Yun Yuan did not admit that she was pregnant.
"Oh, you mean your stomach? The food in the palace is good, and the Queen Mother is kind. She doesn't have to wait on you morning and night. If life is good, won't you gain weight?"
Yun Yuan was thin, and her five-month-old belly was not very big. She wore loose clothes, so she looked a little fatter than usual. Zhong Jianmin was skeptical.
But soon he no longer had any doubts. The emperor was inhumane, and the child Yun Yuan was pregnant with was definitely not his, unless she was willing to die.
Ge grabbed the railing with a ferocious expression, "Yun, please beg the emperor to let us out."
Yun Yuan's eyes were sharp. "How dare you! The country has its own laws. Your Majesty is wise and powerful. How can I just say a few words and reverse your order? Or do you think Your Majesty is a tyrant?"
The jailer shouted, "How dare you slander the emperor? Thirty lashes, and you will lose your food for the whole day."
The prison door opened and Ge was dragged out. Soon, the sound of whip hitting flesh and Ge's miserable screams were heard.
Wu Yishu lay on the straw bed and smiled silently, "Old hag, you have come to this day too."
Yun Yuan's gaze fell on Zhong Jianmin's face. "You are a military commander and you know the power of lashing. You knew your mother was too old to withstand thirty lashes, so why didn't you take it on her behalf?"
"If her death can make you feel better, then her death is a worthy one. I only ask that you, for the sake of our past friendship, adopt my daughter Xue Ning."
Yun Yuan suspected she had misheard: "You want me to adopt your daughter?"
"Yes." Zhong Jianmin said, "It was my mother who let you down before, but she's dying now, and you've become the empress. I know you have a kind heart. Xue Ning is so young and fragile, she needs care and protection. You definitely won't let her be sad, right?"
He had a good idea. Yun Yuan would not have children after marrying the emperor. As long as she adopted Xue Ning, the child she raised from childhood would surely be close to her. In the future, she would become a princess, or even a princess.
He had no hope in this life, and his daughter was his only hope. With Yun Yuan's current status, if he let his daughter marry the son of the King of Chu, the day when she became the mother of the country would be the day for him to turn things around.
The more he thought about it, the more beautiful it seemed. When he thought about becoming the father-in-law of the emperor in the future, he felt a little elated, and even looked at Yun Yuan with a condescending look.
She is just a concubine in the deep palace, and she will have to rely on her daughter in the future. No, he must find a way to help his daughter get rid of this vampire.
"You must find the best wet nurses. One is not enough, you need three. Ask the best teachers to teach Xue Ning about music, chess, calligraphy, painting, poetry, and songs. Find her a good marriage. If you don't do a good job, I will not let you go."
Yun Yuan smiled faintly: "How are you going to stop me from letting go?"
"I..." Zhong Jianmin was at a loss for words. He was just a prisoner and the other party was the high and mighty empress. He could do nothing.
At this time, Wu Yishu spoke up, and her weak body did not prevent her from being arrogant.
She said in a threatening tone: "Xue Ning is my daughter. After all, you are not her biological mother. If you don't do your job well, she will not take care of you in your old age."
Zhong Jianmin said as a matter of course: "Yes, that's it."
The jailers watching nearby, and even Brother Zhong, were stunned.
No, shouldn't you be keeping a low profile now? Why are you threatening the Empress?
Yun Yuan ruthlessly shattered his fantasy.
"What makes you think I would adopt a child who is not related to me by blood, and the daughter of my enemy?"
"Enemy?" Zhong Jianmin frowned. "You're living a good life now, why are you still holding on to the past? If I hadn't brought you to the capital, you would have been married to a merchant in Gusu. How could you have such good fortune today? You should be grateful to me."
"Thank you for letting your family torture me, thank you for kicking me out on a snowy day, thank you for sending someone to kill me and take my dowry, right?"
Zhong Jianmin was speechless. These were indeed the things he had done.
"Speaking of gratitude, you are the one who should be grateful to me the most. If I hadn't been blinded by my love for you, why would our Yun family have spent so much money to train you, hiring a martial arts master and sending you to school? In the end, your Zhong family thinks it's our due. We are working so hard but get no thanks, and you even call us lowly merchants trying to climb up the social ladder."
"What do you think I'm here for?" Yun Yuan sneered, "I'm here to laugh at you. Look how miserable and pitiful you are now. I can take your daughter away, but I'll sell her off right after. Consider it compensation for me. You'll never see her again in your life."
Zhong Jianmin was indeed furious: "How dare you!"
"Do you think I dare?" Yun Yuan said, "I am not someone you can manipulate at will. I am the imperial concubine appointed by His Majesty himself. If you don't greet me when you see me, are you dissatisfied with me?"
Zhong Jianmin had a bad feeling.
Yun Yuan glanced at him, and the jailer knew it was time for him to take action. He shouted, "Come here, Zhong Jianmin was disrespectful to Empress Yuan and angered her. Take him away and give him fifty lashes."
Soon someone opened the door and pulled him out.
Yun Yuan was ready to return to the palace, and Xinghua supported her carefully.
Zhong Jianmin struggled angrily behind him: "Yun Yuan, just wait and see. The more glorious you are now, the more miserable you will be in the future. I'm waiting to hear your joke in the northwest."
"Add another twenty lashes." Yun Yuan ordered.
"Yes!" The jailers rubbed their hands, eager to try.
Under Zhong Jianmin's murderous gaze, Yun Yuan casually threw out a purse.
"Serve them well, and there will be rewards for good performance."
The jailer excitedly put the purse into his pocket and said flatteringly, "Don't worry, Madam. I guarantee that he won't have a single piece of good skin left on him."
Zhong Jianmin was furious and helpless: "I'm going to sue you for lynching!"
Wu Yishu finally faced the reality: "Please spare me, Empress Yuanfei. I don't know what happened before. I didn't do anything."
"Aren't you quite proud of yourself?" Yun Yuan dropped a bombshell: "I was sitting next to you when you and Zhong Jianmin were discussing killing me. Not only me, but even the Emperor heard it."
"You...you guys..." Zhong Jianmin felt like he was being labeled with a hat, with a green mark on his head.
"Don't you look down on me? Coincidentally, I look down on you too." Yun Yuan gave a malicious smile and ordered the jailer: "Take off his pants before beating him. Don't let him go."
Leaving a word, Yun Yuan left without looking back.
Zhong Jianmin's face turned pale and he took off his pants... Could he still keep his secret?
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