I already heard from Anmei yesterday that she's back. Since I can't keep her here, I'll do my best to help her.
Listening to Jiang Yumin's righteous and reprimanding, Jun Yilin was not surprised. This kid must have been tipped off by An Mei!
Ye Zhanqing and Wang Chenglin's confidants had already received Jun Yilin's news and expressed their agreement. Most of the ministers in the court had already given their approval and exclaimed, "Your Majesty is wise!" The rest, seeing that there was no way to reverse the situation, could only silently acquiesce.
Meanwhile, the news had not yet reached the inner palace. Yao Biluo, accompanied by several palace maids, walked through the corridor to Yunhuang Palace to visit her "sister".
In the inner palace, few knew about the affair, and even those who did dare not act rashly. Yao Biluo and Yao Bile looked very alike, so the change of empress caused no disturbance, and the inner palace remained peaceful. It was only announced that the women in Yunhuang Palace were palace maids serving the empress, who had been imprisoned there for violating palace rules.
As for the causes and consequences, whether they make sense or not, who cares?
Yao Biluo, dressed in casual clothes, did not ride in a sedan chair but strolled to the Yunhuang Palace.
A clever palace maid went to knock on the door. With a creak, the old door slowly opened, and the palace maids and eunuchs of Yunhuang Palace were kneeling behind the door to welcome the emperor, but Yao Bile was nowhere to be seen.
Yao Biluo gave her a wink, and the quick-witted palace maid from before immediately demanded, "Where is that criminal woman?"
The lead palace maid, trembling with fear of offending the only mistress of the harem, replied, "That wicked woman refused to come out to greet the emperor and even uttered vile words..."
The insults must have been extremely harsh, otherwise the palace maid wouldn't have been unable to utter them.
Yao Biluo said, "Fine, I'll go in and see her myself. You all stay outside and don't come in."
After saying that, he stepped inside.
Everyone stayed put, not daring to approach.
"You wretched maid!" Yao Bile lunged at her as soon as she saw her.
With a flick of her wrist, Yao Biluo's silver whip lashed across Yao Bile's face, leaving an ugly scar on her fair skin.
Yao Bile was stunned, covered her face with her hands, and collapsed to the ground.
"Listen, I'm not here to chat about sisterly affection. You better put away your spoiled brat attitude and don't make me angry!" Yao Biluo said slowly, playing with her silver whip.
Seeing Yao Bile covering her face, angry but unable to speak, Yao Biluo continued with satisfaction, "The original Yao Biluo is dead. The current me will no longer give in to you. You're eighteen years old now, you should understand the principle that when you're under someone's roof, you have to bow your head! The situation is stronger than you now, you have to learn to accept it, even if you have to force yourself, you have to bow your head to me. Otherwise, killing a few people won't mean anything to me?"
Looking at Yao Biluo's familiar appearance, Yao Bile felt that the person in front of her was no longer the weak younger sister she used to be. The aura emanating from her body frightened her!
"Alright, I'm just here to tell you that if you obey, I'll let you out. If you're not happy, I'm not afraid either. I don't even care about a nobody like you! But dead people are much more obedient than living people. Sometimes I think it's better to avoid trouble. What do you think?" Yao Biluo looked coldly at Yao Bile on the ground.
Yao Bile was startled and nodded involuntarily.
“That’s more like it!” Yao Biluo withdrew her gaze and sat down on the embroidered stool. “Go back and tell your old man to behave himself from now on. He shouldn’t be an official anymore. He still has some land in the countryside, so he should be able to support himself.”
"You—" Yao Bile was furious. "Don't you even care that you also have the surname Yao? This kind of ruthless extermination, even if you don't acknowledge us, you still have the blood of the Yao family. How will outsiders view our family after you do this?"
"Hehe!" Yao Bile found it amusing, took out a small bottle from her sleeve, and said casually, "Looks like you haven't figured it out yet! This contains something good, called Worry-Free Powder. Just a whiff of it will make someone lose their mind, become like a madman, and never have any worries again. Tell me—should I prepare a bottle for you?"
"Ah!" Yao Bile seemed to remember something and took out another bottle. "This contains my improved version of arsenic. Not only does it cause no pain, but it also leaves no trace of poisoning when you die. Would this one be even better?"
"You—" Yao Bile was both angry and scared, and could no longer speak.
"Don't talk to me about benevolence, morality, bloodline, or surname anymore. I've said it before, I'm not the same person I used to be! I act only according to my own whims! Based on all the evil deeds you committed before, killing you with a single blow wouldn't be too much. I was even sentimental enough to spare your lives and give you land! Now I'll ask you one more time: do you want to walk out or lie down?" Yao Biluo's words were already sharp and stern.
With tears in her eyes, Yao Bile said in a low voice, "I promise you! I will never cause any more trouble when I get back."
Yao Biluo was not surprised to hear her say that. She turned her face away and refused to look at her again. She walked out of the door and ordered as she went, "Someone, escort her out of the palace."
Behind her, Yao Bile was still sitting on the ground, her eyes filled with hatred!
