The Empress screamed and fell to the ground, looking at Yu Wan'er in disbelief. "You slut, how dare you betray me!"
Yu Wan'er smiled innocently and stood beside Xiao Man. "Aman, I've fulfilled my promise."
"Thank you for your hard work, Ling'er," Xiao Man said softly. No one had expected that the favored female official by the Empress's side would be Xiao Man's person, and even more so, the Saintess of the Wu Yue Kingdom, Bai Ling.
"Xiao Man, when did you start reaching your hands into my inner circle?" the Empress asked furiously. She had initially thought Xiao Man was dull and wouldn't even notice the spies she had placed by her side. Even if she did, she wouldn't dare to act due to her soft heart. But now, it seemed she had misjudged her completely!
"From the moment I discovered my true identity," Xiao Man said with a sigh. "With your narrow-mindedness, how could you possibly let me go? As long as I lived, I would be a thorn in your side, and you would eventually find a chance to remove me. Since that's the case, I naturally had to make plans for myself. As expected, you came knocking not long after."
"You... you deliberately let Lan Qin go!"
"After all, we were sisters for many years. Although she had countless flaws, she was still a young lady of my General's Mansion. I can beat her and kill her, but no one else can touch her. As long as she doesn't cross my bottom line, I won't move against her."
"I am your aunt!"
"My dear aunt, have you forgotten that for a man, you wiped out all the direct descendants of the Lan family and caused the death of your own elder sister?" Xiao Man said coldly. "And what did the man you deeply loved give you? A poison that made you infertile, and he used you as a cauldron to detoxify himself. Are you dim-witted or blind? There are so many men in the world, why did you have to choose such a vicious, despicable, and shameless man?"
"He is not that kind of person!"
"Stubbornly clinging to your delusion." Xiao Man turned to look below at the assembled court officials, who exchanged glances, unsure of what to do.
Yao Ran stepped forward first. "This subject, pays his respects to Your Majesty, wishing the Emperor eternal peace."
What a sly old fox! Jing Yu Jun gnashed her teeth. Although she disliked Xiao Man, she had to admit that Xiao Man was far superior to Lan Ruoyu. Lan Ruoyu, for the sake of a man, had made countless foolish decisions. Now, with Yun Qi, Yu Sheng, and even Bei Rong showing signs of resurgence, coupled with the remnants of the former Qin, Lan Yue truly needed a female emperor with an iron will!
"This subject pays his respects to Your Majesty, wishing the Emperor eternal peace," Jing Yu Jun followed, stepping out. She bowed with a composed expression. These two, one civil and one military, commanded half the court. Immediately, some people followed their lead, shouting their well wishes.
The Eldest Princess stood below the high platform, her expression grim. She had initially planned to use Xiao Man to deal with the other princesses, but in the end, Xiao Man didn't deal with the other princesses; she had taken down the Empress directly!
"This subject pays his respects to Your Majesty." The Fifth Princess stepped forward.
"Fifth Sister, are you going to submit too?" the Eldest Princess asked through gritted teeth.
"Eldest Sister, a wise man adapts to circumstances," the Fifth Princess said loudly. "In this current situation, do you think you have a chance to turn the tide?"
The Eldest Princess frowned tightly. "Have you all forgotten someone?"
"Eldest Sister is referring to Second Sister, isn't she? Second Sister has been away for years and rarely returns to the capital. She hasn't returned this time either. Even if Eldest Sister asks for help, far-off water cannot quench near thirst. It's better to surrender first and avoid losing your life. Fourth Sister, what do you say?"
The Fourth Princess was suddenly called upon and startled. Her gaze flickered to Xiao Man on the high platform. During this period, under Feng Moran's coercion, she had done so many things that wronged Xiao Man. If Xiao Man knew what she had done in secret, she would probably turn her into ashes!
However, the Fourth Princess had always been a survivor. She smiled and stepped forward, bowing along with the others. "This subject pays her respects to Your Majesty, wishing the Emperor eternal peace."
Xiao Man's gaze swept across the entire assembly, falling on the princesses. These princesses were indeed quite calm today. Faced with her sudden move, not a single one of them rose to resist, which surprised her. She had originally thought the Eldest Princess would at least put up some resistance, but to her surprise, even the Eldest Princess held back.
Xiao Man ordered the Empress to be taken into custody. She instructed Yao Ran to preside over the court's affairs, and Hua Wen and Jing Yu Jun to jointly guard the safety of the imperial city. Yelü Qi had still been thinking of sending a message out, but Xiao Man had already sealed off the imperial city early on. Not only could no messages be sent out, but not even a fly could escape. Su Dan Novel Network.
In the Imperial Princess's Mansion, the atmosphere was heavy.
Xiao Man sat by the bedside, looking at Wen Mohan, who lay on the bed, unconscious and unresponsive. Her eyes reddened, but she forced herself not to cry. Prime Minister Wen supported Madam Wen, who was already weeping uncontrollably, almost unable to stand.
"What has happened to Han'er?"
Xiao Man closed her eyes, trying to force back her tears. How could she have been so careless as to not notice Wen Mohan's abnormality? But when exactly did things go wrong?
"Wei Feng, when did Mohan start acting strangely?"
"After the Imperial Princess returned from Xing Tang Dao, the young master began to act a bit strange."
Xiao Man carefully recalled the scene of her return to Bianjing from Xing Tang Dao. "After I left, who did Mohan see?"
"The young master basically stayed indoors. Only Feng Moran visited daily, dragging the young master to play chess. However, there was no unusual behavior from Feng Moran. I was always by the young master's side when they played chess."
"If he intended to strike, how could he let anyone notice?" Xiao Man took a deep breath. Not only did he not let anyone notice, but he didn't even give her a chance to treat him. Feng Moran's methods were as ruthless as ever.
"Xiao Man, how is Han'er?"
Xiao Man tilted her head back, preventing tears from falling. "Father, I'm sorry, I'm useless..."
Prime Minister Wen immediately understood that his son was probably beyond saving. He stumbled slightly but then regained his footing, supporting Madam Wen, who had fainted from crying, and had her sent back to her room. He then sat by the bed, looking at Wen Mohan's pale face. It would be a lie to say he wasn't heartbroken; after all, this was his only son, and the one he had poured all his effort into nurturing.
"He already knew that there was a problem with his body," Prime Minister Wen said slowly. "Don't blame yourself too much."
"Father, if I..."
"If the villain is determined, we can never guard against them," Prime Minister Wen said, his eyes red. He wanted to blame Xiao Man, but he understood that this was not Xiao Man's fault. Moreover, his son had repeatedly instructed them not to make things difficult for Xiao Man, no matter what happened, because they were family.
"If I had refused to let him come to Lan Yue..."
"Silly child, you know his temperament. If you hadn't agreed, he would have surely followed secretly, and perhaps it would have been even more dangerous." Prime Minister Wen held back his tears and patted Xiao Man's shoulder. "Han'er was very aware of his own physical condition. He accepted it calmly. The only thing he regrets is not being able to accompany you for a long, long time."
"Father..."
"Let him wake up, and say a proper goodbye."