Chapter 44 Why is the beautiful person pretending to be weak and tender?

Tang Lin'er had a meaningful smile on her face, and she moved slowly towards the Queen Mother.

She leaned forward slightly, put her cherry lips close to the empress dowager's ear, lowered her voice, and whispered quietly as if she was afraid that someone else might hear her through the wall.

Her voice was like a silk thread, vaguely entwining the empress dowager's mind in the quiet bedroom.

Every word was like a carefully crafted hidden weapon, accurately striking the Empress Dowager's heart.

The Queen Mother's brows, which were originally slightly furrowed, tightened as Tang Lin'er spoke, and then slowly relaxed. Her eyes also changed several times, sometimes flashing a hint of ruthlessness, and sometimes revealing a bit of thought.

After Tang Lin'er finished speaking, the Queen Mother leaned back slightly on the couch, and when her gaze fell on Tang Lin'er again, there was a hint of admiration in her eyes.

The Queen Mother shook her head slightly, raised her lips slightly, and said with some approval: "It would have been great if you had been like this earlier. Why did you pretend to be so weak and frail in the past?"

"If I had known that you were such a thoughtful and wonderful person, I would have looked at you differently and shown mercy to you much earlier."

When Tang Lin'er heard this, a perfectly appropriate shyness appeared on her face. She quickly bowed and said softly, "Your Majesty the Queen Mother, you are too kind. I am just trying to share your worries and think about the Crown Prince."

"It's great that you have this awareness. Thinking about Zilin is thinking about yourself."

Tang Lin'er lowered her eyes and smiled slightly, with a barely perceptible cunningness flashing in her eyes, as if everything was under her control.

Seeing that the admiration in the Queen Mother's eyes grew stronger, she felt secretly proud and struck while the iron was hot by making another suggestion.

She raised her head slightly, her eyes showing a hint of calculation, and said softly: "Empress Dowager, Shen Yunchao seems to be treating me differently now. I thought that maybe I could use this opportunity to exchange letters with him."

"In this way, we might be able to get a glimpse of the military situation. Moreover, many of the troops led by Shen Yunchao are former subordinates of General Zhang. They will definitely not be willing to obey Shen Yunchao's command."

Having said this, Tang Lin'er deliberately paused and observed the Queen Mother's expression.

Seeing the Queen Mother nodded slightly, as if she was thinking seriously about her words, she continued: "Why not take this opportunity to get rid of Shen Yunchao and replace him with General Zhang's former subordinates."

"In this way, won't the military power return to the hands of your Zhang family?"

When the Queen Mother heard this, a hint of surprise flashed across her fierce eyes. After a little thought, she agreed with it.

She acted promptly and ordered her nanny to prepare pen and ink. She wrote a letter herself and sent someone to deliver it to General Zhang at full speed.

After writing the letter, the Queen Mother was in a good mood. She reached out and held Tang Lin'er's hand, smiling lovingly, and promised in a somewhat intimate way: "Lin'er, you must help Zilin ascend the throne and become emperor. The position of Queen will definitely be yours."

"I have always been clear about rewards and punishments. As long as you work hard, you will definitely be rich and prosperous."

Tang Lin'er lowered her eyes and smiled, and replied obediently: "Thank you for your kindness, Queen Mother. I will definitely live up to your expectations."

She knew clearly in her heart that the Queen Mother was an old witch with a hypocritical heart and a sweet mouth, and her words could not be trusted at all.

Naturally, she was determined to become the queen, but she disdained to be given charity by the queen mother.

The hardships of the past few days have been like a year for her. Now, she has understood a truth.

If you want something, fight for it. Only what you hold in your own hands truly belongs to you.

The Queen Mother insisted on keeping her for dinner.

Inside the bedroom, the candlelight flickered, and the light and shadows danced eerily on the walls, as if they were also listening attentively to this secret conversation.

The two men sipped their food and talked in low voices, their words full of political calculations, and every word was like an invisible blade, quietly cutting through the air.

Time passed slowly in silence. When Tang Lin'er finally stood up and said goodbye, and stepped out of the Queen Mother's bedroom, the moon was already at its highest point in the sky.

The cold moonlight fell on the bluestone path in the palace like frost flowers, stretching her figure into a slender shape.

The surroundings were eerily quiet, with only the faint sound of her phoenix robe dragging on the ground, which was particularly clear in the silent night.

Tang Lin'er returned to the East Palace. The candlelight in the palace was dim, and there was a faint depressing atmosphere.

Wei Zilin had been waiting for a long time. When he saw her step into the palace, his originally gloomy face became even uglier. He took a few steps forward, suddenly stretched out his hand, and grabbed Tang Lin'er's wrist tightly.

His eyes were full of violence, and he asked harshly, "Is Lu Yuzhi's death related to you? Tell me!"

Tang Lin'er raised her head slightly and looked at Wei Zilin coldly, a mocking smile on her red lips.

The air in the hall seemed to freeze in an instant.

She struggled gently with her wrist but failed to break free, so she simply stopped struggling and said, "Wei Zilin, you are still so naive."

Wei Zilin's pupils trembled, and the rage in his eyes could no longer be suppressed. He shouted in a low voice: "What did you say?!"

"Whether it's Lu Yuzhi or Shen Xingwan, if they're dead, what does it matter?"

Tang Lin'er sneered, her voice was so light that it sounded like the hissing of a venomous snake in the quiet night.

"You only see the power behind them. Have you ever stopped to think about it? Those so-called powers are nothing but passing clouds. In the ever-changing court, they can fall in an instant."

She raised her head, moved closer to Wei Zilin, and stared straight into his eyes.

"What does family background mean?"

