The Mirror of Startling Beauty: Her courtiers are everywhere

Inside the Moon Weaving Palace, the atmosphere was tense.

The maid who was recently assigned to Xiyin's side was pacing back and forth anxiously.

Her skirt left messy trails on the smooth ground, and every step she took was hurried and helpless.

"Has Commander Bai and the others not returned yet?"

She clenched the handkerchief in her hand, her voice trembling.

"Her Majesty's condition is not good..."

She thought of the palace maids she had served before.

I heard they were all dealt with.

She dared not ask about, nor dared to think about, what became of those people.

All that is known is that from then on, the maids in the Weaving Moon Palace were like frightened birds, not daring to even breathe loudly.

She is now trembling with fear and terrified.

I fear that the Sea Emperor and Her Majesty the Empress will take their anger out on her.

I'm afraid that I'll be dragged out at any moment.

"Ah Yin!"

A series of hurried footsteps approached from afar.

Accompanied by Xingyu, Yuehao strode into the sleeping quarters behind the Weaving Moon Palace.

The Moon Weaving Palace is extremely large, covering a vast area. The front hall is a magnificent imperial palace that Xingyu built for his sister, resplendent in gold and magnificent in style.

Behind them was the palace where Xiyin lived, quiet and elegant, separated from the front hall by a moon gate, ensuring both tranquility and convenience for paying respects.

But at this moment, what came from that quiet palace was a heart-wrenching scream.

"Your Majesty, the Empress has gone mad!"

Upon seeing Xingyu, the maid immediately knelt down, her voice trembling with tears.

Yuehao paused in his steps.

The next moment, he rushed into the hall.

The hall was in complete disarray.

The curtains were torn to shreds, the table was overturned, and shards of porcelain were scattered all over the floor.

Amidst the chaos, Xiyin huddled in a corner, her eyes bloodshot, completely irrational.

"Aaaaaah!"

She screamed, her voice so hoarse it was almost inhuman.

"I'm going to kill you all!"

"Kill you wicked people!"

Her hands flailed wildly in the air, her nails scratching her cheeks, and beads of blood slid down her pale skin, but she was completely unaware.

Looking at this scene, Yuehao felt as if a piece of his heart had been ripped out.

He did not hesitate.

He rushed over and pulled her into his arms.

The force was so strong, it felt like it was trying to knead her into her very bones.

"Ah Yin!"

His voice trembled, and his eyes instantly reddened.

"I'm back... It's my fault for not protecting you all..."

"Don't be afraid..."

He held her tightly in his arms, letting her fingernails leave bloody marks on his body.

Xiyin bit his arm hard.

His teeth dug into his flesh, and blood flowed down his arm, dripping onto the ground and spreading into shocking red patches.

Yuehao's brows furrowed in pain, but he never relaxed his grip.

He gently patted her back, just like many years ago when he would gently pat her and soothe her when she had nightmares at night.

"Don't be afraid... Ah Yin, don't be afraid..."

His voice was hoarse, yet gentle, as if he were coaxing a child.

"I'm here... no one will hurt you anymore..."

Xiyin's struggles gradually weakened.

The screams slowly turned into sobs.

Xingyu stood at the door, watching this scene, her eyes also reddening.

"Father, Mother has been poisoned by those evil spirits from Zonglantai, and she has gone mad..."

His voice trembled.

"I'm sorry, Father, I have failed your expectations..."

It's him.

He personally fed the poison into his mother's mouth, spoonful by spoonful.

He thought he was saving her.

But it turns out, he was the one who harmed her.

This self-blame surged like a tidal wave, almost overwhelming him.

"elder brother."

A gentle voice rang out.

Tang Xixue walked to his side and looked into his eyes, which were filled with pain.

"The fault is not yours."

Her voice was soft and gentle, like moonlight falling.

"Brother, the sins of the wicked should be borne by the wicked. Why should the misdeeds of others be your burden?"

"The deepest prison in this world is never the sins committed by others, but the punishment you bear for others."

"He who imprisons himself in the long night even thinks the moonlight is his fault."

