Crowned by the Treacherous Big Shot

Suddenly, a hunting eagle broke through the window, swooping into Meng Qianqian's tent, snatching the venomous snake out.

The snake didn't even have time to struggle before the eagle heavily slammed it to death.

The eagle wasn't satisfied with just that; it also extended its bird claws to stomp it a few times!

The old poison's regular meal ticket had enough of life!

Meng Qianqian had sensed it as the venomous snake drew near.

After all, she had the Golden Silkworm Gu given by the Miao King inside her, and all the venomous creatures within a radius of several miles couldn't escape the perception of the Golden Silkworm Gu.

She got up, picked up the venomous snake that the hunting eagle had stunned on the ground; it turned out to be the highly venomous five-step snake.

Without the Golden Silkworm Gu, a person bitten by it wouldn't have time to detoxify.

Someone really wanted her dead.

As for who this person was, it wasn't hard to guess.

Just during the day, she told the Empress she was going to the secret passage to rescue Emperor Liang, and by night, someone was there to take her life.

She was very curious.

Why exactly did the Empress not want Emperor Liang to be rescued?

Emperor Liang's death wouldn't benefit her at all; what was her insistence motivated by?

Meng Qianqian couldn't understand it.

She had the hunting eagle dispose of the snake's body.

The hunting eagle picked it up and flew away.

Meng Qianqian had just lain down when the hunting eagle flew back and urgently gestured to her with its wings.

Meng Qianqian understood immediately, lifting the curtain and getting off the bed.

Tonight was destined to be a sleepless night; she had slept fully clothed anyway.

As soon as she exited the anteroom, she heard an unusual noise, seemingly the footsteps of a man.

A man sneaking into Kunning Palace in the middle of the night was certainly no ordinary person.

She immediately concealed her breath and quietly walked over.

The sound was coming from the Empress's room.

She carefully hid beneath the window ledge, straining her ears to listen intently.

"Why do you wish to see me at this late hour?"

When she heard the familiar male voice, Meng Qianqian could hardly believe her ears.

Hu Lie.

It was actually him?!

"Fengyin discovered the secret of the underground palace; she plans to personally lead people down to rescue."

It was the Empress's voice.

"Even if she goes, it won't be of any help."

"But she… already has a foolproof plan!"

The Empress succinctly recounted the daytime conversation with Meng Qianqian.

Hu Lie fell into thought: "She hired a Gu Master? Does she know people from Miaojiang?"

The Empress said, "That's what she claimed; once she finds Your Majesty in the underground palace and proceeds to the entrance of the Imperial Mausoleum with Your Majesty, the Gu Master can guide the Black Armor Army to find her."

Hu Lie asked, "You… didn't do anything, did you?"

The Empress paused, not speaking.

Hu Lie said, "The Empress had better not act rashly."

The Empress said, "I am doing it for your own good…"

The more Meng Qianqian listened, the more wrong it felt.

The fact that the two of them were secretly meeting late at night was already shocking enough; what was with the Empress's slightly aggrieved tone?

Not only were they colluding in secret, but also... entangled with one another, putting a big green hat on Emperor Liang!

If this were true, then many illogical incidents from the past would all make sense.

Clearly, it would have been more advantageous for the Empress if the Crown Prince from the weak maternal clan ascended the throne, yet she chose to support Prince Jin with the strong maternal clan.

Clearly, her position in the harem was secure; so long as the Emperor lived, she remained the mother of the nation.

Yet she was intent on imprisoning the Emperor to die like a trapped beast in the Imperial Mausoleum.

Truly… you can know a person's face but not their heart.

I wonder if Consort Hu knows that her elder brother and the Empress have been secretly in contact?

Hu Lie left.

The Empress sent someone to the Eldest Princess's room.

Meng Qianqian hurriedly changed course and lay back inside the curtain ahead of them.

"Eldest Princess, I am Yuan Yang, the maidservant; since it is hot today, I've come to replace your bedding with something thinner."

Yuan Yang entered with a quilt.

As she walked, she was also carefully guarding against any snakes on the ground.

"Eldest Princess."

She arrived at the bedside, raising a hand to lift the curtain.

Meng Qianqian asked indifferently, "What is it?"

Yuan Yang was startled: "Eldest Princess, are you alright?"

Meng Qianqian asked, "What could possibly have happened to me?"

Yuan Yang's eyes flashed: "This maid... was worried the Eldest Princess might be too hot."

Meng Qianqian lay down again.

Yuan Yang quietly withdrew.

The hunting eagle returned proudly after disposing of the snake's corpse to claim its jerky reward.

Meng Qianqian said, "Bring back the venomous snake."

The hunting eagle: "..."

Meng Qianqian took the venomous snake and ran to outside the Empress's window, intending to throw it onto the Empress's phoenix bed, hesitated for a moment, and then called the hunting eagle, instructing it to carry the snake to Consort Hu's chambers.

Then she changed into light clothing, brought a few guards from the Princess Mansion, and boldly headed to the Cold Palace, leaping into a dry well.

In the dark night, a silhouette flashed over the Cold Palace wall.

Half an hour later, Hu Lie met his trusted hidden guard on the carriage.

"Reporting to the Great General, the Eldest Princess has entered the dry well."

Hu Lie squinted his eyes slightly.

Soon after, another hidden guard boarded the carriage to report to Hu Lie: "Great General, the Eldest Princess's army is gathering."

Hu Lie began pacing the room.

"Uncle!"

Prince Jin rushed to him overnight, "I heard that the Eldest Princess is going to rescue the Emperor!"

Hu Lie nodded: "She found a Gu Master who can use the Gu to locate her whereabouts. As long as she meets the Emperor in the underground palace and finds the Imperial Mausoleum's exit, her Black Armor Army will fight desperately to rescue them."

Prince Jin frowned and asked, "Uncle, what should we do?"

Hu Lie said, "Don't panic; the people in the underground palace most likely have already succeeded."

Prince Jin took a deep breath: "But what if… I mean, what if they haven't succeeded?"

Hu Lie calmly replied, "Remember, I told you there was a three-day deadline."

"Yes."

Prince Jin answered.

Hu Lie said with conviction, "Actually, there are only two days. Today, the entrance to the Imperial Mausoleum will open, and my troops are already ambushed nearby, waiting to catch them all when they emerge!"

"So, even though she gathered her forces today, it was too late!"

-

Imperial Mausoleum.

After countless mechanisms and assassinations, Emperor Liang, the Miao King, Lu Yuan, Lu Qi, and the treasure piggy, who was happily devouring little Osmanthus Cakes, finally reached a spacious clearing.

At the end of the clearing was a long corridor and a door that seemed to reach the sky.

The Miao King said, "This Imperial Mausoleum of yours is grandly built; is there an extra space, so I can lie here too a hundred years later?"

Emperor Liang glanced at him.

If he weren't hanging on his back and unable to move, Emperor Liang would have thrown him a punch.

"Hey, I say, are we there yet?"

The Miao King asked.

Emperor Liang weakly replied, "Yes, that door up ahead is the entrance."

The Miao King asked, "How do you open that door?"

"It can't be opened."

Emperor Liang paused and added, "You can try knocking with a stone; if there's someone outside who hears, they might open the mechanism."

The Miao King asked, "What if someone outside is standing there? I'll cut off one of his hands if they don't open the door—"

With a thunderous roar,

He strode forward, chopped off a piece of the railing with his palm, picked it up, and started banging on the stone door.

"You in there?"

The Miao King shouted loudly while hitting, "Your Emperor is in my hands! If you don't open the door, I'll chop off one of his hands—"

With a loud rumbling sound,

The door slowly began to open.

"""