The wind was biting cold, as cold as ice.
After the third day of the Lunar New Year, the festive atmosphere gradually faded. On a main street west of the royal city, eight or nine fine horses suddenly sped by, carrying people on their backs, galloping non-stop toward the royal palace.
The horse's hooves galloped swiftly, instantly restoring the snow that had been swept into a small hill to its original state. The old man sweeping the floor glared angrily and muttered, "Pah, pah, pah, you damned bastard who's in such a hurry to be reincarnated."
"What happened? Why are you in such a hurry? Tsk, it must have been hard for you to shovel snow before dawn. Hahaha, all that shoveling for nothing."
Just then, the door of a house by the roadside creaked open, and an old woman poured a basin of hot water in front of the door to cool it down.
The old man sweeping the floor cursed at those people for a while longer before saying to the old woman, "This matter has spread far and wide, and you still don't know?"
The old woman shook her head repeatedly, saying, "During the New Year, we're busy with our own household affairs, how could we possibly have time to inquire about these things?"
The old man sweeping the floor said, "You must be really busy, even busier than me. I heard that His Majesty led his troops south overnight on New Year's Eve."
"Didn't His Majesty go to Langya Pass to fight last year? This time he just changed direction and went south. What's so strange about that?" The old woman said with her hands tucked into her sleeves, her lips pursed, as it was very cold.
"If only it were that simple," the old sweeper said, glancing around to make sure no one was eavesdropping. He lowered his voice and said, "This time it's different. Things are about to change. It's said that His Majesty has handed the Imperial Seal to the Empress. Tell me, what kind of thing is this? Can a woman be the ruler of a country? Can a woman do great things? Women are only supposed to be good wives and mothers and do embroidery."
"Go away, go away, get out of here." These words were truly infuriating. The old woman spat, "You really can't say anything nice. No wonder you're over sixty and still haven't found a lover. You look down on women? Didn't you come from a woman's womb yourself? The Empress is the mother of the nation. When His Majesty went south, what's wrong with her temporarily keeping the Imperial Seal safe?"
"Besides, Her Majesty is the first in the Four Flowers Banquet, a great woman of talent whose name is known throughout the six kingdoms. What do you know?"
The old woman then sneered and said, "And another thing, you've managed to make such a good wife sound bad because of your foul mouth. Bah, you deserve to sweep the floor for the rest of your life!"
The old man sweeping the floor angrily retorted, "You fierce woman, we were just chatting, why are you cursing at me? What's wrong with sweeping? I don't care about my wife and kids, I only love sweeping! So what?"
After saying that, he raised a finger and pointed in the direction where the horse had gone: "Did you see that group of people who just passed by? That's the sixteenth group already. They're here specifically to oppose the Empress's rule. Hmph, you say I look down on women, but I'm not the only one."
While it may seem easy for Shen Jiao to become empress, it was not easy for her to actually hold the position. When the tyrant was in the capital, who would dare to storm into the palace so openly? No one would dare to court death.
As the saying goes, a kind person is bullied, and a good horse is ridden. It's just that the tyrant is far away in the south, and she is only a woman in the palace who can't achieve anything great. So, those henchmen who were lurking in every corner couldn't hold back and started to show their true colors.
After all, this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
At this moment, the atmosphere inside Haoyue Palace was oppressive, with palace servants kneeling in a row, each with their heads bowed.
Shen Jiao had just woken up and was feeling weak all over. It took her a while to get up and sit up before she regained some strength.
Rubbing her dizzy head, she questioned Wang Fu, "Where's Ji Yan? Where did he go? That damned bastard who uses his beauty to seduce me actually drugged me! Where the hell did he go?!"
In the latter half of New Year's Eve, she was completely captivated by Ji Yan's tender affection, so much so that she lost track of time. Ji Yan then warmly invited her to have a drink. With such a beauty in her arms, it would seem pretentious for her to refuse.
