He Lanruo had been inside the house in the deep alley for some time. The gentle spring breeze blew on Chunmian, who was always standing at the corner, but it felt much colder than the wind in the coldest days of winter.
After standing there for a while, she finally shifted her gaze from the gate of the house, which remained silent not far ahead, to the roasted chestnuts scattered all over the ground.
The lady specifically asked her to come out and buy this; she said she loves it!
Actually, it wasn't that she liked to eat them; she clearly knew that this gluttonous girl liked to eat these snacks from outside, so she specially prepared special treats for her.
Why is it that such a wonderful woman always seems to encounter bad people?
It's one thing to be the Crown Prince Wei, but now his husband, Young Master Helan, is the same!
She squatted down and picked up the scattered chestnuts one by one, tears streaming down her face.
After picking up all the chestnuts, Chunmian took one last deep look at the still tightly closed gate of the mansion, raised the back of her hand to wipe away her tears, and headed straight for the Duke's mansion.
Along the way, she wanted to expose Helan Ruo's ugly face to Tang Ning immediately, but she was also afraid that Tang Ning would be heartbroken because of it.
After all, she and Chun Tan both have eyes and can see for themselves. It's clear that Madam has already begun to fall in love with Young Master Helan, and even has the desire to spend her life with him and grow old together.
How could she possibly...?
Because these two thoughts were constantly vying for dominance in her mind, Chunmian was somewhat dazed and confused the whole way, and even accidentally bumped into several people's shoulders.
In the end, for Tang Ning's sake, and also out of fear that she might have misjudged and hurt Tang Ning, Chunmian decided to keep quiet for the time being as she stepped into the Duke's mansion. She wasn't very clever and couldn't think of any good solutions. Perhaps after talking to Chun Tan, she would have some good ideas!
Chunmian thought to herself.
She was afraid that Tang Ning might notice something was amiss because she had cried on the way, so she went back to her and Chun Tan's room, washed her face, and applied some makeup to cover it up. She looked at herself in the bronze mirror for a while, and when she saw that there was no flaw, she forced a smile and walked towards Tang Ning.
After walking a few steps, she suddenly realized that the roasted chestnuts in her hand had fallen to the ground earlier, and the chestnut shells were covered with a lot of dust. What should she do?
Ah, I've got it.
Having made up her mind, Chunmian ran all the way to Tang Ning's room. As soon as she pushed open the door, she said in a dejected voice, "Madam, it's all Chunmian's fault. I just bought the chestnuts and someone bumped into me and knocked them to the ground. All the chestnuts are scattered and dirty. Madam, please punish me..."
Hearing Chunmian's words, Tang Ning, who was sitting by the window embroidering a cloak with Chun Tan, looked up in slight surprise and smiled, "It's dirty, but are you alright? Did you fall?"
She put down the white cloak in her hand, walked straight towards Chunmian, took her arm, and looked her up and down.
"No, no, no one fell, only the chestnuts spilled."
"So what if the chestnuts spilled? It's not a big deal. You can still eat them after peeling them. Look, I knew you'd be back around this time, so I asked the kitchen to make you a bowl of steamed sweet cheese. Haven't you been wanting to eat this for a long time? Eat up. I had them sprinkle some of your favorite dried peaches and almonds on top. I'm sure you'll like it."
Tang Ning smiled gently.
Looking at Tang Ning, who treated her so well, and the bowl of steaming sweet cheese placed in front of her, Chunmian's eyes involuntarily reddened.
To avoid Tang Ning noticing that something was wrong, she quickly lowered her head.
After calming down for a while, she didn't eat the steamed sugar cheese she had been longing for. Instead, she looked straight at Tang Ning by the window and saw the white cloak in her hand and the silver thread placed to the side.
The cape was originally white, and the silver thread embroidered on the collar and hem did look nice, but this kind of embroidery is always the most pleasing to the eye.
"Young Master will be very happy to receive a cloak embroidered by you, Madam, in a few days."
Chun Tan, standing to the side, was still laughing and joking.
Upon hearing that Tang Ning was doing such an eye-straining embroidery work for He Lanruo, Chunmian, who had originally planned to keep what she had just seen a secret from Tang Ning to avoid upsetting her, felt as if the string that had been taut in her mind had suddenly snapped.
Without a second thought, she rushed forward and snatched the cloak from Tang Ning's hands, crying out, "Madam, please stop embroidering! Young Master... he doesn't deserve all this from you! I saw it all outside. The reason he's been running around all these days is clearly to meet other women! I saw with my own eyes that woman throw herself into his arms, and he didn't resist at all. Then he went inside and didn't come out for ages..."
As she spoke, Chunmian's tears fell like beads from a broken string.
