"Because there are quite a few rumors in Jianghu saying our Xiran Island has countless rare treasures, those filled with greed have been trying by all means to break in. In reality, we only live a life of detachment from worldly affairs on this island. How could there be any rare treasures? This is just an ordinary little island. This stone chamber was originally the Book Collection Pavilion on the island. After your mother had an accident, we felt this place was quiet, so we arranged it to be your mother’s boudoir. The things inside the room are all belongings from before she left home. But unexpectedly, now one or two decades have passed, the objects remain but..."

Upon speaking to this point, Xi Yang’s gentle smile disappeared, replaced by a cloud of worry on his handsome face.

"Uncle, is mother here?" Jiang Xue seemed to feel something, cautiously observing the surroundings.

"Yes, she is in the inner chamber inside." Xi Yang’s gaze turned toward the stone door behind them, his expression bitter.

"What on earth happened to mother?"

Murong Han could no longer contain himself, wanting to rush straight in, but Jiang Xue grabbed his shoulder: "Brother, don’t be hasty, listen to what uncle has to say!"

Xi Yang paced to the center of the stone chamber where the portrait hung, gazing with concentration, a gentle smile appearing on his face.

"She is your mother—Xi Yue. From a young age, she displayed her talents, not only beautiful but extremely intelligent, lively, active, kind-hearted, growing up carefree on the island. As she grew older, she further displayed her prowess in wisdom, smart and eager to learn, wise and intellectual, skilled in alchemy, the Four Arts, poetry, and songs, Five Elements and Eight Trigrams, medical skills, and Poison Technique, she dabbled in everything and mastered them all. Then one day she told us, what she learned on the island could no longer satisfy her curiosity about the world, so at 16, she told father she wanted to go out and experience the world."

"Father, despite a thousand reluctances, could not resist her stubbornness, thus allowing her to leave. Little did we know, this let her meet the man who would affect her entire life, that man not only took Xi Yue to Lanyue Country but even made her Empress. Xi Yue naively thought she could be happy for life, yet she continuously faced sabotage from various women in the harem, that man could protect her for a time, but ultimately not for a lifetime, her kindness betrayed her talent, she naively thought those women were just jealous of her, no one imagined they intended to ruin her."

"Who would have thought, she had no intention to harm others, even repeatedly forgiving those who harmed her time and again, but gradually discovered the people around her were slowly changing, her food was laced with slow-acting poison, clothes and daily items were maliciously contaminated with poisons destroying skin. Xi Yue was stunned, she had not expected that her tolerance resulted in ever-escalating threats, even endangering her life."

"This made her realize, those outside were not as good as they seemed on the surface but were bad to the core, at that time, her first child was just born, she was so afraid her child would be harmed, so she sent the child to the Tianshan Taoist, luckily the Tianshan Taoist had some friendship with my father, agreed to raise the child for her, she finally breathed a sigh of relief."

"She loved that man deeply, even after suffering such schemes, she resolutely continued living with him. Year after year passed by, she never returned to Xiran Island, we worried daily about her, afraid she would be sabotaged or bullied. Yet, she left no message for us, living in constant fear in Lanyue Country. She thought everywhere yielding would make the others restrain, but didn’t realize how foolish her thought was, the poison dosage increased day by day, she started feeling exhausted, fear-filled days gradually turned her cheerful and lively self cold and aloof, upon noticing her change, that man began to distance himself from her, which made her even more mentally and physically drained, silent and withdrawn."

"Just then, she found herself pregnant again, already over two months pregnant. For the child’s sake, she started to subtly distance from that man, the man enraged, went to other women out of shame. She wept alone in sadness, but to divert those women’s attention, she endured everything she should and shouldn’t until six months later, the child was born, only then did the man suddenly realize."