hand, while another bottle in her sleeve had unknowingly fallen into the empress's sleeve pocket.

She stepped back, watching as the Empress was helped up by her personal maid, and said softly:

"Since Your Majesty does not wish to stand up, I, being compassionate, will naturally grant your wish."

With a slight movement of her fingers hidden in her sleeve, two fine, poisoned silver needles shot out silently, precisely piercing the Empress's acupoints in the back of her legs.

The empress, who was being helped forward, suddenly had her knees buckle and fell heavily to her knees again.

The sound of the knee hitting the ground was so crisp it made your teeth ache.

No matter how much the nanny and her personal maid tried to help her, she couldn't stand up.

"Summon the imperial physician! Quickly summon the imperial physician!" the maid cried out in alarm.

Chu Qingyue's lips curled slightly as she looked away, refusing to glance at the Empress again.

She turned around, her dark skirt drawing a cold arc on the smooth ground, like the wings of death unfurling.

"My lords, please."

She held the imperial sword and walked at the front.

The officials followed closely behind, forming a grand procession, heading straight for the Prime Minister's residence.

The morning light pierced through the clouds, illuminating the cinnabar dot on her forehead.

It's as red as blood, as vibrant as fire, and as cold as ice.

Behind him, the empress's screams, the officials' whispers, and Pei Wenzheng's faint groans blended into a noisy background.

The smile on her lips was as alluring as a blooming datura.

"Liuyun," she called softly.

"This servant is here."

"Send someone to keep a close eye on Phoenix Perch Palace." Chu Qingyue stroked the porcelain bottle in her sleeve, a cold glint in her eyes.

"Her Majesty the Empress has given me such a 'grand gift,' I must think carefully about how to reciprocate without being impolite."

Liu Yun looked up, a bloodthirsty glint in his eyes: "Master, shall we make a move?"

Chu Qingyue chuckled softly, her laughter gentle and tender.

"What's the rush? The real show... has only just begun."

She raised her eyes and looked in the direction of the Prime Minister's residence.

There, she had prepared... her final grand gift for the Pei family.

A gift that would lead to the execution of their entire family and the extermination of their nine generations.

She licked her lips, her eyes gleaming with a wild and excited light.

This court, this empire, will ultimately belong to her.

Anyone who gets in the way must die.

----------------

Ten miles outside the capital, there is a long pavilion on an ancient road.

Cangming, dressed in black robes with a silver mask covering half his face, sat quietly under the old locust tree on his black horse.

He was waiting for Mianmian—Shen Xingmian, who was arriving in the capital today, the little girl who was blind in one eye but lived a brighter life than anyone else.

My thoughts drifted back to five years ago, to that snowy night in Beiming.

Eight-year-old Shen Xingmian was wrapped in a blood-stained fox fur coat, her left eye covered with a blood-soaked cloth, but her right eye shone with an astonishing brightness.

She didn't cry or make a fuss, but just gripped Chu Qingyue's sleeve tightly and said, word by word, "Sister, I'm not in pain. It's enough that you're alive."

At that time, Chu Qingyue knelt in the snow, holding her, and roared to the sky, her voice like weeping blood, vowing never to let anyone hurt this girl again in this life.

From that day on, Cangming knew that this seemingly naive and cheerful girl, who always said "older sister is the best," had the same blood flowing in her veins as Chu Qingyue—

Obsessive, tenacious, once they've set their sights on someone, they'll risk their life to protect them until death.

Mianmian's older sister and mother died two years ago while protecting Chu Qingyue.

Chu Qingyue became sworn sisters with her, raised her by her side, and spoiled her rotten. She was the only warmth, the only sweetness, and the only...favoritism in the seven years of wind and snow in the Northern Underworld Kingdom.

"Brother Ming—!!! Brother Ming—!!!"

A sweet and charming voice, coming from afar, pulled Cangming's distant thoughts back.

He looked up.

At the end of the official road, the curtain of the carriage was suddenly lifted, and a thirteen-year-old girl leaned out halfway, waving vigorously at him.

She wore a fiery red dress, like the most vibrant cloud in the morning glow.

It was Shen Xingmian.

Upon seeing Cangming, Mianmian leaped off the speeding carriage, landing as lightly as a swallow. She then lifted her skirt and raced towards Cangming.

Like a burning fire, it rushed towards his cold night without regard for anything else.

Cangming watched as the red figure drew ever closer.

Her skin was like jade, her left eye was covered by a golden eye patch carved with the pattern of a phoenix spreading its wings, while her right eye was curved into a crescent moon, filled with undisguised, pure joy—a joy so bright that it almost stung his eyes, which had long been immersed in darkness.

As he was watching, Mianmian leaped and jumped straight into his arms.

She wrapped her arms around his neck, her legs around his waist, like a fledgling bird returning to its nest. She buried her face in the crook of his shoulder and took a deep breath, then looked up, her single eye sparkling like stars.

"Brother Ming, Mianmian is back!"

"Do you miss me? Tell me, tell me!"

Cangming's body stiffened slightly, then relaxed, his arm steadily supporting her.

The little girl had a faint medicinal fragrance, mixed with the warmth of the sun, which dispelled the lingering chill that had always surrounded him.

"Brother Ming?" Shen Xingmian waited for a long time without getting a response, then loosened her arms slightly and looked up at him.