"Congratulations, Marquis Jin'an!"
Ouyang Jinsè had contributed a precious medicinal prescription, and the Crown Prince had pleaded with the Emperor for a reward on her behalf. Although the Emperor couldn't make it public, he needed a sect close to the court.
Previously, it was Tianmen Mountain. Now, Tianmen Mountain had gone into seclusion.
Currently, only the Jinshui Palace was suitable. Thus, Ouyang Jinsè, the master of the Jinshui Palace, became the only sect leader in a century to be enfeoffed as a marquis, apart from Miao Yúnshēn of Tianmen Mountain. For a moment, all the major sects in the Jianghu followed her lead.
Ouyang Jinsè was overjoyed and complacent. The status of the Jinshui Palace in the Jianghu rose rapidly. In just a few months, it faintly showed the momentum of becoming the number - one sect in the Jianghu.
Tianmen Mountain gradually faded into the past and was no longer mentioned.
"See how he builds his mansion, see how he entertains guests, see how the mansion collapses, and see how the guests disperse."
Sòng Jǐnyú stroked a bottle of medicine in her hand, the Soul - Losing Powder. She was lost in thought. This medicine had plunged the Crown Prince into a hallucination, but... as time passed, he still had a chance of recovery.
So... who should she send next?
Since there had been a slight flaw in the previous plan, Zhòng Yuánliǔ had been arranged by her to leave the capital early. Fortunately, he had left smoothly before the capital was under martial law.
She wanted to take advantage of the situation and strike while the iron was hot!
Unfortunately... Chéng Sōng had been taken away by Zhōnglí Míngyè, and Zhòng Yuánliǔ was of no use.
Before leaving the capital, Ouyang Jinsè visited the Eastern Palace. The Crown Prince was in a daze. Ouyang Jinsè carefully questioned the guards who had been present that day.
She faintly felt that there was something fishy about this matter.
She remembered that on Tianmen Mountain that day, before Sòng Jǐnyú left, she hadn't even glanced at her. It seemed that she hated her extremely.
Perhaps, she knew the real murderer who had killed Yān Fēi?
With a bitter smile, such a smart woman, even though she was extremely sad, still made quick and decisive decisions and quickly took control of the situation.
It would be so difficult to hide anything from her. After all, Yān Fēi was so important to her.
Was the Crown Prince... her doing?
Ouyang Jinsè was deeply troubled. She recalled that Sòng Jǐnyú had once said she wouldn't kill her three times. Now, was she going to kill her?
Just now she had been elated because of the marquis title, but now she was constantly being schemed against by the woman she loved. Ouyang Jinsè's heart felt as if it had fallen into an ice cellar.
The Silver - Masked Gentleman looked at the smiling woman in front of him. His eyes were slightly cold. "This medicine..."
"You won't die if you take it, but it won't be easy to live either..."
Sòng Jǐnyú looked up at him. "He will be anxious and depressed every day, and finally... become an idiot."
Her slender jade hand held the jade bottle, as if plucking a flower. "It will be more painful than killing him directly!"
"I was never a kind - hearted person. If not, Master wouldn't have suppressed my learning of poison back then." Miáo Yúnshēn had been afraid that her talent in learning poison was too high and would change her kind nature. Therefore... he had disliked her learning poison very much.
Now... Miáo Yúnshēn was dead, and there was no one in the world who could suppress Sòng Jǐnyú anymore.
"The Eastern Palace is heavily guarded. Your wish may be hard to come true." The Silver - Masked Gentleman said truthfully. "It doesn't matter... there's still plenty of time..."
"I'll surely find a chance to give him a 'wonderful' ending..."
She laughed coquettishly and put away the bottle of medicine. The Silver - Masked Gentleman felt a pang in his heart. He had taken such good care of her, yet she still had to work so hard.
Even if it meant changing her own nature, she still wanted to take revenge.
So he sighed softly. "Ouyang Jinsè is in power now. Do you have a strategy to deal with her?"
Sòng Jǐnyú sneered. "She... isn't even worthy of dirtying my hands..." There was no need to waste such a good thing. As long as the time came, the entire Jinshui Palace would become cannon fodder.
