Chapter 71: The Witchcraft Deposition of the Empress

Outside the pavilion, the withered yellow leaves on the branches fell slowly to the ground under the breeze, and were then rolled away by the wind, adding a sense of desolation.

Inside the pavilion, Wei Zifu and the Pingyang Princess were kneeling at the table. Wei Zifu held the pot with her plain hands, poured a cup of hot tea, and then raised it to toast the Pingyang Princess: "Zifu will toast the Princess first."

Seeing this, the Pingyang Princess curled her lips slightly, also picked up her teacup, and the two touched them in the air and drank the tea in their cups.

Wei Zifu pursed her moist lips, her waist-length hair swaying in the wind, and she spoke: "It is truly Zifu's honor that the Princess has graced Zifu with her presence to drink tea today."

"Zifu, you don't have to say that." The Pingyang Princess was also polite when facing Wei Zifu and did not look down on her because Wei Zifu was once just a singing girl in the Pingyang Marquis Mansion. "It's just that I don't know what matter Zifu specifically invited me to drink tea for today."

"Princess, Zifu once came from your mansion, so I won't beat around the bush with you about other things." Wei Zifu smiled and said bluntly: "My younger brother is already twenty-two years old and has not yet married. I wonder if the Princess could..."

Although Wei Qing had said before that he dared not covet marrying a Princess, Wei Zifu thought of how her brother and the Pingyang Princess had deep feelings in her previous life, so she still wanted to try to play matchmaker for her brother and the Pingyang Princess, letting them become husband and wife sooner.

Hearing what Wei Zifu said, the Pingyang Princess raised an eyebrow and interrupted her: "Are you asking me to play matchmaker for your brother?" Thinking for a moment, the Pingyang Princess smiled: "I do have a few beauties with delicate features in my mansion. If Zifu doesn't mind, I can introduce them to your brother."

Wei Zifu was suddenly silent for a moment.

Wait, in her previous life, the Pingyang Princess had clearly told her that she had long liked Wei Qing. Why did she want to introduce other women to her brother now?

Wei Zifu felt a bit of suspicion in her heart and hurriedly said: "Princess, you misunderstood. This concubine's meaning is, would the Princess be willing to become husband and wife with my younger brother?"

Pingyang Princess: "???"

"What did you say? You want me to marry your brother?" The Pingyang Princess seemed unable to believe her ears, and her expression was full of surprise, as if saying: Is your brother even worthy?

Wei Zifu was stunned, looking at the Pingyang Princess's reaction, and felt somewhat uncertain in her heart if she had said something wrong.

The Pingyang Princess sneered: "Wei Zifu, I remember your brother used to be a horse slave in the Marquis Mansion, right? You actually want me to marry a horse slave who was once stepped on under my feet?" Her words carried a trace of anger and contempt; it was obvious she was angry.

"A horse slave stepped on under your feet?" Wei Zifu frowned tightly: "Princess, you actually view Brother Qing this way?" She never expected the Pingyang Princess to have such a reaction.

What about the promise that you had long liked Brother Qing? Is this how you like him?

"Did I say something wrong?" The Pingyang Princess's expression became increasingly cold, and she stood up, flicking her sleeves: "Wei Zifu, although I have lost my husband, I am forever the Emperor's sister. Don't think that just because you gave birth to the Imperial Eldest Son for the Emperor, you can humiliate me like this."

Wei Zifu: "..."

"Let me tell you, I have already decided to marry the Ruyin Marquis. He is a descendant of the Great Han's founding hero; compared to that brother of yours... heh." The Pingyang Princess gave a light sneer and turned to leave with a face full of anger.

Wei Zifu gripped the teacup in her hand tightly, her expression livid. What a Pingyang Princess, what a "long-held heart"!

How could she be like this, how could she humiliate Brother Qing like this!

So, in the eyes of the Pingyang Princess, Brother Qing, who had not yet achieved fame and success, was so unbearable? So in her previous life, her wanting to marry Wei Qing was entirely because she had taken a fancy to her brother's status as a Great General!

The Liu family is indeed all cut from the same cloth, cold-blooded and mean-spirited to the bone.

"Tsk tsk tsk." Liu Ling's voice suddenly came, and Wei Zifu turned her head to look at her abruptly.