☆、18、The Bridal Chamber
"Good, now that's more like the style of the Lord!" Dark Enchantress landed lightly behind Yao Biluo.
The palace maids behind her were startled, but Yao Biluo was not surprised at all: "I heard you eavesdropping outside. Very well, I'll leave this matter to you."
Dark Enchantress yelled, "This is such a low-tech task, who can't do it! Master, please tell me to do something more meaningful!"
"Oh? Something significant?" Yao Bilu tilted her head and thought for a moment. "Great! I haven't had anyone test my Worry-Free Powder yet, this is quite meaningful! How about—" Before she could finish speaking, Anmei had already run far away, shouting as she ran, "I'll go right away."
Yao Biluo couldn't help but burst out laughing.
The palace maids behind them dared not laugh, struggling to hold it in; their faces twitched.
Anmei ran far away and only stopped when she saw Yao Biluo and her group's figures fade. She patted her chest and muttered to herself, "Luckily I ran fast! If I had become an idiot, I would rather be dead!" Thinking of the drooling look on Li Laosan's idiot son's face, Anmei shuddered.
Back at Fengyi Palace, the palace servants had already prepared the Empress's attire and asked Yao Biluo to change into it. Yao Biluo disdainfully flipped through it and then threw it aside, saying, "I'm too impatient to wear these. Make some lighter clothes."
The palace servants knelt down and kowtowed repeatedly, begging the Empress to retract her order, arguing that as the mistress of the harem, how could she dress so casually?
"Why is nothing to the Empress's words? Why aren't you doing it?" Jun Yilin had just stepped in when he saw what had just happened, and he spoke up.
The palace servants then left trembling with fear. Back home, rumors began to circulate again: the Empress had suddenly regained favor! It seemed the tide was about to turn again, and everyone had to be careful in their dealings with her!
Yao Bile frowned and said, "I don't like wearing clothes like this, you can't force me!" Before Jun Yilin could answer, Yao Bile rushed over happily, grabbed the person behind Jun Yilin and said, "Zhan Qing, you're here! We haven't seen each other in so long!"
Ye Zhanqing's eyes were red: "I knew you would come back. We never gave up hope!" Of course, the bittersweet feeling of searching, filled with hope that turned into disappointment and then hope again, is something that is hard to explain to outsiders and is best left unmentioned.
After catching up for a while, Ye Zhanqing told Yao Biluo about Jun Yilin's decree for the day. Yao Biluo frowned and looked at Jun Yilin: "Why did you do this? Wouldn't that make me a seductive empress who bewitched the emperor?"
Jun Yilin said, "I just want everyone to know how much you mean to me, so that no one will dare to offend you again."
After he said that, Yao Biluo didn't know what to say.
On second thought, as long as the two of them are together, they can overcome any difficulty, so what is there to be afraid of? And so they felt relieved.
After chatting for a while, Ye Zhanqing wisely took his leave, and Yao Biluo reluctantly saw him off at the door.
Seeing Ye Zhanqing walk away, Jun Yilin put his arm around Yao Biluo's shoulder and whispered in her ear, "Three days from now is an auspicious day. We'll have a wedding night together. I'll let you off the hook for the next couple of days so you can rest well." He then planted a kiss on her earlobe. "I'm leaving now. If you miss me terribly, we can have our wedding night earlier!"
Yao Biluo's body was tingling from the kiss, and she was at a loss for what to do when she heard the next sentence. She angrily said, "Who missed you!"
"Haha..." Jun Yilin ignored him and walked away on his own.
Yao Biluo was left standing there, her face flushed, stamping her feet.
Seeing Jun Yilin walk away, Yao Biluo was furious. She slammed the door and went into her bedroom.
Jiang Yumin, who was hiding in the shadows, witnessed this scene and felt a pang of sorrow in her heart. She wanted to leave, but she couldn't help but enter the hall.
Yao Biluo heard something amiss behind her, turned around, and saw Jiang Yumin.
The two gazed at each other silently for a while. Memories of their past and present lives intertwined, leaving Yao Biluo unsure how to speak.
"You're back?" Jiang Yumin spoke first.
Yao Biluo nodded: "Yumian, are you alright?"
Jiang Yumin said sadly, "I'm fine. Do you hate me? It's all because of me that you—"
Yao Biluo shook her head: "No, I don't hate you. You are my family! How could I hate you? Besides, you must have your own difficulties. You must not have done it on purpose."
Jiang Yumin smiled bitterly: "He—Jun Yifeng—is actually my older brother."
"What!" Yao Biluo was stunned by these words. How could this be?
Jiang Yumin continued, "That day, we fell into the tunnel together. He told me about my background."
It turns out that when Jun Yilin's mother gave birth to her first child, she was afraid that she would not be able to keep her husband's heart if she did not give birth to a boy. Therefore, she found a baby boy to switch the baby with a boy, who later became Jun Yifeng.
And the child she gave birth to was indeed a princess, but she was born with congenital defects and died not long after being exchanged from the palace.
