When Jiangpin's maid saw Tao Rui, her legs went weak and she fell to her knees, her whole body shaking uncontrollably.

Seeing this, Cheng Qianqian couldn't help but sigh inwardly. If he was so scared, why didn't he try to persuade him earlier? He was just helping the tyrant. Did he really think the Regent could cover the sky with one hand?

Concubine Jiang froze there, and said with a stiff upper lip, "Your Majesty, you must have misheard me. I was simply worried about my family. When I entered the palace earlier, I heard someone was going to have an abortion."

Tao Rui took Cheng Qianqian to the main seat and sat down. He waved his hand, and Deshun immediately brought in an imperial physician. This was the one Tao Rui had chosen to take care of the Duke of Huguo, and he was someone he trusted.

Jiangpin's face paled as she insisted, "Your Majesty, my cold is gone and I don't need a doctor. I haven't seen my father in a long time. Could Your Majesty allow him to come and see me? I've heard that Your Majesty and my father have different political views and have had occasional arguments. I'm willing to persuade him to accept my decision."

Cheng Qianqian pondered these words several times in her mind and finally understood. Jiang Bin knew that she could no longer hide it and began to make an offer to negotiate.

Concubine Jiang's greatest reliance is the Regent. She uses the Regent to scare Tao Rui. If that doesn't work, then she is willing to persuade the Regent to surrender and stop opposing Tao Rui.

In short, Concubine Jiang repeatedly mentioned the Regent to remind Tao Rui that she was the Regent's daughter and no one could touch her easily.

Tao Rui smiled slightly. "Are you done? Take my pulse."

Two eunuchs pressed Concubine Jiang onto a stool and lifted one of her arms to fix it on the table. The imperial physician already knew what was going on and stepped forward to take her pulse without saying a word.

Concubine Jiang was shocked and angry, struggling non-stop, "Your Majesty! How could you do this to me? This is humiliating me! Aren't you afraid that I will complain to my father?"

Tao Rui looked at her deliberately coldly and asked, "Do you think you and your adulterer can still survive?"

The word "adulterer" was like a slap in the face to Concubine Jiang, leaving her feeling utterly ashamed. She had done nothing wrong in private, but speaking it out in front of so many people was too humiliating. Especially with Cheng Qianqian staring at her from across the room.

Jiang Bin immediately retorted: "There is no adulterer! I was forced, otherwise I wouldn't have wanted to have an abortion just now.

Your Majesty, I should have been protected by you in the palace, but those rebels tried to deal with you and even implicated me. Now I can't sleep at night and I'm extremely frightened. I entered the palace to be your concubine, but you, you knew that Doctor Li was a rebel, and you still let him treat me. What is your intention?

Your Majesty, you are deliberately humiliating me because you dislike my father, right?"

Tao Rui raised his eyebrows in surprise. Oh, this woman is smart now, she caught the key point and fought back. But Jiang Bin did it voluntarily, it was none of his business.

He glanced at Hai Fuan, who stepped forward and said, "Since the rebels began treating Concubine Jiang, I have made a total of twenty-six visits, sixteen of which were when Concubine Jiang summoned me and dismissed the servants."

Tao Rui asked, "Do you have any more excuses?"

Jiang Bin's eyes widened, her face full of disbelief. She glared at Tao Rui angrily, gritting her teeth, "You! You knew it a long time ago, you did it on purpose!"

Tao Rui shook his head. "I'm busy dealing with the rebels, so how could I care about you? If you want to say it was intentional, it was you. So the Regent is in collusion with the rebels?"

Jiangpin's face turned pale and she was terrified. "No, my father didn't know. I didn't know either. I, your concubine, really didn't know they were rebels. That, that Imperial Doctor Li was a rebel, but Li Qi, Li Qi might not be..."

"We'll have to interrogate him to find out." Tao Rui looked at the imperial physician.

The imperial physician bowed and replied, "Your Majesty, Concubine Jiang is over two months pregnant. She is in good health and the fetus is stable."

