Chapter 45 Power: As long as you speak, you can handle this matter however you want...

In the past, when Wen Miao was bored, she would flip through books, not limited to any particular type. Some were storybooks and picture books, some were tales of the strange and supernatural, and some were laws and regulations.

Books on laws and regulations were another way for Wen Miao to learn about the Great Chu after she lost her memory. They were more direct and clear. However, sometimes when she read certain contents, strange doubts would arise in Wen Miao's mind that she herself did not understand, but she could not find specific answers in her blank mind.

Fortunately, Wen Miao was not in a hurry.

She possesses a slow, composed demeanor. Even though her memory is still somewhat incomplete, after adapting to her current life, she doesn't rush to search for anything. Instead, she takes things step by step, filling herself with what she already has.

However, Wen Miao was not unfamiliar with these contents from his accumulated reading of the laws and regulations of the Great Chu, and they came in handy now.

—At least until this day and this moment, Wen Miao never thought she would need to use it.

Almost the instant the Empress finished speaking, Princess Rui and her maids and nannies knelt down, trembling and not daring to utter a sound, which relieved Wen Miao, whose palms were already half-dampened with sweat.

She was far from as calm as she appeared on the surface.

Although she had officially become Empress, Wen Miao never truly felt the power that came with this status and position.

On her wedding day, she did receive the kneeling obeisance of the court officials, and there was also a ceremony where noblewomen paid their respects. However, in the few days that followed, Wen Miao's life in the palace seemed to be no different from her previous life in the Qin Garden of the Xie family, except that Emperor Qian Yuan was more clingy.

Therefore, Wen Miao's understanding of the privileges that came with the title "Empress" remained vague.

To date, she has had no occasion or opportunity to exercise her rights.

Inside Fengyi Palace, Shi Cui, Wan Bi, and Luo Shi would arrange everything for her in advance, ensuring that her food, clothing, and daily necessities were all of the highest quality. The palace servants and attendants around her were all careful and meticulous, taking good care of Wen Miao in a harmonious and peaceful manner without any unexpected events.

In the Taiji Palace, Emperor Qian Yuan once again took care of everything. Sometimes Wen Miao didn't even need to speak; a mere glance or a subtle movement would suffice, and the emperor, whose attention was always on her, would signal the palace servants to prepare in advance.

But at this moment, when Wen Miao merely uttered those words with feigned authority, yet caused Princess Rui and her servants to tremble and kneel down, she suddenly felt as if she had touched upon that thin membrane erected before power.

...It was a very strange feeling. Wen Miao couldn't quite put her finger on it. She was just a little curious, but in addition to that curiosity, there was also a sense of unease about being out of control.

What happened?

"Has someone angered the Empress?"

The familiar voice that suddenly came brought Wen Miao back to her senses. She had just turned her head when she saw Xu Sheng striding towards Emperor Qian Yuan.

The air in Huiling Mountain was crisp with autumn chill, and the misty mountain air surrounding Emperor Qianyuan made his imposing presence even more overwhelming. The crowd that had been kneeling on the ground trembled even more violently, and they all stammered, "Greetings, Your Majesty."

But Emperor Qianyuan did not spare a single glance for the ground.

His attention was focused on Wen Miao's hands—his empress's hands were resting on someone else's body.

That snow-white, slender, and beautiful hand, which he had held and kissed and licked in bed a few days ago, and which he had personally dyed with balsam color on a bright afternoon, was now resting on the arm of a woman whose identity he didn't know, and he even patted it reassuringly.

She is very gentle.

...Even the Empress never patted him like that.

What merit or ability do outsiders have...?

Emperor Qian Yuan subtly suppressed the corners of his mouth, his movements so subtle that no one noticed. He simply stepped forward naturally, took Wen Miao's wrist and gently held it in his own hand, then frowned.

Why is it so cold?

Whether it was the Princess Consort of Rui kneeling here, Chen Wanqiu who had been slapped, or the maids and servants cowering behind her, Emperor Qian Yuan did not take any of them seriously. In fact, the first thing he did when he arrived here was not to ask what had happened, but to be concerned about the unusually cold temperature of Wen Miao's fingertips.

Wen Miao paused for a moment, her fingertips feeling the long-lost warmth from Emperor Qian Yuan's palm, and even trembling as if burned.

Her ears turned slightly red. Although everyone else was either kneeling or bowing their heads, she always felt a touch of shyness when Emperor Qian Yuan got close.

Wen Miao said softly, "It's nothing." She was still thinking about Chen Wanqiu, whose eyes were red from crying. Seeing the young girl in such a sorry state, and hearing Luo Shi talk about what had happened to her, she couldn't help but feel soft-hearted. She turned to Shi Cui and Wan Bi and said, "Let's help her to the room to wash up and rest. Let's change her clothes."

Those clothes embroidered with the insignia of Prince Rui's mansion are better off discarded; how can anyone treat people so rudely?

Emperor Qian Yuan spared a moment to look at Chen Wanqiu, his gaze scrutinizing and appraising her.

...What else could attract Wen Miao besides a disheveled, tear-streaked girl?

Because of tears?

Would the Empress be soft-hearted towards someone who sheds tears?

Emperor Qian Yuan's gaze was deep and somber. Others assumed he was in a bad mood, but no one could have imagined that the emperor, standing there with his cold and serious expression, was actually pondering whether he could win Wen Miao's heart and be comforted if he pretended to be pitiful in front of her in the future.

The emperor's gaze, seemingly imperceptible yet filled with pressure, made Chen Wanqiu dare not even breathe.

