Chapter 119 Abnormal behavior?

The Queen looked up at him in disbelief, her lips trembling. "Your Majesty... Your Majesty, what do you mean? During the five years I've been married to you, I've diligently managed the palace and the harem, and I've never made a mistake. Why would Your Majesty say such a thing to me?"

She suddenly thought of something and felt her teeth itch with hatred: "But Concubine Yu made slanderous remarks before His Majesty?"

He Yanchen raised his eyes and looked at her calmly: "What the Queen has done over the years is indeed correct, but I love Concubine Yu, so I want her to be my wife."

"If you ask to abdicate, the Jiang family will be safe, and I can give you the position of Imperial Concubine and still let you assist in managing the six palaces."

The Queen sneered in her heart. Her brother had been brought to justice. What was he accused of forcibly abducting a woman? It was clearly a frame-up!

His brother simply bought a girl from a brothel. The girl was sold there by her family. After being bought out, she was unwilling to resist to the death and even wanted to ask for help from others on the street.

But her being sold was her parents' business. If she was dissatisfied, she could have gone to the government to report her parents. What did her brother have to do with it? Her brother was usually a bit of a playboy, but this time he paid the silver and received the indenture according to the rules of the brothel. However, Chu Yi took advantage of this and arrested him and sent him to the Dali Temple. Now that I think about it, His Majesty clearly planned it all along, wanting to use her brother to pave the way for that little bitch Yueli!

But if I really lose my position as queen, I will be at the mercy of others in the future and have to live under Yue Li's hands. What's the difference between this and killing her?

Imperial Concubine? Assisting in the management of the six palaces?

The Queen couldn't help but sneer in her heart, "Your Majesty must know that little bitch doesn't have the ability to manage the six palaces, so he found someone to be her nanny!" She no longer has the title of Queen, but still has to work hard to manage the trivial matters of the harem. In the end, she is just an assistant manager. She doesn't even have the Phoenix Seal in her hands. What's the difference between her and doing chores for others?

The queen was so angry that her chest was shaking and she couldn't believe that He Yanchen could say such words.

"Your Majesty, even though I am not favored by Your Majesty, I have never made any mistakes in all these years. Your Majesty wants to depose me, and I know it is difficult to disobey the imperial edict. However, I will not obey, and neither will the loyal ministers in the court!"

The Queen squeezed her palms tightly, forcing herself to calm down. She hadn't made any mistakes. Even if He Yanchen wanted to depose the Queen, he would have to give the court officials and the people a reason. Otherwise, even if Yue Li took the position, it would be illegitimate, and he would be recorded in history as a foolish emperor who favored his concubine over his wife.

He Yanchen twirled the ring on his finger, not even bothering to lift an eyelid. He said calmly, "I pointed out a clear path for the Queen, but she is unwilling to follow it."

"Well, if that's the case, I won't force you. Go out."

This contemptuous voice made the queen feel cold on her back. She didn't even understand what He Yanchen was going to do.

There was no way he would just ask this simple question and leave it at that. She had been married to He Yanchen for five years. Even though she didn't know him very well, she knew that he was a man of his word. Since he said this, it proved that he had a way to do it.

The queen was not comforted at all, but became even more frightened.

He Yanchen ignored her and saw her collapsed on the ground. He snorted and got up and left the room.

If the queen is sensible and asks to abdicate, he will indeed give her the position of imperial concubine as he said just now, and let her continue to manage the six palaces. After all, Yueli definitely doesn't like to care about these trivial matters, and he doesn't have the heart to force her to learn these things all day long.

But the queen was not understanding, and it was not that he could not do anything about it, it just would take some time.

He Yanchen came out of the side room. Today's sacrificial ceremony ended in the afternoon. It gets dark early in winter, so they can only set off for home early tomorrow morning.

He went to the backyard to talk to the abbot.

But today, when the abbot saw him, there seemed to be a hint of scrutiny in his eyes. The two were playing chess in the backyard. When his gaze fell on him again, He Yanchen said calmly, "Abbot, do you have something to say to me?"

The abbot smiled and said, "I have observed your Majesty's face today, and it is quite different from last year."

He Yanchen recalled that when he came to offer sacrifices last year, he trampled on the tablet of the late emperor. At that time, he was full of resentment, which was naturally different from now.

"The abbot is quite sharp-eyed and sharp-eared."

The abbot placed a white piece and changed the subject: "It seems that there is someone ominous around His Majesty."

He Yanchen paused after making his move, but did not say anything, just waiting for the abbot's words.

"Your Majesty, do you notice anyone around you behaving strangely?"

Behaving strangely?

Apart from Ji Ming and a few servants who served him personally, there were also the Wei family members who were his confidants in the court. But if he had to talk about who was closest to him, it was naturally Yue Li, with whom he slept in the same bed every day and was in perfect harmony with her.

He Yanchen suddenly thought of Yueli's behavior a few days ago. She often talked nonsense in her dreams, and even felt sad when she read a storybook or saw someone fall into the water.

He remembered the words in the notebook again:

"Go back to the past and protect what I love."

He Yanchen's heart skipped a beat.

"I don't believe in Buddhism, so if you want to know what I want to say, please speak frankly."

The abbot's expression turned serious, and he said, "After death, people should enter the cycle of reincarnation. If someone who misses the chance to reincarnate appears, it will disrupt the order of the world. If Your Majesty knows who this person is, you should stay away from him as soon as possible."

He Yanchen threw the chess piece back into the chess box and said in a calm voice, "Abbot, you've said too much."

*

The next morning, the emperor returned to the hot spring palace.

Last night, Yueli couldn't sleep alone, so she read a storybook in bed all night, and only fell asleep reluctantly when she could no longer bear it.

It was already Si time when He Yanchen returned to Hezheng Palace. The palace was quiet. He walked over and brushed aside the bed curtain, and saw Yueli sleeping on his pillow, with her little face buried in the quilt, only a furry back of her head exposed.

He chuckled softly, sitting on the edge of the bed and pulling the covers down a little to prevent her from suffocating herself.

Yueli moaned and shrank back down again.

"It's already so late, why aren't you getting up yet?" He Yanchen pinched her face, bent down and whispered in her ear, "If you don't get up soon, I'll go to the study."

Yue Li didn't sleep well. He Yanchen was not around, and she always had dreams at night. Her past and present lives flooded into her mind, making her restless.

"Your Majesty..." she whispered softly.

He Yanchen stroked her shoulders and saw several storybooks scattered beside the pillow, so he guessed that she must have gone to bed very late last night.

Forget it, let her sleep.

He sat beside her on the bed, gently patting her back with his big hands to help Yueli sleep more peacefully.

He Yanchen flipped through her storybook. He didn't know who wrote it. The stories were bizarre and the language was erotic. No wonder Yue Li liked to read it.

He looked at Yueli's peaceful sleeping face, recalling the host's words and Yueli's strange behavior in the past year.

A strange person.

Could it be her?