Tao Rui took a closer look and found that Concubine Jiang was a little rounder than when he first met her. He couldn't help but laugh and said, "It seems that Concubine Jiang is having a good time during her confinement, but her good days are over today."

"Come here, send Li Qi and this Jiang family to the Dali Temple, surround the Regent's Palace, and investigate whether there is any collusion between the Regent and the rebels of the previous dynasty."

"yes!"

Before Concubine Jiang could even try to argue, she was gagged and dragged out.

She turned her head to look at Tao Rui, whimpering, only to see him holding Cheng Qianqian's hand and standing up, even straightening her hairpin. She instantly regretted it. It turned out that Tao Rui was not indifferent to women. He could only favor a woman as honest and well-behaved as Cheng Qianqian.

She only cared about her own pleasure, but unfortunately she got involved with the rebels, and now she has also implicated her father, giving Tao Rui an excuse to deal with her father. She regrets it so much, how could she be so stupid?

However, Concubine Jiang was unaware of the changes outside the palace and still had full confidence in the Regent. After regretting her actions, she simply waited for the Regent to rescue her and did not panic too much. She thought that even if her reputation was completely ruined this time, the Regent would also be affected, but as long as she kept a low profile after leaving, everything would gradually get better.

But the truth was, Concubine Jiang had an affair with Doctor Li's apprentice, and was secretly pregnant, so she was sent to the Dali Temple for investigation. The news spread throughout the capital in an instant!

Cheng Dong personally dispatched troops to surround the Prince Regent's Palace and stood guard at the gate of the Palace.

The Regent came out angrily and scolded him, "Cheng Dong, do you know what you are doing? How dare you surround the Regent's Mansion?"

Cheng Dong bowed and said, "Calm down, webpage. I am only following orders. Jiang is over two months pregnant and has a close relationship with Li Qi. This matter concerns the safety of the Emperor and must be investigated. If the Regent is innocent, I will immediately take my men away once the truth is fully understood."

"How dare you! You shameless boy, how dare you use such despicable means to frame me?!" The Regent was shocked and angry, and was about to walk out.

He absolutely did not believe that his daughter would do such a thing. It must be Tao Rui who framed him.

Cheng Dong instantly drew the sword from his waist and put it on the Regent's neck. The other guards at the door drew their swords and stood in front of the Regent and others with solemn expressions.

The Regent raised his hand and hit him: "I'll see who dares to stop me!"

Cheng Dong is Tao Rui's confidant. Not only did he dare to stop him, he also dared to take action.

Without saying a word, he started fighting with the Regent. The Regent only knew some Kung Fu, while Cheng Dong was proficient in all kinds of weapons. Naturally, the Regent was no match for him and was subdued by Cheng Dong in just five moves.

To intimidate them, Cheng Dong placed the knife on his neck, leaving a bloody mark. He said coldly, "Anyone who disobeys the imperial decree will be killed without mercy!"

"Kill without mercy!" The surrounding guards shouted in unison, and they ruthlessly defeated the guards of the palace and resisted with weapons.

The housekeeper was terrified and advised, "Your Highness, please calm down. You are innocent, and the Dali Temple will definitely give you justice. Your Highness should return home first and make a long-term plan."

The Regent was forced to kneel on the ground, unable to move. No matter how angry he was, he could not really gamble with his life, so he had to obey the emperor's order and return to the palace.

No one is allowed to enter or leave the Regent's Palace. Not only is Cheng Dong guarding it openly, but there are also Jinyiwei monitoring it secretly. No information can be transmitted.

The capital was in a state of panic, with everyone looking at enemies on every corner. No one dared to speak loudly, and everyone walked in a hurry on the streets, fearing that they would be arrested as rebels.

However, they soon discovered that the imperial court did not arrest people randomly. Those arrested seemed to be strangers, not relatives or neighbors. Occasionally, there was someone familiar, but that person was always mysterious. So, thinking about it, the arrested people might really be rebels.

The people felt much more at ease that they were not being arrested indiscriminately, and they were very much in favor of the court eliminating the rebels so that they could be safer.

