Before the Empress could finish speaking, Xuanyuan Han took out an envelope from his person and handed it to the Empress.
As the Empress took it from Xuanyuan Han's hands, she asked, puzzled, "What is this?"
Upon opening it, he found it was a gift list that he had ordered to be delivered to the Yi Mansion in the west of the city.
Then, her eyes widened in astonishment as she asked, "Uncle Qin, what do you mean by this? Why have you returned all the dowry I gave to Yun'er intact?"
Xuanyuan Han explained, "I appreciate your kindness on behalf of Yun'er. However... you heard it just now. If I hadn't discovered it in time and crossed out your ten-mile-long dowry, I'm sure you would have been furious today."
The Empress, however, disagreed and handed the items back to the Emperor, quickly explaining, "These are all my own things; His Majesty has no right to interfere."
Xuanyuan Han put his hands behind his back and said, "Husband and wife are one, inseparable. To avoid suspicion, please take it back, sister-in-law."
He paused, then continued, "I can afford to support my women, so I won't trouble you, my sister-in-law."
After saying that, he turned and left without any hesitation.
Watching his cold, receding figure, the Empress slowly withdrew her hand, which was still suspended in mid-air.
After a moment's thought, he suddenly raised his voice and shouted, "Stop!"
Upon hearing this, Xuan Yuanhan did not turn around, but stopped with his back to her and asked, "Is there anything else, Sister-in-law?"
The Empress looked around and, seeing that there was no one else, quickly took two steps and chased after him again.
He said to Xuan Yuanhan's back, "Uncle Qin, Yun'er, she is the descendant of the Guardians, right?"
Upon hearing this, Xuan Yuanhan was extremely surprised, and his gaze immediately turned to the front, momentarily stunned.
He then slowly turned around and said, "What do you mean by that, Your Majesty? I don't know what you're talking about."
The Empress smiled and said, "What do I mean by that? Does the King of Qin really not know what I am saying? Or is it that Uncle Qin clearly knows better than I do, but still refuses to admit it... Yun'er, she is the descendant of the guardian of my Western Qin Kingdom who has been lost for many years."
Although Xuanyuan Han did not know where the Empress had obtained the information, seeing that the Empress seemed quite confident at the moment, he remained silent for a while.
Unexpectedly, the Empress then suddenly added, "Every guardian possesses a phoenix mark that is unique to them and can only be found among their descendants. I presume that the Prince of Qin has already personally verified the phoenix mark on that girl's body? There is no need for me to order someone to verify it again!"
Xuanyuan Han never expected that the Empress knew so much about the descendants of the Guardians.
All along, she had been trying her best to hide her identity, but she never expected that Yi Shangyun's identity would still be exposed.
Upon hearing that the Empress actually wanted to examine her body herself, he became somewhat anxious and shouted, "I'll see who dares to touch her!"
The empress was startled when she saw his cold, sword-like eyes shooting towards her.
She quickly regained her senses, then sneered and said, "If I really wanted to harm her, I wouldn't be here alone with the Prince of Qin saying these things."
Xuanyuan Han then realized that she had come for another purpose, so he turned to face her sideways and asked in a deep voice, "What do you want?"
The Empress said, "I presume that Uncle Qin should know that each guardian can only, and will only, protect the Emperor of Western Qin."
Xuanyuan Han replied without fear, "So what? She is now my queen."
The Empress thought for a moment and said, "You can be the guardian, but you must promise to do one thing for me."
"What do you want me to do?" Xuan Yuanhan paused for a moment before asking.
The Empress's face gradually filled with boundless sorrow as she said, "I know that all these years, it has been the Prince of Qin who has helped the Emperor expand the territory, defeat the Northern Lie, resist foreign threats, and protect the people of Western Qin."
Xuanyuan Han said coldly, "These are all things that a subject should do as a matter of course."
The Empress gave him a wry smile, shook her head slightly, and continued in a low voice, "I am well aware that the power struggle between the Prince of Qin and the Emperor within the court is becoming increasingly fierce. In recent years, the Emperor has been stubborn and willful, unable to appoint people based on merit or to know how to use people effectively. This has led many of his officials to act recklessly in the provinces, arbitrarily increasing taxes and extorting money from the people, causing widespread suffering among the populace."
After a pause, the emperor, still seething with resentment, continued, "Man-made disasters have compounded natural calamities. Since His Majesty ascended the throne, earthquakes and floods have occurred frequently. Furthermore, officials have been finding ways to force the people to repair river embankments for the court free of charge, which has already caused widespread discontent among the people."
As she spoke, she glanced at Xuan Yuanhan's solemn profile and said, "However, if it weren't for Qin Huangshu personally taking charge and anonymously donating his own money, the people would not have received timely relief. If Qin Huangshu hadn't personally led the people to repair the dikes and secretly purchased a large amount of fertile land freed up by the siltation to distribute to the disaster victims, the people of this country would have lived in misery for eternity."
