Shen Shi took her icy hand and warmed it on his face. His eyes, when he looked at Ji Ying'er, were filled with undisguised heartache.
Perhaps those who are favored are fearless. After confirming that Shen Shi's feelings had not changed, Ji Ying'er threw herself into his arms.
Shen Shi put his arm around her waist and pulled Ji Ying'er onto his lap. At the same time, he put a token in her hand, patted her back and coaxed her gently, "Ying'er, don't be afraid. No matter when, as long as you have this token, you can see me whenever you want. You don't have to be afraid anymore."
Suddenly, a cold token appeared in her hand. Ji Ying'er picked it up and was immediately startled. Shen Shi had given her his personal token, which had the same effect as seeing him in person.
With this token, not only can she move freely within the palace, but even if Ji Ying'er wants to leave the palace, no one dares to say a word against it.
"This thing is too scary, I can't have it!" Ji Ying'er threw the token back into Chen Shi's arms as if it were a hot potato.
Seeing her so timid, Shen Shi gently pressed his forehead against hers and said in a magnetic voice, "You're already afraid to take it? If Ying'er is so timid, how will she ever be my empress?"
"Does being timid preclude one from being an empress?" Ji Ying'er asked, tilting her head in confusion.
Her bewildered expression seemed genuine; she appeared truly perplexed by the matter.
Shen was speechless for a moment, then burst out laughing. How could there be such a cute girl with such a unique way of thinking?
Ji Ying'er was baffled by his laughter. What kind of person was he? He was the one who said that a coward couldn't be an empress, and now he was the one laughing at her. He was infuriating!
Her daily interactions with Shen Shi were just like those of a typical modern couple. In addition, Shen Shi had a good temper and loved to pamper her, so Ji Ying'er was spoiled and arrogant.
Even after Shen Shi became emperor, the two still got along the same way.
Seeing that Shen Shi kept making fun of her, Ji Ying'er couldn't help but punch him. Although it was a punch, with her kitten-like strength, it was more like tickling Shen Shi.
After she finished hammering, Ji Ying'er remembered that Shen Shi was now the emperor. Was what she did inappropriate?
So, looking guilty, she rubbed Shen Shi's hands again. To avoid being punished, Ji Ying'er pouted and looked at Shen Shi pitifully.
He wouldn't be so upset as to get angry over such a small thing, but Ji Ying'er's guilty expression was too cute, and he was quite happy to see it.
"Now you know fear? I... no! I am the Emperor, do you know that..." Shen Shi deliberately put on a stern face to scare her.
But to his surprise, Ji Ying'er had already seen through his disguise and knew that he wasn't afraid of him at all once she realized he wasn't angry.
The emperor's anger, though subdued, did not escalate.
The two hadn't seen each other for several months and naturally missed each other terribly. Ji Ying'er talked about a lot of things, including everything that Shen Shi hadn't been involved in, and wanted to share them with him.
Shen Shi was the same; he was always open and honest with Ji Ying'er. Whether it was the situation of the previous dynasty or the powerful families, there was nothing that Ji Ying'er couldn't hear. Sometimes he would even ask for her opinion.
After listening to Chen Shi's analysis of the situation, Ji Ying'er felt that the current situation was not very optimistic.
First, it was said that the Zhang family lineage, when Shen was in power, was placed under the care of Consort Zhang, who raised him. Consort Zhang's intention was to make him a puppet emperor while she herself became the powerful empress dowager.
The Zhang family naturally supported her idea; otherwise, they wouldn't have sent their daughter to the palace to become a concubine.
Therefore, during the struggle for the throne, the Zhang family provided Shen Shi with tremendous support. This was originally a good thing, as the Zhang family could gain merit by supporting the emperor, and Shen Shi could sit on the throne. The two complemented each other perfectly.
The problem was that Consort Zhang shouldn't have killed his mother; Shen Shi would never forget that grudge.
According to Shen Shi's original plan, he should kill Consort Zhang after ascending the throne. However, as the two spent more time together, Shen Shi felt that he could not wait any longer.
Consort Zhang was an extremely ruthless woman, and her influence extended far beyond her control. She not only interfered in Shen Shi's affairs but also took over his personal affairs.
Shen Shi and Ji Ying'er originally had a child, but because of Consort Zhang's unreasonable demands and insistence on imposing rules on Ji Ying'er, she ended up miscarrying in February.
When Shen Shi learned of this, he was furious. He knew that the woman he loved was pregnant, but it was because she had been harmed and miscarried. What a ridiculous cause and effect!
Consort Zhang not only killed his mother, but now she has also caused the death of his unborn child. Therefore, Shen Shi made a painful decision to get rid of this vicious woman as soon as possible.
Shen Shi acted swiftly; just three days after Ji Ying'er's miscarriage, Consort Zhang died in her sleep.
Her death was extremely suspicious. The palace servants on night watch didn't hear a sound, and the imperial physicians couldn't find the cause of death no matter how they examined her.
After two or three days of searching without any leads, Shen Li ordered that the Consort be laid to rest. With Consort Zhang buried in the mausoleum, the matter was dropped.
In fact, many people suspected Shen Shi at the time, after all, he had said before that Consort Zhang had killed his mother, and not long ago his concubine had also miscarried because of Consort Zhang. This was very likely his revenge.
Shen Shi had anticipated all of this, but as long as his father did not suspect him, everything would soon fade away.
Shen Shi had great confidence that Shen Li had no doubts. His confidence was not based on blind faith, but on his deep understanding of Shen Li.
Her father, the emperor, seemed affectionate but was actually heartless; such a cold-hearted person viewed others the same way.
At the most crucial moment in the struggle for the throne, Shen Shi's greatest support came from the Consort's maternal family. If he were to kill the Consort, it would be tantamount to losing his own throne.
Therefore, even if Shen Li suspected that the death of the Imperial Concubine was deliberately orchestrated by someone who then framed Shen Shi in order to cripple him, he was unwilling to believe that Shen Shi was the one who did it.
The Zhang family was the same; they had their doubts about Shen, but quickly dismissed them.
They continued to support Shen Shi, and apart from sending another daughter into the palace to be the second wife of the elderly Shen Li, the Zhang family did nothing else.
Their reactions were part of Shen Shi's plan. Understanding these people was actually quite simple; all you had to do was not treat them as human beings, but as cold-blooded animals.
To put it bluntly, in the eyes of these people, the gratitude of their mother for giving birth to them, their lovers and children, are far less important than the throne.
With the throne, what good things wouldn't you have? What's more important than revenge than ascending the throne?
Capitalizing on this psychology, Shen Shi successfully eliminated Consort Zhang without losing the support of the Zhang family.
After Shen Shi ascended the throne, the Zhang family's daughter, who had entered the palace later, became the Empress Dowager. The Zhang family also gained a prominent reputation in the court because of their contribution to the emperor's rise to power.
Shen Shi felt quite embarrassed for killing someone's daughter and then getting Zhang's support for free, so he reciprocated by promoting his sons to higher positions.
As the saying goes, a new emperor brings a new court; the grudges and grievances of the past should come to an end with his ascension to the throne.
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