"Xie Yunqi, you win."
Xie Liangchen closed his eyes and said, "Give me a pen and I'll write it to you."
Bai Lu prepared a set of writing brushes, ink, paper and inkstone for Xie Liangchen as she was told.
Xie Liangchen's heart bled every time he wrote a name. These people had been with him through thick and thin, yet now they were forced to abandon him.
He selfishly left a few more names and included the concubines of Prince Zhuang.
Bai Lu took what Xie Liangchen wrote and presented it to Xu Jing.
Xu Jing only glanced at it once before memorizing the names. "Ling Xiao, take the list given by the Emperor's uncle and arrest the people. Make sure they are captured alive."
"Yes, I obey your order."
"Wait." Xie Liangchen asked, "What will happen to them?"
Xu Jing replied indifferently: "The three tribes of Yi."
"Xie Yunqi, you are so cruel." Xie Liangchen said with a wry smile: "You are too suitable to be the emperor."
"Come here, hold Xie Liangchen down. Return to the palace."
"Xie Yunqi, what are you going to do with my mother?"
Xu Jing said without even turning his head: "Kill it."
"No!" Xie Liangchen refused to accept this fact. He angrily said, "Why don't you execute me? How long do you plan to keep me here?"
"Don't worry, I won't touch you." Xu Jing's lips curled up slightly, and he smiled: "Wouldn't it be nice to watch your loved ones die one by one?"
Xu Jing turned around and gave Bai Lu instructions. "Order people to strengthen the security and guard Prince Chen's mansion well. If Xie Liangchen and Lin Wanru die, I will exterminate their entire clan."
Bai Lu, the only female official in Xu Jing's harem, knelt down and said, "Your humble servant obeys your command."
On the way back, Zhou Siheng kept his head down and didn't say anything.
Xu Jing ignored him and sat in the carriage with his eyes closed to rest.
"Your Majesty," Zhou Siheng said, "It is simply not right for me to ride in the same carriage with Your Majesty."
"You are not an outsider." Xu Jing rubbed his eyes and said, "Are you scared today?"
"No."
"You're lying." Xu Jing took his hand and rubbed it carefully for a while.
The atmosphere was exceptionally quiet, with only the sound of horse hooves and the short breathing around him.
Zhou Siheng couldn't stand the awkward atmosphere any longer and said with his head down, "I know I was wrong."
"What's wrong?"
His mistake was being soft-hearted. He couldn't stand soft words, especially when facing Lin Wanru. He knew he shouldn't be soft-hearted, but he still hesitated in the end.
"Your Majesty, I have nothing to do with Lin Wanru anymore. I will not meet her again."
Xu Jing looked at him coldly, making Zhou Siheng panic. If he hadn't been sitting in the carriage, he would have been frightened and knelt down. "Your Majesty, I really know I was wrong."
"Come here." Zhou Siheng moved closer to him with an uneasy heart.
Xu Jing hooked his arm around his waist and pulled him into his arms. "Are you afraid of me?"
"I dare not."
"You're quite brave. At least you know how to disobey me." He held Zhou Siheng's chin with his hand, watching the color drain from his face until it turned pale. "Give you a knife. Can you kill her?"
"I dare not."
Xu Jing loosened his grip, and the coldness in his eyes gradually faded. "Go down."
"Your Majesty, she is my savior, I..."
"Someone, stop the car."
Xu Jing didn't want to listen to Zhou Siheng's excessive explanation, he wanted to teach him a lesson.
Zhou Siheng's heart skipped a beat and he was stunned when he got off the car.
Looking at the slowly moving carriage, he watched silently for a long time, feeling extremely anxious.
"Master Zhou." Bai Lu stood behind him without him noticing, and said coldly, "You are the only one who has angered His Majesty and yet is still standing here. Actually, this is your blessing."
"Bai Lu. Am I really wrong?"
He didn't even know why the emperor was angry. Could it be because he was too soft-hearted and easily did bad things?
Bai Lu looked around and talked about something else. "His Majesty wants to discuss marriage."
"When did it happen?" How come he didn't know?
"A country cannot live without a queen for a single day. Your Majesty, for the sake of the country and the people, should expand your harem and have more children."
Bai Lu's light words cut Zhou Siheng's heart like a knife. He feigned calmness and said, "Which girl has he taken a fancy to?"
"Master Zhou, if you don't hurry up, you'll miss out on this opportunity." Bai Lu sighed and said, "Your Majesty doesn't absolutely need you."
Zhou Siheng didn't know how he got home.
My head was dizzy, and drinking glass after glass of wine couldn't dispel the melancholy in my heart.
Ningxiang was shocked to see Zhou Siheng drunk and unconscious, and hurriedly asked someone to go to the kitchen to make sobering soup.
"Sir, what's wrong with you?"
"Ningxiang, he's getting married." Zhou Siheng poured himself another glass of wine and drank it in one gulp. "He doesn't want me anymore."
"Who?" Ningxiang rubbed her ears. "Sir, you must be wrong. Who would look down on you?"
"He thinks I'm a coward." The alcohol was getting to his head, making him want to vomit. "I also hate myself for being so soft-hearted. I'm not worthy of him!"
"Sir, you are drunk. Please stop drinking."
"No, I want to drink. When I'm drunk I can stop thinking about him."
What exactly should he do to make His Majesty forgive him?
Didn’t Your Majesty agree with him to marry him? Why would he turn around and marry someone else?
Why don't the words I said count?
Zhou Siheng felt a sharp pain in his heart when he thought of Xie Yunqi spending his wedding night with someone else.
Will he only forgive him if I kill Lin Wanru?
But Lin Wanru had saved his life after all, so how could he attack his savior? How was this any different from repaying kindness with enmity?
Zhou Siheng tossed and turned all night and couldn't fall asleep, while Xu Jing in Zichen Palace worked overtime to review memorials and didn't sleep all night.
Early in the morning, Xu Jing angrily threw the memorial to the ground.
Feng Bao was so frightened that he knelt down. "Your Majesty, please calm down."
"This is outrageous. When is it their turn to worry about my family affairs?"
Of the more than 400 memorials received, more than 200 were urging him to establish a queen.
You're already worrying about his lifelong affairs before the problem is solved. You're so bored.
"Feng Bao, what time is it?"
"In reply to Your Majesty, you should attend the morning court in one cup of tea."
It was just the right time for him to explain everything while attending court, so that some idle court officials wouldn't have to worry about his affairs.
Xuanzheng Hall.
"If there is something to report, then go to court. If there is nothing to report, then leave the court."
Prime Minister Lan said, "Your Majesty, I have something to report. The country cannot live without a queen for a day. Your Majesty should select a concubine to enrich the harem."
Xu Jing asked, "How are the preparations for Enke going?"
Minister of Rites Chen Song said: "Your Majesty, I have already prepared the topic and am waiting for your approval."
"Very good. After the court session, we will come to the Purple Palace to discuss in detail. We should finalize the examination questions as soon as possible, and then distribute them to the provinces for selection of the best candidates."
Lan Xiang wanted to say something, but Xu Jing said, "Du Kang."
Du Kang was already in charge of the imperial guards. When he heard the emperor calling him, he knelt and saluted. "I am here."
"Strengthen the security of the capital. All those who stay in the capital must be investigated and detailed and handed over to the Jingzhao Yin for investigation."
"Yes, I obey your order."
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