From the moment Cheng Dong surrounded the Regent's Palace, the ministers felt that the most critical moment had come, and Tao Rui was going to destroy the Regent!

Those who followed the Regent were like ants on a hot pan. Seeing that the Regent was about to be killed by Tao Rui, wouldn't they all be in trouble? They had to find a way to save him.

Those who couldn't think of a solution would seek help from more powerful people, and those who could think of a solution would go to discuss it with people of the same level. The regent's forces began to stir.

This gave Tao Rui a perfect opportunity to uncover the regent's forces that had not yet been exposed.

This was a pleasant surprise, a chance given to him purely by Concubine Jiang's lust. He had to make good use of it, ordering all departments to be mobilized and thoroughly investigating the entire court. This way, he would have the opportunity to eliminate all the minions of the Regent.

This investigation was carried out completely with an emergency and high-pressure policy. Tao Rui would ask about it every day when he went to court. Although he didn't urge them, his disgusted expression and dissatisfied frown clearly showed that he felt that they were investigating too slowly and their ability was too poor. Naturally, they had to work overtime to get to the bottom of it.

This time, all the ministers finally understood that the emperor had the upper hand in the dispute with the regent. If he didn't show his strength now, when would he?

Those ministers who followed the regent were soon investigated and reported to the authorities. Memorials implicating them landed on Tao Rui's desk like snowflakes. Almost every day, officials were dealt with, either dismissed from office, had their property confiscated, were exiled, or beheaded.

Many people were relieved that Tao Rui's family was not implicated. They only blamed themselves for having done the wrong thing and standing on the wrong side.

During this disturbing rectification, the ministers discovered a common feature, that is, those sentenced to death by Tao Rui were all evildoers. Some of them simply stood on the wrong side and did not harm anyone, but were given light sentences by Tao Rui. Some talented people were even given the opportunity to redeem themselves.

This surprised and reassured all the ministers at the same time. The emperor acted decisively and kindly, which was what they most wanted to see.

A vigorous rectification and investigation lasted for a full month. A month later, Tao Rui announced in the court, "After the Dali Temple's investigation, Li Qi was not a rebel, and the Regent's daughter Jiang had never colluded with the rebels. She was simply in love with Li Qi and could not help but do such a foolish thing. The Regent was indeed implicated by her."

The ministers thought, this is more than just a burden, it's a complete uprooting.

Tao Rui glanced at their faces and asked calmly, "My dear ministers, what do you think should be done with Jiang and Li Qi?"

The ministers guessed Tao Rui's thoughts and felt that as a man, he could not tolerate this. If it were not for the purpose of dealing with the Regent, Tao Rui would probably not have exposed the matter and would have directly given him poisoned wine and let the matter go.

Censor Yang stepped out and said, "Your Majesty, such shameless people should be put to death."

Tao Rui looked at him twice and remembered that he was Liu Si's father-in-law. He had no ability and was good at changing his attitude according to the situation. He never dared to express his opinion in the past, but when he saw that the Regent had fallen, he jumped out and spoke.

Tao Rui asked, "Are there any relevant regulations in the laws?"

The Minister of Justice stepped forward and said, "Your Majesty, according to the law, if a man or a woman commits adultery, she or he will each be sentenced to fifteen strokes of the cane, or a year and a half in prison."

Tao Rui nodded and turned to ask Censor Yang, "Why do you think they should be sentenced to death? The law doesn't impose a heavy sentence on them."

Censor Yang lowered his head hurriedly. "I think these two have damaged the reputation of the royal family..."

Tao Rui waved his hand and said magnanimously, "Matters of the royal family must be handled according to the law. Moreover, Jiang is the Regent's favorite daughter. The Regent has assisted me in governing the country for many years and has made great contributions. How can I let him down?"

The ministers were a bit confused. What did this mean? Wasn't this just a way to kill him while he was ill? Why mention his achievements at this time?

