Chapter 141 Cooperation

Su Jingyao got into the carriage, changed out of her palace dress, and untied the heavy headdress on her head.

She then changed into a plain dress with narrow sleeves and a cinched waist that perfectly outlined her slender figure.

She looked very beautiful and graceful, like a lily emerging from the dust.

After Miaoyun knew that her master was going to stay outside the palace, she did not dare to be negligent in the slightest. She quickly asked the guards escorting them to change into inconspicuous casual clothes, and quietly protect her master in secret.

Everything was ready, and Su Jingyao couldn't wait to set off.

I am happily preparing to stroll from the beginning of East Street to the end of West Street today.

I wasn’t very excited when Jun Zechen and I left the palace before because I had only been in the palace for a short time.

But now he has been locked up in the palace for three whole years, and every time he comes out, he still feels a little bit of uncontrollable excitement in his heart.

Miaoyun followed behind her master, busy paying the bills.

However, the things her master bought were so many that she could not handle them all by herself.

In desperation, they called a few guards to follow them and help carry the items.

Along the way, although Su Jingyao was wearing a veil, her outstanding temperament still attracted many people's silent stares.

She had a graceful figure and walked lightly, and every step seemed to carry a unique charm, which made her very different from ordinary ladies from ordinary families.

When Su Jingyao felt her legs a little sore, she walked into a restaurant called Zui Xiangxie.

This restaurant is famous for its wine and has a good reputation.

The waiter of the restaurant was sharp-eyed. When he saw her come in, he immediately smiled and greeted her respectfully.

"Miss, would you like to sit in the lobby or choose a private room?"

"Lobby."

She wanted to experience the lively atmosphere.

In the past, when I went out with Jun Zechen, we were always in a private room, and I couldn't even listen to gossip among the people.

At this time, there were many people drinking and chatting in the lobby, with laughter and excitement.

There is also a stage in the lobby, and on the stage there is a storyteller who is talking eloquently.

However, the waiter was a little disappointed when he heard it.

I thought a big customer came today.

As soon as this young lady came in, she gave people a sense of outstanding popularity, and she was surrounded by servants.

I thought she was a lady from a wealthy family. Most ladies from wealthy families would choose a private room.

However, the waiter did not show his disappointment and still had a professional smile on his face.

"Yes, this lady."

Then the waiter bent down and led the way for her, his movements humble, "This way."

Su Jingyao followed him and was taken to a seat by the window.

She looked around with a satisfied look on her face. This place was neither too noisy nor too lively, which was just what she wanted.

Afterwards, Su Jingyao casually ordered a few dishes, sat by the window, relaxed, and listened to the gossip from the next table.

A young man in a blue robe, with a smile on his face and a teasing look in his eyes.

"Brother Yan, I heard that your father is going to the Chu family, the Minister of Personnel, to propose marriage. It would be a blessing to have a wife with a noble family background in the future."

Having said that, he picked up the wine glass and took a sip.

Yan Mufan, who was sitting opposite the young man in blue robe, frowned and his face instantly darkened.

"The legitimate daughter of the Chu family has already entered the palace, and the one my father proposed to me is just a concubine's daughter."

His hand was holding the wine glass, and his knuckles turned slightly white from the force.

The young man in blue robe obviously didn't expect Yan Mufan to have such an idea. He was slightly stunned, and a hint of surprise flashed in his eyes.

Although the Yan family is also a prominent family, Yan Mufan's father is Doctor Guanglu, and Yan Mufan even has a younger sister who became Zhaoyi, the head of the nine concubines in the palace.

But Yan Mufan is also a bastard. Even if the Chu family has a legitimate daughter, they will not let her marry the bastard of the Yan family.

Judging from Yan Mufan's tone, he seemed extremely dissatisfied with this illegitimate daughter of the Chu family.

Although the blue-robed young man felt that Yan Mufan was arrogant, he still had a smile on his face and did not say what he was thinking.

"Brother Yan, since you are not satisfied with the concubine of the Chu family, why don't you refuse her? Otherwise, you will be upset after marrying her." The young man in blue robe said tentatively.

"Now that your majesty has gone to war, the Su family is in charge of the country. The Su family has also produced an empress. Not only does the empress have an eldest son, she also gave birth to a pair of twins, a boy and a girl, not long ago."

"The Su family is at its peak of power. Who in the court dares to go against the Su family now?"

"In the past, my Yan family was not inferior to the Su family, but now, the Yan family has to bow down to the Su family no matter what. My father wants to win over Minister Chu, so he naturally needs me to form an alliance through marriage."

When Yan Mufan said this, he slammed the wine glass on the table, making a slight sound.

His eyes were full of annoyance and irritability.

The reason why his father allowed him to arrange a marriage was because he felt that the Chu family's concubine's daughter was not worthy of the legitimate son Yan Shuhan, so he let him, the concubine's son, marry her.

Thinking of this, an indescribable anger surged in his heart.

The young man in blue robe smiled, with an unnatural curve at the corner of his mouth.

He consoled her, "Your sister gave birth to the Seventh Prince. When the Seventh Prince grows up, he will at least be a prince. As the Seventh Prince's uncle, you have a very noble status."

"If the concubine of the Chu family doesn't like you, it's fine to take in some concubines you like in the future."

The blue-robed young man said this as he filled Yan Mufan's glass with wine.

Yan Mufan didn't say anything more, but remained silent, with deep jealousy in his eyes.

He has been jealous of Yan Shuhan since he was a child, and wanted to compare with the legitimate son in everything. The legitimate son's wife is a noble lady, and those who can be called noble ladies are all legitimate descendants of the family.

