The guard trembled and said, "The Queen Mother... The Queen Mother has passed away!"

Liu Ruyan and Xiao Tao were shocked when this was said. Ying Yuan was also stunned. What on earth was going on?

Liu Ruyan quickly calmed down, realizing that this was a great opportunity. She immediately told Xiao Tao, "Quick, hide these things!"

Xiaotao quickly hid the brocade box and the letter.

Ying Yuan looked at Liu Ruyan, his heart full of doubts. Was the Queen Mother's death related to her?
Just then, the emperor rushed in with a group of guards.

"Liu Ruyan, you are suspected of plotting to murder the Queen Mother. Come with me!"

Liu Ruyan's face changed, but she quickly regained her composure. "Your Majesty, I am innocent!"

"Unfair? Come, arrest her!"

The guards rushed forward and captured Liu Ruyan.

Ying Yuan looked at this scene with mixed feelings. He had never expected that things would develop to this point.

After Liu Ruyan was taken away, Ying Yuan stood alone in the room, lost in thought. The Queen Mother's death, Liu Ruyan's betrayal, what was going on? He felt as if he was in a huge fog, unable to see the direction...

He suddenly remembered the brocade box and letter that Liu Ruyan had hidden. Perhaps all the truth was hidden there.

He walked to the secret compartment and found the brocade box and the letter. He took a deep breath and slowly opened the letter...

The content of the letter shocked Ying Yuan!
The letter was written in beautiful handwriting, and it was obviously written by the Queen Mother herself. However, the content made Ying Yuan feel as if he had fallen into an icy cave. It turned out that the Queen Mother did not die of natural causes, but was poisoned by Liu Ruyan! The letter recorded in detail how Liu Ruyan gained the Queen Mother's trust step by step, how she took advantage of the Queen Mother's favor, and finally poisoned the Queen Mother and put the blame on others.

Ying Yuan tightly grasped the letter, his knuckles turning white. He had never thought that the woman he loved so deeply could be so cruel! He felt nauseous, his stomach churning. He staggered back a few steps, fell into a chair, and stared blankly ahead.

He had always thought that he was the most unfortunate person in the world, deposed, exiled, and forgotten by everyone. He thought Liu Ruyan was the only person who truly loved him and the only warmth in his life. But now, this only warmth has turned into bone-chilling ice, freezing him to pieces.

He took a deep breath and tried to calm himself down. He knew that now was not the time to be sad. He wanted to avenge the Queen Mother and expose Liu Ruyan's true face!
He carefully put away the letter and the brocade box and left the room.

In the palace, the atmosphere was solemn because of the sudden death of the Queen Mother. The Emperor was grief-stricken and ordered a thorough investigation of the matter. Liu Ruyan was imprisoned in the cold palace, awaiting trial.

Ying Yuan knew that now was not the best time to reveal the truth. He had to wait for an opportunity to catch Liu Ruyan in one fell swoop.

In the next few days, Ying Yuan secretly investigated and collected evidence. He found that Liu Ruyan not only poisoned the queen mother, but also colluded with some treacherous officials in the court to plot a rebellion!

He compiled all the evidence and presented it to the emperor in secret.

After reading the evidence, the emperor was furious. He ordered Liu Ruyan to be executed immediately and all those involved in the case to be severely punished.

Liu Ruyan was taken to the execution ground. She looked pale but still refused to confess. She looked at Ying Yuan with hatred in her eyes. "Ying Yuan, you hurt me! I hate you!"

Ying Yuan looked at her expressionlessly, without any ripples in his heart. "You have committed many evil deeds, and you deserve this."

After Liu Ruyan was executed, Ying Yuan finally breathed a sigh of relief. He avenged the Queen Mother and cleared out the treacherous officials in the court.

The emperor, grateful for Ying Yuan's contribution, restored his status as a prince and named him the crown prince.

Ying Yuan wanted to refuse, but he knew that this was his chance to start over. He wanted to be a wise ruler, a ruler who could make the people live and work in peace and contentment.

He accepted the title of crown prince and started a new life. However, the story does not end there. Although Ying Yuan became the crown prince, the challenges he faced had just begun. There were still many forces in the court that opposed him and they secretly planned to overthrow him.

Ying Yuan knew that he had to work harder to maintain his position and realize his ideals.

He began to rectify the government, eliminate corruption, develop the economy, and improve people's livelihood. He worked hard and won the love and support of the people.

However, his political enemies did not give up and continued to create trouble in an attempt to sabotage his plans.

Once, Ying Yuan went on a private visit and came to a tavern. He heard several drinkers discussing state affairs, and their words were full of dissatisfaction with him.

"Your Highness is young and hot-tempered. He does not know how to govern a country. Sooner or later, the country will be destroyed!"

"That's right! He uses those treacherous officials who can only flatter and fawn on him, and the people's lives are becoming more and more miserable!"

"I think we should support the wise king. He is the real wise ruler!"

Ying Yuan was furious when he heard these words. He knew that these people were sent by his political enemies to incite the people and create chaos.

He stood up suddenly, walked up to the drinkers, and shouted, "You are talking nonsense! When did I ever employ treacherous officials? I am dedicated to the people, how dare you slander me like this!"

The drinkers were frightened by Ying Yuan's aura. They didn't expect that the prince would appear here.

"Your Highness, calm down. We were just talking casually..."

"Just talking casually? Do you know how much impact your casual talk will have? How many people will misunderstand me?"

Ying Yuan was furious. He grabbed one of the drinkers by the collar and said, "Tell me! Who sent you here?"

The drunkard turned pale with fear and stammered, "No... no one sent us here. We... we just... said it ourselves..."

Ying Yuan sneered, "You said that yourself? Do you think I will believe it?"

He threw the drunkard to the ground and turned to leave the tavern.

Ying Yuan returned to the palace, still furious. He knew that his political enemies would not let him go easily and would try every possible means to deal with him.

He must prepare himself for greater challenges...

At this moment, a palace maid ran in in a panic, "Your Highness, this is bad! The Queen... The Queen..."

"What's wrong with the Queen?" Ying Yuan had an ominous premonition in his heart.

The maid trembled and said, "The Queen... The Queen... She is about to give birth!"

Ying Yuan was stunned. The Queen... was going to give birth?

This...what is going on?

Ying Yuan was stunned. The Queen... was about to give birth? His mind was racing. He had no idea that the Queen was pregnant. There must be something fishy going on! "Quick! Take me to see!" Ying Yuan was extremely anxious, and a bad premonition loomed in his heart.

He rushed into the queen's bedroom and saw her lying on the bed, her face pale and sweating. The midwife and the palace maids were around her, frantic. (End of this chapter)