Tao Rui continued, "Considering that Jiang is pregnant, the caning will be spared. Li Qi will be punished with fifteen strokes of the cane, and the two of them will be sent to the Regent's Palace. Although their actions are against the law, the Regent's merits are so great that they can offset Jiang's mistakes. I will bear this grudge."

I now grant Jiang and Li Qi the right to marry within ten days, to remain in love with each other for the rest of their lives, and not to covet other women.

Furthermore, the Prince Regent has failed to raise his daughter properly and manage his household with care. Considering his dedicated assistance to me, I will not punish him. From this day forward, I will confer the title of Prince Xiaoyao. I will specifically allow him to skip court and focus on educating his children and grandchildren.

The ministers were stunned. They instantly understood. The emperor wasn't going to punish Jiang lightly. He was clearly going to nail Jiang to the pillar of shame, announce it to the world, and humiliate the regent!

The common people, unaware of the true situation, would certainly think that the emperor was kind-hearted and grateful for the regent's assistance. The emperor did not care that the regent had raised such a daughter, but instead named him the King of Freedom, ordering him to take care of the family in the future.

The people don’t care about the Regent King or the Free and Easy King. In their eyes, they are all princes.

Besides, the name "King Xiaoyao" sounds very free, comfortable and wealthy. If the regent is not satisfied, he would be very cruel. After all, the emperor no longer needs a regent when he grows up.

The facts were just as the minister had expected. When the people knew about this, they did not laugh at the emperor at all. They just felt that the regent was not worthy of the title. He could not even manage his own family and could not even teach his daughter.

If it were them, they would be ashamed to death to have such a daughter. What about the Regent? I heard that Jiang is the Regent's favorite daughter!

The Regent and Madam Jiang were nearly vomiting blood upon receiving the imperial edict. Madam Jiang burst into tears as she saw the Regent and threw herself into his arms, crying, "Father, how could this happen? What on earth happened? How dare Tao Rui?"

The regent was furious when he saw her and slapped her to the ground, "You've done such a good thing, you evil creature!"

The Regent glanced at Li Qi, who lowered his head and shrank his neck, and immediately drew out the guard's sword and stabbed him!

With a "clang" sound, the Regent's sword was knocked away by Cheng Dong.

Cheng Dong said coldly, "The Emperor has ordered Li Qi and Jiang to marry within ten days. They must love each other forever and not covet other women."

The veins on the Regent's forehead were about to pop out, and Jiang finally couldn't bear the shock and fainted.

There was a chaos in the Regent's Palace, and then Cheng Dong and Deshun took people to take down the palace plaque outside the palace and replace it with the plaque of the Xiaoyao Palace.

From then on, there was no more regent in the world, only a free and easy king who had no real power.

The soldiers surrounding the palace were gone, and no one was stopping anyone from leaving. When Prince Xiaoyao walked out of that door again, the sky outside had changed.

He desperately sent people to contact everyone he could, but the ministers shunned him, and those who followed him had already been scattered. Even the loyalists he had trained were few and far between, leaving him with only a handful of his own. King Xiaoyao could no longer bear the pressure and fell ill.

Tao Rui had made a fortune by then, and not only did he arrest Xiaoyao Wang's men, he also raided their homes and confiscated the treasures that Xiaoyao Wang had secretly hidden. Of course, the treasures were confiscated during the investigation of the rebels, and since those men refused to admit that they were Xiaoyao Wang's men, they were naturally rebels and had nothing to do with Xiaoyao Wang, so the treasures were confiscated into the national treasury.

First the Chen family, then the King of Xiaoyao, and with so many officials' wealth, the treasury was suddenly full. Tao Rui announced a year of tax exemption, and the whole country immediately shouted "Long live the emperor" and expressed gratitude to him.

Other officials and princes were just empty titles; only tax exemption was a real benefit. Tao Rui's image as a wise ruler was further deepened, and he also gained a good reputation among the people for loving the people like his own children.

Doctor Li, Xuan Ji and their accomplices were sentenced to death by beheading. When they were taken to the execution ground, the streets were packed with people. Countless people threw rotten eggs and vegetable leaves at them and cursed them.