Tang Ning was completely stunned and stood there.
"Chunmian, what nonsense are you spouting!"
Upon seeing Tang Ning's appearance, Chun Tan rushed forward and grabbed Chun Mian's arm to stop her.
“I’m not lying, it’s true, I really saw it with my own eyes. If you don’t believe me, Madam, I can take you there…”
Before Chunmian could finish speaking, Chuntan immediately covered her mouth, "Madam, Chunmian hasn't been feeling well these past few days and keeps talking nonsense. May I take her downstairs to rest?"
"Um."
Tang Ning pursed her lips, nodded slightly, and let Chun Tan drag Chun Mian away.
The room fell silent immediately.
Tang Ning lowered her eyes slightly, then raised her hand and touched the cloak that was placed beside her.
She had only touched him twice when a lazy male voice suddenly rang out behind her.
"It's true, everything your little maid said is true."
Caught off guard, Tang Ning turned around in a panic upon hearing the slightly familiar voice. She then saw a completely unexpected person sitting at a table not far behind her, casually pouring himself a cup of tea, taking a sip, and then turning to look at her.
"You, how did you get here?"
Upon seeing this person, and recalling the two times she had spent alone with him before, Tang Ning fled towards the door without hesitation.
But when she reached the door and pulled hard, she couldn't open it at all.
Just as she pulled the door shut, several windows in the room were also slammed shut from the outside.
Looking incredulously at how all her escape routes had been blocked, Tang Ning suddenly turned to look at Situ Yin behind her, who seemed completely unconcerned about what he had done.
"What exactly do you want? This is the Duke's mansion. I am Helan Ruo's wife, Princess Qingping's daughter-in-law, and also... also your nephew's wife. You..."
Feeling somewhat safe only when she leaned against the door behind her, Tang Ning spoke with reddened eyes. Unfortunately, she couldn't continue speaking, because the person in front of her was none other than the master of the entire world. Not to mention a small Duke's mansion, the whole world could belong to him if he so desired.
The more Tang Ning thought about it, the more desperate she became.
To everyone's surprise, Situ Yin, looking completely at ease, actually answered her question.
"What do I want to do? I want you to come to the palace and become my concubine."
"impossible!"
He had barely finished speaking when Tang Ning immediately replied with this resolute statement.
"I am already Helan's wife, how can I enter the palace to become your concubine?"
"Your little maid didn't see wrong. The woman she saw was none other than the woman Helan Ruo had been thinking about for three whole years and who had truly loved. So even if the two of them reconcile, you still don't want it?"
Situ Yin rested his chin on his hand and began to appreciate Tang Ning's changing expressions.
Sure enough, upon hearing him say that, Tang Ning's face turned deathly pale.
"Words are meaningless, what proof do I have..."
Tang Ning quickly composed herself, but she had only just begun to retort.
Snap!
Situ Yin immediately pulled out a stack of things from behind him and threw them on the table next to him. He then gestured to Tang Ning with his eyes, "Here, everything you want to know is here. It's up to you whether you're willing or dare to come and see."
Upon hearing Situ Yin's words, Tang Ning's gaze immediately fell upon the stack of things he had placed on the table.
She didn't know how long she had been watching, but she thought to herself that now that the doors and windows were all sealed off, even if this person in front of her really wanted to do something to her, she would probably be helpless and unable to call for help. Rather than showing such a timid and frightened appearance and becoming a laughingstock, it was better to...
Thinking this, Tang Ning closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and calmly walked towards Situ Yin.
Situ Yin, who had thought she might struggle with this for a while, raised his eyebrows when he saw that Tang Ning had figured it out in such a short time, and even her eyes no longer showed the timidity she had shown before.
However, all of that was secondary. As the other person got closer and closer to him, the fragrance in the room grew stronger and stronger, which made Situ Yin's lips curl up unconsciously, higher and higher, and he was in an extremely good mood.
Even just thinking about Tang Ning entering the palace in the future makes him feel so relaxed and at ease.
Situ Yin was in an even better mood.
Walking to the table, Tang Ning tried hard to avoid looking at Situ Yin, who was sitting very close to her on a stool, and instead reached out and picked up the papers on the table.
Her eyes widened after reading just the beginning.
She realized that the woman Helan Ruo had been longing for all these years was none other than the concubine in the harem of the man before her.
She realized just how much Helan Ruo had liked this Miss Ji in the past.
She saw the correspondence between He Lanruo and Ji Muqing.
She saw that Helan Ruo had actually sent people to smuggle Ji Muqing out of the Cold Palace, and now she was being housed in a mansion in the north of the city.
She realized that Ji Muqing might have been injured in the Cold Palace, and her mental age was only that of a nine-year-old, so Helan Ruo couldn't completely let go of her...
