Mother—

I paid back half the revenge already.

Having another opportunity to call out the word mother twice in a day brought a rare emotion to Hongyue's eyes. Hongyue softly slid herself down to the ground, her head evaluating all the disturbance she had created during the banquet.

In truth, the current appearance of Concubine Ruolan was an illusion just the appearance the concubine had when she was 'possessed.'

Concubine Ruolan had been correct. She had been poisoned. Nevertheless, to create the illusion of the ghost leaving Concubine Ruolan's body, Hongyue unlocked the third enchantment she had placed on the poisonous hair stick. The first enchantment she placed was to allow the poison to remain in a solid form. The second was to intensify the effects of the poisoning, so the results were immediate. And the third—was to preserve the second madam's organs from the poison as well as a small quant.i.ty of blood inside the heart.

Hongyue chuckled coldly.

Just like how the concubine had plotted against the mother of this body, Hongyue merely did the same. It was no different. One by one, each of her scheme played a part to a bigger goal. By creating the illusion of a ghost, she pulverized the madam's growing reputation to nothing, reducing it to trash. After all, everyone concluded that the ghost was only there because of Concubine Ruolan's selfish heart. By purposefully letting Concubine Ruolan know she was poisoned, the madam flew into a panic and executed all the incorrect decisions that demolished the general's trust in her all by herself.

Hongyue narrowed her eyes.

And lastly, while the concubine appeared like she was healthy and well, the poor woman no longer had a drop of blood running inside her veins except a small amount within her heart to barely keep her alive.

In short, the second madam was simply a living corpse at this point. Dying, yet unable to stop it. With the general's distrust in her, the madam's servants wouldn't bother to help her. As for the general...he was a coward. Hongyue believed her father wouldn't go near a concubine possessed by a ghost.

Day by day, the second madam would deteriorate until death came for her himself. By that time, the second madam would have probably lost her soul. All the while, everyone around her wouldn't know about her suffering after all, who would dare to come close to a crazy second madam.

Who told you to cross with the wrong person?

As for her father— he wasn't going free either. There would bound to be talk and growing speculation about the first madam's death. Even if the general tried, he wouldn't be able to stop a spreading fire. With the Crown Prince as the witness, the Emperor would most likely make a move soon. Furthermore, to be free from trouble, the general would place all the blame on the second madam and step aside.

But how could Hongyue ever let him be comfortable? Her next move would be to visit the palace.

As for her own performance tonight— it was a display of her power even as a useless miss. It gave a warning to all that the eldest miss was protected by her dead mother. It was a simple tactic to stall for more time as she commences her task of gathering power as well as dragging out the rats— like the Crown Prince. They could only watch but not touch.

The eldest miss's eyes gleamed darkly.

Suddenly a raspy cough sounded from above her and cut into her thoughts. Hongyue instantly s.h.i.+fted her head toward the source. Standing by the bed, she watched as Qingyu coughed out a mouthful of blood onto her bed. Her blankets stained red.

Hongyue frowned.

It shouldn't be like that.

With attentive movements, she stripped away his outer layer to find his inner garments steeped with blood. Hongyue froze. Did she do that? As she peeled away the inner layer, her pupils contracted. The air quickly filled with a rancid scent of an old wound being uncovered. Hongyue's hands quivered as she took in a sharp breath of air.

There, on his pale chest, there was a deep hole just below the neck under the collarbone area. The hole was about the size of a coin, and the skin was slightly shriveled up. Nevertheless, now the injury was oozing profoundly, coated with blood. Hongyue quietly lowered her fingers to the wound.

Was it possible that Qingyu was similar to her?

Did he have a lineage gemstone as well?

Startled by her sudden conclusion, Hongyue stumbled back. Her breathing increasingly rushed, and her eyes were completely blue with a purplish hue. Her hands despairingly clutching her head as a dark memory surfaced.

"No. Please don't."