At first, it was only the victims of the disaster who went to the capital to petition the emperor.

In Qingzhou, there was a severe drought, and the people were barely surviving. They said the granaries were opened to distribute grain, but there were dead bodies everywhere from starvation.

Later on, it evolved into a struggle between factions.

Qingzhou and its surrounding areas were under the jurisdiction of the Crown Prince's faction.

The people's suffering was inseparable from the Crown Prince.

Just when the Crown Prince was at his wit's end, the royal advisor discovered the root cause of the drought in Qingzhou.

It turned out to be the fault of the demonic concubine.

Suddenly, the people's grievances shifted from the Crown Prince to the demonic concubine.

At that time, I was in the midst of it all, feeling as if disaster had befallen me.

Now, from the outside, I can see it clearly.

I think the royal advisor was always on the Crown Prince's side.

The so-called "demonic concubine" was just a scapegoat.

My elder sister must be feeling smug right now. Is she starting to panic?

Initially, the emperor wanted to protect my elder sister.

But as the court officials repeatedly demanded action, the emperor couldn't hold out any longer.

In the end, he agreed to sacrifice the demonic concubine to the heavens in exchange for rain in Qingzhou.

Someone from the Prime Minister's residence came to take me back to my maternal home.

I made excuses to refuse.

My mother couldn't sit still and personally came to my door.

As soon as she entered, she slapped me.

"Have you grown wings? You don't even listen to your mother's words?" My mother was extremely angry.

I touched my face and smiled, saying, "Mother, I am married now and should prioritize my husband's well-being and take care of him."

"You treat a useless cripple as if he were a treasure?" My mother spoke contemptuously when she mentioned Chen Xiang.

She suddenly changed her tone, becoming gentle and grabbing my hand. "Mother knows that you don't want to marry that useless cripple. Now, Mother has a solution. You can enter the palace to replace your elder sister and endure the punishment in her place..."

I couldn't help but burst into mad laughter.

As I expected, she wanted to use me to replace my elder sister.

How hilarious! I laughed until tears streamed down my face.

"Mother, my elder sister was the one who despised the old emperor and set her sights on Chen Xiang's promising future, trying to steal my marriage. I entered the palace on behalf of my elder sister, but unexpectedly received favor. Just then, Chen Xiang became crippled, and his future became uncertain. My elder sister regretted her decision and wanted to return as the favored concubine. When my elder sister was favored, she humiliated me. Now that she is going to suffer, she wants to send me in her place. Don't you find it laughable? Why does my elder sister get to enjoy all the good things while I have to face life-threatening situations?"

Fear flashed in my mother's eyes, but she quickly put on a motherly demeanor and scolded me for being disobedient.

At that moment, the door was pushed open.

Chen Xiang stood at the door, looking coldly at my mother. "Madam Xu, what you just said is a crime of deceiving the emperor. If I report it to His Majesty... Are you planning to bury the demonic concubine along with the entire Prime Minister's residence?"

My mother's face turned pale, and she glared at me fiercely before turning and leaving.