The things Situ Yin sent were very detailed; in other words, everything that happened between Ji Muqing and He Lanruo took place right under his nose.
Thinking of this, Tang Ning's breathing became rapid.
"Have you seen clearly? So now, do you want to come back to the palace with me or not? After all, even if you don't come back to the palace with me, Helan Ruo, who already has Ji Muqing, probably won't see you as her wife anymore. Who knows, she might even ask you to give up your position to Ji Muqing in the future. So it's better to come to the palace with me. What's your opinion?"
In a good mood, Situ Yin patiently guided him.
After hearing his words, Tang Ning tightened her grip on the paper in her hand, and her neatly trimmed nails left several crescent-shaped marks on it.
She slowly turned her head to look at Situ Yin, who had a determined look on his face, and pursed her lips. "Putting aside the matter between Helan and Ji Muqing, people in the capital have been spreading rumors about how much Your Majesty cares about the Princess. Now you are scheming to steal her daughter-in-law. Aren't you afraid of hurting Princess Qingping's feelings and being ridiculed by the people of the capital?"
Hearing her say that, Situ Yin slowly suppressed his smile, stood up, and looked down at Tang Ning, who stood defiantly before him. He hadn't realized that the seemingly soft, innocent-looking little rabbit he'd met earlier was actually a hedgehog in sheep's clothing.
"Who in the capital dares to ridicule me? Besides, I care about the Eldest Princess, but who said I should care about her son as well? To me, the Eldest Princess is the Eldest Princess, and Helan Ruo is Helan Ruo."
“But if Helan Ruo is unhappy, the eldest princess won’t be happy either.”
"That's her problem."
Situ Yin said matter-of-factly, “Everyone is complete, and their joys and sorrows are entirely up to them. If she insists on being unhappy because of Helan Ruo’s unhappiness, there’s nothing I can do.”
"not to mention……"
Situ Yin looked at Tang Ning with a serious expression. "Although I took away her daughter-in-law, didn't I also give her another one? Ji Muqing has been in the palace for three years, and I haven't touched her once. She is still a virgin. If that's not enough, I can give her an extra dowry. I will make sure that Helan Ruo's second wedding is even more spectacular than the first one. What do you say?"
Such a peculiar thought process even made the well-informed Tang Ning unable to help but twitch her lips inwardly.
She now understands why the system couldn't measure this person's favorability.
The system is designed based on the thinking of normal people; it can't detect a single case of mental illness, which is as normal as it gets.
"I...I've already reported the anomaly to the company. It should be fine soon."
Upon hearing Tang Ning's inner monologue, 54088 quickly offered this explanation.
After processing all these random thoughts in her mind, Tang Ning's disbelief became even more pronounced. "You..."
Perhaps realizing she couldn't win an argument with him using twisted logic, Tang Ning closed her eyes, calmed her breathing, and then said in a composed voice, "Even if Helan really wants to be with Ji Muqing, and wants me to give way to the woman he loves, do I have to go to the palace with you? If you are heartless, then I will leave. I can simply divorce you and return to the General's Mansion, or even cut my hair and go to the mountains to become a nun. Why must I go to the palace to become your concubine?"
As she spoke, Tang Ning slightly raised her chin, her eyes fixed on the handsome man in black before her, a man whose appearance was almost unbearable. "You clearly knew about Ji Muqing and He Lanruo's secret communications, yet you still allowed He Lanruo to smuggle Ji Muqing out. You were clearly plotting against him. Although I don't know why you've been so persistent after only meeting me once, and I don't know what is there about me that you'd want to scheme against? My looks? My family background? No, if you're after those things, there are plenty of women in this world. As far as I know, that Miss Ji is a rare beauty in this world..."
"Although I don't understand these things, would I dare to go into the palace with Your Majesty, who is capable of scheming against even his own nephew? If I really went in with you, I'm afraid that one day I might not even know how I died?"
As soon as Tang Ning finished speaking, her chin was grabbed by Situ Yin's icy hand, and the man's eyes immediately darkened.
The two stared at each other for a long time.
Situ Yin's hoarse voice slowly rang out.
"You were afraid of dying if you followed me into the palace, but now you're not afraid anymore? You dare to say such things to my face? Do you know that even if I were to strangle you right now, the Duke's Mansion, including Helan Ruo, wouldn't have a single complaint?"
As he spoke, his hand slowly moved down and gently gripped Tang Ning's slender neck, her fragile pulse still throbbing in his palm.
Feeling the touch on her neck, Tang Ning's breathing became slightly rapid, but her eyes still did not show any sign of begging for mercy.
