The next day, Candace woke up early in the morning. She had tossed and turned all night and couldn't fall asleep.

"Sigh..." She sighed and, after a quick wash up, walked out of the door.

At this time, the sky was just beginning to brighten, with white clouds floating on the horizon and the distant mountains revealing vague contours.

After finishing breakfast, Candace went to report to Iris in her quarters.

She knocked on the door, but there was no response from inside. She stood waiting in place.

At this moment, Iris, dressed in white, was practicing swordsmanship in the morning breeze. Her movements were graceful and elegant, with the sword light sparkling.

Her movements were incredibly fast, and each move was sharp and precise.

After a while, sweat dripped from her snow-white skin onto the floor. She wiped the sweat from her cheek, stopped, and then headed towards her quarters.

She saw Candace standing there from a distance and walked over, throwing a towel to her. "You're here early."

"Greetings, Your Majesty." Candace quickly bowed respectfully to Iris.

"Hmm." Iris nodded and walked to sit at the table.

"I am going to take a bath. You go directly and tell those two little ones to finish their preparations within fifteen minutes. If they are late, they will face the consequences." Iris said, and then went into the bathroom.

"Yes, Your Majesty." Candace respectfully replied.

In that instant, Candace noticed that Iris's actions were somewhat reminiscent of Iris herself. Whenever the princess had finished her morning practice, she would throw her sweaty towel at Candace before going to take a bath.

Afterward, she shook her head, dismissing her own speculation. Lingxi and Iris were clearly two different people, it must be a coincidence.

With that thought in mind, Candace knocked on the door and said, "Your Majesty said to finish preparations within fifteen minutes. Otherwise, the consequences will be borne."

Upon hearing Candace's voice, both girls quickly got dressed and washed up.

For Yingling, it was unbearable to face such consequences. One slight mistake could lead to death.

She put on her silver veil and walked out of the room, immediately taking a bag of blood to feed on.

Baiying followed closely behind. Candace sat on the sofa, quietly waiting for the arrival of the two little ones.

After about fifteen minutes, the two little ones finally appeared in Candace's line of sight.

There was a veiled girl and a girl with horns walking towards her.

At this moment, Iris also came out of the bathroom and stopped in her tracks when she saw Yingling and Baiying.

"If you dare to slack off, beware of my punishment." Iris coldly looked at the two little ones and said.

"Yes, Lady Sister." Yingling lowered her head and obediently replied.

"Understood, Mother." Baiying waved at Iris.

From their address, Candace learned that the girl with horns was Empress Lingxi's daughter, and the veiled one should be her sister.

How could an eighteen-year-old girl have a four or five-year-old daughter? Moreover, the other party was not of the Cecelia Royal Family, so she was unable to conceive children in a natural way. Only through normal means could a child be born.

Then, Candace took out two books and handed them to the two girls, beginning to teach them the basics of writing.

...

Iris arrived at the court, but there were very few people along the way.

Except for Victor, she had killed all the remaining ministers. She didn't need those who were two-faced and only wanted the benefits without doing any work.

When Lilia served as Empress Your Majesty, she couldn't do anything about these freeloaders who only relied on their ancestors to hold positions.

Iris was different. Her public identity was Lingxi, not Cecelia. Naturally, she didn't need to show any mercy. Whoever needed to be killed, she killed them without any hesitation.

"Greetings, Your Majesty." Victor saw Iris appear in the court and immediately knelt down, bowing to Iris.

"No need for formalities. There are only the two of us in the entire hall. There's no need for these unnecessary formalities, just find a chair to sit on." Iris glanced at Victor indifferently and took a step forward, sitting on the seat of Majesty.

"Your Majesty, Queen Iris." Victor stood up and walked to the side, finding a chair to sit on.

"What do the people of the country think of me?" Iris went straight to the point and asked.

Upon hearing this, Victor quickly said, "Your Majesty, the people all over the country are dissatisfied with your actions. They were loyal to Lilia, and now, with your act of killing the officials, they perceive Your Majesty as too cruel. It won't be long before there is a revolt."

"When you ruled as King, how did you gain the people's approval? You said they were loyal to Lilia, why did they not rebel then?" Iris sneered and asked calmly.

