The Hall of Eternal Life.

Zhou Lin was reviewing memorials in his study in the side hall, and he was getting a headache from the memorials from officials opposing the misdeeds of the Rouran soldiers.

He angrily threw down the folded document in his hand, his anger surging but he didn't know how to vent it.

Just then, Jiang Min came in. She stepped over the pile of memorials on the floor, her figure swaying as she slowly walked to the square table in front of Zhou Lin.

He raised the shawl in her hand, then slowly let go.

The blood-stained shawl lay there, brightly exposed, before Zhou Lin's eyes.

"This is...?" Zhou Lin raised his eyes, staring intently at Jiang Min in front of him.

"This is a gift for Your Highness." As soon as Jiang Min finished speaking, the palace bells began to toll.

The young eunuch who came to deliver the news hurried over, knelt on the ground, and said in a trembling voice, "Your Highness, the Empress Dowager of Yongshou Palace has passed away."

This news shocked Zhou Lin. He lifted his eyelids and looked at the blood-stained shawl in front of him, and he already knew the answer in his heart.

Zhou Lin could even imagine how Jiang Min used that small shawl to strangle Shen Mei to death.

He lowered his head, a sinister smile curving his lips as he chuckled inwardly.

Zhou Lin reached out and grasped Jiang Min's fair, slightly cool fingers, then turned to the young eunuch and said, "The Empress Dowager, grieving the loss of her beloved son, succumbed to her grief and died. Furthermore, the Empress Dowager was frugal in her lifetime; this matter need not be elaborate. Let her be properly buried..."

"Yes, Your Highness."

With these words, Zhou Lin's attitude toward the matter became clear.

Although Jiang Min killed someone, it was clear that Zhou Lin not only did not pursue the matter, but also found an excuse to cover it up for her.

The two have excellent chemistry.

Jiang Min gave a slight curtsy and said softly, "Thank you, Your Highness."

"I should be thanking you, Miss Jiang. You've shared my burdens and deserve a reward. Tell me... what do you want?"

Jiang Min took his finger, walked around the square table, swayed her hips to his side, and nestled softly into his arms: "Mmm~~ I want you..."

Her voice was soft and gentle, and even the way she looked at him became much more alluring.

What she sought had always been the same goal: to be able to stay with the person she loved forever...

Jiang Min will become the most honorable woman in the world.

Before Zhou Tingyue's accident, she was destined to be the empress.

Now that she has witnessed Zhou Tingyue's life hanging in the balance, while Zhou Lin's power is at its peak, any smart person would know which choice to make.

Moreover, Jiang Min's father intended to surrender to Zhou Lin, so this time the father and daughter did not choose the wrong person.

Zhou Lin held her in his arms, his gaze fixed on the bloodstains on Jiang Min's clothes, and said in a deep voice, "We are truly a match made in heaven."

"I drove the Emperor to his death and ascended to this supreme position. And you? You personally killed the Empress Dowager... Miss Jiang, who else but you deserves this position of Empress Dowager?"

Jiang Min asked in a sweet, coquettish voice, "Doesn't the Prince also keep Xu Wanwan in his outer residence?"

Zhou Lin sneered and said contemptuously, "Her? How could she compare to you? Another day, I will send her to the Rouran."

Are you satisfied now?

Jiang Min nodded silently and said nothing more.

Zhou Lin leaned down and buried his head in her chest.

Reckless and unrestrained...

The quiet study was filled with a captivating and alluring atmosphere.

Inside Yong'an City, the sounds of Rouran soldiers smashing and looting could be heard everywhere, as could the terrified and desperate cries for help of innocent girls.

Only in the study and bedroom of the Hall of Longevity could one hear the sounds of women laughing and joking from time to time.

It's the same woman's voice, but it evokes a sense of emotion in the listener.

That night, Jiang Min stayed at the Hall of Longevity.

*

The next day, before leaving the palace, she wore a gorgeous palace dress, and her hair and makeup were more exquisite than before.

Jiang Min went to the dungeon and saw Xiao Heye looking disheveled.

"Oh my, it's only been a few days, how did Master Xiao become like this?" Jiang Min covered her nose with a handkerchief, swayed her waist, and walked towards him step by step.

The dungeon smells awful. If it weren't for seeing him, why would Jiang Min, a woman of noble birth, come to a place like this?

"This is no place for a human to stay, Master Xiao, don't you think...?" she asked sarcastically.

Last time at Qianweilou, at the banquet where her father was taking a concubine, Jiang Min was humiliated by Xiao Heye and had wine thrown on her by Su Tiyue...

She'll remember this for the rest of her life.

Generally speaking, being too fixated on someone's love and not receiving a response for a long time will cause Jiang Min to lose heart and harbor resentment.

Through the messy strands of hair in front of him, Xiao Heye saw Jiang Min's smug expression.

His lips twitched, and he replied indifferently, "What, did we beg you to come to this filthy, godforsaken place?"

"No, that's not it. I came here specifically to see just how pathetic the once-powerful Master Xiao has become."

"As you wish, seeing our house like this will surely put you in a good mood for a few days." Xiao Heye leaned against the wall, his long legs stretched out freely.

Although he was in such a sorry state that he looked like a ghost, his every move still carried that familiar feeling that Jiang Min knew.

He was flamboyant, aloof, and unruly.

Beneath the loose sleeves, Jiang Min clenched her fists and said through gritted teeth, "You're clearly not a eunuch, Xiao Heye... you lied to me so badly."

She swallowed hard, and her eyes seemed to glisten with tears.

Xiao Heye picked up a blade of dry grass from the ground and casually broke it into pieces: "Didn't you already have the answer in your heart from the beginning?"

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