“I believe His Majesty has also investigated my past. I grew up in Xihe County. When I was fourteen, I learned about my true identity and traveled alone from Xihe County to the capital. As a woman, the reason I was able to reach the capital safely was entirely due to the fact that the journey was safe enough. I did not encounter many bandits or outlaws who had taken over the mountains because they could not make a living. I also received help from countless wealthy people who had surplus grain in their homes.”
"I believe that all of this is inextricably linked to you, the emperor. I don't believe that you, as an emperor, would be such a person who indiscriminately kills innocent people and treats human life like dirt."
Tang Ning said, enunciating each word clearly.
Regardless of Situ Yin's personal morality, he was a competent emperor, just as she said, truly incompetent. In the story, the original owner probably wouldn't have been able to safely complete that thousand-mile journey.
As for his indiscriminate killings in the palace, that was indeed his problem.
If you were to say he was a truly wonderful person, the wronged souls who died unjustly in the palace would probably disagree.
Tang Ning was merely stating the facts, with a hint of trying to elevate him.
Being stubborn and inflexible is foolish, but lacking backbone is cowardly.
That's just right.
After all, she was trying to win him over.
After hearing Tang Ning's words, Situ Yin couldn't help but chuckle softly. His laughter grew deeper and deeper, like aged liquor, making listeners feel slightly intoxicated.
"You're criticizing me one minute and praising me the next. Do you think that praising me will stop me from hurting you?"
Situ Yin said this with a smile.
Upon hearing this, Tang Ning immediately closed her eyes, and her body began to tremble.
"So you weren't afraid after all?"
Situ Yin leaned close to her ear and whispered these words.
Upon hearing this, Tang Ning suddenly opened her eyes, only to see Situ Yin slowly remove his hand from her neck, then touch his chin and begin to look Tang Ning up and down.
After watching for a while, and as Tang Ning began to get a little nervous, he suddenly had a sudden idea and moved closer to her. "It just so happens that my harem is lacking an empress. Why don't you become my empress? What do you say? After all, once you become empress and your name is officially recorded, even if you offend me in the future, I can't easily harm you. If you're still worried, I can even write you a guarantee that I will never take your life. Otherwise, I will go to the eighteenth level of hell after I die, never to be reincarnated. How about that?"
Upon hearing this, Tang Ning stared in disbelief.
"I know that Ji Muqing entered the palace for the Empress's position. Since she wants to steal your husband, I might as well give you the Empress's position she's been longing for, so you can give her a good scolding. How about that? If you're not satisfied, you can summon her to the palace every day. You sit while she stands, you eat while she watches. Or, I can accompany you to the Duke's mansion so we can show off and make her so angry she'll vomit blood. How about that?"
Situ Yin got more and more excited as he spoke.
If it weren't for the inappropriate occasion, Tang Ning would have given him a thumbs up and praised him for his good job!
Unexpectedly, this person is so good at provoking people. If Tang Ning really did what he did, Ji Muqing would probably not only be so angry that he would vomit blood, but he might even have a stroke, the kind of stroke that causes facial paralysis and hemiplegia.
Unfortunately, Tang Ning knew the nature of the person in front of her all too well.
His talk of being an empress is probably just a momentary impulse. Despite having so many women in his harem, the fact that his empress position is still vacant shows that, due to the late emperor and his childhood experiences, he actually cares a lot about his empress, yet is also very confused.
Seeing her now, I only feel for a moment that she is somewhat suitable.
Looking back, you'll definitely regret it.
However, the fact that he was considering making Tang Ning his empress meant that, besides the fragrance, he was also starting to find her personality interesting.
That's enough.
She wants the Empress's position, but not now.
"His Majesty……"
Tang Ning murmured this, then suddenly lowered her head, "I'm afraid I'm not worthy of it..."
In fact, Situ Yin regretted it as soon as he blurted out that Tang Ning should be the empress. But he never expected that before he could take back his words, the other party would actually... refuse him!
The thought that even the position of Empress had been offered was met with such disapproval from the person in front of her.
Even though the poison hadn't taken effect, Situ Yin felt his head start to ache again.
It's fair to say that he hasn't used his brain for a long time since he ascended to the throne.
It seems he needs to think about this carefully.
He will make her willingly enter the palace.
Thinking of this, he suddenly leaned close to Tang Ning's ear and sniffed deeply again, then turned and walked out.
"If you don't want to do it, then forget it."
After uttering such a childish remark, Situ Yin quickly disappeared.
At the same time, all the doors and windows of the house were opened.
Looking at the house that seemed to have never been visited, Tang Ning was stunned on the surface, but a smile immediately appeared on her face.
Who said I'm not doing it anymore?
Sooner or later you'll be begging me to do it.
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