"I was wondering why Sister Wei usually ignores me; it turns out you wanted to cling to the Pingyang Princess." Liu Ling walked gracefully from the corridor, glanced at the soft cushion the Pingyang Princess had just sat on, and sat down leisurely. Her pair of charming eyes slowly lifted to look at Wei Zifu: "Does Sister Wei look down on my status as a Wengzhu?"

Wei Zifu took a deep breath, forced a smile, and said: "Wengzhu has overthought it."

"It's a pity, the Pingyang Princess also looks down on Wei Qing's status." Liu Ling's fingertips played lightly with the teacup on the table: "Sister Wei's eye for people seems not very good."

Wei Zifu was silent.

"However, A Ling is not a petty person. Even though I have been rejected by Sister Wei many times, I still want to cooperate with Sister Wei now." Liu Ling extended her index finger to hook the water pot on the side; she didn't want to use the teacup the Pingyang Princess had drunk from, so she tilted her head slightly and raised the water pot to pour water into her mouth.

Wei Zifu looked at her dissolute behavior, her brows furrowed tightly, and she wondered in her heart how Brother Qing could like a woman like Liu Ling?

After drinking a mouthful of water, Liu Ling raised her sleeve to wipe the water stains on the corners of her lips, looked at Wei Zifu, and said: "Sister Wei, the Emperor currently dotes on the Jiaofang Palace alone. Even if you have given birth to the Imperial Eldest Son, so what? The position of Crown Prince will never be Liu Ju's."

This sentence hit Wei Zifu hard, and she restrained her brows and eyes: "What does this have to do with Wengzhu?"

"Of course it has nothing to do with it," Liu Ling said with a smile. "But since I like your brother, I naturally want to help my sweetheart's sister strive for the greatest benefits. Doesn't Sister Wei want your son to become the Crown Prince and become the Emperor in the future?"

Wei Zifu's eyes darkened, and she raised her teacup to take a sip of tea without changing her expression: "If you want to help me, what good does it do you?"

"I want to marry Wei Qing." Liu Ling didn't hide her purpose at all: "In the future, we will be one family."

Wei Zifu's hand under her sleeve clenched into a fist, controlling her trembling voice as she asked: "Then... how do you plan to help me?"

Liu Ling clapped her hands lightly. At this moment, a person wearing a black hood walked into the pavilion like a ghost. This person bowed slightly to Liu Ling and then stood there without speaking.

Wei Zifu looked at this person with suspicious eyes, unable to see her appearance clearly.

Liu Ling spoke: "Her name is Chu Fu, she is a witch, and she can help you, Sister Wei, realize all your wishes."

Hearing the name Chu Fu, Wei Zifu gasped, her eyes full of disbelief. Looking at the person in the black hood in front of her again, her expression had already changed.

It was actually Chu Fu!

Chu Fu was actually Liu Ling's person!

So, the matter of Empress Chen being deposed because of witchcraft in her previous life was actually manipulated by Liu Ling behind the scenes? What was even more terrifying was that when Liu Che ordered a thorough investigation of this matter at the time, he did not implicate Liu Ling.

Liu Ling had escaped unscathed from the events of that year!

Wei Zifu was shocked beyond measure and for a moment didn't know how to respond to Liu Ling's proactive overture. She pressed down her pounding heart and said: "Wengzhu, just a witch, what can she do?"

In fact, Wei Zifu didn't remember the specific details of the witchcraft case involving Empress Chen back then very clearly. She only remembered that the final result was that hundreds of palace servants in the Jiaofang Hall were all killed, Empress Chen was deposed, and the witch Chu Fu was finally beheaded in the marketplace.

Regardless, getting involved with witchcraft was never a good thing. Thinking of her own fate in her previous life, Wei Zifu still had lingering fears.

Liu Ling smiled lightly: "Chu Fu is a descendant of the Chu witches, and her witchcraft is still very effective. Now I have specifically invited her from Huainan just to let her help you, Sister Wei."

"Let her... help me?" Thinking of the fate after getting involved with witchcraft, Wei Zifu's mood had already calmed down.

"Of course." Liu Ling nodded.

Wei Zifu lowered her eyes, neither refusing nor accepting Liu Ling's "good intentions," only saying: "Wengzhu, give me some time to think about it properly. After all, it is witchcraft; it is quite frightening."