Jun Yifeng overheard these truths during a private conversation between his mother and her confidants. At that time, his mother already had her own son, Jun Yilin, and was planning to install him as emperor. This deeply affected the young Jun Yifeng, causing a drastic change in his personality. He eventually became repressed, plotted to usurp the throne, and later even tried to kill Jun Yilin.
When he finally gained power, he secretly investigated his own background and discovered that his biological father had died early, only his mother was still alive, and he had a younger brother, Jiang Yumin. His brother was lost when he was young and was later adopted by an assassin.
When Jiang Yumin appeared out of nowhere, Jun Yifeng was not without suspicion. He secretly sent spies to monitor him, and unexpectedly recognized him as his younger brother from a birthmark on his body. That's why he took such good care of him, gave him power, and obeyed his every whim, in order to make up for the regret of lacking family affection since childhood.
However, for the sake of the throne, he dared not tell Jiang Yumin about their true identities. It wasn't until Jiang Yumin attacked him that he was deeply shocked, and the two of them fell into the tunnel, unsure if they could escape. All of this left Jun Yifeng disheartened, and only then did he tell him the truth.
As for why Jiang Yumin was controlled by him and went against her own will to attack Lin Zijin and Anmei, it was because after Jun Yifeng escaped from the tunnel, he used his biological mother as leverage to force Jiang Yumin to help him escape.
His past ruthlessness, killing his wife and children, made Jiang Yumin, who suddenly learned about her true identity, unable to disbelieve his threats. In order to see her long-lost biological mother, he was forced to do those things that he would regret for the rest of his life.
After hearing these bizarre stories, Yao Biluo could only sigh inwardly, "Life is like a play, and a play is like life!"
Seeing Jiang Yumin's remorseful and guilty expression, Yao Biluo sighed softly and asked, "Have you seen your mother? And where is Jun Yifeng now?"
Jiang Yumin said, "I met her. He settled his mother in a small village, where she lived a relatively comfortable life. However, his mother was in poor health and had been suffering from various illnesses for a long time. She passed away not long after we met."
Yao Biluo patted him comfortingly. That year, he lost two of his most important relatives. He had never experienced the warmth of family before, and the pain of gaining and then losing them was indescribable.
Jiang Yumin glanced at her gratefully, then continued, "As for him, after he took me to see my mother, he disappeared, and I don't know where he is."
Yao Biluo sighed again, as if she wanted to exhale all the pent-up frustration in her chest.
"Alright, what's past is past. Let's not dwell on it anymore. Let's think about happy things now. We can be together again in the future. We can rely on each other and never leave each other, okay?" Yao Biluo smiled sweetly.
Looking at her bright smile, Jiang Yumin couldn't bring himself to say the words he had intended to say about leaving. Even if they couldn't be together in the future, he hoped she would allow him to savor this moment of warmth; even if she wasn't the one by her side, he hoped she would have a place to watch over her from a distance!
Three days later, it will be an auspicious day for marriage.
Inside the Phoenix Palace, the decorations were festive and joyous. Bright red curtains filled the eye, and the hanging pearls shone brightly. Bright red coral added to the festivities, and even the decorations were adorned with small "double happiness" characters by skillful palace maids...
Everyone was busy, their joy evident in their expressions, but they still maintained their noble status as members of the Phoenix Palace, moving with utmost care and doing everything with utmost care.
The beautiful bride sat on the edge of the bed, quietly waiting for her beloved.
"The peach tree is young and tender, its blossoms are bright and beautiful. This maiden is going to her husband's home, may she bring harmony to her family. The peach tree is young and tender, its fruit is plentiful. This maiden is going to her husband's home, may she bring harmony to her household. The peach tree is young and tender, its leaves are lush and green. This maiden is going to her husband's home, may she bring harmony to her family." Anmei picked up an apple from the table, took a big bite, and recited the poem indistinctly.
Yao Biluo reached out and pulled off the veil, revealing her rosy cheeks, which looked incredibly cute.
"You can recite poetry now? Damn it, how much longer do I have to wait? I'm wearing so many layers, I'm dying of heat!" Yao Biluo kept fanning herself with one hand, beads of sweat already forming on her forehead.
Anmei laughed loudly, pointing at Yao Biluo and saying, "You don't look like a bride at all! If your husband saw you like this, he'd be scared to death!"
Yao Biluo glanced at An Mei with a seductive look and smiled sweetly: "What did you say?"
Anmei looked at her chilling smile, quickly took the apple from her mouth, and said seriously, "I mean, with a beauty like our Lord's, whoever marries her is truly blessed!" She then nodded affirmatively.
Yao Biluo looked away with satisfaction.
Anmei secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
Calculating the time, Jun Yilin should have arrived by now. Anmei said, "I won't disturb your beautiful time," and slipped away.
Sitting quietly by myself, I suddenly felt flustered and inexplicably restless.
Is she really going to marry him? She went through so much trouble to come back from the underworld, all for this day! If she hadn't gone through the trials of life and death, how could she have fully understood the feelings hidden deep in her heart!