On the other side, in a courtyard house in the west of the city.
Jian Yang looked at Zhou Jing'an, whose face was somewhat distorted, and said sarcastically, "You're not reconciled? What are you not reconciled to? You want to steal someone else's things but you can't, so you're not reconciled? You're really good at making excuses."
What kind of robber logic does this man have? He can't get the throne himself, so he blames others.
Zhou Jing'an didn't see the mockery in Jian Yang's eyes. Instead, he seemed to remember something happy and chuckled softly.
“I will make you watch as Zhou Jingzhi loses everything and falls from the position that should have been mine.”
"When the time comes, A-Yang will be my queen." He then reached out to stroke Jian Yang's cheek.
It was that disgusting sight again. Jian Yang turned her head away, feeling a wave of revulsion.
"Even if I die, I will never be your empress. You piece of trash, just give up. A toad trying to eat swan meat."
Hearing Jian Yang's curses, Zhou Jing'an was not angry. In his opinion, Jian Yang was just being stubborn. Without the position of Empress and without Zhou Jingzhi's favor, who else could she rely on?
Zhou Jing'an smiled confidently at Jian Yang, and before leaving the room, he instructed the guards to keep a close watch on her.
Seeing Zhou Jing'an leave, Jian Yang hurriedly went to the door and locked it from the inside. That scoundrel was finally gone. She could lock herself up if she wanted; it wasn't like she hadn't been locked up before. She was utterly fed up with Zhou Jing'an's smug face.
The surroundings finally quieted down, and Jian Yang breathed a sigh of relief.
Looking around, the sunlight streaming in made it less gloomy. The room had everything it needed, though it was covered in dust from not being used for a long time. It was much better than the dungeon.
She wiped the table with her sleeve, and after confirming that no one was watching, she took out the package Jian Hong had given her. Inside were several packets of powder. Jian Yang opened it, brought it close to her nose, and her eyes lit up.
Jian Yang recognized that the powders inside were different kinds of medicine and poison, all of which she usually used. With these, she could concoct at least dozens of kinds of poison, and maybe she could escape with them.
With that in mind, Jian Yang opened each packet of powder, carefully examined it, sorted it, and put it away. She decided to wait until the evening to prepare the medicine.
Her elder brother had never been very knowledgeable about medicinal herbs, and this powder didn't seem to have been chosen randomly; she could use every ingredient in it. It must have been prepared by that man.
Thinking of Zhou Jingzhi, Jian Yang felt a pang of sadness. Since their last meeting in the dungeon, they had never seen each other again, nor had they sent her a single word.
She really couldn't figure out what he was thinking.
In the dungeon, Jian Yang could not find out anything except the emperor's wedding. She could only wait passively, a feeling she did not like.
"I wonder who his new empress is?" Jian Yang wondered.
She woke up one morning to find herself already the Empress, without even experiencing the Empress's investiture ceremony. And him? He's already fallen for someone else so quickly. She's worked for him for so long, never even getting a single bite of food, but instead giving him her heart.
Jian Yang pursed her lips and muttered under her breath, "It's really not worth it."
Jian Yang is much more comfortable here, except that she can't go out.
Every day, meals were passed in through the window, and she was served delicious food. I wonder what Zhou Jing'an was up to. He even sent Jian Yang several sets of clothes, all red and pink, which was exactly what he liked.
These past few days, Jian Yang has been locking herself in her room tinkering with medicinal powders. Zhou Jing'an has been coming over from time to time to try and peek, but she has been chased away.
As the saying goes, perseverance pays off. She finally concocted the poison she wanted, and looking at the poison before her, Jian Yang smiled with satisfaction. With this bottle of poison in hand, she was confident she could escape.
Thinking of this, Jian Yang peered out through the crack in the door. She had to find the right opportunity and not act rashly.
Around 9 PM, the guards were getting tired and stood listlessly outside the door. Seeing this, Jian Yang tidied up her things, tiptoed to the window, and opened it a crack.
Luckily, a guard was dozing by the window. Jian Yang quietly blew out the sleeping potion she had prepared, and the guard slept even more soundly.
She waited patiently for a moment, then opened the window wider. Seeing that the guards did not react, Jian Yang tiptoed onto the windowsill, ready to jump down.
Suddenly, a guard rushed out from behind the window and covered her mouth. Jian Yang's heart jumped into her throat, and she stared wide-eyed at the person in front of her.
No way, I was caught just as I was about to escape. How unlucky am I? What should I do now? I hope the guard won't tell Zhou Jing'an.
Suddenly, the image of herself being locked in the dungeon flashed through her mind. She wanted to cry but had no tears, so she could only move her feet off the windowsill.
Just as she was wondering what to do, she heard the guard whisper, "Shh, Ayang, it's me."
It turned out that the guard was none other than Jian Hong in disguise.
Jian Yang nodded upon hearing the familiar voice. Jian Hong released his hand, stepped aside, and pretended to be on guard duty.
She closed the window, leaving only a crack, and whispered to him through the crack, "Why is brother here?" Jian Yang was a little puzzled.
“Ayang, I’ve come to tell you not to run away yet. We have another plan,” Jian Hong said solemnly.
The "we" here naturally refers to him and the emperor. Jian Yang frowned and asked, "What plan?"
"It's not convenient to talk about it right now, A-Yang. Just two more days, just two more days, and your brother will definitely get you out." Without waiting for Jian Yang's reply, Jian Hong closed the window.
Jian Yang had no choice but to return to her room and sit down.
Recalling the recent events and Jian Hong's serious demeanor just now, she had a vague guess in her mind. But what exactly was Zhou Jingzhi's plan? She racked her brains but couldn't figure it out.
Jian Yang simply stopped thinking about it and lay on the bed in a daze.
Since we can't use the poison we have for the time being and we can't escape, we might as well lie down and see what their plans are.
Two days passed peacefully. Jian Yang got up early this morning, afraid that she might have missed some news. Looking at the gradually darkening sky outside the window, Jian Yang felt uneasy.
The ministers were equally uneasy. At dusk, they suddenly received an urgent imperial edict and rushed to the palace, none knowing why.
A murky undercurrent swept through the court, with those standing below each harboring their own secrets and scheming.
After about the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, the emperor still hadn't arrived, and some ministers began to whisper among themselves.
The Vice Minister of Revenue feigned composure, but his straight back was already soaked with sweat; he knew perfectly well what the loss of the account books meant.
The emperor rarely summons all his ministers to court at this time; something bad is likely going to happen today…
A wind has picked up outside the palace.
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