Seeing that Zhao Zhi remained silent, Yun Zhang slowly walked towards her, squatted down in front of her, and said in a low voice, "In fact, once Your Majesty gives birth to a son, there will surely be many ministers in the court who will advise Your Majesty to kill the Imperial Noble Consort and consolidate imperial power."
Zhao Zhi suddenly looked at him, a flash of anger in her eyes. If she had listened to the slander, she would not have let her grandfather go to save him.
If she wanted to kill him, why go to all that trouble to save him? Did she really think that saving him was just a formality to deceive the people behind him?
Although he was nominally her Imperial Nobleman, the two were not husband and wife in reality. Their relationship was nothing more than a transaction based on weighing the pros and cons.
If she had any feelings for him, all that remained was a meager teacher-student bond. His death would come when even that meager bond was exhausted.
Yun Zhang continued to retort, "After all, Your Majesty is a woman, and the throne was hard-won. If you want to keep the throne, you must have strong measures. As Your Majesty's bedmate, I am also 'deeply' favored by Your Majesty. If I am not eliminated as soon as possible, I am afraid I will become a major threat to Your Majesty."
Upon hearing this, Zhao Zhi trembled with rage. "Get out of here!"
Seeing Zhao Zhi's agitated state, Yun Zhang glanced outside out of the corner of his eye, stood up, bowed, and said softly, "Your Majesty, please don't be angry. I will get out of here now."
Zhao Zhi waved her hand, knocking over the plate of grapes that Yun Zhang had just peeled for her. The glistening, round, pearl-like grapes rolled and scattered on the floor.
Some of them rolled to the feet of the person who had just stepped into the hall.
The newcomer frowned slightly, recalling the moment when he had brushed past Yun Zhang outside the hall.
The person seemed to be smiling.
Zhao Zhi, who was inside the hall, was clearly furious.
"You're angry about him? When has he ever been worth getting this angry about?"
A highly oppressive voice, tinged with a hint of jealousy, suddenly rang out above him.
Zhao Zhi suddenly came to her senses. She looked up and saw Shen Hanshan in a maroon robe. She stood up abruptly, and her head unexpectedly bumped into Shen Hanshan's chin.
"Hiss—" Shen Hanshan gasped in pain.
Why are you so agitated?
"Your Majesty, I already informed you, but you were probably too angry to hear me," Cuiyun explained tremblingly from the side.
"You may leave now," Zhao Zhi instructed, raising her hand.
Cuiyun nodded in agreement and gestured for the other maids in the hall to retreat outside the door.
"Does it hurt?" Zhao Zhi tenderly stroked Shen Hanshan's chin and said with annoyance, "It's all my fault."
Shen Hanshan held Zhao Zhi's hand and gently placed a light kiss on her forehead. "It's alright. I gladly accept the pain you give me."
“I’m worried that my brother… has murderous intent toward you.” Zhao Zhi sighed softly. “My brother has no children. If he proposes to adopt either Xuan’er or Xiao Xiao, I will not stop him. But I’m worried that after the adoption, he will kill you.”
Shen Hanshan gently put his arm around her waist and softly called out Zhao Zhi's name.
"Huh?" Zhao Zhi was puzzled.
“Zhizhi, I want to hold onto this position as your husband for the rest of my life,” Shen Hanshan said, then lowered his head, his newly grown stubble gently brushing against Zhao Zhi’s fair neck.
"It itches." Zhao Zhi laughed and tried to push him away. "What do you mean by that?"
“Fool, I’m not that easy to kill. Besides,” he suddenly took Zhao Zhi’s earlobe into his mouth.
A surge of electricity instantly coursed through Zhao Zhi's limbs and bones.
"I dare not die before you. You are now the Empress, and there will surely be a selection of concubines after the spring."
"Hanshan, I—" Shen Hanshan was right. She was definitely going to participate in the imperial concubine selection after the spring. Although she was not fond of love affairs or obsessed with matters between men and women, her brother Cui Shenghe had sent her a secret letter a few days ago, along with several small portraits, all of which were of men.
The imperial court and the harem are inextricably linked. Most importantly, since she spared the life of Imperial Nobleman Yunzhang, she naturally had to take other husbands to restrain his power.
We cannot allow one company to dominate; a balance of power is the best approach.
“Zhizhi, I’ve come here today to tell you that what you hear isn’t necessarily true, and what you see isn’t necessarily real. You should follow your heart.”
"Hanshan, you know, my heart has always been with you," Zhao Zhi explained anxiously.
Her words contained eight parts sincerity and two parts calculation. After all, Shen Hanshan was someone she could only use.
Shen Hanshan looked at her calmly, as if trying to discern the truth in her words.
He said softly, "Of course I know. So Naf's matter should proceed as normal. Perhaps there will be some unexpected surprises." His voice carried a hint of mystery and anticipation, but he deliberately left the answer unsaid.
These past few days, Zhao Zhi hadn't been getting enough rest because of the assassin incident, and she looked quite exhausted. She yawned several times in a row, and had no mind to try to decipher the hidden meaning in Shen Hanshan's words.
She raised her hand, rubbed her temples, and said wearily, "I'm sleepy. You can go first. When you leave, have Cuiyun come in to serve you."
Shen Hanshan nodded and turned to leave. Cuiyun followed several maids into the hall silently.
Zhao Zhi lay on the small couch, and Cuiyun gently massaged her shoulders.
She closed her eyes, trying to relax. However, her thoughts drifted involuntarily to the future. She didn't know what the "surprise" Shen Hanshan was talking about was, but she hoped everything would go according to her and her brother's plan.
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