The two of them were emaciated, their noses and tears streaming uncontrollably from the effects of the opium. They looked like madmen and fools. The people were even more enraged when they saw them. Some shouted, "It was them who maliciously used drugs to harm the emperor. Fortunately, the emperor was wise and brave, foresighted, or else wouldn't they have ended up like this?"

"Kill them. Our dynasty is peaceful and prosperous. The emperor of the previous dynasty was incompetent and deserved the destruction of his country. You are blinded by greed and dared to harm the emperor!"

"The Emperor, with his majestic majesty and divine protection, will not be harmed by vicious villains like you. Now that the Emperor has exempted taxes for a year, he's practically a living god. You two, the evildoers, will surely go to hell!"

"The heavens are on the emperor's side. Otherwise, how could you harm others and end up harming yourselves? Long live the emperor! The emperor is the true emperor!"

"Long live the emperor! The emperor is the true emperor!"

Someone shouted a slogan, and the people nearby suddenly joined in. Perhaps because Imperial Physician Li and Xuanji looked so terrifying, and their identities as imperial physicians and Taoist priests were so easy to obtain, they firmly believed that Tao Rui was blessed by heaven.

In addition, Tao Rui cleaned up the rebels and exempted taxes. At this time, the people had a very good impression of him. When they saw the people who harmed him, they were naturally indignant and felt even more sorry for Tao Rui.

Doctor Li and Xuan Ji were so blinded by the eggs that they could hardly open their eyes. But even with their blurred vision, they could clearly see how angry the people were, how they supported and loved Tao Rui, and how they resented them.

When they were suffering from headaches and becoming addicted to opium, their greatest motivation was the knowledge that Tao Rui was suffering the same pain, perhaps even more so. But in the end, Tao Rui was completely unharmed, leaving them to suffer from the pain from beginning to end. The stark contrast was too much for them to bear, their hearts gnawing like ants, unwilling to resign themselves to death.

When they were forced to kneel on the execution ground and wait for their heads to be beheaded, their accomplices beside them started to curse, saying that they had killed everyone and that they were useless. They also angrily scolded them for being incompetent and only hindering their efforts.

In the end, this group of former rebels lost their heads amidst this mutual abuse. The people also vented all the fear and anxiety they had felt for a while, breathed a sigh of relief, and returned to their daily lives.

Just when the ministers thought that Tao Rui could finally calm down, Tao Rui dropped another bomb on them: he wanted to send all the concubines except Concubine Duan Chun back home!

The ministers tried to stop him immediately, especially those who had daughters in the palace. They were so anxious that they broke out in sweats and couldn't understand why the emperor suddenly thought of this.

Tao Rui sighed and explained their confusion: "From the Jiang family incident, I realized that these women were chosen by the Empress Dowager to enter the palace, but it was just a formality. I then asked them to observe a three-year mourning period, copying scriptures and chanting Buddhist scriptures in their rooms every day. Over time, their hearts and minds will naturally change. This is my inconsiderateness."

"Your Majesty, Jiang is the daughter of Prince Xiaoyao who did not teach her properly. The other concubines will certainly observe mourning sincerely. Please reconsider your decision."

"I have thought it over carefully before making this decision. I'm sure you've all noticed that the only two imperial decrees I've issued were related to marriage, and both times I mentioned not taking a second wife. This shows that I simply hate taking concubines and cannot accept having three harems and six courtyards."

There was an uproar in the court. The ministers, who were usually serious, were so shocked that they couldn't help but talk out loud.

Tao Rui waited for them to discuss for a moment before coughing twice and calmly saying, "Fortunately, I ordered these concubines to observe mourning as soon as they entered the palace. They are all innocent and good girls. I only met them once at the Queen Mother's banquet, which was no different from the New Year's palace banquet. It did not damage their reputation and would not affect their marriage.

