From Cold Palace Princess to Heavenly Empress

Xiao Minghuang's eyes were tightly shut, her face deathly pale, her breath weak. She lay limp in Ye Ruoshui's arms, devoid of any life, appearing utterly defeated and powerless.

Ye Ruoshui held Xiao Minghuang's body, her heart in a panic. Her body trembled as she gently stroked Xiao Minghuang's blood-stained cheeks, tears streaming uncontrollably down her face.

"Your Highness..."

Lin Zhengquan stepped forward, his face etched with guilt, and said mournfully:

"If it weren't for Beiyang City, how could Your Highness have been so gravely injured..."

Wang Jin circulated his spiritual energy, continuously repairing Xiao Minghuang's damaged body, and called out:

"Miss Ye, don't be sad. It's more important to heal Your Highness!"

Lin Wanqiu rushed over. She had just been fighting a Qi Refining Realm fierce beast. Seeing Xiao Minghuang injured, she became distracted and the beast seized an opening, striking her shoulder. A large portion of flesh and bone was sliced away, and she was bleeding profusely.

Her heart pounded wildly. Enduring the intense pain, she walked forward and shouted:

"Ye Ruoshui, don't just stand there foolishly! Hurry and heal Your Highness!"

Her loud shout startled Ye Ruoshui awake. She reacted, immediately taking a large handful of pills from her storage bag and stuffing them into Xiao Minghuang's mouth.

The moment the pills entered Xiao Minghuang's mouth, they transformed into a medicinal power that melted away.

After feeding her dozens of pills, a potent medicinal force filled Xiao Minghuang's body, causing her breathing to gradually stabilize. Everyone finally breathed a sigh of relief.

At this moment.

Ye Ruoshui noticed Lin Wanqiu's shoulder was bleeding profusely. She quickly took out another box of pills and handed it over.

"Sister Lin, you're badly hurt. Take this medicine quickly!"

"...Thank you, Ruoshui."

Lin Wanqiu's face was pale, her voice weak. She sat down on the spot, took the pills, and began circulating her energy to heal.

Although her injury looked terrifying, it was far less severe than Xiao Minghuang's. After only a few moments of recuperation, her complexion became much more ruddy.

After bandaging her wound, Lin Wanqiu walked to Xiao Minghuang's side. She glanced at the beardless old man squatting nearby, hesitated for a moment, and then asked:

"Senior, who might you be?"

Xiao Minghuang's breathing gradually stabilized, and Wang Jin also relaxed. He replied:

"This old servant's surname is Wang. I came from the Imperial City with the Ninth Princess."

Having followed them all the way, he naturally saw things clearly.

The eldest daughter of the Lin family in Beiyang City had clearly gained the Ninth Princess's acknowledgment and would very likely take up residence in the Princess's mansion in the future.

He understood very well that with the Ninth Princess's talent, securing the position of Crown Prince was a foregone conclusion.

Although they had been ambushed by villains this time, their fundamental strength had not been harmed, and it would not affect her future cultivation path.

Therefore, the Lin family of Beiyang City would undoubtedly soar to great heights and achieve rapid success in the future.

Thinking this.

Wang Jin became even more humble and courteous, showing none of the airs of a Divine Sea sixth-realm expert.

Hearing a Divine Sea realm expert refer to himself as an "old servant," Lin Wanqiu was momentarily stunned and didn't react. After a brief pause, she repeatedly waved her hands, declining:

"Eunuch Wang, you flatter this humble girl."

Upon hearing this, Wang Jin bowed slightly and respectfully said:

"Miss Lin, if you have any commands, please do not hesitate to give them."

At this moment, Xiao Minghuang was severely injured and unconscious.

Ye Ruoshui was just a young girl of twelve or thirteen.

To her, Xiao Minghuang was her world.

But now, her world had collapsed.

Her attention was entirely focused on Xiao Minghuang.

