Due to the angle, the Empress almost completely blocked Hua Manman from view, so no one else saw what she had done.

The Empress, however, saw everything.

’Alarms blared in her mind.’ She was just about to spit out the object in her mouth.

However, the Truth Elixir dissolved the instant it touched her tongue, making it impossible to spit out.

The Empress’s expression instantly turned grim. "You..."

Hua Manman cut her off, pleading with tears in her eyes.

"I know the Prince offended you in the past, and that you greatly dislike him.

But the Prince is already dead. Can’t you just be merciful and let him rest in peace?

Could what Feihua Zhenren said be true? Did you really murder the Prince?"

The Empress wanted to say she was talking nonsense.

Yet, her mouth moved against her will, speaking her true thoughts.

"So what if I was the one who killed Prince Zhao?!"

The moment she spoke, the entire hall was stunned.

The Emperor stared at the Empress in disbelief.

"What did you say? Was it really you who poisoned Jie’er?"

The Empress was in a panic.

’How could I have said the truth?!’

She shook her head frantically, wanting to take back her words.

But the words that came out were—

"Yes, I was the one who had him poisoned. To avoid detection, I deliberately kept the dose to a minimum. A little bit each day, enough to take Li Ji’s life without anyone noticing."

The moment the words left her mouth, the Empress wanted to bite off her tongue.

’How did I tell the truth again?!’

The situation reminded her of how Lady Li and Yichongyuan had spouted nonsense in public.

’Could Lady Li and Yichongyuan have also been victims of Hua Manman’s schemes?’

’But where did Hua Manman learn such a bizarre technique that could force people to speak the truth against their will?’

It was only then that the Empress realized she had underestimated the woman before her.

Terrified, she instinctively took a step back.

Hua Manman, feigning extreme shock, asked with a pale face.

"Why would you commit such a heinous act against the Prince?"

The Empress clamped her mouth shut, not daring to utter another word.

Feihua Zhenren declared loudly, "It is the spirit of Prince Zhao making its presence known!"

The crowd had already noticed the Empress’s odd behavior.

She was clearly shaking her head, yet her words were affirmative.

This contradiction between her words and actions was obviously not normal.

Hearing Feihua Zhenren’s words, everyone suddenly understood.

’Of course, it must be Prince Zhao’s spirit! That’s why the Empress is acting so strangely, even daring to reveal such a top-secret matter in front of everyone.’ 𝑓𝑟𝑒𝘦𝓌𝑒𝑏𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝘭.𝒸𝘰𝑚

At this point, even the Emperor was beginning to waver.

He murmured, "Can there really be ghosts in this world?"

The Empress lowered her hands and shouted anxiously.

"There are no ghosts in this world!"

The Emperor stared at her. "Ghost or no ghost, you were the one who poisoned Jie’er. Is that right?"

The Empress wanted to say no, but her mouth, still beyond her control, gave another affirmative reply.

"Yes, it was I who killed Li Ji!

He was nothing but a bastard, yet you favored him so much.

If I hadn’t killed him, you would have eventually had him replace Cheng’er as the Crown Prince."

The Emperor was completely taken aback.

He had favored Li Ji because he felt he owed him a great deal.

They were all his children, yet the others grew up in the palace, enjoying the treatment befitting a prince and princess. Only Li Ji had to follow Duke Zhen everywhere, enduring countless hardships.

Combined with Duke Zhen’s death, the Emperor was filled with guilt and naturally wanted to treat Li Ji better as a way to make amends.

This was especially true after Li Ji was severely injured and left crippled in both legs, reduced to a man who could no longer walk.

Of course the Emperor would be more attentive to him.

As for having Li Ji replace Li Cheng as the Crown Prince, the thought had never once crossed the Emperor’s mind.

He couldn’t even understand why the Empress would suspect he intended to depose Li Cheng as Crown Prince.

That was something that would simply never happen!

A minute passed quickly.

The effects of the Truth Elixir wore off.

The Empress could finally speak her own mind again.

She hurriedly tried to defend herself.

"Your Majesty, I was just spouting nonsense just now! You mustn’t take it seriously!"

However, the more she denied it, the more certain the Emperor became that her earlier words had been the absolute truth.

He gave a self-deprecating laugh. "So you stopped trusting me long ago."

The Empress shook her head. "It’s not what you think! Please, let me explain! I’ve never harmed anyone! I’ve been framed!"

The Emperor said, "You’ve already confessed your crime in public."

The Empress pointed at Hua Manman and retorted.

"It was her! She gave me something to eat just now, and my mouth immediately stopped obeying me! Everything I said was a lie!"

Hua Manman’s eyes widened. "What does this have to do with me? How could I possibly have such an incredible ability? Empress, you’ve wrongly accused me."

The Empress glared at her, her venomous gaze looking as if it could tear Hua Manman to shreds.

As if frightened, Hua Manman hastily shrank back.

The Emperor had no desire to hear the Empress’s excuses any longer.

He rubbed his temples and said wearily.

"For the sake of our many years as husband and wife, I will not do anything to you. But Jie’er cannot have died in vain.

Starting today, you will move to the Imperial Mausoleum and pay respects to the imperial ancestors on my behalf.

From now on, you are forbidden to return to the palace without my permission."

This was, in effect, a form of house arrest for the Empress.

The Empress was incredulous. "Your Majesty is banishing me?"

The Emperor replied, "You must take responsibility for your actions."

The Empress stared at him, then suddenly began to laugh. Her smile was bleak and pale.

"After so many years as husband and wife, you’re actually casting me out for that spawn."

The Emperor turned his face away, unwilling to look at her.

The Empress was filled with grief and indignation. Despair welled up in her chest with nowhere to go, until she finally turned her rage on Hua Manman.

"You did this to me! Why don’t you just die?!"

Like a madwoman, the Empress lunged at Hua Manman, trying to claw at her face.

Hua Manman scrambled to dodge back.

Feihua Zhenren swung his Peach Wood Sword, blocking the Empress’s path.

The Emperor ordered his attendants to escort the Empress back to Fengyi Palace.

Two strong nannies stepped forward, grabbed the Empress by her left and right arms, and began to drag her out by force.

The Empress continued to scream curses, as if trying to vent all of her pent-up resentment.

The Emperor closed his eyes.

Only after the Empress was taken away and her curses could no longer be heard did the Emperor manage to compose himself.

He looked toward Feihua Zhenren.

He had originally thought Feihua Zhenren was just a charlatan, but he never expected the man to have some real ability. He had actually found Prince Zhao’s true murderer and even made her confess her crimes in public.

The Emperor’s attitude became much more respectful.

While he didn’t believe in ghosts and gods, he did believe that masters with special abilities existed in the world.

The Emperor asked, "Now that the true culprit has been caught, Prince Zhao should be able to rest in peace, shouldn’t he?"

Feihua Zhenren first nodded, then spoke in a slow, measured tone.

"There is something Your Majesty may not know. Prince Zhao’s life was not fated to end yet.

It is precisely because this humble Daoist calculated this that I made a special trip to the palace to perform rites for Prince Zhao, hoping I could help him."