The guards came in and checked the area. Finding nothing amiss, they closed the dungeon door again. Jian Yang breathed a sigh of relief.
A few days later, Zhou Jing'an returned to the palace with a gloomy face.
He never expected that the account book could still be stolen from the heavily guarded secret room of Zheng's mansion. He had led so many men to chase after Jian Hong but failed to catch him. The damned emperor had also long since fled.
The account books must have already fallen into the emperor's hands. Once the investigation begins, almost half of his people in the court will be lost. Most importantly, how could those ministers let it go? They will definitely drag him down with them, forcing him to suffer greatly as well.
Thinking of this, Zhou Jing'an smashed the teacup in his hand to pieces: "Useless! All of you are useless! So many people can't even keep an eye on one ledger, let alone catch up with a few dozen people!"
"They're all useless!" he roared.
The people below dared not speak, fearing they might offend their master and lose their heads.
Wei Cong stood quietly to the side with his head down. He had warned his master long ago that transferring the account books to the fiefdom was too risky, but his master always insisted on doing things his own way. Thinking of this, Wei Cong gave a bitter smile.
Zhou Jing'an seemed to suddenly remember something, his face becoming even more distorted. He walked out without saying a word, and no one dared to follow him.
Wei Cong knew where he had gone. Apart from that troublemaker in the dungeon, he couldn't think of anyone else Zhou Jing'an would be looking for at this time.
Ever since that man left, Jian Yang knew that Zhou Jing'an would come back to cause her trouble sooner or later. She had already prepared a countermeasure, sitting at the table with poison powder in one hand and sleeping pills in the other.
If that scoundrel dares to do anything to her, she swears she'll dedicate the song "The Grand Funeral" to him.
Zhou Jing'an did indeed arrive, and not only did he arrive, but he also came in a menacing manner. Seeing his face contorted with anger, Jian Yang was extremely happy! Perhaps because she was so happy, her face was full of smugness.
To strike a snake, you must strike its vital spot. Stealing his account book, let's see how long he can remain arrogant. Just thinking about the evil deeds Zhou Jing'an committed for power, Jian Yang felt that he deserved his fate.
That smugness deeply stung Zhou Jing'an. He approached, ready to unlock it, only to find the lock covered in sword marks. Zhou Jing'an sneered and threw the lock on the ground.
His eyes suddenly turned cold. It seemed that his dear brother had not only stolen the account book, but had even tried to take the woman away. He was eager to know how the emperor would react to Jian Yang's actions.
Zhou Jing'an pressed closer and closer, forcing Jian Yang into a corner where she had nowhere to retreat, pinning her firmly against the table.
"How greedy you are!" He laughed angrily, raising his hand to pinch Jian Yang's chin, forcing her to look up at him.
Sensing the abnormality in Zhou Jing'an's body, Jian Yang tightly gripped the powder in her hand, ready to scatter the poison powder if Zhou Jing'an got any closer.
That pervert! The ledger was stolen and he still did this? It's one thing to be incompetent, but if you're angry, go find your brother instead of her. She's like a mad dog biting people indiscriminately.
Looking at the woman glaring angrily before him, Zhou Jing'an had an idea. He suddenly realized that forcing this woman was pointless; if he laid a hand on her, the emperor might go mad.
"What's there to be nervous about? I just wanted to see how Her Majesty the Empress has been doing lately." With that, he released her.
Jian Yang rubbed her chin, which was red from being pinched, and glared at him fiercely: "Are you crazy?!"
“Your Majesty the Empress, oh no, soon I won’t be able to call you Your Majesty the Empress anymore,” Zhou Jing’an said, squinting at Jian Yang.
Jian Yang was somewhat confused. Wasn't she no longer the Empress? The Empress Wende had already perished in the fire.
Besides, she didn't want to be this kind of miserable job. Being an empress not only required working herself to the bone, but also meant being careful not to accidentally turn into Barbie Q.
"Oh, you just found out?" Jian Yang rolled her eyes at him. This guy must be an idiot.
Zhou Jing'an didn't take Jian Yang's reaction to heart. Instead, as if he had remembered something happy, he smiled and said to her, "I heard that the emperor is about to establish a new empress. Does A-Yang know about this?"
Upon hearing this, Jian Yang felt a jolt in her heart, and her face turned somewhat pale.
Seeing Jian Yang's reaction, Zhou Jing'an became even more certain that the emperor had not told her about this. He feigned sadness and said:
"You risked your life for him, yet he now wants to take a concubine and establish an empress. Ah Yang, Ah Yang, was it worth it?"
Jian Yang felt nauseous at the sight of him. Why should this scoundrel have the right to judge whether something was worth it or not?
"You're lying." She stared intently at Zhou Jing'an, not believing a word spoken by a madman.
But at this moment, the emperor's words from that day resurfaced in her mind. He had said he was willing to give her freedom and let her go far away.
Zhou Jing'an burst into laughter. He hadn't expected that at this moment, this woman would still stand on the emperor's side. Even though the empress position he had promised her had vanished, this woman was truly devoted.
"Why would I lie to you? Didn't he tell you when he came to save you?" Zhou Jing'an said with a pained expression, and then took Jian Yang's hand again.
She tried to pull her hand away, but it was held too tightly. She felt a surge of resistance. What a jerk! Even at a time like this, he still couldn't resist taking advantage of her.
But Zhou Jing'an pressed her hand against his face and rubbed it, pretending to be affectionate as he said, "A-Yang, leave him and stand by my side. I promise you a position second only to the emperor."
Upon hearing this, Jian Yang stomped hard on his foot, and Zhou Jing'an, in pain, released her.
"Pah! You dog! Keep dreaming!" Jian Yang pretended to scatter the powder, but Zhou Jing'an seemed to have noticed it beforehand and reached out to hold her wrist.
"Jian Yang, wake up, you've been abandoned." Zhou Jing'an suddenly became serious, and then left the dungeon.
The dungeon was very quiet; so quiet that Jian Yang could only hear her own heartbeat.
Jian Yang sometimes saw the emperor's firm gaze and smile as he told her that he was dismissing the harem and that she would be all alone from now on; other times she saw his haggard face as he told her that he would let her go far away.
Zhou Jing'an's words didn't seem like a lie; he wouldn't joke about something like this to provoke her.
It seems that Zhou Jingzhi, that scumbag, is really going to marry a new empress. She's still practically dead! And he can't wait to take a new wife.
As she thought about it, Jian Yang felt a little wronged. She looked around and saw that there wasn't even a window in the dungeon.
How long has it been since I last saw the outside world? Jian Yang asked herself, then gave a self-deprecating laugh.
She was so reluctant to leave back then, torn between freedom and a man. She was such a fool, so love-struck!
"Bastard!" Jian Yang shouted.
Marry him if you want, she doesn't care. Once she leaves this place, she'll run far away so that scumbag can never find her again.
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