Gu Jiangli knelt quietly, waiting for the person above her to speak.

Soon after, a pair of arms lifted her up from the ground, and what came into view was the Empress Dowager's eyes, which were filled with pity.

The Empress Dowager seemed to have a bitter smile on her lips. "You child, why are you so impatient? It seems there's a reason why Heng'er dotes on you."

She held Gu Jiangli's hand again and said earnestly, "Although I have lived in the mountains for many years, I have heard about Heng'er. The concubines are afraid of him, but they also hope to gain his favor. They will compete for his favor, but their purpose is nothing more than to make their lives better in the harem."

"No one has ever been as devoted to Heng'er as you are."

"You've gone to such lengths for Heng'er, which shows me your true feelings."

She sighed and said helplessly, "Heng'er has never liked listening to me since he was little, but this time, perhaps it's the right thing for him not to listen to me. Your name is... Gu Jiangli, right?"

Gu Jiangli felt relieved. The Empress Dowager's attitude towards her had softened considerably, which showed that her words had moved the Empress Dowager. "Yes, Your Majesty, I am Gu Jiangli."

"Okay, I'll give you three years."

"Three years...what?"

"Within three years, I want to hear good news about your pregnancy. If you are pregnant, I will not interfere with Heng'er's desire to dote on you. Even if he wants to take you to court to listen to politics, I will not interfere."

That's amazing!

Gu Jiangli couldn't help but open her mouth wide.

The Empress Dowager wasn't unreasonable; she was extremely reasonable!

Her expectations for the imperial grandson have reached this level.

This won't take three years at all. In another month at most, she'll make the Empress Dowager grin from ear to ear.

Gu Jiangli bowed slightly and said, "Thank you for your kindness, Your Majesty. I will certainly live up to your expectations."

"Alright, I'm leaving."

The Empress Dowager released Gu Jiangli's hand and prepared to step out the door.

The emperor hurried over: "I have sent someone to escort you."

The Empress Dowager turned her head to the side. "Where did Heng'er think I was going? I just came down from the mountain. There's no rush to go back. Staying in the palace is fine too. If there's good news, I can hear it immediately."

"...I will send someone to escort you back to Wenhua Palace."

"Hmm, that's more like it."

With the Empress Dowager gone, Gu Jiangli felt a great sense of relief.

As she was silently exhaling, the emperor walked up to her, his expression complex and unreadable.

"Where did you get the audacity to make such a promise to the Empress Dowager?"

His voice was unreadable, making Gu Jiangli afraid to make small talk.

"Your Majesty, at that time the Empress Dowager was pressing us relentlessly, and this was the only expedient solution I could think of."

"What will you do if you have no children after three years?"

"...I will try my best."

"Why?"

"Hmm? What do you mean, 'why'? Please enlighten me, Your Majesty?"

"The Empress Dowager has already said that as long as I have an heir, I can favor whomever I want. She is already giving you a way out, so why don't you take it? Why do you insist on going against the Empress Dowager and not hesitating to make enemies of all the concubines in the harem?"

"I have already explained to the Empress Dowager that I did this because I do not want to see His Majesty spending the night with other concubines."

"You? Deeply in love with me? Do you think I would believe that? I held a bloodstained sword to your neck twice, and even when we first met, I almost strangled you to go see the King of Hell. You think you're deeply in love with me? You can fool the Empress Dowager, but you can't fool me."

Tsk.

They're quite difficult to deal with.

Gu Jiangli inwardly grumbled, but her face still wore a gentle and warm smile.

"Your Majesty, you are the Son of Heaven, with outstanding looks and extraordinary bearing. It would be easy for a woman to fall deeply in love with you. You cannot... prevent a woman from falling in love with you, much less interfere with her feelings for you, can you?"

The emperor's eyes flickered, and he awkwardly turned his head away.

Gu Jiangli noticed with her sharp eyes that the tips of his ears were turning slightly red.

"You... never expected that the women of Yunjiang would behave so licentiously and speak so unrestrainedly."

“Your Majesty is right. Women in Yunjiang have never hidden their feelings, unlike in Tianyuan, where men and women express their affections through such subtle means as love poems. We speak directly or act directly. Hasn’t Qi Jin told Your Majesty that I have been learning about Your Majesty’s preferences from him these past few days and have been trying to please Your Majesty?”

Gu Jiangli suddenly found it amusing and deliberately said something provocative to see his reaction.

The emperor, as expected, tried to avoid it, saying, "Alright, you can go back now."

Gu Jiangli chuckled to himself, gave a slight bow, and left.

When the emperor wasn't going crazy, he was actually quite normal.

At least it's fun to tease.

I wish he could stay like this forever.

Without killing, without going mad, there would be no pain, and no unforgettable expression.

Gu Jiangli only learned from the palace servants after returning to Yongning Palace that someone had come to cause trouble for them that day.

Since the concubines couldn't deal with Gu Jiangli, they tried to make things difficult for her subordinates.

Fortunately, Du Shuo was quick-witted and did not cause the palace staff of Yongning Palace too much suffering.

Gu Jiangli guessed what they were planning. They probably heard about the Empress Dowager's return to the palace today, so they thought that Gu Jiangli would definitely suffer at the hands of the Empress Dowager and would find it difficult to gain the Emperor's favor in the future. They took this opportunity to suppress Gu Jiangli's subordinates.

Their thinking was correct, but their only mistake was the Empress Dowager's attitude towards her.

All the concubines believed that with the Empress Dowager around, Gu Jiangli would never be able to monopolize the Emperor again.

In reality, the Empress Dowager was persuaded by her; no one would stand up for them, and their plans completely failed.

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