The Female Psychology PhD Who Time Traveled to the Royal Harem

Thinking this way, Jiang Chuan and Xiao Xiangzi exchanged uneasy glances.

Who knew what kind of sinister intentions lay beneath the surface of Xiao Xiangzi (Jiang Chuan)?

Jiang Xinyue tossed a few fruits over: "Do you know why that person went through all this trouble to set things up, even though they knew you would quickly control the rumors?"

Jiang Chuan and Xiao Xiangzi finally stopped suspecting each other and turned their puzzled gazes toward Jiang Xinyue.

What did Her Majesty mean by this?

Wasn't it her who said it?

The person wearing the mask was among them, possibly someone very familiar with Her Majesty.

"What you just did was exactly what the mastermind wanted, wasn't it?"

Xiao Xiangzi and Jiang Chuan suddenly realized: "Your Majesty means that the person wanted us to become suspicious of each other, causing chaos so that others could take advantage?"

Imagine if even Jiang Chuan and Xiao Xiangzi, the chief eunuchs of Kunning Palace, were suspicious of each other, how much chaos would that create among the subordinates?

How could anyone get any work done if they were constantly paranoid?

Those with weaker nerves might not even be able to sleep, worrying every day that the face-stealing monster might peel off their faces.

If everyone was too busy being suspicious and on guard, wouldn't that create problems for Jiang Xinyue?

The mastermind would seize the opportunity to eliminate Jiang Xinyue.

That was their ultimate goal.

What a sinister plan.

Could there really be such a person in the palace?

They must be deeply hidden.

Hui Yuan cried while rubbing her legs. The initial shock and fear had passed, and now that everything had settled, her legs felt weak.

She wondered if Her Majesty had deliberately made her stand here for so long.

But even if it was intentional, she couldn't utter a word of complaint.

Her princess had been demoted and sent to Qingyang Palace by imperial decree after scheming against the Crown Prince and offending Her Majesty.

The two of them had suffered endless humiliation there, tormented by the head maid until they were left with nothing. Now, her life had been taken too.

"Her Majesty, the Empress, has arrived—"

The eunuch's voice rang out, and Hui Yuan quickly knelt on the ground, not daring to look up.

Jiang Xinyue walked straight to the main seat and sat down, while a maid who had already understood the situation began explaining.

Last night, Noble Consort Jin had argued with the maid as usual and was then taken to the washroom to clean the chamber pots. Originally, someone was supposed to watch her, but her mouth was filthier than the cesspool in the latrine, and her insults were too vulgar.

So the maids and eunuchs of Qingyang Palace left her in front of the washroom and walked away.

After all, she was not one of them, and she had attempted to harm the Crown Prince. Shuang Jiang, Her Majesty's chief maid, had personally instructed them to give her "special treatment." Naturally, they showed her no kindness.

Noble Consort Jin's treatment in Qingyang Palace was no better than that of the lowest-ranking maid. If she didn't finish her daily tasks, she wouldn't get any food.

Though her mouth was sharp, her body was obedient. To avoid suffering, she would complete the tasks assigned to her.

Whether she did them well or not was another matter, as Hui Yuan was always there to clean up after her.

But last night, Noble Consort Jin was washing chamber pots until midnight. Hui Yuan had brought her some food, but Noble Consort Jin scolded her for being inconsiderate and threw the food away, forcing her to eat in the washroom.

Hui Yuan, feeling wronged, hid in her room and cried herself to sleep. When she woke up, she realized her princess hadn't returned.

Jiang Xinyue interrupted the maid and asked Hui Yuan, "When you went out to look for your mistress, what time was it?"

Hui Yuan thought for a moment: "It was around... the third watch of the night."

The third watch, between 3 and 5 a.m., was when the people of Qingyang Palace were in their deepest sleep—the perfect time for the murderer to strike.

"You're saying that when you went out to look for your mistress, you found her body in the washroom, already stiff, correct?"

Remembering ​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌‌​​​​‌‌​​​​‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​​​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌​​​‌​​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌​‍the scene, Hui Yuan's tears began to flow uncontrollably. She tried to speak several times but was choked with sobs.

Then, she fell to her knees with a thud: "Your Majesty... Your Majesty, I... I apologize on behalf of my mistress. I can die now to atone for her sins. But Your Majesty, I beg you... I beg you to find the person who killed her. My princess... she was spoiled, but she was so pitiful, wuwuwu..."

She cried so hard she nearly fainted. Jiang Xinyue waved her hand, and the maid who had brought her in took her away.

Shuang Jiang helped her up: "Your Majesty, is the mastermind trying to pin the identity of the face-stealer on Noble Consort Jin and drag you down with her?"

Jiang Xinyue nodded: "It's probably more complicated than that."

Noble Consort Jin was a princess of Goguryeo. No matter how ambitious Goguryeo might be, on the surface, they were still a vassal state of Great Yan.

Their king had sent his princess here for a marriage alliance, yet within a year, she had been killed in the palace. This was utterly unacceptable.

If Great Yan treated its vassal states this way, was it really the right choice for them to pledge allegiance to an emperor who didn't value their lives?

After some thought, if someone were to stir up trouble, they might suddenly turn against Great Yan, just like Fusang, and cause chaos at the border.

In that case, Jiang Xinyue would be remembered as a villain throughout history.

Because the rumors spread by the mastermind claimed that she had killed Noble Consort Jin.Nôv(el)B\\jnn

It seemed that the face-stealer harbored a deep hatred for her, not only wanting to kill her but also to tarnish her name forever, ensuring that the Jiang family would be utterly destroyed.

When had she ever offended such a vicious and ruthless person?

She had no idea.

Ministry of Justice—

"Zhu Qianyi, you coward! The emperor killed your father and brothers, and even your sister. How can you work for him? You've sold your soul for wealth and status, recognizing your enemy as your father. Heaven is watching, and you will pay for this."

"Even we, your father's loyal servants, remember our master's grudge. Yet you, his most beloved son, have thrown away the Zhu family's kindness. To save your own skin, you serve the man who killed your father. What a joke!"

...

The two surviving assassins took turns berating Zhu Qianyi, hurling insults at him.

"Sizzle!"

The smell of roasted meat filled the interrogation room of the Ministry of Justice.

"Ah! Ugh..."

A red-hot branding iron was pressed against one of the assassin's mouths. Ma Yiyang's veins bulged on the back of his hand, but his face remained calm and composed.

Only when the other assassin saw his comrade writhing in pain, his lips flattened and fused together from the branding, did he pale and fall silent.

"Sizzle—sizzle—sizzle—"

The branding iron, still glowing red after killing the man, was plunged into a basin of water. The cold water instantly boiled and churned, a terrifying sight.