Chapter 3: Deposing the Empress

　　Qian You had been overly frightened today and started speaking thoughtlessly in a fluster. "I was just wondering why sister is so abnormal today. So it's because your backer is back, and you've become arrogant. Even if the Prince Regent had something with sister in the past, he wouldn't go against imperial power and risk his life for a discarded woman. Sister, don't overestimate yourself." The purpose of Qian You's visit today was to spy on Yue Chen's situation. Now Yue Chen seemed like a completely different person. Perhaps successive stimuli had changed her entirely.

　　"I can't interfere with what the Prince Regent thinks. But sister, there's more to your words than meets the eye. I don't even know what the Prince Regent and I had, yet sister knows so clearly. If there are any rumors outside the palace in the future, I will surely not forget what sister said today." Yue Chen and Yu Su had a clean and innocent relationship. Given Yue Chen's character, every time she saw Yu Su, she would keep a distance. Even Yun Lian, who had always been by her side, wouldn't make an issue of this.

　　"Yue Chen, you, you..." Qian You was so angry that she didn't know what to say.

　　Yue Chen turned around and sat back on the bed, crossing her feet. "Why is sister still staying here? Do you think you haven't been angered enough, or do you feel it's a pity not to get a sword wound personally bestowed by me? Actually, sister would like to, but after all, there's a wound on my head. When my body has recovered, I will surely not spare the punishment for sister."

　　"Attendant behind, hold your mistress steady, lest she fall to the ground." Chen Zhi smacked her lips. "It would be unsightly."

　　Qian You was furious. Since entering the palace, she had chosen her side. At that time, Yue Chen had the support of the Yue family, and the Yue family had made contributions to helping the emperor ascend the throne, so they were in the limelight. Many people in the palace fawned on Yue Chen and curried favor with her. Qian You was from a small - family background and had a low rank. She couldn't even get close to Yue Chen's feet, and the number of times she could see the emperor was also very limited. But she didn't waste her time in the palace. She bribed the eunuch office and learned that besides Yue Chen, the place the emperor visited most often was Yun Lian's bedroom.

　　At that time, Yun Lian was Yue Chen's sworn sister and her helper. But Qian You didn't think so. No matter how deep the sisterly affection was, it was impossible to share the same man, and no matter how good the sworn - sister relationship was, it was impossible to let another person always trample on oneself. Later, the Yue family was destroyed, Yue Chen lost power and her fetus. Qian You knew her choice was right. Yun Lian completely replaced Yue Chen. The original Yue Chen was vulnerable. Yun Lian's visit to the cold palace was the final blow to her. Things developed as they had predicted. Yue Chen couldn't bear the humiliation, hit her head against a pillar and committed suicide. Everything was going well originally, but then the Prince Regent came back, and Yue Chen miraculously woke up.

　　Qian You knew she shouldn't stay here any longer. Now that the situation had changed, she had to go back and inform Yun Lian as soon as possible. After Yue Chen woke up this time, once she sorted out all the things, what awaited them would only be revenge. Yue Chen had been so miserably harmed by them before. Now that she had gained power and changed her nature, she would surely strike back at them.

　　Chen Zhi closed her eyes and said as if to herself, "Thanks." If the guard hadn't spoken up from behind, how would she have known the identity of the visitor? She was Yun Lian's person, and Yun Lian should be the female supporting character the female lead would take revenge on after her rebirth.

　　"You were so arrogant just now, but now you're starting to be afraid. Once the imperial edict to depose the empress arrives, she's right. You will indeed live a life worse than that of a palace maid." Rong Quan began to change his view of Yue Chen. In his impression, Yue Chen had always been quiet, gentle, and timid. In his heart, such a woman really didn't deserve his master. Now it seemed that after a series of blows, Yue Chen had started to change her character and seek revenge for herself and her clansmen.

　　"The emperor really wants to depose the empress. I won't beg him, and I won't give him this chance. I want him to swallow the imperial edict to depose the empress back." Chen Zhi crossed her hands and put them behind her head. "Please tell your lord about Yu Qian's plan to depose the empress."

　　Rong Quan sneered. He thought this woman would be very powerful after changing her nature, but it turned out she was relying on his lord. "Miss Yue, the emperor is deposing you, not the lord's empress. One should rely on oneself in everything."

　　"I relied too much on myself before, so I ended up like this. Listen to what Qian You said just now. Even if I try my best on my own, they will still think I achieved things relying on your lord. Given the current situation, if I rely on myself, I will surely end in failure. The Yue family is gone, the emperor no longer has any scruples about me, and I have no more use for him. In such a situation, you ask me to rely on myself. I deeply doubt your intentions." Chen Zhi replied. "Your lord left you with me to protect my safety, right? Once I'm deposed as the empress, people in the entire imperial palace will have no more scruples. At that time, if you want to protect me, it won't be as easy as it is now. You're making your own task of protection more difficult." Chen Zhi had an indifferent attitude. It didn't matter to her whether Rong Quan told the Prince Regent or not. Anyway, this wasn't her own body. Perhaps if she was killed, she might suddenly travel back.

　　Rong Quan had to admit that this woman had indeed become much smarter after waking up.

　　Currently, there was probably a fifty - fifty chance that Yu Su would think she had lost her memory due to hitting her head. She wouldn't take the initiative to tell him that she had hit her head and couldn't remember the past. People always had to figure things out by themselves to truly believe them. What was told actively would always be doubted. When facing him after waking up, she had behaved very naturally. Chen Zhi wanted Yu Su to figure it out on his own. After all, the fact that she didn't know about Yue Chen's past was true, and she couldn't fake it. In most other time - travel stories, the protagonist would inherit the original owner's memory and know the cause and effect. But for her, she had to feel her way forward. Her head already hurt, and thinking about this made it even more painful.

　　Yu Su was sitting in the first seat below. Except for Yu Qian, he was the most honored person at this banquet. The Prince Regent's return from the northern border without being summoned had caused a stir in the court, but it was only discussed privately. No one wanted to be the first to speak out.

　　Yu Qian had ascended the throne not long ago, and his foundation was far from comparable to that of the Prince Regent. Yu Su was the leader of the military generals. The military generals in the court all looked to Yu Su for leadership. Moreover, in the past two years, there had been frequent incursions by foreign ethnic groups on the border, and the Great Yan Dynasty couldn't do without Yu Su's defense.

　　Yu Qian's power in the court hadn't been fully cultivated yet. Recently, he had just eradicated the Yue family. It was a time for him to win over people's hearts, and he definitely wouldn't turn against Yu Su at this time. Yu Qian's methods against the Yue family were too cruel, which had indirectly lost the hearts of some old ministers. Treating those who had once supported him to ascend the throne so harshly, not to mention them, the former - court ministers.