The dizziness was only montary, and soon it passed without a trace.
Su Yanran glanced at Hei Yun once more. Hei Yun gave a slight nod, signaling that Jiang Xinyue had been successfully hypnotized.
"Empress..."
"Ah!"
A face drenched in blood suddenly lunged towards Jiang Xinyue, causing her to shriek in panic. However, the vision was fleeting, and the face quickly transford back into that of Su Yanran.
"Empress, what's wrong?"
"Ahhh... Stay away from !"
Jiang Xinyue suddenly covered her face and eyes, pushing Su Yanran away with one hand and hastily making her way out.
It was more of a desperate escape than a re walk.
Su Yanran watched her stumble in confusion, surrounded by panicked palace maids, feeling a sense of satisfaction.
Still, she couldn't help but question, "Hei Yun, are you sure she just saw Jianxi's ghostly face?"
Hei Yun's bland face, one that could easily be forgotten, revealed a cryptic smile. "Your Majesty, everything was carried out as per your instructions. Now, just wait for the good news!"
Su Yanran let out a cold laugh. "Next up is the Emperor of Great Yan."
That despot had shalessly protected Jiang Xinyue, severing Jianxi's tendons, which led to her fatal wounds during her journey ho due to the lack of tily treatnt.
"Your Majesty, you..."
"Sss——"
Before Xi Que could react, she was shoved away by Jiang Xinyue. "I see Su Yanran in all of you! Stay away from !"
Jiang Xinyue allowed herself to be hypnotized, knowing she was a professional and could distinguish between real and illusion.
She had always declared that she wasn't afraid of ghosts.
If she wasn't afraid of the living, why would she fear the dead?
It was just that the sight of blood was a bit off-putting to her appetite.
Inside Kunning Palace, shadowy specters watched Jiang Xinyue with blank expressions. She yawned, stretched, and took a deep breath. "Ah——Ah——Ah——"
A female warrior in green wanted to eavesdrop on Jiang Xinyue's thoughts, but the Kunning Palace was teeming with experts. Even the towering trees exuded a sense of nace.
It was best not to get too close.
If caught, it would only add another charge against the Jin Kingdom.
Even from a distance, the warrior could hear the dreadful screams of the Empress of Great Yan.
It seed Hei Yun's hypnotism had taken effect.
To facilitate the Jin Kingdom's plans, Jiang Xinyue had deliberately ordered a hole to be dug in the northern wall of Kunning Palace and prohibited any patrols from passing by.
The green-clad warrior circled the palace multiple tis before discovering the spot, while Jiang Xinyue grew impatient.
With disheveled hair and bare feet, Jiang Xinyue huddled in the corner, covering her ears and refusing any contact. "Go away, you evil spirits! It wasn't ... It wasn't ... Don't co near !"
Her screams echoed, and even the Emperor, who tried to approach her, was t with her flailing pillow, keeping him at bay.
"What on earth is happening? Why has Yue'er turned like this?"
Xi Que wiped her tears and replied, "I... I don't know, Your Majesty. The Empress woke up from her nap like this, as if possessed by so evil spirit, constantly saying, 'Don't co near .' Could she be under so kind of spell?"
A face half-hidden in the window fra peered in, but all attention in Kunning Palace was focused on the Empress, and no one noticed the figure lurking in the bushes.
The Emperor, visibly anxious, wanted to hold her in his arms to comfort her.
However, he hesitated, fearing he might hurt the violently struggling Jiang Xinyue.
"Ahhh... There are ghosts everywhere! Leave alone! I'm not afraid of you!"
The once-graceful woman had abandoned all poise, her eyes reddened with terror, tears cascading like pearls.
Her eyes darted around, refusing any approach from the Emperor and others.
Ultimately, the Emperor couldn't bear to see her hurt herself and rushed to embrace her. Jiang Xinyue, in her extre fear, eventually fainted.
The shadowy figure outside the window smirked. The Empress of Great Yan had indeed fallen under the spell of hypnosis.
Su Yanran, upon receiving the report from her subordinate, finally relaxed. Especially when, that sa night, all the Imperial Hospital's court physicians were summoned to Kunning Palace.
A woman nad Qing diligently monitored the situation, providing real-ti updates to Su Yanran.
Regarding Jiang Xinyue's sudden "illness," the Imperial Hospital's physicians were utterly perplexed.
Hypnotism wasn't poisoning, and even extensive examinations couldn't uncover the cause.
The next day, the Emperor didn't attend court, and the ministers learned that the Empress was critically ill.
"Is Jiang Xinyue dying?"
In an elegant chamber, Jiang Shu'er jumped up with glee from her chair. "Mother, is that true?"
Madam Zou glanced at her and knew exactly what was on her mind, imdiately warning her, "No! Don't forget your father and brother are serving under whom? Angering him could jeopardize the hard-earned promotions your father and brother recently achieved."
"Mother~"
Jiang Shu'er tugged at her mother's sleeve. "Ask father to speak to Second Uncle, please. Isn't Father Second Uncle's right-hand man? If I enter the palace, I can assist Sister Xinyue. Together, we can win the Emperor's heart."
She seed to have forgotten how she, along with Jiang Yutong and Jiang Yulin, had bullied Jiang Xinyue and Jiang Xinyan in the past.
"What nonsense are you spouting?"
Madam Zou was taken aback by her daughter's logic. "What are you? How can you compare yourself to the Empress? She rose from a re noblewoman to the Queen, then the Empress, stepping over countless bodies. The Emperor dissolved the harem for her; how can you even imagine he would place his affections on you?"
The Empress already monopolized the Emperor's affections, capturing his entire heart. Why would she bring soone into the palace to threaten her own position?
Haven't you seen?
Currently, the palace only houses the noble concubine who bore a princess and the loyal Shu concubine.
The others have been relegated to the "Imperial retirent ho."
Shu concubine's father, Jiang Hewei, the Ministry of officials, is a staunch supporter of the crown prince.
Jiang Shu'er is rely a collateral branch of the Jiang family, yet she harbors ambitions to vie for the Emperor's favor against the Empress. If Madam Zou were the Empress, she wouldn't tolerate such a nuisance.
Undeterred by her mother's scolding, Jiang Shu'er sobbed and pleaded, "I don't care! I want to enter the palace! I must beco a royal consort! Even if I'm neglected, I still want the title! I can't bear being ridiculed!"
"I'm at my wit's end with you; you're really a handful."
With the Queen of Jin Kingdom about to depart, there would naturally be another grand banquet at the palace.
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