"Whoever can truly help you sit on the supreme throne is the one you should truly cherish."

Tang Lin'er's voice echoed for a long time in the silent and dark hall. Every word she spoke was as sharp as an ice cone, and seemed to carry a bewitching magic.

Wei Zilin was shocked by her complete change. He stared at her in a daze, as if he was under a spell.

His eyes changed several times, with complicated emotions including shock, confusion, and a hint of indescribable strangeness.

His lips trembled slightly, and after a long while, he slowly asked: "What do you... know?"

Tang Lin'er just smiled softly. She raised her head slightly, stared at Wei Zilin with eyes as clear as spring water, and said word by word: "I only know that the emperor of this great Wei can only be you...Wei Zilin."

After hearing this, Wei Zilin's originally cold eyes gradually became warm, as if they were ignited flames, burning with ambition and desire.

Seeing this, Tang Lin'er's lips curled up in a smug arc, like a blooming poppy, gorgeous and deadly.

She slowly fell into Wei Zilin's arms, her body as soft as a willow branch in spring, gently twisting her body like the sweet song of an oriole, as if with an invisible hook that hooked Wei Zilin's heart.

"Sanlang, I give you my whole heart. Don't worry, I will definitely help you ascend the throne."

Wei Zilin lowered his head, looking at the charming and alluring Tang Lin'er in his arms. He couldn't help but lower his head and kiss her hair gently.

The fragrance between those hairs is extremely tempting.

"Then I will reward you with another dragon son."

After saying that, he exerted a little force with his arms, hugged Tang Lin'er tightly and pressed her to the ground, leaning forward as if he wanted to merge her into his body.

In this silent palace, the two figures intertwined, and the ambiguity was like the rising tide, quickly filling the entire palace.

Inside the Prime Minister's Mansion, candles flickered and light and shadows danced on the walls, as if they were also restless because of Princess Guang'an's anger.

Princess Guang'an's goose yellow skirt spread out on the floor tiles like flowing clouds. Her eyebrows were raised, her eyes were wide open, her chest was heaving violently, and she was complaining to Shen Xingwan angrily about Tang Lin'er's behavior when she saw Shen Yunchao off during the day.

"You didn't see Tang Lin'er's seductive look."

Princess Guang'an was so angry that she paced back and forth in the room, holding the silk handkerchief tightly in her hand, as if it was Tang Lin'er herself.

"She really wants it all, she's insatiable."

"She has already married the prince and is obsessed with clinging to the imperial power, but she still wants to provoke Brother Yun Chao and hold on to him and refuse to let go. She is really shameless!"

Shen Xingwan sat aside, frowning slightly, feeling extremely helpless, and lowered her head to listen quietly to Princess Guang'an's complaints.

Princess Guang'an suddenly stopped, put her hands on her hips, and said indignantly: "Brother Yunchao is also a fool! He actually accepted her handkerchief."

"Does he really not understand what Silk Handa means?"

"A white handkerchief was sent to Xinzhi. Xinzhi took it and looked at it upside down. She thought about it vertically and horizontally. It was clearly a token of love!"

"Where on earth do they put me?"

After saying this, her eyes turned slightly red, and she bit her lower lip with her pearly teeth, feeling extremely aggrieved.

The candlelight in the warm room fell softly, the brocade curtains hung low, and Princess Guang'an angrily grabbed the curtains to vent her anger.

Shen Xingwan hurried to Princess Guang'an and gently held her hand.

"Princess, please don't be upset. My brother has never been involved in love affairs. He is naturally ignorant of the delicate thoughts between men and women. How could he understand the obscure meaning of a little girl's handkerchief?"

She tilted her head slightly, her beautiful eyes wandering, and continued, "Besides, from what I know about my brother, he has always been upright and honest. He is definitely not the kind of frivolous person who plays with girls' feelings at will."

"In my opinion, my brother has probably accepted your kindness, Princess. Think about it, my brother is such a loyal person, and since he has accepted your kindness, he will never let you down easily."

After hearing this, Princess Guang'an's face, which had originally turned red with anger, gradually softened, like ice and snow melting in spring.

But in a flash, a shy blush quietly climbed up the girl's cheeks.

Princess Guang'an lowered her head slightly, her long eyelashes fluttering like butterfly wings, and her eyes were full of shyness and expectation.

Her voice was as gentle as a whisper in the spring breeze: "Is it true? Is he really willing to be with me?"

"How did you know that? Tell me quickly." As she said this, she coquettishly took Shen Xingwan's hand and shook it gently.

The two of them sat next to each other, their breath blending together, their heads close together, as if the whole world was left with only their two whispers.

The atmosphere in the warm room gradually relaxed, and from time to time, the sound of their low giggles and jokes could be heard.

The two were talking excitedly when a burst of hurried footsteps came closer and closer, like a stone thrown into a calm lake, instantly breaking the warm atmosphere.

The little maid accompanying Princess Guang'an walked in hurriedly with a panicked look on her face.

After she knelt down and bowed respectfully, she breathlessly reported, "It's bad, Princess! News just came out from the palace that they are going to take the initiative to negotiate peace with the North, and they are going to send a princess to marry."

"Marriage?"

Princess Guang'an's smiling eyebrows suddenly frowned slightly, and she looked surprised, "Which princess are you sending it to?"

The little palace maid looked embarrassed, her head lowered very low, almost buried in her chest, and her hands were nervously twisting the corners of her clothes, twisting them so much that the corners were deformed.

"Tell me quickly, do you have any detailed information? Which princess will be sent to marry?"

The little maid trembled slightly, her lips trembling, and she couldn't help but feel her knees weaken. She knelt on the ground and stammered, "It's you, Princess."