"I disagree. This matter should not be mentioned again."
Jian Yang: "..."
Brother, if you don't agree, I'll die!
"Your Majesty, as you have seen, as long as I remain in this position as Empress, the Prince of Dingbian will never let this go."
"I'm sorry," the emperor said in a deep voice, "but I will never accept the suggestion to depose the empress."
Upon hearing this, Jian Yang instantly lost her temper. "Your Majesty, when it comes to the ability to manage the harem, Consort Xian is by no means inferior to me. And when it comes to power, I am no match for Consort Yu. Why do you insist on having me as your only one?"
She was very self-aware; the position of Empress, though seemingly unique, was actually highly replaceable.
In terms of emotional foundation, there was practically none between her and the emperor.
Even if she weren't the empress, given her adoptive father's thirst for power, he would be absolutely willing to risk his life for her as long as the emperor offered him enough incentives.
So she didn't understand why the emperor insisted on making her the emperor.
The emperor looked at her for a long time, then said quietly, "Women from noble families always prioritize the interests of their families. You are different from them."
Jian Yang thought to herself, "Of course I'm different!"
She was a time traveler, not a wandering ghost but a lonely soul, so naturally she couldn't form any interest transfer or bond with the family.
"Since I intend to overthrow those deep-seated problems, I naturally cannot elevate a woman from a noble family to the position of empress?"
Yes, yes, you're so aloof, you're so amazing!
So, the dog emperor is planning to sacrifice her for his ideals?
Seeing Jian Yang staring at him with resentment in her eyes, the emperor smiled and said, "Empress, don't worry, I will protect you no matter what."
hehe.
Whatever, I'm tired, let's destroy it.
Jian Yang had lost all desire to communicate with him.
Although she did not have lofty ambitions to achieve great things, the desperate looks she saw along the way constantly reminded her how important a wise and virtuous ruler was to the people.
If this empire were to fall into the hands of the Dingbian King and his ilk, the miserable plight of the people would surely be a daily occurrence.
Since we can't leave, we can only continue to make do.
Consider it an act of kindness and good deeds for yourself.
In the days that followed, Jian Yang worked to detoxify the emperor while also guarding against assassination attempts.
However, it's unclear whether the local plans have changed or if they simply dare not take action.
In short, Jian Yang lived a good life until the emperor recovered.
During this period, the south finally received long-awaited heavy rain, which completely alleviated the drought.
Upon seeing this, the disaster victims who had been wandering outside also returned to their hometowns.
After dealing with a large number of corrupt officials and providing relief to disaster victims, the emperor finally decided to return home.
Winter had already arrived.
On the day we set off, a light snow began to fall.
Jian Yang was wrapped in a thick fox fur cloak, but she was still shivering from the cold.
This was the first time she had ever missed modern heating so much.
People often take things for granted when they have them.
It's only when you lose something that you realize you should have cherished it, but by then it's too late.
On their way there, both of them raced against time to save lives and provide disaster relief, but they didn't need to do the same on their return journey.
That evening, the emperor immediately ordered that an inn along the route be booked for him to rest.
The charcoal fire in the top-tier guest room of the inn was warm enough.
As soon as Jian Yang entered the room, she let out a comfortable sigh.
As Lianxia untied the cloak for her, she said, "Your Highness, when I went upstairs just now, I asked the kitchen to stew some bird's nest for you. You can eat it after you take a bath."
Jian Yang smiled and praised her for being thoughtful, then asked where the emperor had gone.
"Your Majesty, the Emperor is currently with Lord Qian, but I do not know the specifics of what they are doing."
"Hasn't that fat guy gone back yet?"
Jian Yang was somewhat surprised.
Qian Sanbao intercepted her outside Yunzhou City, and instead of carrying out any assassination attempt, he treated her and the emperor to good food and drink.
Today, the two returned home, and Qian Sanbao saw them off again and again, reluctant to go back even when it got dark.
Jian Yang found his behavior utterly incomprehensible.
After she had a relaxing bath, the inn's cook brought up the bird's nest.
As usual, Lianxia took out a silver needle to test for poison.
Hmm, the silver needles have turned black again.
Jian Yang looked at the bowl of poisoned bird's nest with a completely calm expression.
She was used to it by now.
"Go and inform the guards to bring the kitchen staff in for questioning."
She gave orders lazily while warming herself by the fire.
In a short while, the guards brought in the cook, two cooks, and two waiters.
"Let's stop beating around the bush. Just confess who poisoned you." Jian Yang didn't even bother to lift her eyelids.
The people kneeling on the ground trembled, none of them daring to raise their heads and reply.
"Don't worry, I don't like killing. Even if you confess, I'll spare your lives."
They were all ordinary people; they must have been forced to poison her.
She simply couldn't bring herself to kill.
The cook stammered, "Madam, I cooked the bird's nest soup, but I dozed off halfway through and vaguely saw a man in black walk in. I thought I was dreaming."
They didn't know the true identities of Jian Yang and the emperor, and simply assumed they were high-ranking officials from somewhere.
Jian Yang immediately ordered someone to investigate.
Sure enough, several footprints were found on the wall in the backyard.
The footprints stretched northwards until they were completely covered by heavy snow.
If that's the case, it seems the cook wasn't lying.
She simply didn't feel comfortable letting others prepare food for her anymore.
So he rolled up his sleeves, ready to cook himself.
Because of the recent drought, the inn's kitchen had very limited supplies.
There was only flour, scallions, and a small piece of ginger.
This chapter is not finished, please click the next page to continue reading!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
