Chapter 388 Forced Seizure

Huo Ran reluctantly forgave Jiang Mi. The two were already married, yet they still addressed each other so formally. Even if there were other people around, there was no need to care about their opinions.

"There's nothing much to it about the Emperor and the Empress. When the Emperor was young, he seemed to have a woman he really liked, but because that woman was of low status, the retired Emperor forbade him to marry her. Instead, he chose this Empress for him, who comes from a very prominent family and background."

Jiang Mi glanced at the Empress. Even though she was no longer young, one could still see from her eyes that she had been a beauty in her youth. However, she had been living in the lonely inner palace for many years, so there was a hint of melancholy and sadness in her eyes.

"It seems that the Emperor wants to give the Empress the cold shoulder, but he is also very concerned about her. On the surface, he has to pretend not to care. What is the reason for this?"

Huo Ran looked at Jiang Mi with some surprise: "I didn't expect you to be able to see it. My wife is really smart."

Jiang Mi sighed, trying to find every opportunity to praise her. "Oh, stop with the nonsense and tell me your story. I want to hear it."

"How gossipy!" Huo Ran smiled indulgently and continued, "Actually, the Emperor just regrets it. After marrying the Empress, he never liked her and was very hostile towards her. He never gave her a kind look, which caused the servants below to be opportunistic and disrespectful to the Empress."

Jiang Mi asked, "What about the woman the Emperor liked? Did he eventually marry her?"

Huo Ran shook his head: "It seems she died in an accident. I don't know why, but the Emperor always took his anger out on the Empress. Later, when the Emperor Emeritus passed away and the Emperor ascended the throne, he gave that woman the title of Imperial Noble Consort and buried her in that title. I heard that this Consort Jing was favored by the Emperor because she looked somewhat like that woman."

Jiang Mi hadn't expected there to be such a story behind it, and immediately sighed, "Oh dear, so many people have suffered. The Empress was innocent, and the Emperor was a broken couple. Especially that innocent woman who died tragically, she was so pitiful. But the Emperor shouldn't have taken his anger out on the Empress, it had nothing to do with her, right?"

Huo Ran nodded: "After investigation, it was found that this matter indeed had nothing to do with Her Majesty the Empress."

Jiang Mi glanced at the smug Consort Jing and said, "I wonder if Consort Jing knows that she is a substitute."

Huo Ran followed her gaze and looked over: "I don't know about that. Even if I did, what could I do? With Consort Jing's intelligence, it's impossible for her to compete for favor with someone who is already dead, especially since she's doing very well now."

Jiang Mi also felt that Consort Jing was not the kind of person who was blinded by love; she was content with getting what she wanted and shouldn't be too greedy.

At this moment, the Emperor called Huo Ran and Jiang Mi over together. Consort Jing was helping the Empress Dowager to admire the flowers. Only the Empress sat there forlornly, like a mere ornament. Presumably, she had grown accustomed to it over the years.

"Greetings, Your Majesty." Jiang Mi bowed deeply, but was suddenly helped up by Huo Ran. The Emperor never cared about such things.

"Seeing you like this, I am very pleased. Fortunately, I did not insist on separating you two back then, otherwise you would be heartbroken now."

Hearing this, Jiang Mi thought of the story of the Emperor and Empress that Huo Ran had just told her, so she smiled and said, "Thank you for your kindness, Your Majesty. Even if Your Majesty hadn't granted our wish, I would still live my life as usual. Without Huo Ran, would I, Jiang Mi, not be able to live?"

Upon hearing Jiang Mi's words, Huo Ran's face turned ashen: "Really? No, I can't live without you."

Jiang Mi only said this to the Emperor and Empress, but she didn't expect Huo Ran, that useless teammate, to undermine her. She glared at Huo Ran helplessly, wishing she had given him a heads-up.

"Hahaha, I see now. So, you suddenly pursued her, but she can still live without you. However, you've already won her over, which is a blessing for you. Cherish it and don't be too greedy."

Upon hearing the Emperor's words, the Empress looked over, her expression tinged with sadness.

Jiang Mi followed up, saying, "Your Majesty is right. 'Gather ye rosebuds while ye may, for time is still a-flying.' Cherishing the people in front of you is the most important thing. Don't wait until you've truly lost them to regret it. You should let go of what's already in the past."

The Emperor paused for a moment upon hearing this. He seemed to have thought of something and wanted to turn to look at the Empress, but he managed to restrain himself.

Jiang Mi stopped there, knowing that the Emperor had understood, and said no more.

After the banquet ended, Jiang Mi was finally able to leave with Huo Ran. Being watched by so many people here was a suffocating experience.

As Jiang Mi was leaving, she saw her father-in-law put Liu Zijun in another carriage, while Jiang Zhihai remained where he was, his face ashen, his triangular eyes looking as if he wanted to kill Liu Zijun.