In fact, in the Great Han, witchcraft was originally considered a part of religious and sacrificial activities. There were even special witch officials in the court responsible for eliminating disasters and solving problems for the Emperor; as long as it wasn't used to harm people, it was fine. What was explicitly prohibited was Gu witchcraft.

Liu Ling nodded slightly, watching Wei Zifu leave the pavilion. She turned to look at Chu Fu and said: "It seems this Sister Wei is quite cautious. But don't worry, I'll find an opportunity to take you to see the Emperor and Empress first; you see what is going on with them."

Chu Fu replied in a hoarse voice: "Nu."

Liu Li, who was attending class at the Imperial Academy, suddenly heard the system's prompt: 【Witness the event "Witchcraft Deposition of the Empress."】

Liu Li: "??"

Witchcraft Deposition of the Empress? How did this matter suddenly pop up?

Having had that previous experience, Liu Li guessed that it must be related to the characters involved in this matter, which was why the system automatically triggered the event.

So, was it Chu Fu?

Had this key figure who led to the deposition of Empress Chen in history finally appeared?

For the following lessons, Liu Li had no heart to listen; her mind was full of this newly triggered event.

She wasn't worried that the current Empress would be deposed; after all, the current Empress was Liu Che, and A Jiao wouldn't easily depose him. But she really wanted to know the truth about A Jiao's witchcraft case in her previous life, so as to untie the knot in A Jiao's heart that she hadn't been able to let go of for so many years.

Liu Li thought that only by truly untying this knot could A Jiao truly let go.

The development this time was already different from A Jiao's previous life, so in what capacity would Chu Fu appear before them? Whose orders was Chu Fu listening to?

After returning to the Weiyang Palace, Liu Li walked through the entire Jiaofang Hall and didn't find any palace maids who looked like strangers. At least she could be sure that Chu Fu hadn't come to the "Empress's" side yet.

Liu Li had just breathed a sigh of relief when she heard the palace servants outside say that the Huainan King's Wengzhu was visiting the Jiaofang Hall. Unfortunately, Liu Che and A Jiao were still in the Xuanshi Hall handling government affairs at this time.

Liu Li had no choice but to temporarily act as the little mistress of the Jiaofang Hall and be responsible for receiving Liu Ling.

The palace maid brought tea and snacks to entertain Liu Ling. Liu Ling smiled and tasted a piece of pastry: "Every time I come to the Jiaofang Hall, I can eat such delicious pastries; I want to live in the Jiaofang Hall."

Liu Li sat upright in her chair: "If Aunt A Ling likes them, I can ask the Imperial Kitchen to prepare more and bring them to the Changle Palace for you."

Liu Ling nodded: "Alright, little A Li is still the most thoughtful." She turned her eyes and asked: "Does the Emperor take A Jiao sister with him every time he goes to the Xuanshi Hall to handle government affairs now?"

Liu Li blinked her eyes, acting innocent: "A Li doesn't know either; A Li just came back from the Imperial Academy."

"Aunt forgot, A Li still has to go to school." Liu Ling pursed her lips and smiled, no longer mentioning this matter, but instead asked Liu Li about her studies at the Imperial Academy.

Liu Li randomly picked the content of the teacher's lecture to tell Liu Ling, until A Jiao and Liu Che returned from the Xuanshi Hall.

Seeing her parents finally arrive, Liu Li took a sip of water to moisten her throat: "Father, Mother."

Liu Che glanced faintly at Liu Ling on the side and walked straight to his daughter's side before saying: "Why did A Ling come?"

Liu Ling chuckled: "Just to see A Jiao sister." She blinked her eyes: "Before, A Jiao sister was injured and didn't allow anyone to visit, even blocking A Ling outside, which made A Ling very sad."

"So A Ling is here to blame me?" Liu Che raised an eyebrow.

Liu Ling's expression stiffened slightly, and she hurriedly said: "How would A Ling dare to blame A Jiao sister? A Ling was worried about sister. I don't know if A Jiao sister has fully recovered now?"

Liu Che nodded: "Naturally, she has recovered."

Liu Ling looked at Liu Che, then at A Jiao, who hadn't spoken on the side, and said: "That is truly great. At that time, I was worried that A Jiao sister might have some misfortune, so I specifically asked my father to send the best female doctor in the palace to Chang'an to treat A Jiao sister."

"A Ling is truly thoughtful." A Jiao praised lightly.

"A Jiao sister is just like my own sister." Liu Ling said regretfully: "But it seems the female doctor from Huainan has made a wasted trip."