But who could have imagined that this cup of fruit wine, which revealed her true nature and unpretentiousness, would cause her to fall into a deep sleep for three whole days?
The palace servants trembled at Shen Jiao's fierce manner in naming and denouncing the tyrant. They all thought to themselves, "Should we say something or not? The Empress's fierce appearance, like she's swallowed a firecracker, is exactly like His Majesty's."
Wang Fu, with an expression of expectation, said gently, "Your Majesty, you know him all too well. His Majesty's whereabouts are always elusive. This old servant has never dared to inquire too much. His Majesty may have gone out for a walk and may be back soon."
It would be suspicious if Shen Jiao believed him. If it was just a simple walk, would he really give her such a strong drug?
She looked up and shouted towards the top of the hall, "Come out!"
In an instant, the Dragon Shadow Guards who had been hiding on the roof beams pretending to be deaf and dumb had no choice but to show themselves and kneel before Shen Jiao.
Shen Jiao knew this meant the other party was recognizing her as their master, and her beautiful brows furrowed even more as she asked, "You didn't know either?"
The group remained silent, their heads bowed even lower.
Before the Dragon Shadow Guards recognized Shen Jiao as their master, they were still following the tyrant's orders. Shen Jiao now understood that even if she pried open their mouths, she wouldn't get a single word out of them, as Ji Yan had previously instructed her.
He then cursed Ji Yan in his heart again.
Shen Jiao raised her hand and found that her blood was flowing smoothly and she could walk without any problems. Ignoring Xi An and Wang Fu's attempts to stop her, she got up and walked straight out of Haoyue Palace.
As soon as I came out, I was stunned.
On the once spacious square, a densely packed group of armored soldiers, each wielding a long spear, stood, exuding an imposing aura.
The person in the lead was someone Shen Jiao knew all too well; it was none other than Chen Bao.
The doors of Haoyue Palace suddenly opened to both sides, and the moment Shen Jiao appeared, Chen Bao immediately led his soldiers to salute and shout: "It's cold and windy, Your Highness, please return to the palace quickly."
Shen Jiao felt as if the three days she was unconscious had lasted for an eternity, and she couldn't understand it at all.
With her hands hanging at her sides, slightly clenched into fists, she asked, "Chen Bao, what does this mean?"
Chen Bao remained expressionless and offered no explanation, repeating in a deep voice, "It's cold and windy, Your Highness, please return to your palace."
Damn it, Chen Jiao now wished she could burn Haoyue Palace to the ground, no, no, she'd rather burn the royal palace to ashes too.
Finally, find Ji Yan and kick him a few times.
It's true what they say, "Birds of a feather flock together, but when disaster strikes, they're forced to fly away separately!"
Shen Jiao realized that trying to appeal to Chen Bao's emotions was useless, and her expression hardened as she said, "Chen Bao, I order you to tell me immediately, where has Ji Yan gone?"
Chen Bao was the type who couldn't hold back, and was about to speak when he saw Wang Fu behind Shen Jiao frantically giving him meaningful glances.
It was truly pitiful that Eunuch Wang's glare only went to his head. Chen Bao was forced to shut his mouth, but then he heard Shen Jiao coldly say, "This is an imperial edict!"
Everyone was taken aback.
Oh right, how could I forget this? Even if Shen Jiao has a good temper, we can't ignore the fact that she holds a high position.
The little girl who used to tremble at the sight of killing at Langya Pass has grown up and will never return. She has transformed into the Empress, second only to the Emperor.
It is irresistible.
Shen Jiao stared directly at Chen Bao, exuding an overwhelming aura of power.
Wang Fuhong was so anxious that sparks were flying from his hair. He jumped out to stop him, but he was still a step too late for Chen Bao.
"Your Majesty, His Majesty... has traveled south."
Shen Jiao's eyes widened: "Southward?"
If I remember correctly, the area south of the Great Yan bordered the Liang Kingdom. Therefore, Murong Chen was merely a pretext for the tyrant to attack the Liang Kingdom.
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