Chapter 180 They plotted against Jiang Fenghua together? Unbelievable!

"The wife in my heart has already married another man, and I have no desire to marry now." Ji Chen stared at Su Tingwan, his eyes filled with affection. "Third sister, you know my feelings better than anyone else! All these years, my feelings have never changed."

Su Tingwan blushed. She had known for a long time that Ji Chen liked her, many years ago, before she met Xie Shang. She said, "Brother, what nonsense are you talking about? Today is His Majesty's birthday banquet. Let's go to the banquet hall quickly."

Ji Chen wrapped his arms around her waist from behind, kissing her neck with his lips, his breath reeking of alcohol. Su Tingwan tried to pry his hands off, but couldn't. Her body tensed up, and she whispered, "Big brother, you've had too much to drink. Let me go."

"The banquet hasn't even started yet, and I've only had one drink. I'm not drunk; it's Third Sister's beauty that has me captivated and enchanted me." He spoke sweet words as he tightly encircled her waist. "Wanwan, you are the most beautiful woman I've ever seen."

Su Tingwan's heart pounded, and her face flushed red. "Brother, you mustn't be so presumptuous. I am now the Empress of the Great Zhou Dynasty. You mustn't be so disrespectful. Please let me go."

Having successfully become empress, she would never do anything wrong that would ruin her future.

"The Emperor not only married a princess before, but also took several beauties into his household after becoming the Crown Prince. Now he has already selected a round of concubines to enter the palace. Sooner or later, his harem will be full. How long has it been since Third Sister saw the Emperor? How long has it been since the Emperor visited Third Sister's palace?" He kept nagging in her ear.

Su Tingwan retorted sarcastically, "Doesn't my elder brother also have a large number of wives and concubines in his mansion? He's the emperor; he can have as many women as he wants. Isn't that normal?"

Her aunt had warned her that she shouldn't be jealous like this, because if the emperor wanted, all the women in the world could belong to him.

“I have no woman, so I can’t explain myself to His Majesty. Is Third Sister trying to make His Majesty see something and take his anger out on you? I have always treated Third Sister differently.”

Su Tingwan's heart trembled. What talk of love as deep as the sea? She and Xie Shang had only been together for a few years, and his mansion was filled with countless women. Now, he had only been emperor for a few days, and the Empress Dowager had already selected countless concubines for him to enter the palace. Did he really love her?

Back then, he consummated his marriage with Jiang Fenghua in Chenxi Palace. Jiang Fenghua became pregnant with twins. She was someone who should have been forgotten, yet he now bestowed upon her the title of Virtuous Consort. How virtuous she must be to earn Xie Shang's deep affection for her.

Ji Chen kissed her lips, easily igniting the desire within her. She suddenly covered his lips to stop him, whispering, "Today is the Emperor's birthday banquet, we cannot..."

She was already dressed in her finest clothes and would never again have an affair with him in the palace.

Ji Chen was burning with desire. After all these years, he had finally held her in his arms, how could he possibly let go?

There was a knock at the door. It was her confidante. "Your Majesty, it's time to go. The Emperor has finished entertaining the distinguished guests and gone to the banquet hall."

Su Tingwan pushed Ji Chen away and said calmly, "I will be there soon. You all wait outside the palace."

She hurriedly ran to the bronze mirror to tidy her clothes and hair. Fortunately, they weren't messed up. He had eaten the lip rouge from her lips, so she casually reapplied it.

Ji Chen smiled and said, "No matter what, Wanwan will always be the most beautiful woman."

Su Tingwan glared at him. "You mustn't be so presumptuous in the future. This is the inner palace, and you can't come here anymore."

Her face flushed, and Ji Chen finally understood what had changed about her since she entered the palace. She had become more and more charming. Outside the palace, Su Tingwan was carefree, unrestrained, innocent and lively, but now she was more womanly and more like an empress.

At this moment, Su Tingwan suddenly said, "Since you like beauties so much, there is a beauty living in Chenxi Palace. Why don't you go and take a look? There is a lake over there. When the Emperor was still the Crown Prince, he often went for a walk by the lake."

"You mean the Emperor's first wife, Jiang Fenghua?" He hadn't seen her for many years, and if it weren't for the fact that she was mentioned, he would have thought that Jiang Fenghua had died long ago. "She was quite a beauty."

Su Tingwan scoffed, "You men are all the same. Go and see if she's still a pretty girl. She's long since become a resentful woman in the deep palace."

“Is it inappropriate for me to go to Chenxi Palace? After all, she is the emperor’s first wife. I should avoid suspicion.” Ji Chen deliberately emphasized the word “first wife” to see the angry expression on Su Tingwan’s face.

Su Tingwan's eyes widened in anger. "What do you mean? I am his empress now. So what if she was his first wife? She was just a divorced woman."

“Today is the Emperor’s birthday. Every year at this time, she goes to release lanterns and pray for the Emperor’s well-being.” Su Tingwan added, “Go and get her, then say that she couldn’t stand being alone and deliberately seduced you. Leave everything else to me.”

Ji Chen stood still. "The Empress wants her to disappear from the palace completely. If that's the case, the price I'll have to pay will be huge. How will Your Majesty compensate me? This is a very risky mission, more dangerous than before. If I'm not careful, I might lose my title as a prince."

"Once it's done, I guarantee you'll be satisfied."

“It’s sincerity,” he said.

Su Tingwan stepped forward and gave him a light kiss on the lips, then personally wiped the lipstick off his lips with a handkerchief, and gave him a flirtatious wink, "Let's see what you're capable of, big brother."

Su Tingwan then handed Ji Chen some letters that she had prepared beforehand, as well as handkerchiefs that she had collected.

After reading it, Ji Chen said, "So Your Majesty was prepared all along!"

"The game is set up, how to play it is up to you, elder brother." Su Tingwan had long wanted to get rid of Jiang Fenghua, but she had given birth to a prince and a princess, and she had only recently become empress. The harem was in her hands, and she couldn't cause any trouble. She also had to play the role of a virtuous empress, to show the world that she treated all the women in the emperor's harem well, including Yunfang, who had climbed into Xie Shang's bed behind her back.

After saying that, he opened the door and bowed respectfully to Su Tingwan, "I'm leaving now."

Floating in the sky, Ji Chen was stunned by what he saw. Everything before him seemed so real. Su Tingwan was Xie Shang's empress, Jiang Fenghua was a concubine, and he was a prince. It was all too unbelievable.

As Ji Chen walked along, he flirted with the palace maids he encountered, which delighted them. He also drank some wine.

Upon arriving at the inner palace, Jiang Fenghua, accompanied by a group of palace maids, stood guard by the lake. The place was very quiet and secluded. Beside Jiang Fenghua were two toddlers who were just over a year old, yet they couldn't even walk properly.

Ji Chen hid behind a tree and secretly watched this scene. Jiang Fenghua was wearing a worn-out dress. It was springtime, but it was still cold at night. Her hair was neatly styled in a woman's bun. Although her clothes were old, they were clean and tidy. Her earrings were not expensive.

She was very thin, so thin that her clothes could barely stay on. Her skin was rough and sallow, and she had applied a light layer of rouge, which still revealed her beauty. Not only was she beautiful, but she also had a dignified and graceful demeanor, and a serene and content expression. Her eyes were clear, and she looked at the child sitting on the stone bench with tenderness.

Ji Chen thought to himself: Are they the emperor's children? They don't look like princes and princesses at all, and their attire is not refined at all.