Of course, to compensate them, I have decided to confer the title of Princess upon them all, granting them palaces, maids, and the freedom to choose their own husbands. No one should look down on them, as doing so would be a disrespect to the Emperor's authority."

Conferring the title of princess upon all the concubines, how could they still have the right to freely choose their husbands? The ministers were dumbfounded, and were completely baffled by Tao Rui's wild and unrealistic idea.

Someone boldly said, "Your Majesty, this is against the rules."

Tao Rui said, "I am the Son of Heaven, and I am the rule."

Someone said anxiously: "Your Majesty, the inheritance of descendants cannot be neglected."

Tao Rui said, "You want me to suffer just to have children? I have to deal with a bunch of women every day? Besides, it's not like I don't want a queen."

Some people were unwilling to accept this, "Your Majesty, if only the Empress position is left, then the candidate for Empress should be carefully selected. Why did you choose Concubine Duan Chun? It's too hasty."

Tao Rui laughed, "Concubine Duan Chun is very much to my liking, and the entire Huguogong family is also loyal to me. No matter how carefully I choose, I will still choose Concubine Duan Chun."

No matter what the ministers said, Tao Rui had reasons to refute. In short, he wanted to disband the harem, and his word was final.

Tao Rui had overthrown a powerful figure like the Regent, and in a much shorter time than the Empress Dowager had taken down the Prime Minister. Who would dare to confront him? Under Tao Rui's insistence, the ministers quickly accepted this decree, which seemed incomprehensible to them.

When leaving court, all the ministers, regardless of whether they were related to the matter or not, congratulated Cheng Bin.

Cheng Bin subconsciously returned their greetings one by one, speaking politely, but he was completely bewildered. Disbanding the harem and making his daughter empress—there was no sign of that at all. He couldn't accept it. Was this a good thing?

Cheng Bin had almost imagined that people in the future would say that his daughter was a beauty who brought disaster and a jealous queen. After saying goodbye to his ministers, he hurried back home.

When he told the Duke of the Protectorate about this, the Duke was stunned for a long moment. Then, trying to remain calm, he said, "Thunder and rain are all grace from the Emperor. What's the point of us worrying? We should be loyal to the country and serve the Emperor, so that the Emperor will value us more and give the Empress some leverage."

Cheng Bin sighed, "That's the truth, but... that's all. After all, our family is completely different from before, so it's always a good thing."

The Queen Mother protested this vehemently, but after she persuaded Tao Rui until his mouth was dry, Tao Rui said calmly, "Why is Queen Mother so anxious? Could it be because one of your nieces wants to enter the palace? Isn't it enough for the Wang family to have one Queen Mother? Are they planning to have another?"

The Queen Mother was shocked. How could the Emperor see through her plan?

Tao Rui continued, "Did your Majesty see what happened to the Chen family and Concubine Chen? Why did I also punish Concubine Chen for what happened to Concubine Jiang at the banquet? Do you think I was venting my anger on your behalf?"

The Chen family is the Empress Dowager's family, and now it is severely weakened. The Empress Dowager was frightened by Tao Rui's pointed words and asked angrily, "Your Majesty, are you threatening me? I am your biological mother?"

Tao Rui smiled and asked, "Does the Queen Mother still remember my brother's mother?"

The empress dowager was shocked again. The imperial concubine was arrogant and domineering back then, and she didn't dare to say a word in front of her. As a result, the grand empress dowager killed her directly.

She guessed it was the Empress Dowager who did it, but she had no evidence. In this deep palace, whoever the powerful wanted to die was killed.

So the emperor is threatening her this time?

Tao Rui poured her a cup of tea and said, "I hope your mother can enjoy her old age comfortably, and I will always be a filial son. If the Wang family behaves well and doesn't make any mistakes, I will naturally take care of the rewards. Your mother is in a high position now, so why should she care so much? What good can she get?"

Tao Rui left after saying this. The Queen Mother was so angry that she smashed a lot of things, but her most trusted nanny advised her not to meddle in Tao Rui's affairs and stop asking for this and that for the Wang family. The Emperor was right. She was already the Queen Mother. What would she gain by interfering so much? It would only alienate the Emperor.

