Many people believed that Changsheng Palace's very existence rested, to a great extent, on the Son of Heaven's pity and favor...
If Imperial Concubine Lei's stupidity, greed, and wantonness were ever exposed, it would almost be like pulling the foundation out from beneath Changsheng Palace.
That was why Gongsun Yu would rather cut out his own tongue than reveal the secret. The truth was hardly something Changsheng Palace could take pride in.
That was also why Feng Gu had stayed silent while Jiang Wuqi was alive. After Imperial Concubine Lei's death, the meaning of his life had been to protect Jiang Wuqi.
But Jiang Wuqi was dead too...
What use was the Son of Heaven's love?
The Son of Heaven had doted on Imperial Concubine Lei to the utmost, but she was already dead.
The Son of Heaven had described his grief over losing Jiang Wuqi as "a sorrow beyond measure," but Jiang Wuqi was dead too.
All that remained in Feng Gu's heart was hatred. He wanted the Empress to be buried alongside Imperial Concubine Lei—as should have happened seventeen years ago.
That was why he had hanged himself in the mourning hall, facing the Empress's seat. He had even used the Child-Eating Spider as a metaphor for the Empress...
That was why he had brought out Lin Kuang's tools, to draw Lin Youxie into investigating the old case.
From seventeen years ago to seventeen years later, the whole affair had finally taken shape in Jiang Wang's mind.
Imperial Concubine Lei, the Empress, the Tian Family, the Lei Clan, Jiang Wuqi, Gongsun Yu, Feng Gu... The choices each side had made now lay crystal clear before him.
At this moment, Jiang Wang knew more than Lin Youxie did.
And he knew one more thing she didn't: something a mysterious