But the most humble thing is that even though Helan Yinsheng treated her like this, she still couldn't bear to hate him.

***

On the Hekun Gate Tower, Helan Ruizhe held Jin Suting's hand.

This is the place where Alan and Jin Suting came together when they met for the second time.

“It’s very high here,” she said.

He said, "This is the highest tower in the imperial palace of Funing City."

Almost four years have passed, and they are standing here again, admiring the moon and the brilliant fireworks.

When everything returned to calm, Jin Suting turned her head and asked Helan Ruizhe, "I've been missing for three years. Aren't you worried at all about what I've been through in those three years?"

It seemed to be a joking tone, but also mixed with a bit of selfish seriousness.

"I'd be lying if I said I wasn't worried," Helan Ruizhe said. "I'm afraid you've suffered too much injustice in the past three years, and I wouldn't be able to bear it."

Jin Suting found it funny and tightened her rabbit fur shawl around her. "You don't look that fragile mentally."

Helan Ruizhe also smiled. In the distance, there were lights everywhere. It must be the scene of a family reunion. He took Jin Suting's hand and said, "I don't look strong either."

She stopped laughing and asked casually, "They all said I came back for revenge."

"Are you afraid that I'm really coming back for revenge?"

Of course I had heard about it, and it spread throughout the palace and outside.

But Helan Ruizhe didn't care, "If you want revenge, then come on."

Jin Suting said seriously, "Are you really not afraid of death?"

"If you don't become my queen, there's no point in being the emperor alone."

Helan Ruizhe thought she was joking, and she had indeed thought carefully about the answer she gave.

The fireworks sounded again, exploding along with Jin Suting's heartbeat. She felt incredible.

How could there be such a man in this world who would disregard his own life and death for a woman?

Afterwards, she could only disguise her question as a joke and quickly turned the subject around and said, "How many fireworks did you buy? They took so long to set off."

Helan Ruizhe smiled but said nothing. When another firework bloomed, he whispered in her ear, "I've booked all the fireworks shops outside the city and will set off fireworks for you all night long."

Jin Suting exclaimed: "You'll scare the moon like this!"

Both of them laughed, putting aside all the complicated things in this world to enjoy this brief moment of beauty.

Jin Suting thought that she didn't seem to hate Helan Ruizhe.

Revenge seemed to be just to complete a mission, but she knew it was not a good idea to think that way.

But she is no longer the person who would stop her thoughts. She just does what she thinks.

***

The selection was scheduled for September 25th. It was a very lively day. After so many years, the emperor of Fuding finally held a selection again.

Girls of marriageable age from Jiangnan, Northwest, Southeast and Funing all applied to be selected as concubines.

It was screened layer by layer from below and finally presented to the Queen.

Jin Suting told Helan Ruizhe the night before that she must be present on the day of the audition.

But he still hadn't shown up after the fight had already begun. What could Jin Suting do? She had to go ahead with it.

The location was set at Changle Palace, and Concubine Li sat next to Jin Suting.

She just came to see the fun, under the pretext of offering some advice. After all, she was also a concubine, and in southern Xinjiang, there were no selections. Husbands and wives were very loving and monogamous.

The list that Yueji compiled for her finally contained forty-eight people. Jin Suting planned to select twenty or thirty of them. This would not only distract Helan Ruizhe's attention and prevent him from staying in Fengluan Palace every day, but would also give her a good reputation for being magnanimous and considering the overall situation.

The selected beauties will be given a head flower, and those who are not selected can leave after collecting some silver.

There were five people in the first batch who came in. Jin Suting liked all of them. The pretty little girls were very attractive.

"Qin'er, give me a hair flower as a reward!"

The five concubines were all confused because they hadn't introduced themselves yet.

Tan Er looked at the few hair flowers on the plate and asked uncertainly, "Madam, are these all for me?"

Helan Ruizhe secretly reduced the number of flowers on her head to five, and specifically asked Tan'er to keep an eye on the Empress.

Jin Suting nodded, "Yeah, they all look good."

The five concubines couldn't hide their excitement. They didn't expect the Empress to be so kind. But Concubine Li couldn't sit still. "Empress, even when choosing livestock, one has to consider their weight, let alone choosing a concubine for the Emperor."

Unable to avoid a hint of sarcasm, Jin Suting asked her, "Oh? What does Concubine Li have to say?"

Concubine Li took control of the situation and began to find fault: "The one in the green dress, her eyes are too small, the emperor's eyes will become smaller if she sees them. The one in the red dress has a flat nose, it will affect the royal heirs in the future. The one with the peony on her head, how dare you wear a peony when the Empress is still here? You really don't take the Empress seriously. And the one with your head down, shaking, I'm talking about you, raise your head. You don't even dare to raise your head, you don't have the courage at all, how can you sleep with the Emperor? All four of you are unfit!"

Jin Suting was amazed. Concubine Li...

"Empress Li, what about me?" There was only one girl left. She looked only sixteen years old. She was pretty and well-dressed. This time, Empress Li must have found the right person.

"The sound is too bad, no!"

The little girl was so aggrieved that she cried. Jin Suting felt sorry for her and gave her two more taels of silver.

Jin Suting: "I say, Concubine Li, you are too harsh."

Concubine Li raised her head proudly and said, "Can you be so perfunctory when choosing a concubine for the emperor?"

These words were both overt and covert criticism of Jin Suting's incompetence as Empress. She was certainly not someone to be bullied. "Oh? So, Empress Li is truly skilled at making people cry?"

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