Chapter 96 Did Jiaojiao hear it?

"Jing'an Temple?" Lady Shou'an raised her head with tears streaming down her face and was stunned for a moment.

Jing'an Temple is a temple located in the suburbs of Beijing. It has always been used to imprison criminal women from the families of royal relatives. The life there is extremely poor, and once you go in, you may never have the chance to get out in your lifetime.

"His Majesty..."

Without waiting for the wife of the Marquis of Shou'an to plead for mercy, Xiao Mingcheng was the first to kowtow and express his gratitude: "Thank you, Your Majesty, for sparing my sister's life. I will reflect on myself in the clear nights to come and express my gratitude to Your Majesty."

She was lucky to be able to keep her life. If it were in the past, based on His Majesty's past character, he would have killed her on the spot.

He Yanchen ignored Xiao Mingcheng and glanced at the Queen Mother: "Does the Queen Mother have any objections?"

The Queen Mother moved her lips, then shook her head: "It is up to Your Majesty to decide."

After a night of commotion, the Queen Mother was exhausted. She ordered someone to help the wife of the Marquis of Shou'an up and said, "Take her back first. I will send someone to take her to Jing'an Temple tomorrow morning."

Xiao Mingyue was completely dumbfounded. She sat on the ground in a daze, not knowing who to beg for help.

Ji Ming called someone to clean up the mess, and only after everyone else left did He Yanchen look at Shen Zhaoyi.

"Chen Zhaoyi, follow me to Hezheng Palace."

*

Shen Zhaoyi stood at the door of Hezheng Palace, not knowing for a moment whether it was her illusion.

His Majesty actually allowed her into his bedroom.

Even in the palace, no one except Yueli had ever stayed in the Linde Hall, but now, she could come in at night.

In the palace.

When Shen Zhaoyi walked in, He Yanchen was already sitting on the couch, casually flipping through some parchments on the table. Shen Zhaoyi remained alert at all times, not daring to look at him any more, and greeted him politely.

He Yanchen raised his eyes and looked at her: "Do you know why I summoned you?"

"I am stupid and don't know."

He Yanchen didn't look at her again, but stroked the parchment in his hand. After a moment, he said, "The Queen just sent a letter from the palace, praising you for your good management of the palace and the trip."

Shen Zhaoyi heard the gentleness in his tone and couldn't help but smile for a moment: "I have assisted in managing the six palaces for many years, thanks to the trust of Your Majesty and the Empress."

He Yanchen didn't respond to her words, but continued to speak on his own: "The Queen's father, the Vice Governor, was recently implicated in a conspiracy to steal tribute. The Queen has been running around for some time for her mother's family. What does Concubine Shen think of this?"

Shen Zhaoyi quickly knelt down and said, "Your Majesty, concubines are not allowed to interfere in government affairs."

"It's okay. There's no one else here. I'd like to chat with you casually." He Yanchen looked at her meaningfully. "Chen Zhaoyi has always been smart. I also want to hear your opinion."

Shen Zhaoyi's mind was racing. She had been serving this man since she came to the Qiandi Palace, but he had never had such a heart-to-heart chat with her in all these years.

Does he want to support himself and compete with the queen?

Since ancient times, no matter in the former dynasty or the harem, the king would not want one family to dominate. Yue Li is not someone who can take responsibility, so after the queen, she is the only one who can catch his eye.

After thinking it over, Shen Zhaoyi no longer refused, but said seriously: "I think it is understandable for the Queen to run around for her father as a child, but she has forgotten that she is now the Queen and should no longer think about her mother's family."

"The Empress is different from the wives of ordinary families. Once she enters the imperial family, she becomes a subject of the imperial family. She should wholeheartedly consider the interests of His Majesty and Dazhao, and not let personal feelings hinder her."

"The tribute is paid to Dazhao by various countries. If anyone dares to steal the tribute, it will cause losses to the national treasury. This is a serious matter and they should be held accountable."