"That's terrifying." Jiang Mi was thankful that she had the system's help and Huo Ran's protection, otherwise Jiang Zhihai would have succeeded that day.

Huo Ran glanced at the man, then helped Jiang Mi into the carriage. With him there, he would never let anyone bully Jiang Mi.

The next day, while she was still in Huo Ran's arms, Mo Hua came to knock on the door.

"Miss, someone has come to take over our shop. They said they will no longer rent it to us, and they even took away the signboard that says 'Moonrise'."

Upon hearing this, Jiang Mi immediately lost her sweet mood, quickly got up from Huo Ran's embrace, and stormed out.

"What happened? Did you not pay them enough rent? You agreed on everything before, why are you suddenly doing this now?"

Mo Huaqi's face turned red: "Miss, we didn't know that the owner behind that shop was actually the Liu family. Now that Liu Zijun is deliberately making things difficult for us."

Jiang Mi sneered upon hearing this: "She finally got home, but instead of dealing with the Jiang family, she's targeting me. Interesting. I'd like to see what she's going to do."

Now that everyone knows who the owner of Yue Shang Shao is, Jiang Mi no longer hides it and goes to Yue Shang Shao dressed as the Crown Prince's wife.

Huo Ran then stood up. Now that the Prime Minister's residence was involved, he naturally had to protect Jiang Mi's safety.

When Jiang Mi arrived, she saw a group of people dismantling things from the moon. She walked over and scolded them, "What are you doing?"

The man glanced at Jiang Mi and noticed that her attire suggested she wasn't from an ordinary family, but she looked completely unfamiliar, so he figured she might just be a wealthy person.

"What are you doing? What's it to you? Get out of the way."

Mo Hua scolded, "How dare you make such a promise to the Crown Princess! You have a lot of nerve!"

Upon hearing that it was the Crown Princess, the men immediately stopped what they were doing in fright: "We are just following orders. We don't know what important business the Crown Princess has come for. If you're here to buy soap, you're probably not going to be able to buy any. Our boss is taking the shop away now."

"On what grounds? The date hasn't arrived yet. How is your behavior any different from that of robbers? Are you trying to bully us by abusing your power?"

A voice suddenly came from behind: "So what if that's how it is? This shop is mine, I can do whatever I want with it."

Jiang Mi turned around and met Liu Zijun's gaze. Seeing the jealousy and hatred in her eyes, she understood.

"It's all clearly written in black and white in our documents. In front of so many people, Madam Liu, are you sure you want to do this?"

Jiang Mi calling her "Madam" was already an honor; in the Jiang family, she was just a young mistress. However, even this title only fueled Liu Zijun's anger.

"What are you so smug about? So what if I go back on my word? This shop is mine, and Yue Shang Shao is mine too. Jiang Mi, don't think you get all the good things."

Jiang Mi laughed and said, "Are you trying to take it by force? You've lost all sense of shame. Even if Yue Shang Shao is given to you, how can you manage it? Do you know how to make soap, or do you have anyone who does?"

Liu Zijun snorted coldly: "So you think you're so capable? I spent a lot of money to poach one of your people. One is enough. Even if I can't do it, don't even think about taking the lead."

People around couldn't help but point and whisper about Liu Zijun.

"How could you do this? This is the daughter of the Prime Minister's family."

"So the Moonlit Peak belongs to the Crown Princess. The Crown Princess is truly amazing. The wine in that alley also belongs to her. Not only is she incredibly beautiful, but she is also so talented. No wonder she has captivated the Crown Prince."

Hearing others praise Jiang Mi like that, Liu Zijun completely lost her temper: "Shut up, all of you shut up! What is Jiang Mi? She's just a country bumpkin. I am the eldest daughter of the Prime Minister's family. We are worlds apart."

Siqin reminded her from the side, "That was before, Madam Liu. Wake up. Now you are just the wife of a fifth-rank official. The person standing in front of you is the Crown Prince's Consort. According to the rules, you should perform a grand ceremony."

Liu Zijun spat, "She, Jiang Mi, doesn't deserve it."

Madam Liu also came in person to support her daughter.

"Kid, stop talking so much nonsense. Just give them the rest of the rent money, and the last month's rent will be ours."

Jiang Mi isn't afraid of Yue Shangshao being taken away; now the whole capital knows that Yue Shangshao belongs to her, Jiang Mi.

"What good would it do to give them to you? Do you think there are no other houses in the capital? I'll convert all the shops under my name into Yue Shang Shao, exclusively for the Crown Princess's use."

Huo Ran appeared behind Jiang Mi without her noticing. Even though Jiang Mi could handle the situation herself, he still wanted to stand up for his wife and show everyone that no one could bully his woman.

Upon seeing Huo Ran, Liu Zijun's jealousy intensified.

This man originally belonged to her, but now she has nothing left; Jiang Mi has taken it all away.

"How affectionate you are, Brother Huo Ran! You're so heartless towards me!"