She carefully bandaged Xiao Minghuang's wounds and cleaned away the blood.

As for the conversation between Lin Wanqiu and Wang Jin, she paid no attention at all.

Ye Ruoshui took excellent care of Xiao Minghuang. Her chaotic aura steadily stabilized, and she quickly recovered. Her tightly furrowed brow gradually relaxed, and a faint blush appeared on her pale face.

Lin Wanqiu's worried heart eased slightly. She turned to Wang Jin and said:

"Eunuch Wang, do you have any insights into who attacked Your Highness this time?"

Hearing this, Wang Jin inwardly praised her.

He had followed Xiao Minghuang all the way and knew that the two young women by the Ninth Princess's side were both deeply favored by Her Highness.

However, compared to the two, Lin Wanqiu was clearly more noble and more valued, not just because she was the eldest daughter of Beiyang City.

Her composure and self-possession in the face of danger alone were beyond what that little maidservant could compare to.

Only a woman with such a disposition could be worthy of being a nation's mother.

Of course, this was his opinion. As for how the Ninth Princess herself viewed the two young women, he dared not speculate.

But before that, he still had to test the waters again.

After all, he followed the Ninth Princess to Beiyang City this time not only for covert protection.

He also had a mission: to observe the character of the Beiyang City Lord's daughter and see if she was a suitable match for the Ninth Princess.

Wang Jin slowly spoke, "This… this old servant has lived in the deep palace for a long time and knows nothing of the world. How could I possibly have any insights?"

Hearing this, Lin Wanqiu's delicate eyebrows furrowed slightly. After thinking for a moment, as if she had thought of something, the corners of her mouth curved slightly, her eyes brightened, and she asked with a light laugh, "If that's the case, could Eunuch Wang tell me about the current situation in the court? That way, I can help Your Highness plan accordingly."

Upon hearing this, a smile appeared on Wang Jin's aged face. He nodded and said, "This old servant happens to have a document here that records many interesting court affairs. Please take a look, Miss Lin."

As he spoke, Wang Jin took out a document from his sleeve and handed it to Lin Wanqiu.

Taking the document, Lin Wanqiu scanned it at a rate of ten lines per glance, her gaze like lightning. In a few moments, she had grasped the situation in the capital.

After reading the document, Lin Wanqiu's eyes shifted as she quickly analyzed the situation in the capital.

"In the Royal Grand Competition, all nine imperial heirs have the potential to be made Crown Prince."

"Therefore, the other eight princes could all be the masterminds behind the assassination of Your Highness!"

After much thought, Lin Wanqiu still had no leads. She looked around and then spotted the corpse of the colossal elephant, like a mountain.

This corpse suddenly reminded her of many things.

"This Beast Tide came so suddenly and swiftly; it's unusual. This giant elephant was the fiercest beast with the highest cultivation in the Beast Tide. Could there be a clue hidden within its corpse?"

Lin Wanqiu pondered, and what's more, that mysterious assassin was also hidden within the giant elephant, secretly ambushing Xiao Minghuang.

With this thought, she immediately took action, going to the side of the giant elephant and calling for the guards to dissect it together.

As soon as they cut open the elephant's abdomen, they discovered something hidden inside. After a brief search, they found a dark token.

On it were inscribed two large characters:

Beast Taming.

65. Devising a Plan to Catch the Thief

The token seemed to be cast from some rare metal. It was smooth and round to the touch, entirely black, with two large gilded characters inscribed on it.

Beast Taming.

Wang Jin walked forward, glanced at the token, and after a moment of thought, slowly said, "This should be a Beast Taming Token from the Beast Taming Sect. It can be implanted into a fierce beast to temporarily control its mind. The assassin likely used the Beast Taming Token to drive the Silver Light Giant Elephant to trigger the Beast Tide, and then, at the end of the Beast Tide, assassinate Your Highness."

