Amidst the noise in the restaurant, Gu Ruoyun suddenly felt a sinister gaze staring straight at her. She frowned and turned towards the direction of the gaze. However, the stare that she had felt was nowhere to be found in the crowd.

　　Unless she was mistaken?

　　Gu Ruoyun shook her head, and retracted her vision, lightly relishing her tea, yet her senses were investigating all the movements around her…

　　At that moment, no one had realized that a man dressed in black hid inside the restaurant’s upper compartments, fixing his eyes maliciously on Guo Ruoyun who was talking cheerily and wittily to Zuo Shangchen. He clenched his fist tightly, suppressing his murderous intent.

　　He never thought that the sky would have turned upside down during his short time away from Black Tortoise Country! The Hundred Herb Hall? So what? He thought. Even if this woman was as thick as thieves with the Hundred Herb hall, he would not let her live a moment longer.

　　Whether it’s her or Pang Ran, both of them must die!

　　“Imperial Concubine mother, uncle, your Imperial son will find a way to avenge you! I will not let you die tragically in the hands of such vile people.”

　　Hatred.

　　How could I not feel hatred?

　　No matter how much excellence he displayed all these years, only Pang Ran had a place in his Imperial Father’s heart. I am many times more superior to Pang Ran, why does Imperial Father not recognize my hard work? He thought spitefully. Even my Imperial Concubine mother could not obtain a place in my Imperial Father’s heart!

　　That man’s love was completely dominated by the pair of mother and son!

　　I now depend on my own hard work to catch the attention of the Xia family, if I were to become Emperor, then I will determine the life and death of this mother and son! By then, I can unleash a foul vengeance in my Imperial Concubine mother’s stead!

　　However, my Imperial Concubine mother is now dead! And all because of her most beloved man! She loved my Imperial Father so much, how could she have possibly conspired with Uncle? This must all be a ploy by Pang Ran and his mother!

　　Of course, the Hundred Herb Hall cannot be separated from this affair.

　　“Gu Ruoyun, I seem to have heard that the Second Master of the Xia family is looking for her whereabouts! If I can sell the information regarding her presence in Black Tortoise Country to Xia Qi, I might be able to utilize the forces of the Xia family to eliminate her!”

　　Anyone who has helped Pang Ran and his mother must die!

　　“Pang Ran, Gu Ruoyun, and that so-called Empress, I will never forgive you for what you’ve done! Moreover, sooner or later, Black Tortoise Country will belong to me!” Pang Fei gritted his teeth fiercely, his eyes staring icily at the three people in front of him, his lips, hidden by his black mask, curved into a sinister grin.

　　…

　　At the restaurant’s lounge.

　　Pang Ran was trying his best to curry favor with Zuo Shangchen and Gu Ruoyun, when suddenly, out of the corner of his eye, he saw, to his astonishment, a man in black robes passing by next to him. Pang Ran quickly raised his eyebrows.

　　“What’s wrong, Pang Ran?” Gu Ruoyun asked, noticing Pang Ran’s strange behavior.

　　“Goddess, I keep having this feeling that this man resembles my Third Imperial Brother quite a bit from behind.”

　　It couldn’t be. With Third Imperial Brother’s current status, he wouldn’t dare to come swaggering in here. Perhaps I was wrong.

　　Pang Ran shook his head at the thought, “Perhaps I am overthinking things, ever since Imperial Concubine Lin’s incident, my Third Imperial Brother has mysteriously disappeared. Imperial Father has already sent out search parties to find his whereabouts, but no one could find him. He wouldn’t possibly appear in Black Tortoise Country in a time like this, especially since the punishment for Imperial Concubine Lin’s regicide is to execute the entire family up to the third generation.”

　　Gu Ruoyun said nothing, only staring frostily with her beautiful, clear eyes at the disappearing black robe in front of her; a cold light flew across her eyes.

　　If her intuition was right, the sinister gaze that she had felt a while ago came from that man…