When the Silver - Masked Gentleman left, he held a jade bottle in his hand.
He heard her soft voice in his ear. "...This matter is of great importance. Although the risk is extremely high... the reward is also great."
"Aren't you afraid that Ouyang Jinsè will find a clue?"
"Of course not, because she loves me..." Sòng Jǐnyú's face remained unchanged, as if she were talking about something very ordinary.
But it made the Silver - Masked Gentleman's face turn cold. "I'm her obsession and the person she can never have in her life. Before she gets me, she will surely let me live well."
"As long as I'm alive, I will surely take revenge!"
For Miáo Yúnshēn and Yān Fēi, Sòng Jǐnyú was willing to risk her life to avenge them. When the Silver - Masked Gentleman walked out, his heart turned cold.
Sòng Jǐnyú was sure that even if Ouyang Jinsè found something, she wouldn't expose her. Of course, to keep her hands clean, she didn't summon Zhòng Yuánliǔ again.
Instead, she chose the Silver - Masked Gentleman.
"I've finally become the kind of person I once hated the most." Taking advantage of Ouyang Jinsè's feelings, taking advantage of the Silver - Masked Gentleman's gratitude, who else did she want to take advantage of? Sòng Jǐnyú, one day you will only be left with a little bit of uneasiness because of such arrangements.
Her eyes were clear. What she had said to the Silver - Masked Gentleman today was half - true and half - false.
Now, in this capital city, apart from herself, Sòng Jǐnyú didn't dare to trust anyone easily. The medicine had been taken away by him. How to use it was up to the Silver - Masked Gentleman.
She hadn't specified who the medicine was for. She had just given it to him with a smile.
After all, she didn't completely trust him. After all, they only had the bond of her saving his life.
In the palace, Concubine Hé was sitting there listlessly. Outside, lightning flashed and thunder roared, and the rain was pouring down heavily, making the banana leaves crackle. She had gone to pay respects to the Queen today. As a noble concubine, she had been arrogant and domineering, so she had been ridiculed by many concubines. The Queen had even scolded her.
At night, she felt cold all over. She recalled the Emperor's tenderness when she was in favor.
Unexpectedly, several dark figures came through the rain.
Two hours later, the sky cleared, and the rain washed away all the traces.
"Ah!"
When a maid went in with water, she found Concubine Hé hanging herself! Her face was deathly pale, and her eyes were tightly closed.
In the panic, when the people from the inner court arrived, the scene had been severely damaged. There was a bloody letter in the middle, which was extremely eye - catching!
The inner - court eunuch went to report to the Queen immediately.
When the Queen came, the concubines' maids had already read Concubine Hé's last letter. There was nothing special about it, except for the eight characters "The Crown Prince insulted me, the Queen insulted me", which were really shocking.
The Queen stared at the maids and eunuchs around her viciously. "Who has read the bloody letter?"
Everyone's faces turned ashen, and there was complete silence.
When the Emperor got the news, his heart sank for a moment. After all, Concubine Hé had been a woman he had doted on. Although she had been outspoken, they had truly loved each other.
So... when the Emperor learned that the Queen and others had scolded and insulted her before the incident, he directly confined the Queen for three months, and all the other concubines involved were demoted.
Just after Concubine Hé's death, rumors quietly spread in the palace. "Concubine Hé left a bloody letter, but it disappeared as soon as the Queen entered."
"Moreover... the inner - court eunuchs had the first maid and eunuch who went in beaten to death."
At this time, the Queen wasn't depressed because of the confinement. Instead, she was extremely anxious. Because today she had just learned that there were actually two copies of the bloody letter.
Unfortunately, she had been too flustered at that time. She had only cared about killing those who had read it. She never thought about where the second copy had gone.
Maybe it was fake? Maybe the maid had made it up to take revenge on her? But... how could a little maid have such a scheming mind?
Eunuch Ān quietly sent the extra copy of the bloody letter out of the palace. Unexpectedly... he was intercepted and killed on the way. The bloody letter was then lost!