Hearing Wang Jin's analysis, Lin Wanqiu's eyes were deep and thoughtful.

"If that's the case, the Beast Taming Sect wants to assassinate Your Highness?"

Upon hearing this, Wang Jin frowned.

"The Beast Taming Sect is extremely far from Great Xia. They have no regular contact, nor any grudges. Why would they harm Your Highness?"

Although he didn't say it explicitly, the implied meaning was that this assassination must have been ordered by a prince in the capital.

The one with the greatest suspicion and the most capability to carry out such an act.

There was only one.

The Second Prince.

Besides him, no other prince could command a dignified Divine Sea Realm martial artist to stoop so low as to assassinate a junior.

Lin Wanqiu clearly understood this as well, but the mysterious Divine Sea Realm martial artist had already been killed with a single palm strike, leaving no remains. It was too late to gather evidence.

Wang Jin was also well aware of this. When the assassin suddenly appeared, he had acted in a panic, unleashing his full power without any reservation, and had forgotten to capture the assassin alive.

He bowed slightly, apologizing, "This old servant was startled and accidentally killed the assassin. Please punish me, Miss Lin!"

Hearing this, Lin Wanqiu waved her hands repeatedly and said kindly, "Eunuch Wang, please do not blame yourself. The assassin appeared suddenly, and protecting Your Highness was naturally the top priority. Eunuch Wang did nothing wrong by killing the assassin."

Lin Wanqiu knew that Wang Jin's deference to her was entirely due to Xiao Minghuang's identity.

She could not become arrogant and disrespectful to Wang Jin, as that would be impolite and damage Xiao Minghuang's reputation.

Seeing that Lin Wanqiu did not blame him, Wang Jin's wrinkled face revealed a smile. He thought to himself, "The daughter of Beiyang City is intelligent and brave, remains calm in the face of danger, and is exceptionally beautiful. She is indeed a worthy match for the Ninth Highness!"

Wang Jin made his conclusion in his heart.

At this moment.

After a period of recovery, Xiao Minghuang's body gradually healed, and she finally woke up.

The moment she opened her eyes, she saw Ye Ruoshui's tear-streaked face. Her eyes were red and swollen, her face covered in tear stains, looking as if she had suffered from a serious illness, her complexion extremely haggard.

Ye Ruoshui had been watching Xiao Minghuang's every move. Noticing her Highness open her eyes, she immediately exclaimed in surprise:

"Your Highness, you're awake..."

Before she could finish her sentence, her voice cut off as Xiao Minghuang covered her mouth.

Xiao Minghuang's voice was weak and low, barely audible.

"Ruoshui, don't tell anyone I'm awake. Go get Wanqiu."

Seeing Xiao Minghuang awake, Ye Ruoshui was filled with joy and obediently nodded.

She didn't make a fuss and instead went to fetch Lin Wanqiu.

A few breaths later.

Lin Wanqiu arrived beside Xiao Minghuang. Seeing her peerless beauty pale and haggard, drained of all color, her heart clenched tightly.

She thought she could remain rational and unswayed by emotion, but in reality, she couldn't.

If she could, she truly wanted to drag out that damned mastermind right now and tear them to pieces!

Lin Wanqiu slowly knelt down, pulling Xiao Minghuang into her embrace, and asked gently, "Are you feeling any better, Your Highness?"

Seeing Lin Wanqiu's expression, Xiao Minghuang knew that despite her heartache and anger, she remained calm and rational. A sense of relief washed over her.

She knew Ye Ruoshui possessed a pure heart, untainted by the world, and couldn't be entrusted with the dirty deeds hidden behind the sunshine.

Lin Wanqiu, however, was different. She was born with a sharp mind, an understanding heart, and mature judgment, making her suitable for plotting.

"Wanqiu, were the assassins caught?"

Just now, Xiao Minghuang had indeed suffered a serious blow.

This was partly because the attack had been incredibly fast and difficult to dodge.