"Your Majesty, at that time, as long as they surrendered, they would still be treated according to the previous standards. If they refused to surrender, Poqi would lead the soldiers to kill them all. In the end, only the Shadow Guard, Prime Minister Frost, most of the generals, and their families were killed by Poqi. But this time, you killed the officials, and naturally their families will stir up trouble, portraying you as a tyrant. At that time, the resentment of the people will become extremely huge, and it may even lead to a rebellion. By then, Your Majesty may not be able to salvage the situation." Victor lowered his head and said.

"Are you saying that you never killed those who resisted you?" Iris asked.

"Your Majesty, I never used force against them, nor did I threaten them. I even told them that as long as they were willing to surrender, they could regain their positions, just under a different allegiance. They owed loyalty to Lilia, so they would never surrender, and they were then exterminated by Poqi." Victor truthfully answered.

"What if I were to kill all those involved in the rebellion?" Iris suddenly asked.

Victor was taken aback, he did not expect Iris to bring up such a question, but soon he regained his composure.

"It cannot be done. The scope of this is too wide. If Your Majesty takes such measures, it will certainly provoke public anger, and the people will doubt Your Majesty and confirm that you are a brutal and bloodthirsty tyrant. Even if you achieve victory, the Shuowang Empire will face guerrilla warfare for hundreds or even thousands of years, making it impossible to eradicate. At that time, the Shuowang Empire will be in name only. I urge Your Majesty to think twice before acting." Victor advised.

"I have already figured out a way to resolve this issue. You don't need to worry about it. You may leave now." Iris waved her hand, indicating for Victor to leave.

Upon hearing this, Victor was stunned for a moment. The Queen had already come up with a solution? Then, what was the Queen thinking and how would she handle this?

Although Victor was puzzled, he did not ask further questions. He bid his farewell and left the court.

...

I am the legitimate successor. How will the people, who now know the truth, react? And what expression will the families of those officials have?

Iris understood that history books will record that these officials were unfaithful and betrayed their loyalty. Their families fabricated facts and falsely accused the Empress, attempting to rebel.

This way, those officials and their families will never be able to raise their heads again. They will forever be despised by future generations.

Just thinking about it feels satisfying.

...

Iris walked towards the medical room with light footsteps.

"Greetings, Your Majesty." In the medical room, the Demon Physician respectfully bowed to Iris.

"Very well." Iris responded faintly and went straight into the medical room.

She approached Lili Lanzu's bed and looked at the unconscious Lili Lanzu, asking, "How is she doing?"

"Your Majesty, Lili Lanzu has been rescued from the brink of death. However, her body is still very weak and needs proper care and recuperation." The Demon Physician respectfully said.

"Good. You may leave for now." Iris said.

"Yes." The Demon Physician responded and left, closing the door behind her.

She then took out an exquisite jewelry box from her storage space and took out a red leather collar from it.

The collar was engraved with mysterious pale pink runes, and it shimmered with intermittent brilliance. There was a golden lock on the back of the collar.

Iris looked at the collar with a slight smile on her face.

Lili Lanzu, let's slowly settle our debt.

Iris picked up the collar and gently put it around Lili Lanzu's neck.

"Click!" The sound of the golden lock clasping the collar resounded.

Let me give you a taste of the pain of magic suppression, and your physical strength will also be limited.

Iris gently touched the collar, a devilish smile on her lips.

There is one collar left, who should I give it to?

Without a doubt, that person is Lilia.

"I would love to put this collar on Lilia's neck and see how she reacts," Iris muttered softly, anticipation in her eyes.

Meanwhile, Yingling and Baiying were studying basic cultural knowledge.

"Sister, these characters are so difficult," Baiying said with a frown, feeling frustrated.

Baixi shrugged, indicating her helplessness. When she was still a little white snake, she had studied these things countless times with her aunt and was already familiar with them.

"Don't be discouraged, we'll learn slowly and there will always be progress," Candace reassured.

"Okay," Baiying nodded.

Seeing this scene, Candace couldn't help but think of Iris and Yingling, Yingling used to call Iris "mom" all the time.

Forget it, it's all in the past, nothing to dwell on.

...