"Your Majesty!" Hong Chou suddenly looked up, meeting her gaze, and said urgently, "Your Majesty..."
"I was just joking with you."
She was not Chu Qianli; she was, indeed, Yu Linglong.
Chu Qianli was already dead!
Yu Linglong sat on the chair, looked down at Hong Chou, who was still kneeling on one knee, and curved her lips.
"If I didn't trust you, you wouldn't be alive and well. Although my martial arts are not as good as yours, my methods of poisoning are definitely something you cannot guard against."
Hong Chou remained silent.
Yu Linglong was Wu Chenzi's disciple. Whether it was healing or poisoning, her skills were beyond ordinary people.
She also knew that if Yu Linglong had intended to kill her, it would have been impossible to defend against.
Unless she left, there was no escape.
"Your Majesty," Hong Chou pursed her lips and said earnestly, "Last night, I genuinely only wanted to protect Your Majesty. As for Your Majesty's secrets, they hold no great significance to me."
"Your Majesty only needs to know that your subordinate's master is you, Your Majesty."
As for where the real Chu Qianli was now, Hong Chou didn't even want to ask.
Most likely, she was already dead. Why ask further?
"Since Your Majesty wishes to clarify matters with your subordinate, then... does Your Majesty have any instructions?"
"Hong Chou, you are an intelligent person. You should know that anything you say cannot be believed by anyone under this face of mine."
"Your subordinate understands!" Therefore, there was no need to say things that harmed others without benefiting oneself.
Moreover, the rewards Yu Linglong had given her and Qing Mei were very generous.
After wandering aimlessly for so many years, they could now live a stable life and even be in a position of authority with servants attending to them.
They only needed to work for Yu Linglong.
How could she not cherish such excellent treatment?
"Your Majesty, please rest assured. Not a single word of this will be spoken by me! Even Qing Mei, I will absolutely not reveal half a sentence to her!"
Chu Qianli stared at her for a long time. Hong Chou endured the pressure and continued to kneel on one knee, almost drenched in sweat.
After an unknown period, Chu Qianli finally said, "I am Chu Qianli. No matter what you think in your heart, from this moment on, you must tell yourself that this is the truth."
"Your subordinate obeys!" Hong Chou immediately replied.
"I heard that woman named Xiao Yao spent last night in Prince Xuan's study with Prince Xuan. I am very annoyed with this woman now."
"Your subordinate will definitely find a way to eliminate her for Your Majesty!"
"That is not necessary."
"Not necessary?" Hong Chou looked up at her, her face filled with confusion. "Your Majesty, then..."
Chu Qianli smiled and said, "I have found that she still has some use."
Hong Chou listened quietly. After a while, she nodded, "Your subordinate understands."
Although this matter sounded unbelievable, it also seemed like a good plan.
Suddenly, Qing Mei's voice was heard from outside: "Your Majesty, Emperor Beiming's condition has relapsed. Eunuch Qing has arrived and wishes to invite Your Majesty to the palace immediately to treat him."
The Emperor of Beiming was someone Chu Qianli still had to appease.
No longer paying attention to Hong Chou, she changed her clothes and, accompanied by Qing Mei, immediately entered the palace with Eunuch Qing.
However, Chu Qianli never expected that before reaching the Emperor's sleeping quarters, within the palace walls, she would encounter the Empress Dowager, who was passing by in her imperial carriage.
The Empress Dowager's spirits were clearly not good; she seemed somewhat lost.
Seeing the woman with her back to the imperial carriage procession from afar, the Empress Dowager's eyes lit up, and she exclaimed, "Linglong! Linglong, you've truly returned!"