The moment Situ Yin removed his mask and uttered the word "Empress," it was like a thunderclap that suddenly exploded in the hearts of the unprepared crowd, leaving almost everyone present stunned and unable to recover for a moment.
What did they hear?
Empress?
Qin Tangning...
Is Qin Tangning the Empress?
How could Qin Tangning, who perished in the fire at the Duke's mansion, suddenly become Empress? And why is His Majesty appearing on the stage where a hundred flowers bloom?
The ordinary people were alright, but the high-ranking officials and dignitaries in the surrounding restaurants had their minds in complete turmoil.
While officials who didn't have much contact with Tang Ning were merely bewildered and confused, those who were closer to Tang Ning, such as the Duke's Mansion, the General's Mansion, Wei Jing, Qin Qianqian, Ji Muqing, and He Lanruo, were filled with shock and astonishment.
Empress, Empress, he actually agreed to let Tang Ning be his empress!
Helan Ruo, who was the first to react, looked down at the exceptionally well-matched couple with red eyes. Her heart felt as if it had been squeezed by someone, and the pain made it hard for her to breathe.
He truly has no hope left.
Wei Jing, however, looked greedily at Tang Ning's profile below. She wasn't dead, she wasn't dead, Tang Ning wasn't dead!
She's not dead! She's not dead! Why isn't she dead?! She's even going to be... Empress!
Qin Qianqian stared intently at Tang Ning below.
Empress, Empress, why, why... She was engaged to Wei Jing and then broke off the engagement, and later even married He Lanruo. She was already a ruined woman. What right did Qin Tangning have to be Empress!
Jealousy began to gnaw at Qin Qianqian's heart once again.
In the other private room, Madam Qin's breathing suddenly became rapid.
Immediately afterwards, someone, whoever was the first to react, knelt down before Situ Yin below and shouted "Long live the Emperor!"
It was at this moment that everyone snapped out of their shock and knelt down respectfully before Situ Yin and Tang Ning, who was standing beside him.
"Impossible! What right does she have!"
At the same moment, a sharp voice suddenly rang out in everyone's ears.
Those familiar with the voice immediately recognized it as Ji Muqing, who had recently returned to the Prime Minister's residence from the Duke's mansion for unknown reasons. Who else could it be?
To outsiders, Ji Muqing has always been perceived as rational, calm, and elegant.
But at this moment, she could neither be elegant nor rational.
No one knows how much she sacrificed for the elusive position of Empress. She gave up her beloved lover, lived in fear for three whole years under the torment of Situ Yin, suffered so much in the Cold Palace, and was even imprisoned and once on the verge of death.
After all that trouble, what did she get out of it?
I got nothing.
Helan Ruo, who was once devoted to her, turned a blind eye to her and even allowed the eldest princess to drive her out of the Duke's mansion. Her family members, who used to praise and fawn over her, now despised her and made veiled insults. Even her former reputation for talent and beauty has now become a curse.
She has lost everything.
Why is it that Tang Ning, who has already been married once, can so easily get what she longs for?
Ji Muqing went completely mad.
"Didn't you recognize her? She's Qin Tangning, the Qin Tangning who died in the fire at the Duke's mansion not long ago. Surely some of you recognize her, right? One was already married, the other dared to set fire to half of the Duke's mansion for wealth and status, abandoning her husband to enter the palace—what right does she have to become Empress..."
She pointed at Tang Ning on the stage and blurted out something reckless.
"Smack!"
Before Ji Muqing could finish speaking, a dark figure slapped her across the face, making a crisp sound. Then, several more slaps followed, even knocking out a tooth.
The dog guard who had descended from above then vanished without a trace.
Meanwhile, Ji Muqing was already covering her swollen cheeks, looking down at Situ Yin, who was calm and collected, with a look of utter horror.
"If a mouth only spews filth, then I think there's no point in having one. Don't you agree?"
Situ Yin smiled, but his eyes were like ice, and he looked straight at Ji Muqing.
The fear of being dominated by Situ Yin during those three years in the harem returned. Ji Muqing's pupils suddenly contracted, and she trembled and fell to the ground. As soon as she fell, as if she had thought of something, Ji Muqing immediately adjusted her posture and knelt down respectfully, her whole body trembling and her teeth chattering.
What did she just say in front of Situ Yin? She... she disobeyed him! How dare she disobey him!
She's finished...
Despair filled every corner of Ji Muqing's heart.
Situ Yin's move made everyone kneeling there even more trembling with fear.
