Wang Shuyao's eyes flashed with malice.
The scene quickly shifted, and Qin Jiujiu didn't see the follow-up before finding herself in another situation.
Wang Shuyao miscarried, not due to being framed, but because of excessive worry.
After the child died, Wang Shuyao seemed to transform into someone else.
It was as if the child had never existed.
"Empress, I heard that one of them gave birth to a prince." Zhu'er said with a happy expression. Wang Shuyao's expression remained unchanged, not even lifting her head, as she continued embroidering her design.
In the blink of an eye, winter was approaching.
Qin Jiujiu guessed that the "one" Zhu'er mentioned was likely Yun Yaoyao. She hadn't expected that Yun Yaoyao had also been pregnant at that time.
"The princess of Manluo Kingdom has already entered the palace and become a concubine. Have the matters I've instructed been carried out?"
As the Empress, it was her duty to oversee all affairs concerning the Manluo Kingdom princess who had come for a marriage alliance.
"Empress, Manluo Kingdom is a defeated nation. Shengqi Kingdom clearly won this war, so why did His Majesty bestow death upon General Su and instead welcome the Manluo princess for a marriage alliance?"
Wang Shuyao seemed to hear a joke. Her expression finally changed, but it appeared somewhat chilling, "If you could guess Sheng Huai's intentions, then I wouldn't need to be Empress."
This was followed by laughter that echoed throughout the palace.
Qin Jiujiu, however, thought of the past events in the illusion. The information from the previous segment was too much, and she still needed time to digest it.
The scene shifted again.
This time, she saw Yun Yaoyao once more.
At that moment, Yun Yaoyao had regained her former radiant appearance, even possessing a more mature and alluring aura than before, driving others even more mad.
Qin Jiujiu noticed that Yun Yaoyao was wearing the attire of a concubine in the palace. Emperor Sheng Huai was currently leading her, and a group of concubines stood in the Empress's hall. Although each of them was a beauty of national importance, Yun Yaoyao's entrance made them all dim in comparison.
She was still dressed in a red gown.
However, no concubine in the palace wore such a shade of red.
It was likely that Sheng Huai had specifically ordered it to be made for her. Qin Jiujiu could easily understand such a thing happening to her.
"Greetings, Your Majesty!"
"Greetings, Empress." Yun Yaoyao made a move to bow, but Sheng Huai put his arm around her waist, "You are with child, so you don't need to pay respects. The Empress won't mind."
After speaking, he didn't even glance at the Empress and led Yun Yaoyao to sit in the place of honor.
Wang Shuyao remained silent, as if numb, and returned to her seat.
The other concubines exchanged glances but dared not say more.
Everyone in Shengqi Kingdom knew Yun Yaoyao's identity. There were not a few officials who were displeased, but in the emperor's years on the throne, his iron fist had been evident, and he often resorted to killing. They did not dare to object.
Looking at Yun Yaoyao now, Qin Jiujiu felt a sense of familiarity. In fact, the first time she saw this extremely beautiful woman, she felt a sense of familiarity, and this feeling deepened with each infrequent glance.
Now that she was seeing her so clearly, a figure emerged in her mind.
To be precise, two figures.
Xie Jing and Sheng Huai'an.
The resemblance between these two lay in their brows and eyes, and it was precisely in their brows and eyes that Yun Yaoyao resembled them.
Yun Yaoyao's eyes were filled with an almost bewitching affection. A mere casual glance would draw one to look at her again, and if one stared intently, they might be drawn in.
Qin Jiujiu had a bold guess in her mind, but the scene shifted again.
"Empress, don't you hate Yun Yaoyao? Your child is gone, but her child is about to be born..."
There were two people in the hall, but it wasn't Wang Shuyao and Zhu'er. This time, Zhu'er was absent, and a woman in palace attire stood before Wang Shuyao.
This woman was likely also a palace concubine, dressed in the same attire. However, her appearance was not like that of a Central Plains woman; she bore a resemblance to the people of Manluo Kingdom.
Qin Jiujiu had seen people from Manluo Kingdom.
"What do you mean by that?"
"Naturally, both mother and child perish!"
Qin Jiujiu was greatly alarmed, but before she could react, the scene shifted again.
There was a large fire in front of her, and many people stood outside. The Emperor was shouting, and Qin Jiujiu heard him cry out heartbrokenly, "Yaoyao!"
She looked into the raging flames and saw a figure in fiery red seemingly standing within.
Wang Shuyao's lips curved into a chilling smile. Behind her stood the Manluo princess, her face calm, but a flicker of emotion in her eyes.
Qin Jiujiu had initially thought that "mother and child perish" meant causing her to die in childbirth, but she hadn't expected them to want to burn her alive.
Qin Jiujiu felt that she had overlooked something, but what could it be?
She couldn't figure it out for the moment.
"Host, the Empress's dream is broken. You should return to reality."
As soon as the system's voice fell, Qin Jiujiu heard Xie Jing's voice in her ear.
"Little Jiu'er, what did you see? Can you tell me about it?"
As if in a daze, seeing Xie Jing's features, Qin Jiujiu murmured, "Yun Yaoyao?"
"You entered the dream too!" Xie Jing said with certainty.
Qin Jiujiu also regained her clarity, her eyes clear. "You saw it too?"
Xie Jing nodded. However, Qin Jiujiu felt that his current state was somewhat strange. She had seen the dream with a sense of confusion because many things were not clearly seen. She had only seen a part of it, only the memories that Wang Shuyao held in her heart.
But what was the true complete story?
Seeing Xie Jing, Qin Jiujiu inexplicably felt that his background might be related to this story.
Especially Yun Yaoyao.
But as the second male lead in the novel, his background should have been written by the author. Yet, she, who had read the entire book, couldn't recall it at all. Upon closer thought, many things were just a blur.
What exactly was going on?
Even if she hadn't read the book very carefully, she shouldn't have missed so much.
"Xie Jing, do you know about your background?"
Xie Jing's expression suddenly darkened, indicating that this was something he didn't want to mention.
"I know you don't want to remember, but don't you want to figure all of this out?"
She reached out to take his hand. Xie Jing didn't pull away. Qin Jiujiu placed his hand in hers and saw him shake his head.
"I have absolutely no memory of all that." He looked pained. Qin Jiujiu stepped forward and hugged him tightly. She had intended to comfort him, but unexpectedly, he held her so tightly that she couldn't break free.