“Hmm,” Ji Xuan nodded slightly, “Take him away and dispose of him directly.”
“No, you can’t do this to me,” Qin Shi said, unwilling to accept the outcome. “The Crown Prince, yes, the Crown Prince still needs my care. He can’t live without me.”
Upon hearing this, Qi Yong scoffed, "Can't live without you? Who do you think you are? You're nothing but a disgusting thing. Do you really think you're a human being?"
After saying that, he waved his hand and beckoned people over, "Don't let her get away with this. When you're done, just throw her up on the mountain to feed the wolves. Keep an eye on her and only come back when there are no remains."
"yes!"
"No, no, you..."
Qin was terrified and struggled to shout, but her mouth was gagged and she was dragged out.
"Your Majesty," Qi Yong said with great regret, "if I had known it was this kind of thing, I should have killed it with a single blow back then."
What is that?!
By sparing her a worthless life and providing her with a comfortable life, she ended up raising a troublemaker who almost caused her master's death.
Even tearing him to pieces wouldn't ease the hatred in his heart.
If I had known he was such a scoundrel, I should have torn him to pieces back in Ping'an County.
"Have someone tell the late Crown Prince about this. Remember, not a single word is to be omitted, especially regarding that bastard!"
Ji Xuan was also feeling bad.
This vicious woman, who can't read a single word, has managed to stir up such a huge storm. If he hadn't seen it with his own eyes, he wouldn't have believed it.
“Yes, Your Majesty,” Qi Yong paused, then cautiously suggested, “Your Majesty, your health is improving, shouldn’t we begin the selection of consorts?”
The imperial palace did have consorts, but only two, who were former palace maids who had taught the emperor about sexual matters.
Ji Xuan knew that her health was poor and she was unable to give birth to an imperial heir. She was not enthusiastic about such matters and only wanted to make do with the two heirs. She gave them very good titles, and although both of them came from humble backgrounds, they were both granted the title of concubine.
However, the emperor rarely visited the harem, and the two did not receive his favor, so their presence was not prominent.
More precisely, the entire harem had a very low profile.
The shadow cast by the Empress Dowager's interference in politics was too great. Both Ji Xuan and the ministers of the previous dynasty were wary of this matter, so they all intended to weaken the influence of the harem. This is also the reason why no one has advised against appointing an empress to this day.
In other words, the officials were only concerned about whether there was an heir apparent, and did not care about the appointment of an empress.
“Now is not the right time,” Ji Xuan decided to refuse after a moment’s consideration. “These are turbulent times, and we cannot do something as wasteful and exhausting as holding a talent selection. The people already think that I am incompetent and tyrannical. If we hold a talent selection now, wouldn’t I really be as they say?”
Moreover, even without the talent show, he wouldn't lack women.
“Even if there is no imperial selection, the emperor should still favor the harem,” Qi Yong said, pursing his lips. “It is ultimately inappropriate for the palace to have no imperial heir.”
If a lowly village woman dares to confuse royal bloodlines, then this matter really can't be delayed any longer.
"Let me consult the imperial physicians and hear their opinions first," Ji Xuan did not refuse. "If it is feasible, then you can arrange it."
Ji Xuan disliked this feeling of being forced into a situation, but reason told him that he couldn't run away no matter what.
Upon hearing this, Qi Yong immediately relaxed his brow, "It's good that Your Majesty has come to your understanding."
At the residence of the Lady Protector of the Nation, Jiang Nuan was somewhat puzzled as to why she had not yet been summoned to the palace.
It's not that I'm being presumptuous, but I feel that this kind of occasion is the perfect opportunity for a charlatan to make his appearance.
However, she wouldn't refuse a moment of leisure, and she would sit in a chair, drinking tea and reading a book, enjoying a rare moment of peace.
The more she delved into formations, the more profound and fascinating they became, and the more she found herself captivated by them. There was still so much for her to learn on this path.
It's a thin book that I've read countless times, yet I still gain new insights after rereading it.
After a long while, a servant reported.
"Madam, Grand Secretary Liu requests an audience."
"Have him wait in the front hall. I'll be there shortly."
"yes!"
When Jiang Nuan arrived, Liu An was gulping down water.
"Liu An, what brings you here?"
“Madam,” Liu An stood up and hurried over to greet her, “I should be asking you that. Why did you suddenly come to the capital?”
It really caught us completely off guard!
“I’ve had a bad feeling lately,” Jiang Nuan rubbed her temples and explained, “I feel like I’ll regret it if I don’t come out.”
“That’s right,” Liu Ansheng said with a sense of relief. “If the lady hadn’t come, His Majesty might have really been in trouble, and the entire Great Zhou would have been in chaos. Fortunately, it’s all over now.”
“There is no past,” Jiang Nuan hesitated for a moment, but still decided to voice her concerns, “This feeling has not disappeared.”
She found this strange too.
I initially thought it was an earthquake, but since Ji Xuan didn't summon me, it probably wasn't a big deal.
However, this feeling has never dissipated.
"It hasn't dissipated yet?" Liu An became alert. "Even the assassination attempt on His Majesty doesn't count?"
In Liu An's eyes, there was no greater event than the death of the emperor, unless the entire Great Zhou Dynasty collapsed.
“I don’t know,” Jiang Nuan said, also troubled. “It feels like something is very vague. Maybe I’m just overthinking it.”
Despite saying that, she couldn't completely let it go.
Whether in the past or present, her intuition is always accurate. In her previous life, she had a vague premonition when boarding the plane, but she didn't take it seriously at the time. Later, it turned out to be true...
However, I couldn't find a single clue, and I was driven to the brink of frustration and despair.
“No,” Liu An said, taking these words even more seriously than Jiang Nuan. “Madam is no ordinary person. Her feeling is not unfounded. We must make plans as soon as possible.”
He paused, then cautiously probed, "What can you feel?"
"Not a family matter!"
“It’s not a family matter,” Liu An frowned, “it’s a matter of state?”
"Maybe," Jiang Nuan said helplessly, "I don't know either."
If we could have predicted even a little bit, we wouldn't be in such a state of confusion now.
"This is troublesome."
I don't know anything, so I can't even start preparing in advance.
"Let's not talk about that," unable to get any ideas out of it, Jiang Nuan simply changed the subject. "What happened with the earthquake before? How are you going to handle it?"
"We haven't received any news yet. Grand Secretary An speculates that it's probably in Ji Province, and there's nothing serious there."
"I guessed that before, and it turned out to be true."
“Madam is wise. By the way,” Liu An suddenly thought of something, “the documents you requested from the past twenty years have all been compiled. I’ve been too busy these past few days to send them out. Now that you’re in the capital, there’s no need to trouble yourself.”
"Oh?" Jiang Nuan became interested. "Where is it? Can I see it now?"
"It's at my place; I'll have someone deliver it to you shortly."
"Okay, have someone send it over as soon as possible, I need to see it urgently."
"Madam," Liu An cautiously asked, voicing his doubts, "why do you suddenly want all this? Do you have any plans?"
"Nothing, just a sudden urge, I suddenly wanted to take a look."
Liu An didn't believe him. He lowered his eyes and casually drank his tea.
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