Then they heard Situ Yin's voice ring in their ears again, "Helan Ruo stole one of my insignificant concubines. I couldn't swallow this insult, but I didn't really want that insignificant concubine back, so I simply replaced his wife with another one. One for him, one for me, fair and impartial. Tell me, was what I did right?"
Situ Yin's matter-of-fact tone made everyone present twitch at the corners of their mouths.
They said, "Young Master Helan did such a thing, how come His Majesty punished him so lightly before? They thought Princess Qingping was so important to His Majesty, but they never expected..."
His Majesty has already handled all the business, but is it even possible to conduct business this way? What kind of crooked and unethical practices are these?
Furthermore, if His Majesty truly favors Qin Tangning, then we can simply turn a blind eye and let her enter the palace as a concubine. But to become the Empress, the mother of the nation, isn't that...
"I was the one who set the fire in the Duke's mansion. Originally, I wanted to make Qin Tangning disappear from this world completely and enter my harem. But then I thought, why should she? She's a perfectly good woman. It was her husband who did something wrong, not her. Why should she be implicated and disappear from this world? Besides, if it weren't for my sudden impulse, she would still be living a peaceful life as his principal wife. Why should she be forced to become a concubine just because I threatened her? To put it nicely, a concubine, but not even a concubine. She didn't do anything wrong from beginning to end. Why should she be changed from a wife to a concubine?"
Situ Yin continued spouting his fallacious arguments.
"There's no such logic in this world, don't you all agree? So I've decided to let Qin Tangning continue to be her rightful wife. Doesn't that leave the Empress as the only legitimate wife for the Emperor? She can only be the principal wife. I've been lacking an Empress for so many years. It's such a coincidence. It seems that Heaven had already arranged for her to be my Empress."
Situ Yin said this with a smile.
Fallacies, fallacies, all fallacies.
A group of ministers all shouted this out in their hearts.
However, no one, including the censors, dared to utter a sound. After all, they could argue with anyone else, but when facing His Majesty, if they dared to argue, he would dare to kill them. He would kill one if they came, and kill two if they came.
In other words, their emperor's words today about whether or not to establish an empress were not at all discussed with them; it was merely an announcement, and no one could stop him from doing so.
Your Majesty!
What incredible luck did Qin Tangning and the General's Mansion have?
Heaven knows what His Majesty is thinking every day. When she married the young master of Helan, she was the principal wife. Even if it were His Majesty, she would still be the principal wife, since she hadn't done anything wrong.
What, what is all this?!
Some ministers who hadn't quite grasped the situation secretly cursed Situ Yin for being out of his mind!
The more astute officials quickly realized that the Emperor's rambling was actually a sign that he had taken a liking to Qin Tangning. Otherwise, why would he bring her into the palace and make her Empress?
Some of the more cunning ones even began to secretly suspect the previous affair between Helan Ruo and Ji Muqing. Could it be that this madman orchestrated it himself, and that he actually wanted to steal the wife of a lowly subject?
Ahem, they're old, too old. They know nothing, they don't understand anything. They'll just do whatever His Majesty says.
Meanwhile, Tang Ning, who was bewildered by this series of changes, was staring intently at Situ Yin beside her.
She couldn't understand why her veil had suddenly fallen off, and she had become the empress, with even her identity as the legitimate daughter of the general's family being exposed. The changes were so rapid and overwhelming that she couldn't even process them.
Feeling Tang Ning's gaze, Situ Yin finished saying what he wanted to say and turned to look at Tang Ning beside him. "Before leaving the palace today, I had the Imperial Observatory calculate the auspicious time for us. It will be a few more months before the wedding is the right time. There are many things to prepare for the wedding, so how about we wait a few more months?"
Hearing Situ Yin's extremely gentle words, looking into his dark eyes, and feeling the warmth of his hand holding hers, she realized that since arriving in the capital, she had been abandoned and ignored. After Master Tang's death, she had never felt such kindness and gentleness from Tang Ning again. Her eyes reddened, and she moved her lips as if she wanted to say something, but in the end, she couldn't say anything.
Just then, a loud explosion rang out beside them, and a firework shot into the sky, blooming brilliantly in the night.
Tang Ning suddenly turned her head, and the light from the fireworks made her already fair face even more radiant and beautiful.
"Is it pretty?"
During a break in the fireworks display, Situ Yin took the opportunity to whisper a question in her ear.
"pretty……"
Tang Ning said blankly, then the corners of her mouth curled up slightly.
Seeing that Tang Ning truly liked him, Situ Yin felt a surge of unprecedented satisfaction and joy.
If you like it, that's fine.
He also smiled.