Her legs were still trembling. Ever since she saw the man whom everyone called "Your Majesty," a fear akin to that of a herbivore towards its predator had begun to haunt her.

Chen Wanqiu felt her whole body stiffen, and she didn't even dare to lift her eyes. The other party removed the Empress's warm and delicate hand from her arm, and under that intimidating gaze, she followed Shi Cui and Wan Bi away temporarily in a daze.

As expected of the current emperor, his aura was majestic and terrifying, and no one dared to underestimate him.

When facing Wen Miao, Emperor Qian Yuan was naturally gentle and considerate, but in front of others, he was still the decisive and authoritative emperor of the Great Chu.

Not only was Chen Wanqiu, who had just left, afraid, but Princess Rui, who was kneeling on the ground, was also afraid.

When she married Prince Rui, Emperor Qianyuan was still out of favor and had been sent by the late emperor to fight in the northern frontier.

Later, when she accompanied her husband to the palace banquet, the seventh prince, who had been released from the cold palace, became the crown prince of Great Chu due to the victory in the northern expedition. However, at that time, everyone knew the truth—

The Crown Prince was merely used by the late Emperor as a shield for his and Consort Li's young son, in order to protect him from the covetous eyes of the court and other eligible princes for the position of Crown Prince, and even the throne.

Logically speaking, under such circumstances, no one would take the seventh prince, who was only nominally the crown prince, seriously. However, Emperor Qian Yuan had a ruthless streak that was terrifying.

That was a ruthlessness brought from the battlefields littered with corpses and seas of blood; it had long been ingrained in their very bones.

That palace banquet was prepared by the late emperor in celebration of the great victory in the northern expedition. The seventh prince, who had just arrived in the capital still wearing his armor, walked into the magnificent palace with his blood-stained body, and everyone fell silent.

The seventh prince, accompanied by the fierce winter wind, carried a box in his hand. He only said it was a gift for the late emperor. When he opened it, he was shocked to find the head of the barbarian chieftain inside.

The bloody head was lifted out of the wooden box by Emperor Qianyuan. The blood was frozen solid on the head by the cold winter wind. The hair and beard were messy, revealing a pair of ferocious eyes that were staring at everyone with anger.

Princess Consort Zhao was so frightened by that incident that she had nightmares for months on end. Even after the Seventh Prince became the Crown Prince and then the Emperor, she remained terrified of the current Emperor.

...He was an extremely terrifying man.

At this moment, she knelt on the ground, not daring to raise her eyes, when she heard the renowned, cold emperor lower his voice and gently ask the empress if someone had angered her.

Wen Miao was unaware of Princess Rui's inner thoughts. She hadn't yet figured out how to tell Emperor Qian Yuan about what had happened today, so she let the emperor hold her hand and turned to look at the group of people kneeling on the ground.

"...I'll take the person with me. I don't think Princess Rui will have any objections."

Her tone remained calm, but Emperor Qian Yuan, who knew Wen Miao's various little habits very well, knew that his empress was not in a good mood at the moment.

Even the emperor knew very well that Wen Miao, despite his tough demeanor, was actually all bark and no bite—the palm of his hand was damp and soft, which softened the heart of Emperor Qian Yuan.

His empress... how come even her pretense is so captivating?

"No, no, Your Majesty has no objection."

Princess Consort Zhao dared not have any other thoughts and obediently knelt on the ground.

Before Emperor Qian Yuan appeared, her impression of Wen Miao was from the day the noblewomen paid homage—she was among them, and naturally she could tell from their occasional interactions that the new empress was a kind and gentle person. It was precisely because of this that she dared to speak out and refute him directly earlier. She had calculated that the empress came from Jinling and had not yet been able to uphold the airs of the mother of the nation, so she would not make things too ugly.

However, Zhao had not expected that the seemingly weak and easily bullied Empress would refute her with the laws of the Great Chu, nor had she expected that Emperor Qian Yuan would happen to be there. So she could only watch helplessly as the vixen brought back by her son was taken away, while she herself knelt on the ground, trembling, losing the demeanor that a princess should have.

Wen Miao withdrew her gaze and turned to leave.

Her instinctive understanding did not include any intention to punish Princess Rui for talking back; she felt that it was enough that the other party was kneeling on the ground.

As for helping Chen Wanqiu out of that predicament... it was because she couldn't get used to the scene of those in high positions ordering their servants to pin people to the ground, slap them, and verbally abuse them, which is why she spoke up to stop it.

As for the conflict between Princess Rui and Chen Wanqiu... Wen Miao thought that it might depend on Chen Wanqiu herself, not on her.

No one should interfere too much in the cause and effect of others.

Beneath this almost rational gentleness, Wen Miao looked at Emperor Qian Yuan and said softly, "Your Majesty, let's go."

Emperor Qian Yuan paused for a moment, then suddenly lowered his body, his deep, dark eyes reflecting Wen Miao's beautiful face. He lowered his voice slightly, but it was still clear enough for the person kneeling on the ground to hear him—

"Does the Empress not wish to punish those who have offended you?"

Like a demon, it carried a hint of deliberate seduction, as if it couldn't wait to hand over power to Wen Miao so that the other party could be high above and do whatever she wanted.

"As long as you speak up, you can handle this matter however you wish."

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Author's Note: Don't assume His Majesty is a good person just because he's kind to Miaomiao. After all, he's an emperor from a feudal era, and his understanding of human life isn't truly clear. Although he's seen Miaomiao's era in his dreams and is striving to emulate it, the living environments are ultimately different. So, despite his pretense, he can't help but reveal his true colors.