"You're really making me mad at you. Your father died a long time ago, and I neglected to discipline you, which is why you came up with such ridiculous ideas."

The Queen Mother was so disappointed with Helan Ruizhe that she paced back and forth impatiently in front of the kneeling Helan Ruizhe.

Helan Ruizhe spoke softly, but every word was firm: "I can be the emperor, but I don't want to marry a princess I don't like."

"National justice and love cannot coexist. Yu Qinglan is your best choice! Do you still remember what you said? You said you wanted to save the people from danger and help the country stand independent in troubled times. You were bewitched by that girl! I even believed her lies that you didn't like her, bullshit!" The Queen Mother was so angry that she cursed.

She was once a princess who had been exiled to other places. She was taken back by the late emperor when she was sixteen years old. When there was no prince to inherit the throne, she became the empress and the queen mother of Fuding Kingdom.

She had developed a barbaric habit since childhood. Since coming to this deep palace, although she has restrained herself a little, she still has a lively and romantic personality.

What she thought was what she thought. After she ascended the throne and took on the responsibility alone, she lived more and more like those old-fashioned people she had avoided before.

"Did you make things difficult for her that day?" Helan Ruizhe's face looked very grim.

The Queen Mother snorted, "You can do that. Do you think I'm controlling you too much now? You've grown up, haven't you? You've grown up and become independent. You don't need me, your grandmother, to control you anymore. Are you going to give me a hard time just for a woman?"

Helan Ruizhe frowned. He had just been beaten several feet and the pain in his wound had become numb. He could only feel the blood flowing down his back.

"There's no need to make such a fuss."

"I said I would support the country and save the people, and I will keep my promise to be a good emperor in the future. If even my wife is not someone I like and I am not allowed to choose, how can I govern the country and make Fuding prosperous?"

Every word was powerful and touched the heart of the Mother of the Nation.

The Queen Mother looked at him, then froze for a moment before speaking softly, "You protect her like this, even disobeying me in front of me for her. Aren't you afraid that something might happen to her?"

The threat in his tone was obvious, but Helan Ruizhe remained fearless: "I am making my stance clear, which means I have enough ability to protect her. The only one who can go beyond me and hurt her is you."

"But I know you won't. I can see that you don't actually hate her."

The Queen Mother's voice suddenly rose: "How can you be so sure that I don't hate her?"

"That girl, she looks like Ranran, both are top-notch beauties, but she doesn't have Ranran's generosity, temperament, or talent. If we compare any of these aspects individually, how can she compare to Ranran?"

Helan Ruizhe suddenly interrupted: "She is already dead, so don't say anything more."

His eyes were full of pleading: "Please."

The Queen Mother saw the sadness in his eyes and stopped talking.

Changing the subject: "Three months later, if that girl can satisfy me, I will agree. If not, you will marry Lanlan."

Helan Ruizhe nodded lightly. Before he started the protest, he had anticipated how long the Queen Mother would give her. Three months was enough.

As long as I can make her fall in love with me, everything will be solved.

As long as she has him in her heart, that's enough.

——

General's Mansion.

When it was almost dawn, the man in black appeared in the old general's room again, fed him a pill, and left.

The man in black would appear in the old general's room every night, feed him a pill and then leave. This went on for six days.

Jin Suting got up early as usual and went to her small barbecue stall to earn money.

Her reputation gradually spread, and everyone in Funing City knew that there was a beautiful cook on West Street who sold a kind of delicacy that had never been seen before, which was spicy and sweet, and the taste was so delicious that people couldn't stop eating.

They all lined up to try the rumored popular food.

Jin Suting's business was booming day by day, and this news reached Lu's ears.

She originally thought that if Jin Suting's food and money were cut off, she would be in dire straits. However, she never expected that the old general was not dead yet, and Jin Suting's life was getting better day by day.

If she doesn't take action and do something, she will no longer be a member of the Lu family.