After the fireworks display ended, Tang Ning returned to the palace with Situ Yin and discovered that Chun Mian and Chun Tan, who had been staying in the palace, knew about what had happened outside. The two little girls were so excited that they didn't know what to do. Chun Mian even hugged Tang Ning's arm and cried and laughed at the same time.
In her eyes, this meant her young mistress had finally made it.
Because Miss has really suffered so much. Not to mention being switched at birth as a child, what kind of people did she encounter after returning to the capital? Prince Wei, Young Master Helan, neither of them were good people. Fortunately, she has now met the cherished Emperor, and Miss is truly about to see the light at the end of the tunnel.
Chunmian's thoughts were rather simple, but Chuntan quickly noticed that Tangning's expression was off, as if she was struggling with something and worried about it. She quickly tugged at Chunmian's arm, but before she could say anything, a young eunuch outside respectfully reported that His Majesty would be coming to Weiyang Palace that evening.
Now, Chun Tan couldn't say anything more and could only help Tang Ning bathe and change.
Tang Ning had just finished showering and was sitting beside Chun Tan, who was wringing her half-dry hair. She was lost in thought, and as she pondered, it seemed as if she had finally understood something. Her eyes quickly became clear and she let out a soft sigh of relief.
But soon she realized that the force the person behind her was using was wrong. Tang Ning suddenly turned her head and met Situ Yin's eyes, who was focused on wringing her hair.
"His Majesty!"
Tang Ning called out to him in surprise, and was about to bow in greeting when Situ Yin helped her up.
"What were you thinking about just now? You seemed so lost in thought."
Still excited about what happened at the Flower Festival, Situ Yin asked subconsciously.
Upon hearing this, Tang Ning paused for a moment, then smiled gently and bowed respectfully to Situ Yin. "It's nothing. I just wanted to thank Your Majesty for your words on my behalf during the Flower Festival. Thank you for helping me regain my status, and thank you for always standing by my side and clearing my name, and even... for being willing to let me be your Empress..."
Upon hearing this, a smug look flashed across Situ Yin's eyes. He knew that Tang Ning would definitely like his arrangement.
He wanted her to become his rightful Empress.
Before he could say anything, Tang Ning spoke again, "However, I understand, and I know where I belong. I will not do anything unnecessary. I know you told me this back at the Duke's mansion, that you wanted me to be your Empress, that it was officially documented, and that even if I offended His Majesty, you wouldn't take my life. You even said you would help me get back at Ji Muqing. That's why you made me... or maybe you really do need an Empress. It doesn't matter, it really doesn't matter. In any case, I am truly grateful to Your Majesty. From now on, I will definitely be a dutiful and responsible Empress who will satisfy Your Majesty."
Tang Ning looked very serious.
But her seriousness froze the smug smile on Situ Yin's lips. "You think I'm just fulfilling a promise I made in jest?"
The immense storm gathering in Situ Yin's eyes made Tang Ning, who had been quite confident, suddenly feel uneasy and at a loss.
Isn't that right?
The more she acted this way, the angrier Situ Yin became.
"Isn't that... the case?"
Tang Ning asked tentatively.
Of course not!
He is clearly... he is clearly... he is clearly...
Situ Yin, who had been trying to figure things out for a long time, suddenly felt a little confused. What did he want to do?
He couldn't explain why he felt so bad when he saw Tang Ning's dejected look because he couldn't be seen in the light of day. He even put on a show in front of everyone just to make her happy. For a moment, he felt both confused and frustrated.
Seeing Tang Ning's bewildered and clueless expression only made him feel more frustrated and angry.
At night, lying in bed, he didn't even want to hug Tang Ning anymore.
He used to love sleeping with Tang Ning in his arms because her scent was always so strong that when he got close, she would soothe all his discomfort and irritability, allowing him to sleep soundly until dawn. But now, for some reason, he just felt angry and didn't want to hold her.
But to her surprise, he didn't hug her.
After the rustling sounds stopped in the darkness, Tang Ning surprisingly reached out her arms and hugged him for the first time, resting her head on his shoulder.
As soon as she released it, Situ Yin's breath hissed out, as if it had leaked air, and quickly disappeared completely.
After he finished, his heart was filled with emptiness. He truly didn't know what was wrong with him. He used to be happy just holding Tang Ning and smelling her scent, so why wasn't he happy or satisfied even after holding her now?
Situ Yin subconsciously tightened his embrace, his eyes filled with even more doubt.
What does he really want?
Just as Situ Yin was filled with confusion, Tang Ning, nestled in his arms, raised an eyebrow.
