The new emperor's ascension to the throne was a cause for universal celebration, and the world was greatly liberated.

Emperor Mingde abdicated and became the Retired Emperor, while Zhao Yi adopted the reign title Kangping and became Emperor Kangping. He made Qiu Tong his empress, and the four consorts came from the Xie, Yang, Wang, and Yan families respectively. There were no imperial concubines or noble consorts yet.

The concubines below the rank of Pin were all provided by various powerful families and were distributed very evenly.

Needless to say, the harem will undergo another reshuffle, but this has nothing to do with Zhao Shu. As long as Qiu Tong doesn't make any mistakes, she will naturally always stand by her side. After all, she can still distinguish between a legitimate wife and a concubine.

Zhao Yi bestowed titles upon his women, and then promoted a group of officials, including Liu Huan, who was transferred back to the capital, followed by Zheng Hongsheng.

The court was reshuffled once again. Zhao Bi and Jing Wang's people were all purged, leaving only some newcomers and former members of the New Party. Hui Wang Guan Heng and others were all dismissed from their posts.

His actions were significant, and logically, such drastic measures would have drawn criticism. However, Zhao Yi pardoned the officials of the various vassal kings and gained the support of many local powerful families, thus preventing chaos in the court.

On this joyous day, Zhao Shu dressed up and went to the imperial prison.

Although Zhao Bi was ordered to commit suicide, the time had not yet come, so he remained alive.

Zhao Bi never expected that the first person to visit him in the final stage of his life would be Zhao Shu. In fact, he never understood why Zhao Shu was always going against him.

The prison on TV is dirty and chaotic, but the prison in Dayong is different. At least Zhao Bi's cell is very clean, with tables and chairs, fruits and wine, and books to pass the time when bored.

"Fourth Brother is doing well." Zhao Shu ordered someone to open the cell, and she went in and sat down in a chair.

Zhao Bi did not lose his composure. Instead, he looked at Zhao Shu with a probing gaze, then rolled off the small bed and sat opposite her.

"I didn't expect Sister A-Jun to come to see me," he said casually.

Zhao Shu gestured to Xiao Guozi to pour tea, "Fourth Brother must be very curious about why I came."

"Yes, I really want to know, Sister Jun. I really don't understand why you are targeting me when I have no grudge against you." He felt wronged whenever he thought about it.

Zhao Shu chuckled, then countered with a question, "Fourth Brother, do you think the Imperial Noble Consort has any reason to abandon you?"

"You!" Zhao Bi was taken aback by the question, and his expression changed drastically.

Zhao Shu recalled Zhao Bi's experiences over the past few years since her rebirth and felt that he was also quite frustrated. He was completely different from his previous life. In his previous life, Yi De had not yet made a comeback, so he had no enemies at all, and Zhao Yi was no match for him.

But in this life, he never seemed to have truly succeeded.

Rather than saying he never succeeded, it's more accurate to say he was never taken seriously.

Around this time in my previous life, Emperor Mingde and the Empress Dowager had also passed away. Since Yide had no one to hate, they were naturally willing to support him as emperor, and even Consort Ning and her ilk rose to power.

No, even the Gu family has benefited greatly.

In this life, Emperor Mingde became the retired emperor, and the empress dowager was still alive. The Weiting Division did not massacre the various vassal kings, and the bloodshed was much less intense.

The world is much more peaceful now than it was at this time in the previous life. War inevitably causes immense suffering, but many vassal kings have surrendered, saving countless families from destruction and death.

Most importantly, people like Lin Xiuxue are still struggling at the bottom and have not risen through the ranks like they did in their previous lives.

"Fourth Brother probably never thought he would be abandoned, did he?" Zhao Shu asked.

Zhao Bi looked at her without answering, as if trying to see through her, then frowned and said, "Ah Jun, I once had a dream. Would you like to hear it?"

"I've come today to hear what Fourth Brother has to say, so please speak freely."

"I dreamt that you got married and had a daughter." He frowned deeply, looking conflicted, hoping the dream was real, but also feeling it was impossible.

It's like the dilemma of atheists hoping that a bodhisattva will save them from suffering.

Zhao Shu's expression remained unchanged, but her heart skipped a beat. She looked down at the teacup on the table; the tea inside was slightly yellow, and the color wasn't very good.

“But you died, and the Yongwang Mansion is gone too. Ah Jun, do you think this is predestined?” Zhao Bi leaned closer to Zhao Shu as if asking a question.

Zhao Shu smiled faintly, "Fourth Brother really has a vivid dream. Dreams are always the opposite of reality, which means I'm living a good life, and the Yongwang Mansion is doing well too. Did Fourth Brother dream about anything?"

"Are dreams always the opposite of reality? I feel like they're real." He was unwilling and reluctant to agree with Zhao Shu's point of view.

"What if not? Fourth Brother, do you really think dreams can become reality? A dream is just a dream, Fourth Brother, you'll never have the chance to realize it."

Zhao Bi didn't take his dream seriously, but when he told Zhao Shu about it, he felt a strong sense of resentment, as if he should be the one to ascend the throne, and Zhao Yi and Zhao Shu should die.

The feeling grew stronger and stronger, so strong that he almost suffocated; it felt so real.

But it was clearly a dream, yet the feeling of gaining and losing was so real that it seeped into his very bones, causing him to break down several times.

In fact, Zhao Shu really wanted to tell him that everything was true, but she was afraid that would cause him even more pain. However, just in case, she decided to keep this secret deep in her heart.

“Sister Jun, you still haven’t told me why you’re targeting me at every turn,” he asked.

Zhao Shu stood up, "Because you are not suitable to be emperor."

"I don't believe it. If my relationship with you had been better than Zhao Yi's from the beginning, would you have helped me instead of him?" Zhao Bi was a little anxious. He had lost, and although he was unwilling, he couldn't lose without knowing why.

Zhao Shu shook her head. "No, I used to look down on your background, but later I abandoned the idea of ​​social class and looked down on your character. When you plotted against Sun Yun and messed around with Hao Shumei, you had already lost."

"I thought you felt that Hao Shumei and Sun Jiao deserved it, after all, I didn't succeed with Sun Yun." Speaking of the two beautiful women, he was quite proud, at least Zhao Yi lost Hao Shumei.

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