At this moment, the Empress Dowager also turned her gaze to her daughter. Ling Shumo had openly promised him to spare He Huaichen's life, but here she was pretending to obey, and he couldn't explain his feelings for a moment. His daughter was really biased towards Lu Jinshu.

But it must be said that Ling Shumo's approach was excellent. First, she used Si Jiangzhi to kill He Huaichen, and then she was able to execute Si Jiangzhi for the crime of murdering the emperor. It was like killing two birds with one stone.

He Huiyuan's eyes turned bloodshot, and she wanted to go up and tear Si Jiangzhi, who had poisoned her brother, into pieces. Bei Yiqian desperately tried to stop her, advising, "My dear wife, Si Fanghua is a man in His Majesty's harem. Even if he made a huge mistake, it's not up to you, a minister, to judge him. You can only wait for His Majesty's judgment. If you continue to cause trouble here, even if you are right, you will be wrong. If you really care about your brother, then calm down first."

He Huiyuan finally regained some of her sanity. She knelt down in the direction of the emperor and kowtowed. "My humble brother died tragically. Your Majesty, please execute the culprit and make up for Huaichen!"

Ling Shumo frowned and asked, "What on earth is going on?"

Si Jiangzhi stepped forward, his face determined to die. "He Huaichen, relying on Your Majesty's favor and his sister's influence in the court, has become a tyrant in the harem, repeatedly bullying me. I could no longer tolerate this, so I bribed his attendants and tampered with his scent pouch, adding a fragrance that attracts spotted snakes. They then planned to perform a snake dance at this banquet to kill him with one strike."

He Huiyuan originally thought that Si Jiangzhi would try his best to argue, but she didn't expect that he would admit his guilt so easily.

Si Jiangzhi seemed to see through He Huiyuan's thoughts and sneered, "I am not like your brother. He harmed the princess and refused to admit his guilt until all the evidence was piled before him. I can't stand your brother, so I want to kill him. I have done it, and I have never disdained to lie." He said this with a bit of arrogance, and then knelt down in the direction of the throne, "Your Majesty, I will deal with you."

He Huiyuan was completely stunned by Si Jiangzhi's words. How could someone harm someone without any remorse and be so arrogant and domineering? She was so angry that her chest heaved violently, and she couldn't even utter a word. She just repeated, "Your Majesty, please make the decision for my brother!"

Ling Shumo's gaze lingered on the two's faces for a moment before she made her final judgment.

Si Jiangzhi was stripped of his finery, demoted to a commoner, and banished to the cold palace. To appease He Huiyuan, the deceased He Huaichen was posthumously awarded the rank of Third Rank Xianyi and given a grand funeral.

With something like this happening, the originally lively celebration banquet naturally couldn't continue. Under Fu Yijing's presidency, the guests left one after another.

Lu Jinshu couldn't help but laugh as he watched He Huiyuan, who had even thanked the emperor for his generosity before leaving the table. Turning around to return to his own bedroom, he realized Ling Shumo was standing behind him.

"What do you think of this surprise?"

Lu Jinshu pursed his lips and smiled, "Compared to being thrown into a snake den and left to die without a complete body, this seems much worse. The only thing that matches what Your Majesty promised your servant is that he died by a snake bite."

Ling Shumo pulled Lu Jinshu's hand over, lowered her head to look at it carefully, the look in her eyes was dark and unfathomable, "Yes, I feel very sorry that I couldn't directly order him to be thrown into the snake cave." But now this result is the best choice to balance the interests of all parties.

Despite becoming emperor, Ling Shumo still couldn't let go of others and act according to her own wishes. She still had a long way to go before she could truly become a dictator. But she always believed that one day, in the near future, she would no longer need to care about anyone or anything. She could keep those she loved by her side and execute all those who crossed her will. Free from the shackles, she could freely control and decide the fate of others. This was her sole purpose in ascending to power.

Lu Jinshuhui held Ling Shumo's hand and said, "Your Majesty, I understand."

…

The fourth year of Tai'an. Spring.

The peach blossoms on the trees in Changxin Palace are competing with each other in blooming and beauty.

Now, it has been three years since the late emperor passed away, and the selection of concubines has become the top priority in the palace.

Half a year ago, the imperial capital had already issued a notice to all states and counties, suspending marriages across the country and requiring all young men of marriageable age to report to the government for selection.

After the general election, small election, primary election and re-election, after layers of strict screening, the one who can finally stand before the emperor must be a young man with good appearance, physique, talent and character.

Shangguan Xu had a freshly cooked peach blossom soup in front of him. He took a spoonful and then asked, "You've pushed every aspect of this selection onto that person in Fengyi Palace. Why did you voluntarily give up so much power? We've been close friends for many years, but there are many times when I just can't understand what you're thinking. Talking to you only highlights my own stupidity, which is really frustrating."

Lu Jinshu was amused by his angry look. "You're already so old, and you already have two children, why are you still so childish? Don't you show any sign of maturing?"

When Shangguan Xu mentioned his two children, a gentle smile that only belonged to a father immediately appeared on his face. Last winter, he gave birth to twin sons, the sixth prince Ling Shurui and the seventh prince Ling Shuyi.

After the child was born, he dispatched his personal attendant, Ru Yan, to travel thousands of miles to the Xuanyou Empire with a handwritten letter. Upon hearing the good news, his sister sent envoys to the Chisha Empire, presenting him and his two nephews, whom he had never met, with many rare jewels. His rank was also elevated from Noble Lady to Second Rank Lady. He became the most honored man in the harem, aside from the two Eastern and Western Empresses.

When she was pregnant, the imperial physician told her that she was pregnant with two children, which really scared her, as she was afraid she would give birth to twin girls. Fortunately, she ended up with two sons, so she was able to keep both children.

When Lu Jinshu saw the change in Shangguan Xu's expression, he guessed that he must be thinking about what happened when he was pregnant again.

"If twins are born in an imperial family, one will leave and the other will never return." Twins have been regarded as an ominous sign since ancient times. In particular, if the twins are born in an imperial family, one of them must be killed.

After all, if one of the daughters ascended the throne, there absolutely could not be another woman who looked like the emperor. Such a move that would undermine the imperial power should have been avoided from the moment the two children were born. It was cruel, but it had to be done. Beyond the heartache, one could only sigh.