Given her character and past experiences, it's perfectly normal for her to doubt herself, disbelieve, and even actively find various reasons to deny that Situ Yin's decision to make her empress stemmed from affection for her, after being hurt twice. Furthermore, Situ Yin also needs a catalyst to awaken him.
Although Tang Ning can't see the other person's level of affection right now, she knows that his affection is most likely stuck in a bottleneck period. Due to the palace environment and the lack of emotional support since childhood, Situ Yin doesn't seem to understand what liking or loving is.
This is not a very friendly thing for Tang Ning!
After the Flower Festival, Tang Ning's miraculous return to life, coupled with Situ Yin's pronouncements after his ascension, caused another uproar in the capital.
Although everyone guessed that Tang Ning's entry into the palace was most likely forced, and even very likely to be to rescue He Lanruo who was still in prison at the time.
But she's the Empress!
How many people would envy and be jealous of such a position, which is second only to the emperor? Jealousy is the most irrational emotion.
Sure enough, all sorts of rumors about Tang Ning resurfaced.
Rumors quickly spread that she was unfaithful, deliberately seducing His Majesty, promiscuous, and that the men around her changed from Prince Wei to Young Master Helan, and then to His Majesty. They even claimed she was a reincarnation of the infamous concubines Daji and Baosi.
Situ Yin did not stop it, after all, people's mouths cannot be silenced.
However, if anyone criticizes Tang Ning, he immediately mobilizes all his guards to expose all of that person's private matters to the public.
Which powerful person doesn't have something going on behind the scenes? Even if nothing's wrong, Situ Yin can still spread rumors about you!
These moves quickly made it so that no one in the entire capital dared to speak ill of Tang Ning anymore, although occasionally someone would curse her behind her back as a wicked empress.
Unexpectedly, Situ Yin became proud after hearing this title, after all, he was a tyrant and Tang Ning was a demon queen.
A wicked empress and a tyrant—they sound like a perfect pair.
Tang Ning was utterly exasperated by Situ Yin's twisted logic; his thought process was simply different from that of ordinary people.
Situ Yin's series of bizarre actions finally caused the ministers to stop focusing their attention on Tang Ning. After all, they finally understood that His Majesty was determined and no amount of persuasion could change his mind; he wanted Qin Tang Ning to be his empress.
The officials below had heard rumors of Situ Yin's unusual behavior, and now that they saw him treating Qin Tangning like a precious treasure, some of them started to have their own ideas.
Now that His Majesty has returned to normal and is willing to do anything for the beauty, shouldn't they also replenish the harem?
After all these years, His Majesty has had no children, which means that whoever in the harem can give birth to a prince in the future will be the crown prince!
Qin Tangning, a woman who has been remarried, is now so infatuated with His Majesty simply because of her stunning beauty.
How long can one who uses beauty to please others remain popular?
When His Majesty loses interest in her one day, they don't believe she can still hold onto the position of Empress. That will be their chance!
As they thought about it, their desire grew stronger and stronger.
The fervor was so intense that, for the first time, the topic of selecting candidates for imperial concubines and even having offspring was raised in the imperial court.
As soon as they brought it up, Situ Yin looked at them with a sullen face, then angrily returned to the inner palace.
Almost simultaneously, Tang Ning, who was also in the inner palace and had heard about the matter, raised an eyebrow.
A talent show, huh?
She thought, her opportunity had arrived.
So when Situ Yin appeared in front of her, Tang Ning immediately showed a hesitant and conflicted expression, but in the end she finally said what she had been holding back for so long.
A dutiful empress would naturally help the emperor fill his harem.
Almost as soon as he heard Tang Ning's request, Situ Yin immediately stood up from his chair, looked at Tang Ning with lightning speed, and then reached out to grab her chin, pressing her down onto the table behind her.
"His Majesty……"
Seeing that things were not going well, Chunmian and Chuntan were about to plead for mercy when Situ Yin immediately kicked them out.
"A talent show? You want me to participate in a talent show too?"
Despite his fierce expression, a wave of grievance washed over him, almost overwhelming him completely.
Why did she...?
Seeing his aggrieved expression, Tang Ning almost couldn't help but burst out laughing, though her eyes were still filled with fear and helplessness.
She didn't want him to participate in the selection process; she just wanted everyone to see just how far Situ Yin could go for her. Not only did she not want to participate in the selection, she also wanted to dismiss all the people still living in the palace.
She wanted him, Situ Yin, to be devoted to her alone from now on.
The Empress Dowager, is that right?
Then she'll show them her seductive side!
Author's Note: Situ Yin: If I hold a talent show, am I still your little cutie?
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