Jian Yang covered her ears with her hands, not wanting to hear it anymore. It was the same old thing again. She was so tired of hearing it. Didn't this man get tired of it?
Zhou Mu'an pulled Jian Yang's hands away and gripped her slender wrists tightly: "He has already married a new queen. Shouldn't you reconsider my previous suggestion?"
“I can give you everything he can’t: power, favor, money. As long as you help me, we can stand together at the highest position, and you can still be the most honored empress,” Zhou Mu’an said sincerely.
Wait a minute? This sounds so familiar. In every company meeting, you always see the top leader standing on the stage, talking non-stop, painting a rosy picture while trying to motivate the people below.
I really want to find a rag and shut him up.
Jian Yang sneered: "Hurry up and leave. How do you think you can compare to Zhou Jingzhi? Even if you don't have a mirror, you'll still pee. You can't even draw a good picture."
Zhou Jing'an wasn't angry when he heard this. The emperor had established a new empress, and based on his understanding of Jian Yang, this woman would never submit to anyone.
He raised his hand to smooth the stray hairs on Jian Yang's forehead and said softly, "I'll wait for you to change your mind."
After saying that, he gently stroked Jian Yang's cheek before leaving, which gave Jian Yang goosebumps.
"Go back my ass!" Jian Yang spat in the direction Zhou Jing'an left. He was just a toad trying to eat swan meat.
Thinking of Zhou Jing'an's words, Jian Yang suddenly felt very uncomfortable. She raised her hand and patted her head as if trying to shake off these thoughts.
Why has she become so dramatic? He's just a man, why does she care so much?
Since she faked her death, they've had no further contact. Isn't it his freedom to be with whomever he wants? He should think about how to leave this awful place and continue his lazy, unambitious life!
The dungeon and the outside world seemed like two separate worlds. Jian Yang was isolated inside, and apart from occasionally managing to get a few words out of the old woman, she was almost completely cut off from the outside world.
Just two days ago, the emperor was married, and the whole country should have been celebrating.
The public was abuzz with discussion about this wedding, because it was much more low-key and simple than before. No one knew when the emperor had accepted the betrothal gifts, and even the most important ceremony of betrothal was not held.
"It's said that it's because our Emperor still misses the late Empress; they were truly a loving couple," said a groom by the roadside.
The Ministry of Rites was on high alert when the emperor issued the edict establishing the empress, waiting for the emperor to instruct them to accept the betrothal gifts. However, they waited and waited, but not only did they not receive any news, they did not even receive a portrait of the future empress.
No one dared to guess the emperor's thoughts, for fear of making a fool of themselves and losing their head.
During the court session, the Vice Minister of Rites stood below like an ant on a hot pan. Even if he had a hundred lives, he wouldn't dare to bring up the matter at that time. He finally made it to the end of the court session and hurriedly followed the emperor to the imperial study.
"Your Majesty, how should the ceremony for the coronation of the Empress be conducted?" Zhang Dian asked respectfully.
"I once had an empress, and I do not wish to have anyone else in my heart. Therefore, the enthronement ceremony can be skipped; a palace banquet will suffice, and there is no need to publicize it." The emperor stroked the ring on his finger, as if remembering something.
"The wedding dress shall be made according to the late Empress's size." After saying that, she waved her hand at Zhang Dian, signaling him to step down.
It seems the rumors are true; the Emperor and the late Empress had a deep and abiding affection for each other. Marrying a new Empress seems to be a last resort. Fortunately, he didn't say it out loud in court. Zhang Dian wiped the sweat from his brow.
The palace banquet was held as scheduled, and it looked no different from an ordinary banquet, leaving the ministers sitting below somewhat puzzled.
As the banquet was halfway through, Eunuch Zhang helped a woman dressed in wedding attire into the room. Her head was covered by a veil, so her face could not be clearly seen.
The emperor remained silent, glancing around at his surroundings. The ministers, their hearts pounding in their chests, wondered what was going on. No one had mentioned this was a wedding banquet when they arrived. They all turned to look at Zhang Dian.
Zhang Dian lowered his head in silence. He couldn't be blamed; so what if it was against etiquette? He didn't want to offend the person above him.
The emperor said in a deep voice, "This is my new empress."
After saying this, Eunuch Zhang helped the new empress away again. The ministers below were even more puzzled and dared not utter a sound. Just when they did not know what to do, the emperor's voice rang out again.
"Let's continue."
The ministers looked at each other, then continued to eat the delicious food in front of them until the banquet ended.
In Fuxi Palace, a nanny whispered a few words in the Empress Dowager's ear.
"What? You mean the Emperor held the wedding banquet today?" The Empress Dowager's expression changed drastically, and she stood up from her chair.
"Your Majesty, it seems that the banquet in the palace today is a wedding banquet. It is said that the Empress has already been sent to Weiyang Palace..." The nanny had barely finished speaking when the Empress Dowager hurriedly rushed out.
"To Weiyang Palace, quickly." With that, he boarded the sedan chair.
Although the wedding banquet was a bit hasty, shouldn't the emperor at least know the empress's status? The emperor's actions were unfair to the girl; after all, the mother of the nation shouldn't be treated like this.
The Empress Dowager felt somewhat uneasy.
Sure enough, they were stopped as soon as they arrived at Weiyang Palace, and were told that no one except the emperor was allowed to enter.
"How dare you! You even dare to obstruct me!" The Empress Dowager's words carried an imposing authority.
The guards hesitated, knowing that the emperor's orders were true, but they couldn't afford to offend the Empress Dowager. Just as the guards were in a dilemma and didn't know what to do, the emperor's voice rang out from behind them.
"What is Mother doing here so late at night?" Zhou Jingzhi frowned slightly.
The Empress Dowager rarely got angry, but she was quite upset at this moment: "Does Your Majesty no longer respect me? Such an important event as the wedding banquet, and you didn't even inform me?"
"These are all fine, but shouldn't I be allowed to see the Empress?" the Empress Dowager continued solemnly.
The Empress Dowager no longer cared about how the Emperor chose his empress; she just wanted to find out who the empress was, in case her background was unclear.
"Your subject dares not, but the Empress is suffering from a rheumatism and is not fit to receive guests, so the wedding banquet has been changed to a regular banquet," Zhou Jingzhi said respectfully.
Upon hearing this, the Empress Dowager's expression softened slightly: "Then, whose family does this Empress come from?"
Zhou Jingzhi feigned sorrow and sighed, "Reporting to Mother, the Empress... comes from a humble background, she is just the daughter of a sixth-rank official. I don't know what to do, so I'm keeping a low profile."
As expected, the Empress Dowager thought to herself, this sixth-rank official's daughter is indeed not worthy of the position of Empress, but her son's actions were rather hasty.
The Empress Dowager said earnestly, "So, does my son intend to hide the Empress forever? You can hide it for a while, but not forever."
"Your Majesty, rest assured, I plan to find a pretext to elevate the Empress's status in the future, and then hold the investiture ceremony on another day," Zhou Jingzhi said.
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