Jiang Yichun’s face was full of hostility, "He keeps looking for trouble with my wife, won’t even let her focus, does he really think I’m dead?"

General Chisong, skilled in martial arts and having personally killed on the battlefield, got angry quickly, reaching to pull Jiang Yichun’s hand away from his collar, but surprisingly couldn’t.

At that moment, General Chisong was in a pickle and had to grab Jiang Yichun’s hand instead, sternly saying, "My army is right outside; I could have you all dead here anytime, don’t test my limits!"

"You can try if you dare!" Jiang Yichun’s voice grew colder.

Tang Feng and his comrades also stepped forward, "Try and see if you can leave alive."

General Chisong’s guards also advanced, and for a moment, both sides were at each other’s throats, seemingly about to clash.

"Stop arguing, the poisonous insect has been caught." Bai Ruozhu’s voice rang out, drawing everyone’s attention.

She nodded to Yizi, who removed the array, revealing Bai Ruozhu and Empress Yazi sitting cross-legged on the ground.

In front of Empress Yazi, a large black insect lay on the ground.

Little Furball had already hid in the space, speaking to Bai Ruozhu, "This insect has been in her body for a long time, much bigger than the previous two, tastes much better."

Bai Ruozhu gazed at the insect, feeling unnerved—has it grown this large without affecting Empress Yazi?

"This is the poisonous insect from the Empress’s body, everyone can come and take a closer look." Bai Ruozhu said.

At this moment, Empress Yazi woke up, opened her eyes slowly, and was startled by the number of people around her.

"What’s happening? Why are there so many people in my bedchamber?" She cried out urgently, and seeing the Second Prince and the Emperor there, felt slightly comforted.

"Mother, do you remember the recent events?" The Second Prince approached to help her up.

Empress Yazi thought for a moment, "I can’t seem to recall, what happened to me? Was I sick?"

"You were controlled by a poisonous insect, you even accused me of plotting against Father before and had General Chisong arrest me in the palace." The Second Prince said with a slight smile.

Sure enough, Empress Yazi showed an expression of surprise, "You are my son, how could I not know your character? Why would I say that?"

"Mother, don’t worry, Father struck me so I spit blood when controlled by the insect, yet he remembers nothing of it." The Second Prince explained.

Empress Yazi looked at the Emperor, "Then... What else did I do?"

The Emperor replied irritably, "So much; later, let Cilang explain it all to you properly."

Realizing there were many people around, Empress Yazi quickly said, "Alright, alright, if I did anything wrong, I’m willing to accept punishment."

The Astrologer spoke in timely fashion, "Now that the poisonous insect within the Empress has been removed, I hope everyone recognizes it was due to external control and not her own intentions; let this matter pass."

The Emperor also spoke, "Matters from before troubled you all coming to the palace, please return and rest well."

"So the Second Prince didn’t commit treason? Empress Yazi was controlled, causing those words? Who was behind this?" An official asked.

"It was a low-ranking officer named Song Yi, a power-hungry master of poisons who hid in the court for years seeking an opportunity, but now he has disappeared, and we can’t find him." The Emperor replied.

Many people didn’t know Song Yi, partly because his rank was low, partly because he was extremely low-key.

However, some people recognized him, and upon hearing, were shocked; that person showed no signs of being a master of poisons.

The officials understood the gist and proceeded to salute and take their leave, yet General Chisong made no movement.

"Thank you, General Chisong, for your help this time, you should also rest early." The Emperor said.

"Your Majesty, the palace is fraught with danger; I really worry about the safety of you and the imperial family, especially since you’re too trusting of people from Zhongyuan—after all, they are outsiders." General Chisong replied.

Jiang Yichun glared at him, "Should we trust a malignant soul like you then?"

"Insolent creature, do you really believe the General wouldn’t dare to kill you?" General Chisong shouted at Jiang Yichun.

"You’ll also have to see if you’re capable," Jiang Yichun replied with disdain, poised to strike.

"The General affords respect to the Emperor, unwilling to cause disturbance in the palace; Jiang Yichun, don’t push it." General Chisong said, grasping the sword by his side.

Jiang Yichun nonchalantly said, "Want to fight? Then let’s go outside, so as not to disturb the Emperor and Empress."

Alarmed, the Emperor quickly said, "Both of you calm down, now is not the time for infighting."

Bai Ruozhu noticed Jiang Yichun wink at her, likely guessing his intention, but unfortunately General Chisong didn’t engage, snorted coldly, "Your Majesty, we’ll retreat and defend the palace, this is decided."

Then he turned, swaggering away.

The Emperor and Second Prince were very annoyed, Empress Yazi bit her lip and said with a sob, "It’s my fault for inviting him into the palace, all my fault."

The Emperor patted her shoulder, gently saying, "Don’t blame yourself, I should have noticed your anomaly earlier and saved you sooner, you’ve suffered."

Suddenly, Empress Yazi spat blood, and the Second Prince and Emperor were alarmed, quickly asking Bai Ruozhu what was happening.

Bai Ruozhu sighed and said, "You’ve been affected by insects for just two days and already feel exhausted; she was controlled much longer, and the insect has grown so big, feeding on her body’s essence, injuring her fundamentally. Without my medicine, she would’ve spat blood earlier."

If she had spat blood in front of the ministers, explaining might’ve been tricky.

"Is Yazi in mortal danger?" The Emperor asked urgently.

"She won’t die but will be frail, prone to illnesses; good care is crucial else she’ll often fall ill with seasonal changes, even feel pain in the rain." Bai Ruozhu truthfully said.

"How did it come to this..." The Second Prince mumbled, being the biological child of Empress Yazi, if he paid more attention, perhaps this wouldn’t have happened.

Empress Yazi wasn’t overly scared; her demeanor changed entirely. She wiped her mouth gently, "It’s alright, I’ll take care of myself, don’t worry too much. At least I’m free from the insect’s control now, which is good; we should be happy."

The Emperor’s eyes reddened, embracing her shoulder, "Yes, our family is safe, we should be happy and thank the Zhongyuan envoys."