With a warehouse full of supplies, I stood alone as king in this chaotic world, gun in hand.

"It seems His Majesty is quite fond of this Empress."

Nangong Wu recalled that Ming Mengqing was always present whenever Emperor Mingde was with the Empress, and that he only favored the Imperial Noble Consort.

It turns out they were acting every single day.

"Empress Su is the daughter of the Grand Tutor. She and His Majesty were childhood sweethearts, and their relationship is naturally extraordinary," Huo Jing said.

"Then who was the second prince born to Empress Su?" Nangong Wu was very curious about this child. "Father, in which year did the Empress leave the palace to recuperate?"

It is no small matter for a queen to leave the palace for a whole year. Just knowing when she left the palace tells us how old the child is.

Huo Jing thought for a moment, then shook his head and said, "I have not heard of the Empress leaving the palace to recuperate."

Since His Majesty wants to protect the Empress, he will certainly not publicize this matter.

As you know, our Huo family has a large business empire. Your father often takes you on inspection tours to various places, and sometimes to the border to visit your mother. A trip like this lasts at least three months and sometimes as long as half a year. Your father rarely inquires about matters concerning the inner palace.

"Your Highness, it's not difficult for us to find out," Li Cheng said. "We have people in the palace; they can easily find out by asking around."

"Okay, then go and find out. I'll leave this to you." Nangong Wu told him to investigate.

Emperor Mingde had already made it clear to the Empress Dowager that the future emperor would be the child secretly born to Empress Su.

This is a top secret; they need to know who this prince is and what his character is like.

"Yes." Li Cheng accepted the order and left.

"Father, I have petitioned my uncle today to allow you to return to the throne." Nangong Wu told her father about her plan.

Huo Jing was taken aback for a moment, then said helplessly, "Wuwu, actually you are more suitable to be the Prince of Zhenyuan than your father. Even if my leg is healed, I'm afraid I won't be able to fight on the battlefield in the future."

He was entrusted with the heavy responsibility of the Prince of Zhenyuan. If there were to be another war, he would have to don armor and lead the army into battle.

"You don't need to fight on the front lines. You just need to stay in the rear and take charge." Nangong Wu shook her head and smiled at him. "Don't worry, you just need to stay in the court and deal with those demons and monsters."

My daughter dislikes the intrigue and backstabbing of the court; she prefers the thrill of battle. Father, your eloquence is unparalleled; you can debate with countless scholars, making you perfectly suited for the court.

She knew how formidable this father was!

He was exceptionally intelligent from a young age, possessed vast knowledge, and was as handsome as Pan An. At the age of eighteen, he achieved the third-highest rank in the imperial examination. His essay impressed the late emperor, making him famous throughout the capital and earning him the titles of the most talented scholar and the most handsome man.

"And you even debated with a group of scholars?" Huo Jing's lips twitched. "You little brat, you make it sound like your father isn't a good person!"

"If it weren't for your mother, I wouldn't have bothered taking that imperial examination..." Huo Jing said, his ears turning a light red.

"No, that's absolutely not what I meant. I know you, Father, are most indifferent to fame and fortune, and going to participate in the imperial examination would only bring a smile to Mother's face." Nangong Wu came over and massaged his shoulders.

"What I mean is that my daughter and I are a scholar and a warrior, you take charge of the court and I take charge of the countryside, each of us displaying our unique abilities."

"This is getting more and more outrageous. Anyone who didn't know better would think we're gods!" Huo Jing shook his head helplessly. "Since you've already told His Majesty about this, I have to take on this responsibility whether I want to or not."

You must be tired today, go and rest! The matters in the palace probably won't be resolved anytime soon.

"Alright, then I'll go and pack my things first. We'll go to court together tomorrow." Nangong Wu came out, curtsied to him, and then left.

Back at Zuimei Courtyard, Granny Feng had already prepared hot water for her, waiting for her to return so she could take a bath.

"I understand!" Nangong Wu originally wanted to go into the space to soak in the hot spring water.

But seeing that the hot water had already been prepared, he had no choice but to follow Li An to the side room.

As evening approached, Li An reported, "Your Highness, Eunuch Hu from the palace has arrived!"

"Eunuch Hu is here! So quickly?" Nangong Wu stood up abruptly. It must be Emperor Mingde who sent him with the imperial edict and the three iron certificates.

Emperor Mingde told her that it would be delivered tomorrow, but he didn't expect that he would send it by Eunuch Hu today. It's so late, the palace gates should be locked soon!

She straightened her clothes, preparing to go to the front yard to receive the imperial decree. "Has someone been sent to inform Father?"

"It's not an imperial decree." Seeing that she had misunderstood, Li An quickly explained to her, "Eunuch Hu only carries His Majesty's oral edict, requesting that you enter the palace now."

"You want me to go to the palace now?" Nangong Wu frowned upon hearing this. "Didn't you see what Eunuch Hu brought?"

"No." Li An shook her head. "Judging from Eunuch Hu's appearance, it seems like he has something urgent to attend to. Why don't you go and take a look first?"

"Okay." Nangong Wu took a step and walked out.

Why did Emperor Mingde summon her to the palace at this time?

When she arrived at the front yard, Eunuch Hu had already left, and only Li Shuang was waiting there.

"Your Highness, the horses are ready!"

"Alright, then come with me to the palace." Nangong Wu instructed, and walked towards the outer gate of the mansion.

She and Li Shuang rode their horses to the outside of the palace.

The bodies of the poisoned rebels had been cleared away, leaving only the bodies of Ming Mengqing and Nangong Xun hanging above the palace gate, swaying gently in the wind.

As darkness fell, the palace gates remained tightly shut, though guards were stationed there.

Upon seeing their arrival, the palace gates immediately opened, and the commander of the Imperial Guards came out.

"Your Highness, you've arrived!" The commander bowed to her and whispered, "His Majesty has decreed that if you come, you should go to His Majesty's bedchamber."

"I understand." Nangong Wu led Li Shuang into the palace.

Seeing the commander's somewhat solemn expression and the fact that he ordered her to go directly to Emperor Mingde's bedchamber, she felt that something must have happened.

The bodies in the palace had been removed, but the air still smelled of blood, and there were still traces of blood on the ground that had not been cleaned.

Li Shuang whispered to her, "This afternoon His Majesty issued an edict stripping Nangong Lingling of her princess title and convicting her along with Ming Mengqing and Nangong Xun. Her body was thrown into a mass grave."

As for the bodies of Ming Mengqing and Nangong Xun, they will be hung at the south gate tomorrow for seven days as a warning to others. The weather is so hot now; they'll probably rot after seven days.”

Nangong Wuwei nodded slightly; this was something she had expected.

Nangong Lingling was not Emperor Mingde's bloodline, so how could her corpse be treated well?

They arrived at Emperor Mingde's palace and encountered almost no one; it was eerily quiet.

Eunuch Hu was waiting outside the bedchamber. Seeing her arrive, he hurried forward to greet her, "Your Highness, you've arrived!"

"Your Majesty, what's wrong?" Nangong Wu asked.

"His Majesty is inside. Why don't you go in and take a look?" Eunuch Hu opened the door to the sleeping quarters and went in first.

Nangong Wu had Li Shuang stand guard outside, then followed her into the bedchamber. A strong smell of medicinal soup wafted over, mixed with a faint stench of blood.