Liu Li heard Liu Ling keep mentioning this female doctor and associated it with the task she had just received today. After a little association, as if thinking of something, she said: "Aunt A Ling, is the female doctor from Huainan really that amazing?"

Liu Ling nodded: "Yes, when I was sick as a child, I was cured by the female doctor without having to drink medicine. You say, is she amazing?"

Liu Li blinked and said: "Then can I let the female doctor treat A Li?"

"What's wrong with A Li?" Not only did Liu Ling ask, but A Jiao and Liu Che also looked at Liu Li with concern.

Liu Li raised her hand to rub her little head, pretending to be uncomfortable: "It's just that I have a headache occasionally."

"Of course you can." Liu Ling smiled: "The female doctor is waiting outside the hall now; why not summon her in to take a look at A Li." As Liu Ling said this, she signaled the maid beside her to go out and call the female doctor waiting outside the hall in.

Chu Fu, who was wrapped in darkness, walked into the hall behind the maid. She performed a very strange bow to the Emperor and Empress.

The moment A Jiao saw Chu Fu, her expression changed abruptly; it was obvious she had recognized Chu Fu.

"Go take a look at Princess Jianling." Liu Ling ordered.

Liu Li took the initiative to walk in front of Chu Fu, looked up at the female doctor whose face was unclear, and slowly extended her hand to her: "Do you need to take my pulse?"

Chu Fu didn't move, just stared at Liu Li's eyes for a long time, and then slowly spoke: "The Princess has no illness, no need for pulse diagnosis or treatment."

Liu Li blinked: "Then why do I feel like I have a headache sometimes?"

Chu Fu was silent.

For a time, the entire hall fell into a mysterious silence. In the end, it was Liu Ling who smiled to smooth things over: "Could it be because A Li's daily studies are too tiring, which is why she has a headache?"

Liu Li looked at Liu Ling and smiled brightly: "That's also possible."

Liu Ling looked at Liu Che again: "Does A Jiao sister also want the female doctor to take a look?"

Liu Che refused: "No need, I'm not sick."

"Alright then." Liu Ling replied lightly and didn't force it. Not long after, she left the Jiaofang Hall with the female doctor.

After Liu Ling left, Liu Che waved away all the palace maids before saying: "What tricks is this Liu Ling trying to play again?" Bringing a female doctor for no reason, what does she want to do?

Liu Li raised a face full of smiles: "Perhaps Aunt A Ling is really just worried about your health, Father?"

Liu Che sneered, expressing disdain for whether Liu Ling really cared about him.

After dinner, A Jiao and Liu Li, mother and daughter, found an opportunity to ditch Liu Che and came to Liu Li's room to start discussing the Chu Fu they saw today.

"Chu Fu is actually Liu Ling's person!"

"So the female doctor just now was really Chu Fu?" She didn't expect that she had really guessed it right; Liu Li felt that this matter was becoming more and more complicated.

According to A Jiao's description before, it seemed that Liu Ling had nothing to do with it. Now that Chu Fu was actually brought out by Liu Ling, it showed that the relationship between Chu Fu and Liu Ling was not simple.

"So... the one who framed me for plotting against Liu Che in my previous life was actually A Ling?" A Jiao associated this and suddenly felt very uncomfortable in her heart.

Even though she knew A Ling was not as simple and innocent as she appeared on the surface, she still regarded A Ling as a younger sister.

"Mother, I think the point now is no longer who was framing you in your previous life," Liu Li lowered her voice and said. "The point now should be what Liu Ling wants to do!"

She suddenly brought Chu Fu to the Jiaofang Hall; it couldn't be that she was really here to treat Liu Che. She must have other purposes.

"Yes, what does she want to do?" A Jiao frowned: "I can't figure it out either."

Liu Li supported her chin and thought for a long time but couldn't figure out what Liu Ling's motive was for doing this now. She didn't like being in such a passive situation.

"Mother, I remember you said before that Chu Fu was forced."

A Jiao nodded hesitantly: "Yes, at that time she did tell me that."

"Then... could she be forced by Liu Ling?" Liu Li boldly guessed: "Does she have any handle in Liu Ling's hands? Or the lives of her family members?" Usually, TV shows are played like this; because the lives of relatives are threatened, one has to do things for someone.

A Jiao: "..."

