"Speaking of which, I am quite curious about something. With your pigheaded stupidity, how did you come up with those cunning schemes to seize power and usurp the throne back then?"

Her Majesty the Empress slowly rose from her seat, toying with the white jade ring on her thumb.

"Don’t you find it strange at all? With such a big incident happening in Nanling, if your trusted aide were still around, how could they not rush here swiftly?"

"As for more than that, do I need to say more?"

In an instant, the Eighth Princess appeared devastated and lost. Clearly, she had somewhat come to terms with the reality that the court in the Capital had changed dramatically. This kingdom was no longer hers, and the throne was no longer her throne.

The Eighth Princess wore a dazed expression, standing there in stunned disbelief...

Her Majesty the Empress spoke again: "Tell me, who exactly is the person behind you?"

She couldn’t believe that the Eighth Princess could have done so much alone; this person lacked the brains and the wit.

Now, Her Majesty the Empress couldn’t help but recall the past. The reason she never liked the Eighth Princess was because of one particular incident.

As the saying goes, "The character of a person is evident by the age of three." Many years ago, when the Eighth Princess was still young, she did something. That single incident was enough for Her Majesty the Empress to see the Eighth Princess’s true nature, which was inherently twisted.

Back then, there was a Royal Dog Training Department in the Capital, responsible for training valuable dog breeds to be gifted to the various young noblewomen in the palace.

In that year, it was Her Majesty the Empress’s birthday, and because Xiao Shiyi had performed a dance, Her Majesty the Empress was pleased and rewarded Xiao Shiyi with a Hidden Sleeve Dog.

The Hidden Sleeve Dog was tiny, looking adorable, with snow-white fur, small enough to be hidden inside Xiao Shiyi’s sleeve.

However, a few days later, while the Empress was strolling in the Imperial Garden, she suddenly heard Xiao Shiyi crying.

Following the sound of the crying, Her Majesty the Empress witnessed a scene—Xiao Shiyi’s delicate face was covered in tears and snot as she held the bloodied Hidden Sleeve Dog. The little dog had already passed, having been brutally tortured, its nails pulled out, eyes dug, even its belly had been slit open.

Upon inquiry, the weeping Xiao Shiyi told the Empress that it was the Eighth Princess who did it.

At that time, the Eighth Princess was only a few years older than Xiao Shiyi, yet she had the heart to commit such a ruthless and cruel act.

From that moment on, Her Majesty the Empress had made a note about the Eighth Princess in her mind.

This person’s heart was twisted, unsuitable for the supreme position, otherwise, should she ascend, she would surely become an incapable ruler, plunging Dayuan into chaos and turning it into her private demonic realm!

And as the current Empress, she must not make such a grave mistake, for even after her death, she would have no face to meet the Ancestors of the Ji Family.

This idea came from a thorough analysis from the start, but if speaking purely from a personal perspective, Her Majesty the Empress actually despised the Eighth Princess’s behavior.

She despised not the Eighth Princess because she was jealous of Xiao Shiyi receiving the Hidden Sleeve Dog, leading to the harm of the little dog. 𝙧𝙚𝙚𝔀𝒆𝓫𝓷𝙤𝓿𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝙤𝓶

But because the Eighth Princess was vicious yet lacked intelligence. She committed a disgraceful act yet failed to cover it up perfectly, instead completely exposing her flaw to others. Such behavior cannot simply be summed up with the word ’foolish’!