Xingyu was stunned.

He gazed at his sister, at her clear, star-like eyes, and at the gentle light within them.

She came to him during his most painful, self-reproachful, and self-loathing time.

She did not resent him.

She even came to comfort him.

"You've done a great job all these years."

Tang Xixue said softly.

When the storm came—you stood there, without taking a single step back.

Xingyu's Adam's apple bobbed slightly.

Before I met you, I knew nothing of burning heat.

After meeting you, I was never cold again.

His cold heart instantly warmed.

Yes.

The fault lies with those damned demons!

They poisoned people, they harmed people, they deserve to die!

He should grind them to dust, not use someone else's knife to cut his own heart.

If the fault is not yours, you need not acknowledge the fault of others.

He took a deep breath.

The heavy weight that had been pressing on my chest has finally been lifted.

Bai Duo stood aside, watching this scene, and couldn't help but sigh softly.

"Ahhh! Her Majesty the Empress is so gentle!"

His Majesty, who had been an iceberg for millennia, seemed to be bathed in sunlight at this moment, becoming much warmer and brighter.

Tsk, he really wants a nice little sister like that too.

"What's wrong with my mother-in-law?"

Xie Jinlian's voice came from outside the hall.

He had been guarding outside the palace and did not know the specifics of Xiyin's situation; he had only heard that she had gone mad.

Tang Xixue's eyes narrowed, and her expression changed drastically.

"It's too late."

Her voice lowered.

"My senior brother, the Ghost Doctor, couldn't get there in time to detoxify Mother. She had ingested too much Mirage Cloud Oil, and the poison had seeped into her bones, driving her completely insane."

Her worst fears came true.

She had originally thought she could wait for her senior brother to come.

Although she managed to stabilize her mother's condition by administering acupuncture, the poison had already penetrated too deeply.

It was so deep that she was powerless to do anything about it.

Upon hearing this, the Imperial Preceptor He Lichen also showed a worried expression, pondering how to help her.

"Is it for an antidote?"

Xie Jinlian's voice rang out, calm and serene.

"Why wait for a quack doctor? I have a way to cure my mother-in-law's poisoning."

Tang Xixue was taken aback.

She looked up at him and saw him gently pat the small silver butterfly in his hair.

Upon receiving its master's command, the little butterfly immediately flapped its wings and flew towards Xiyin.

"Little Lotus, what's this?"

Tang Xixue looked at him, puzzled.

"See for yourself, Zhizhi."

Xie Jinlian smiled slightly.

The silver butterfly fluttered its wings and hovered above Xiyin's head.

Then, a strange thing happened.

The poison on Xiyin's body seemed to be drawn by something, turning into wisps of pale purple mist that surged toward the little butterfly.

The fog grew thicker and thicker.

But the little butterfly was not afraid at all; instead, the patterns on its wings became brighter and brighter.

A silvery-white light flowed around it, and the poisonous mist was absorbed into its body. What it exhaled was pure and flawless fresh air.

The blood-red color in Xiyin's eyes gradually faded.

Her struggles slowly ceased.

Finally, her body went limp, and she fainted in Yuehao's arms.

Tangxi Xue was stunned.

She stared at the little butterfly, her eyes wide open.

"This little butterfly... it can actually detoxify!!"

She simply couldn't believe it.

Those deadly poisons that even she couldn't cure were neutralized by a little butterfly?

No harm done.

Relax and easy.

"This is a magic butterfly given to us by our mother; it can cure all poisons in the world."

Xie Jinlian paused, a slight smile playing on her lips.

"Including—date rape drugs."

Tang Xixue understood instantly.

No wonder Xie Jinlian said she wanted to lock up Ayan's little butterfly first.

This is denying his brother the chance to get the antidote!

She gazed at the little butterfly, a deep envy rising in her eyes.

"I wonder if our mother has any more little butterflies?"

She was truly envious.

This magic butterfly is simply an essential antidote!

With Little Butterfly around, even the Ghost Doctor Brother doesn't seem so appealing anymore.