"A Li, can you use that God's perspective of yours to take a look?" A Jiao said: "Wouldn't we be able to figure it out this way?"

Liu Li shook her head: "God's perspective can only see things that have already happened. Now, hasn't anything happened yet? So it can't be seen."

A Jiao's previous life was not within the scope of God's perspective.

"What should we do now?" A Jiao pursed her lips and said: "Before, I wanted to find Chu Fu and then let her deceive Liu Che. I didn't expect that Liu Ling would be involved now. I'm afraid what we thought before can't be realized."

Before, Liu Li and A Jiao planned to let Liu Che experience the feeling of being framed for practicing witchcraft and being wronged. But now with Liu Ling's involvement, the meaning was different.

After all, behind Liu Ling represented the Huainan King.

Liu Li frowned and thought carefully, having a preliminary guess about the causes and consequences of the witchcraft disaster in A Jiao's previous life.

Everything was still for the sake of imperial power.

Perhaps from the beginning, Chu Fu followed Liu Ling's arrangements, first contacting the Grand Princess, and then being introduced to A Jiao, who was the Empress, by the Grand Princess. Chu Fu used the excuse that she could help A Jiao regain the Emperor's heart, allowing A Jiao to let her set up an altar in the Jiaofang Hall.

Then, on the surface, Chu Fu was helping A Jiao gain love, but in reality, Chu Fu was using witchcraft to try to harm Liu Che's life.

She didn't expect that because A Jiao sensed something was wrong, she didn't hand Liu Che's hair to Chu Fu, which led to Chu Fu's curse not taking effect. Liu Che was not harmed successfully, but instead investigated the Jiaofang Hall and caught Chu Fu.

A Jiao was also implicated and deposed.

As for why Chu Fu wanted to harm the Emperor, it was probably because her master behind the scenes was the Huainan King. After all, in the fifth year of Yuanguang in her previous life, Liu Che had no sons.

If Liu Che died at that time and there was no Crown Prince to inherit the throne, then couldn't the Huainan King Liu An become the Emperor?

Of course, all of the above were just guesses made by Liu Li based on the clues she knew now. There were still many things that didn't make sense, such as, can witchcraft really harm a person's life?

And the current situation was already different from the previous life.

This time, Liu Che already had two sons. Even if Liu Che really died, the throne wouldn't fall to the Huainan King Liu An, so was there still a need to harm the Emperor's life?

So this time, Liu Ling must have other purposes. What could it be?

"Before, Liu Che let me arrange for people to monitor Liu Ling, but the results obtained were nothing special. Liu Ling usually either goes out of the palace to be with the daughter of Xiucheng Jun, or goes to find Wei Zifu to connect feelings." A Jiao frowned: "Could Liu Ling's behavior also be related to the Empress Dowager?"

Empress Dowager? Liu Li thought of the assassination they encountered a few months ago, and her eyes lit up: "Perhaps, we can see clues from things that happened in the past!"

After all, there were still many doubts about the assassination case that hadn't been solved. She might as well use God's perspective to take another look; maybe she could see some details she hadn't noticed herself.

Thinking this way, Liu Li directly spent 10 points to redeem God's perspective to check the previous Ganquan Palace assassination event and the later assassination event under Chang'an City.

After watching these two assassination events from God's perspective, Liu Li couldn't help but exclaim that it was wonderful!

The assassin at Ganquan Palace was indeed arranged by the Huainan King; they hadn't guessed wrong on this point. And the token on the assassin was deliberately placed by Liu Ling to frame the Empress Dowager.

The Empress Dowager never wanted her son's life, but she developed murderous intent toward "A Jiao." After knowing that "A Jiao" had returned, she arranged for assassins to kill "A Jiao."

And the reason Liu Ling let Chu Fu come to Chang'an was because her spies heard Liu Li call "A Jiao" Father at the gate of Chang'an City.

Later, Liu Ling also eavesdropped on the conversation between A Jiao and Liu Che in the Changle Palace, and she had doubts about their identities. So she wanted to let Chu Fu come to see what was going on between the Emperor and the Empress.

Liu Li couldn't help but sigh, this Liu Ling was too smart, right? Just based on these two points, she could have such suspicions? ===== CHAPTER 72 =====

Liu Li could not help but sigh. Was this Liu Ling perhaps too clever? Could she really have such suspicions based on just these two points?