I woke up as the Villainous Empress

"What do you mean she's not my daughter?" Yang Luoyang's voice trembled with barely contained rage.

Zheng Liang's eyes were cold as steel as he faced the man who had caused so much pain. "Exactly what I said, Yang Luoyang. Yang Ning is not your daughter, and she will not be punished for your crimes."

The court fell into a stunned silence. Yang Ning stood frozen, her eyes wide with shock. The proud and arrogant Yang Luoyang now looked pale and shaken, his composure crumbling.

Emperor Zheng Huang leaned forward on his throne, his gaze sharp. "Crown Prince, explain yourself. What is the meaning of this?"

Zheng Liang nodded, his voice clear and unwavering. "Your Majesty, I've uncovered a truth that's been hidden for far too long. Yang Luoyang isn't just guilty of corruption and conspiracy. He's also a murderer."

Gasps filled the room. Yang Ning's hands tightened at her sides, her knuckles turning white.

"Murderer?" Emperor Zheng Huang's voice was dangerously quiet.

"Yes, Your Majesty," Zheng Liang continued. "He killed Yang Ning's real parents - her mother, Madam Yao Ru, and her biological father."

Yang Luoyang's face contorted with fury. "Lies! All lies!"

"Silence!" Emperor Zheng Huang thundered. He turned to Zheng Liang. "Continue, Crown Prince."

Zheng Liang nodded, his gaze sweeping across the shocked courtiers. "Yang Ning's mother, Madam Yao Ru, was married to a scholar who worked in the royal palace. He was known for his dedication to the people and the empire. Madam Yao Ru was already pregnant with Yang Ning when Yang Luoyang entered their lives."

The court listened intently as Zheng Liang unraveled the dark tale.

"Yang Luoyang became obsessed with Madam Yao Ru's beauty. He arranged for Yang Ning's father to have an 'accident', leaving her mother alone and vulnerable. Then, pretending to be kind, he offered to marry her and give his name to her unborn child."

"To everyone, Yang Luoyang appeared to be a caring husband and father. Even Yang Ning's mother believed in his kindness. But it was all a facade."

Zheng Liang's voice hardened. "Years later, Madam Yao Ru overheard Yang Luoyang conspiring with the former Empress Yang Lingxin, who was then a concubine. They were discussing the poison they had already given to my mother, the Empress at the time. They were gloating about how she appeared naturally ill, and that before anyone could discover the truth, she would die."n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

The court went deathly quiet as Zheng Liang continued. Experience more on empire

"Yang Ning's mother was horrified. She realized that the Empress wasn't sick at all, but was being slowly killed. She also discovered the truth about her first husband's death. Determined to expose these crimes, she planned to reveal everything to His Majesty. But Yang Luoyang found out."

He paused, looking at Yang Ning with sadness. "He couldn't risk being exposed. So he arranged for her murder, making it look like she fell off a bridge by accident. But it was nothing but a planned murder."

Hearing Zheng Liang's words, Yang Ning's eyes filled with tears, her world shattering around her. Her body trembled, not just from shock but from a deep, overwhelming sadness. More than for herself, she felt a profound sorrow for the original host of this body - the real Yang Ning who had lived this life before her.

She could almost feel the echoes of that girl's desperate yearning for her father's love, the memory of countless attempts to please him, to earn just one word of praise or a moment of affection. All those years of obedience, of following his every command - and for what? Only to end up labeled as the villainess of the story, her life a tragic tale of betrayal and darkness.

Yang Ning felt her heart tightening in her chest. It was sad. So unbearably sad. The real Yang Ning had not only lived a painful life but also died miserably, in both lives. In this life and even the previous one in the novel where she followed his command, she lived in vain, manipulated and used by the very person she had trusted most.

A wave of guilt washed over Yang Ning as she remembered the times she had called the original Yang Ning stupid for being so timid and naive. Now, she realized, the girl had been nothing but an innocent victim, caught in a web of deceit she couldn't have possibly understood.

Even as tears streamed down her face, Yang Ning stood tall, her fists clenched at her sides. She would not let Yang Luoyang see her break. Not now, not ever again. She owed it to the memory of the original Yang Ning to stand strong in the face of this cruel revelation.

Zheng Liang noticed Yang Ning's body trembling and silently took her hand, offering comfort through the warmth of his touch. His eyes softened momentarily with concern for his wife before hardening again as he turned back to face the court. Taking a deep breath, he continued, his voice filled with barely contained disgust.

"But Yang Luoyang didn't stop there. He even arranged a perfect alibi for himself. That day, he worked late into the night at the palace, pretending to be a hardworking minister. Meanwhile, he used an orphan boy, whom he had taken in as his ward, to carry out the heinous crime."

"Until now, everyone saw him as a caring and loving father," Zheng Liang continued, his voice bitter. "But the reality was far different. Your Majesty, that little boy has now grown up to become Yang Luoyang's right hand, carrying out his heinous crimes even until now."

Emperor Zheng Huang leaned forward, his eyes sharp. "And where is this man now?"

"That man has been captured by my team of guards, Your Majesty," Zheng Liang replied, his voice firm. "Your Majesty, that man was the one who secretly trespassed inside the prison and tried to murder Officer Zen on the orders of Yang Luoyang. He was almost successful in his crime, but thankfully, my royal guard was alert and caught him in the act.

Not only is Officer Zen alive, but that man is also being investigated by my team of guards."

The ministers exchanged confused glances, murmuring among themselves. Even Yang Luoyang's face turned ashen upon hearing this news. That boy, that boy was the dog he had raised since he was young. He was perfect for manipulation, needing only a few words of affirmation and food to give away his life. And now he was captured. Everything was over.

Emperor Zheng Huang frowned, his brow furrowing in confusion. "Then why did Gu Lan say that Officer Zen had died? And what about that suicide note?"

Zheng Liang's eyes gleamed with a hint of satisfaction. "Your Majesty, that suicide note was also planted by that man, in an attempt to disguise the murder as a suicide. However, it was not successful. To avoid alerting the enemies, we went ahead with their conspiracy to see how it would unfold.

We aimed to capture more people in this trap, including Officer Wang, who was leading the effort to disguise this murder as a suicide. Before our team could apprehend him, the Crown Princess appeared with Commander Wei and had already captured him."

The court erupted into shocked whispers at this revelation. Ministers exchanged glances, their faces a mix of surprise and admiration at the intricate plan that had been executed right under their noses.

Yang Luoyang's face, already pale, now looked utterly drained of color. The intricate web of deceit he had woven over the years was unraveling before his very eyes, leaving him exposed and vulnerable. He realized with growing horror that not only had his plans failed, but they had been used against him to expose his entire network of conspirators.

Emperor Zheng Huang nodded slowly, a look of grim approval on his face. "Well done, Crown Prince. And well done, Crown Princess. Your actions have uncovered a plot that threatened the very foundations of our empire."

Zheng Liang's voice softened as he turned to Yang Ning. "You come from brave, good people. Their blood is in you, not Yang Luoyang's. You've always been better than him, and now you know why."

Yang Luoyang lunged forward, fighting against the guards. "You have no proof! You're making this all up!"

"We have proof," Zheng Liang said calmly.