Shen Zhaoyi finished speaking in one breath, waiting nervously for He Yanchen's decision.

She bit her lip, feeling both nervous and excited.

Since she was a child, she had been looking forward to marrying into the royal family one day. Her father was a high-ranking official, and she grew up in luxury. If she married those commoners who relied on their family's protection, at most she would be in charge of the household expenses, like an old nanny. It would be better for her to enter the palace and seek the greatest power in the world.

He Yanchen would not ask himself these questions for no reason. Since he asked, it was because he wanted to praise himself.

Shen Zhaoyi's heart was in turmoil and she was looking forward to the man's reply.

After a while, she heard He Yanchen chuckle: "Chen Zhaoyi has good insights."

"But those who can stand by my side must not only have insights, but also be loyal."

Shen Zhaoyi subconsciously raised her head and met the emperor's deep black eyes.

He Yanchen said: "Compared to talent and knowledge, loyalty is the most important. Talent and knowledge can be cultivated, but sincerity is hard to come by."

Shen Zhaoyi quietly clenched her fingers. Is His Majesty asking her to show her loyalty?

But what should she do to make His Majesty trust her?

"You were the one who did what happened today, right?"

He Yanchen suddenly spoke, causing Shen Zhaoyi to break out in a cold sweat.

"Chen Zhaoyi, I don't care what you have done, but I care what you are hiding from me."

He Yanchen said in a gentle and persuasive manner: "Even like Concubine Yu, she did many bad things in the harem. I am not unaware of it, but she told me everything, so I like her."

Shen Zhaoyi's throat was dry. He Yanchen's words made her heart almost jump out of her chest. What he meant was that as long as she was loyal to him, she would be loved and trusted by him like Concubine Yu in the future?

"Your Majesty, please forgive me. What happened today was indeed done by me."

The person Shen Zhaoyi wanted to deal with from the beginning to the end was Yue Li.

She just borrowed Xiao Mingyue as a raft.

She took advantage of Xiao Mingcheng's concern for his sister and wanted to lure him to the room where the aphrodisiac incense was placed, and then take the opportunity to lure Yue Li over there, and use the excuse that the Queen Mother was looking for Xiao Mingyue to expose their affair.

As for Xiao Mingyue, she was already obsessed with He Yanchen, and someone could encourage her just by whispering in her ear.

Shen Zhaoyi didn't care whether she could succeed or not, her target had always been Yueli.

After listening to her explanation, He Yanchen leaned lazily on the soft pillow and raised his eyebrows slightly: "Why do you do this?"

Concubine Shen closed her eyes and said, "I adore Your Majesty, and therefore I am jealous of Concubine Yu. I want Your Majesty to see clearly that I am the one who can stand by Your Majesty's side. I come from a family of scholars and have studied the teachings of the sages since I was young, hoping to emulate the virtuous concubines of ancient times and serve the emperor. Concubine Yu is spoiled and stupid, and is simply not fit to serve Your Majesty."

"So, when you approached Concubine Yu before, you also wanted to use this opportunity to get closer to me?"

He Yanchen smiled softly, his originally cold features now showing a gentle warmth: "It turns out that Concubine Chen has such deep affection for me."

Shen Zhaoyi was in a trance because of his smile, and her mind was constantly rippling.

After all these years of being together, he had never smiled at her like this.

"Yes, I truly adore Your Majesty. I am willing to do anything Your Majesty asks me to do. Concubine Yu is of low birth and stupid, and is not fit to be an imperial consort. I want to assist Your Majesty in becoming a wise ruler, but Your Majesty cannot see me. I can only make friends with Concubine Yu and pray that Your Majesty will see me one day."

He Yanchen curled the corners of his lips, glanced at the screen not far away, and saw the figure behind it swaying.

"Did Jiaojiao hear that?"

Shen Zhaoyi looked at him blankly, not knowing who he was calling.

After a while, Yueli came out from behind the screen.