Jian Yang was fuming, biting her lower lip and refusing to speak. She never wanted to talk to this jerk again.
Seeing that Jian Yang didn't speak, Zhou Jingzhi rubbed his cheek against her: "A Yang, I said I wanted to spend the rest of my life with you, and that wasn't a lie. In my heart, there has only ever been you."
Hearing this, Jian Yang felt even worse. He said he wanted to spend the rest of his life with her, but he went to marry the new empress while she was imprisoned in the dungeon.
Men's words are deceitful! They all talk a good game, but behind the scenes they've taken multiple wives and concubines. They're not talking about spending the rest of their lives with her; they're clearly just making her work for them for the rest of her life.
I used to be a full-fledged employee, with a work badge, but what am I now? Even capitalists don't exploit people like this.
"Zhou Jingzhi, you big liar," Jian Yang said sullenly.
Seeing Jian Yang's aggrieved look, Zhou Jingzhi couldn't help but chuckle. His A Yang was just too cute; even when she was angry, she was still so endearing.
"I won't lie to you anymore," Zhou Jingzhi said, then gently kissed Jian Yang's forehead.
Having not engaged in such intimate behavior for a long time, Jian Yang's face flushed red instantly, and the atmosphere became ambiguous.
No, she still had to ask Zhou Jingzhi what was going on with that empress. Since he had married a new empress, why was he saying these things to her? Could it be that he was just keeping her as a backup option?
Thinking of this, Jian Yang, disregarding the fact that she was still lying on top of Zhou Jingzhi, raised her head and looked at him: "Then the Empress..."
Before she could finish speaking, Eunuch Zhang coughed outside the door and said, "Your Majesty, the Empress wishes to see you."
Jian Yang quickly jumped off Zhou Jingzhi, straightened her clothes, and looked at Zhou Jingzhi sideways.
"Your Majesty, did you hear that? Your Empress is here to see you. Why don't you let her in right away?" After saying that, Jian Yang glared at Zhou Jingzhi again.
He had just made so many vows of eternal love to himself, and now the Empress had come to see him. Judging from their interactions, they must have been in frequent contact. He had truly been blinded by greed, and had even fallen for her just now.
Seeing Jian Yang's expression, Zhou Jingzhi felt a surge of sweetness in his heart. His A-Yang was jealous and blaming him.
"Ah Yang, can you smell a sour smell? Where is it coming from?" Zhou Jingzhi asked jokingly.
"I can't smell it!" Hearing him say that, Jian Yang was furious and picked up her medicine box to leave.
Zhou Jingzhi quickly stopped her, feigning concern, and said, "If A-Yang goes out like this, what will happen if the Empress sees her?"
"What do you mean by this?" Jian Yang stared at Zhou Jingzhi with wide eyes.
Is it because they think she's someone they can't be seen in public? Or do they think that her meeting with her current boyfriend as their "ex" would be a hindrance to them?
Before Zhou Jingzhi could answer, Zhang Gonggong's voice came from outside the door again: "Your Majesty, the Empress has been waiting outside the palace for a long time."
That was exactly what he wanted to hear. Zhou Jingzhi smiled and pulled Jian Yang behind the screen in the bedroom, shoving her inside.
"You...!" Jian Yang glared angrily at Zhou Jingzhi, about to say something, when he covered her mouth with his hand.
"Shh—stay here and wait for me." After saying that, Zhou Jingzhi pinched Jian Yang's cheek and smiled happily at her.
Zhou Jingzhi walked around to the front, cleared his throat, and said, "Come in."
What's going on?
Countless question marks popped into Jian Yang's head. Why was she hiding here? It was as if she had done something wrong. She wanted to see what kind of background this new empress had that made Zhou Jingzhi so concerned.
Through the screen, Jian Yang saw a woman slowly walk in. She was indeed the Empress, but there were no maids with her, and she seemed rather stern.
"Greetings, Your Majesty." The woman's clear voice rang out, and Jian Yang felt a pang of unease.
Why should she hide behind the screen? Didn't Zhou Jingzhi say that she was the only one in his heart? Why does she have to hide as soon as she sees the Empress? What is it that she can't show her face?
For a moment, Jian Yang suddenly felt like a big boss's mistress, who was always sweet-talking her but never actually had any official status.
Not only was she not given a title, but she also had to hide when she saw the main wife, keeping a low profile, and if she was discovered, she would be beaten bloody.
The image of herself and a group of women tearing each other's hair flashed through her mind, and Jian Yang shuddered.
She had no desire to get involved; she was utterly fed up with the ways of the imperial harem. Without Zhen Huan's cunning and Ling Rong's ruthlessness, she wouldn't dare stay here any longer.
It's well known that the fate of secret lovers is usually quite tragic.
"I should have stayed home. Since that bastard isn't seriously injured, I should hurry up and find my older brother so he can send me away," Jian Yang thought to herself.
"How is the situation?" Zhou Jingzhi's voice was devoid of emotion.
What's going on? This doesn't sound like the tone of someone speaking to the Empress. Could it be that this capitalist has found himself another laborer?
"Your Majesty, according to my investigation, Consort Zhen, Consort Shun, and Noble Lady Ying in the harem frequently exchange letters with their fathers, and these letters do not appear to be ordinary family correspondence," the woman said.
Subordinate? The Empress was actually Zhou Jingzhi's subordinate? So the Emperor's wedding was a sham? Jian Yang wondered.
Zhou Jingzhi nodded upon hearing this.
The woman continued, "Since the last time the people in the ledger were dealt with, most of the people promoted have been the Emperor's men, but His Highness Prince Chen still tampered with them."
"In addition, some officials from the Ministry of Justice and the Ministry of War, although they do not seem to be part of Prince Chen's faction, still have some private dealings with the Prince's residence."
"Especially the fathers of the three concubines in the harem mentioned earlier, it seems that they were in contact with the Prince Chen's mansion and were secretly spying on the palace's movements. Here is a list of the officials involved, as well as some of the letters that my subordinates intercepted and copied."
After saying that, the woman handed Zhou Jingzhi a stack of letters.
Jian Yang was stunned. She never expected that being an empress would involve so much work, from monitoring the inner palace to overseeing the court. With such a workload, it would be unreasonable not to pay her double the salary.
Then Zhou Jingzhi asked, "Have any other ministers in the court made any unusual moves?"
"Your Majesty, according to reports from the spies in the various officials' residences, there are no unusual developments at the moment," the woman replied, bowing respectfully.
After saying that, the woman left, and Jian Yang was unable to calm down for a long time.
Could it be that I really misunderstood Zhou Jingzhi? Is he not a scumbag but a workaholic?
Just as Jian Yang was filled with confusion and didn't know what to do, Zhou Jingzhi stepped behind the screen and looked at Jian Yang with some helplessness.
“Come here, A-Yang, I have something to tell you,” Zhou Jingzhi said.
Jian Yang followed Zhou Jingzhi out in a daze; there was too much information for her to process.
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