The Empress knew very well that this continent was about to change.
But no matter what, all she wanted to do was protect her two children.
Emperor Jing is incompetent and has lost the support of the people over the years; he has even turned his own flesh and blood against them.
Whenever she thought of or heard news about Dongning Kingdom, the Empress was filled with fear.
Now, under heaven, perhaps only King Xuanyuan Han of Qin can protect them.
Moreover, he now has the support of the Guardians' power, and it is widely believed that whoever obtains the Guardians' power will rule the world.
All the efforts of people in the world to find this power have been in vain. In fact, its true master does not need to be searched for; the guardian will naturally come to its side.
The empress suddenly realized.
Looking back at the shocking secret I heard in Yong'an Palace, I realized that Emperor Jing was actually a fake prince whom the Empress Dowager had no choice but to pretend to be.
Meanwhile, she herself, and her mother, with whom she had addressed as mother and daughter for many years, were secretly plotting such a grand conspiracy.
In that case, wouldn't the true emperor of the Western Qin Kingdom be none other than the wise and brave Xuanyuan Han, who is deeply loved by the people?
All of this is truly incredible.
After much deliberation, the Empress pleaded with him, "I would like to ask Uncle Qin that in the future, whatever you wish to do, please be sure to protect Yue'er and Hao'er. They have never done anything and know nothing. They have admired Uncle Qin since they were young, respect you greatly, and take you as their role model."
Seeing that the Empress was indeed very serious after today's conversation, Xuan Yuanhan also thought about it seriously and asked her tentatively, "What if I don't agree?"
The Empress was a gentle and kind person, but she was also strong when she became a mother. So she gritted her teeth and said fiercely, "Then don't blame me, Uncle Qin, for risking my life to protect my two children. I will perish together with the guardian."
Xuanyuan Han thought for a moment, and finally agreed to her request: "Alright, I agree. But... I am not afraid that you will threaten me with Yun'er. Yun'er is my everything, and I will protect my woman with my life and will not let her be in any danger. The reason I agree to you today is because... I have never thought of harming the Crown Prince and the Princess. I... have no reason to."
At this point, the Empress finally smiled with relief...
Meanwhile, in the Imperial Pharmacy.
However, it didn't seem like a coincidence. He had wanted to give Dingxiang a surprise after not seeing her for so long.
However, upon arrival, they learned that Dingxiang had been sent out of the palace on official business and was supposed to return early this morning, but she had not yet returned.
Yesterday, the King of Qin held a grand wedding, but the bride he married was not a noblewoman from a prestigious family. Instead, she was the daughter of the Yi family in the west of the city, who had once worked as a servant in the imperial pharmacy, just like many others.
Once this news came out, Yi Shangyun became known throughout the palace as a sparrow who had risen to prominence overnight.
Although everyone still held her in awe due to her noble background with the Prince of Qin's mansion, and wherever she went, people would curtsy and bow to her, saying, "Greetings to the Princess Consort of Qin."
Both of them greeted him warmly, saying, "Please get up, there's no need for such formalities."
Upon seeing Princess Qin arrive in person, Judge Zhang hurriedly came out of the pharmacy to personally greet her.
Upon seeing him appear, Yi Shangyun hurriedly said, "How have you been, Your Excellency, the Chief Justice?"
With a broad smile, Judge Zhang said, "It is an honor to have Princess Qin grace the Imperial Pharmacy with her presence. I am deeply sorry for not welcoming you properly!"
Yi Shangyun smiled and said, "Your Excellency, there's no need to be so polite. I'm just passing through the palace today to visit an old friend."
Since Dingxiang was not present, Judge Zhang invited Yi Shangyun into the hall for tea and a chat.
As a result, there were inevitably a few individuals who began to stand outside the door and point fingers at him behind his back.
Just like the woman in front of him, the great medicine woman before Yi Shangyun, was leading a group of medicine women huddled together, spewing filthy words.
"I've always known she's a vixen at heart. Back in the Imperial Pharmacy, I don't know how she managed to seduce the Prince behind his back. Now, she's successfully climbed into His Highness Prince Qin's bed. I wonder how long she can enjoy this good life before she suffers a worse fate than the previous Princess Qin, and is sure to be kicked out just like before."
Another woman of similar age, while striking a pose, sighed deeply, "Alas, I don't know how our all-powerful King of Qin could have fallen for her. What a waste of my beautiful face. Spending all day here with these weeds, I feel like I'm withering away. When will I ever see His Highness King of Qin again?"
Upon hearing this, the female medicine doctors all chimed in, "Yes, yes, we long to catch another glimpse of the King of Qin's handsome appearance."
Just then, a stern reprimanding voice suddenly came from behind the group...
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