Regardless of whether the Queen Mother had figured it out or not, she couldn't intervene. Even if she wanted to embarrass Cheng Qianqian, she had to consider whether Tao Rui would go after the Wang family. So, she could only be honest.

When the concubines in the palace heard the news, they all came to Cheng Qianqian for help.

Tao Rui had not mentioned this to Cheng Qianqian before he gave the order. Cheng Qianqian really didn't expect that he would send all the concubines out of the palace. She was still a little dazed at the moment, but when she saw more than a dozen concubines running to beg for mercy, she still maintained her demeanor as the queen dowager.

Looking at the group of crying little girls, Cheng Qianqian cleared her throat and said seriously, "Don't cry, sisters. This is a good thing for you. It all depends on how you feel about it."

"What good news? How can this be a good thing? If it is a good thing, why don't you leave the palace, Your Majesty?"

Cheng Qianqian twitched her lips and replied, "The Emperor dotes on me, so why should I leave the palace? But you can't even see the Emperor, so what are you doing staying in this palace?"

Everyone choked, some unable to shed tears. "Your Majesty, you are so unreasonable. You hold the highest position in the palace now, so it's natural for you to advise the Emperor on this issue of equal treatment. How can you say such... such jealous words?"

Cheng Qianqian said: "This is the good thing I said to you. Think about it, the emperor dotes on me, I would be a fool to push the emperor away. If it were you, ask yourselves, are you willing to let the emperor treat you equally?

Now the Emperor wants to confer upon you the title of Princess, and grant you the right to choose your own husband. This... is a benefit that I have fought for you."

"What?" Everyone stopped crying and looked up at Cheng Qianqian with confusion on their faces.

Cheng Qianqian wasn't lying. Tao Rui certainly wouldn't utter such a modern term as "the right to choose a husband independently." This was something Cheng Qianqian had mentioned casually during a casual chat one day, suggesting it would be great if women had the right to choose their own husbands, without so many constraints.

Naturally, the right in Tao Rui's decree was what she fought for.

Cheng Qianqian explained to them, "With the Emperor's decree, you don't have to obey your parents' orders after you leave the palace. Just use their opinions as a reference. Ultimately, whether to marry or not, and who to marry, is up to you. Doesn't that mean you can pick your ideal husband? Even if you can't find one in a year or two, it doesn't matter. You've become princesses, so who dares to say anything?"

Besides, in the future, you will have your own Princess Mansion, and your husband will be the Princess. If the Princess wants to take a concubine, he must get your consent. You can just do what I did and say no directly, and don't try to push your husband away by following the Three Obediences and Four Virtues."

Cheng Qianqian's piles of reasons confused all the concubines. They were still confused after returning, but they felt that there seemed to be nothing wrong in leaving the palace to become princesses. Cheng Qianqian also promised that if they encountered difficulties and grievances, they could come to the palace to ask her for support!

And when you go out, you don't have to serve your mother-in-law, you don't have to pay respects every day, and you don't have to compete with other women...

There were so many benefits that some people even started packing up immediately, fearing that they would be left behind if they walked too slowly when leaving the palace.

Although there are people who just don't want to leave, there's nothing they can do about it. The emperor has given an order, who dares to disobey?

The Imperial Household Department, under the supervision of Hai Fuan, quickly allocated over a dozen mansions in the capital to be distributed among the concubines as princess residences. The Ministry of Rites also expedited preparations for the relevant matters. On the day the concubines left the palace, a simple ceremony was held, with Tao Rui personally conferring the title of princess on them.

After they thought it over, they accepted the reality very well. If they were to say who was unwilling to accept it, it was Chen Pin who was the most unwilling. After all, she had been a Q-person actor, while the others had basically no sense of existence.

However, after being beaten by Tao Rui, the head of the Chen family no longer dared to show up. He personally warned Concubine Chen to be honest and asked someone to watch her and not let her make trouble again.

After Tao Rui sent this group of women away, he returned to Zihua Palace to see Cheng Qianqian and felt a lot more relaxed.

However, she is still in mourning period, and the ceremony of crowning the queen must be very grand, which is not suitable to be held during the mourning period, so it is decided to hold it after the mourning period. Now Cheng Qianqian is still Concubine Duan Chun and still lives in Zihua Palace.

Cheng Qianqian was so happy that she pulled him to sit down and gave him a massage, unable to suppress her smile.

Tao Rui took her hand and said with a smile: "Are you so happy?"

"Of course I am happy. I never thought I would be so favored by the Emperor. It still feels like a dream."

"Then you can continue to have this beautiful dream and never wake up."

Cheng Qianqian was even happier. After thinking for a moment, she asked in a low voice, "Why do you like me?"

Tao Rui said, "Because you are kind-hearted, intelligent, filial, and have many qualities, how can I explain this clearly? In short, my words are golden, and I will not take back my promises. Now that the whole world knows that I have dismissed my harem and only want you, you are not afraid that I will regret it, right?"

Cheng Qianqian nodded. Tao Rui's announcement of this matter to the world truly gave her a great sense of security. She said, "I hope the princesses who left the palace can live well. The emperor has given them a lot of compensation. As long as they can stand on their own feet, no one can bully them."

Tao Rui looked at her and sighed deliberately, "We finally filled the national treasury a while ago, but now there's not much left."

Cheng Qianqian was stunned. "Ah? It's all spent so quickly?"

Tao Rui pulled her to sit next to him and nodded, "Yes, such a big country needs money everywhere, and it's a huge expense every day. I have exempted taxes and conferred titles on more than a dozen princesses, rewarding them with so much money and property. I don't know how much longer the national treasury can last."

Cheng Qianqian frowned and helped him think of a solution, "Why not investigate the corrupt officials and raid their homes? See if there are any ministers who owe debts to the national treasury and ask them to pay them back?"

Tao Rui shook his head. "I've thought about all of this. I investigated so many officials a while ago, and now there's nothing left to investigate. Besides, if the water is too clear, there will be no fish. I can't catch them all in one fell swoop. At least the court should rest and recuperate."

"So, how about making some novelties and selling them? Or maybe trading with other countries?"

Tao Rui showed an interested look, "My beloved concubine, do you have any ideas? Tell me more."

Cheng Qianqian had thought before that if she could do something to benefit the people in this world, she would try to do it. She was in a high position and her life was so smooth, it was not right for her to just be a salted fish.

When Tao Rui asked her about it, she picked out some ideas that she didn't think were too strange, such as scented soap, clear mirrors, cosmetics, and many other novel and profitable gadgets.

In her previous life, she hadn't graduated from university before she died. She loved livestreaming and was a bit of an internet celebrity. Because she loved reading novels, she did a lot of small experiments during her livestreams, experimenting with and learning from the novels about traveling through time and making soap.

Some were successful, some failed, but she did know how to make a lot of things.

She told Tao Rui that these were all things she had been speculating about since she was little, and she wasn't sure if they would work. She also mentioned a few books she'd read before, saying that other countries seemed to have different food systems than us, with some products having very high yields.

Tao Rui listened carefully, agreeing to anything she said she wanted to try. The palace was mostly empty now, and the space was large enough to accommodate as many labs as she wanted.

Tao Rui directly asked Hai Fuan to help Cheng Qianqian set up a laboratory, and ordered her to give her whatever she wanted. At the same time, he also said that he would conduct experiments in Huangzhuang and send people to other countries to have a look.

Cheng Qianqian was naturally very happy to see that he attached so much importance to her suggestion. She started to do experiments and pretended that she had never known anything but had figured it out.

Tao Rui had already started planting grains, vegetables, fruit trees, and raising poultry and livestock on the imperial farm.

These were things he had thoroughly studied in his previous life, he just wanted Cheng Qianqian to bring them up.

In the future, all these achievements will be credited to her, and then no one will have any complaints against her anymore.