But he could only marry a concubine's daughter. Yan Mufan knew that he could not compare with the legitimate son, so he just wanted to marry a legitimate daughter whose family background was not so high.

But who would have thought that his father would use him to marry into the Chu family.

Su Jingyao listened to the gossip with great interest. At this time, the dishes she ordered were served one after another.

On the table, she ordered some light and elegant vegetarian dishes for herself, which were fresh in color and exuded a faint fragrance.

And those pickled vegetables were specially ordered for Miaoyun.

Su Jingyao has always been very picky about food and only eats the various soups made by Miaoyue that are good for beauty and health.

She would not touch any food, whether it was from a restaurant or the kitchen.

While enjoying the meal, I was thinking about the conversation I had just heard from the young man next door.

The Yan family was going to form an alliance with the Chu family, but she had never heard her father mention this before.

However, Minister Chu’s top boss is her father. If the Yan family and the Su family don’t deal with it.

The Chu family and the Yan family are getting married. Isn’t Minister Chu afraid of offending her father?

Thinking of this, Su Jingyao narrowed her eyes slightly.

Although Concubine Chu gave birth to the third prince, the third prince has been raised by Concubine Xian, and Concubine Xian is also listed as his biological mother in the imperial edict.

Maybe Miss Chu still wants to snatch the child back?

Su Jingyao couldn't help but curl the corners of her mouth with a hint of amusement.

Then he gently picked up the wine glass, took a sip, and the aroma of the wine slowly spread in his mouth.

Concubine Xian now holds a high position and has a distinguished family background. How is Lady Chu going to deal with Concubine Xian and snatch the third prince back?

Moreover, Concubine Chu was of low status. Even if Concubine Xian lost the third prince, she would not allow Concubine Chu to raise him.

After a while, the storyteller in the lobby began to tell the story of the current Majesty and the Queen.

Su Jingyao was stunned when she heard this.

Then I couldn't help but chuckle.

Miaoyun covered her mouth and chuckled.

"Miss, His Majesty and the Queen are deeply in love and live in harmony. The people outside the palace all know that His Majesty no longer sets foot in the harem because of the Queen, so many writers have made up many stories about His Majesty and the Queen."

Su Jingyao approached Miaoyun and whispered, "Isn't it enough for you to read the stories of the emperor and empress every day?"

"We have finished our shopping today, let's go back."

The Ministry of Punishment.

After returning to the palace, Su Jingyao rested for a few days and finally remembered Concubine Lan and Ye who were imprisoned in the Ministry of Punishment by Jun Zechen.

I took Miaoyun and Xilu with me and prepared to clarify some things.

"Master, Concubine Lan and Madam Ye are imprisoned in different places. Do you want to visit Concubine Lan or Madam Ye first?" Xilu asked.

As an enemy spy, Concubine Lan will have a separate trial and detention method.

Ye deceived his superiors and escaped death, but was directly locked up in the death row cell.

"Let's go see Concubine Lan first."

Few nobles would come to a place like the Ministry of Punishment. When the head of the Ministry of Punishment saw the empress coming in person, he led her tremblingly all the way to the place where Concubine Lan was imprisoned.

It was a very closed prison, and even meals could only be delivered through a small entrance.

After the door opened, Lan Fei, who was originally curled up on the ground, suddenly trembled, obviously frightened.

She hugged her knees with her hands and buried her face in them. She was dishevelled and even had scars on her body that showed obvious signs of interrogation.

Maybe every time this door was opened, she was being dragged down to be tortured, so she was shaking with fear like a conditioned reflex.

"Princess Lan."

When Concubine Lan heard the familiar voice, her eyes flickered. Then she looked up and saw the Empress who looked out of place here.

Afterwards, she began to mutter to herself like a madman: "I didn't mean to kill you. It was Ye who killed you. Why are you torturing me? Why are you torturing me..."

Su Jingyao frowned slightly. Was she driven crazy by Jun Zechen's torture?

Jun Zechen had given her the results of Concubine Lan's interrogation before.

It was indeed Concubine Lan who used a human skin mask to replace Ye and rescued Ye.

The reason why Concubine Lan helped Ye was because Ye discovered something wrong with her body during her pregnancy.

She knew that Jun Zechen and the Queen Mother might let her die in childbirth.

Therefore, she took the initiative to find Concubine Lan, and Ye used the remaining power of the Ye family and the people in the harem to make a deal with Concubine Lan.

He promised that when Canglang and Junguo came to war in the future, the remaining forces of the Ye family would disintegrate the royal family from within and cooperate with Canglang from outside.

Concubine Lan had just entered the harem and had no manpower. She also had to provide cover to pass the news out, so she agreed to cooperate with the Ye family.

But the main purpose of Ye's doing all this is Su Jingyao.

She hated Su Jingyao, so without Concubine Lan's knowledge, she took the remaining human skin mask of Concubine Lan and gave it to Ling.

Concubine Lan was extremely regretful now. She clenched her teeth, her eyes were full of regret, and her body was shaking slightly.

She was exposed because of Ye's behavior, which even caused Junguo to attack Canglang in advance, and she herself became a prisoner of Junguo.

"Princess Saihan of Canglang is no different."

Su Jingyao raised the corners of her mouth, revealing a sarcastic smile.

Lan Fei bit her lip and stared hard, forcing herself to look directly at Su Jingyao.

"If the Ye family hadn't revealed their true colors, this princess wouldn't have fallen to this point."

Haha, Su Jingyao snorted lightly, not even bothering to give her a glance, and didn't want to waste time talking to her at all.

She also didn't want to tell her that Jun Zechen knew all her actions after she entered the palace.

"The purpose of my visit today is to give you a choice."

"I also know that you are not favored in Canglang. If you were a favored princess, how could you be sent here to marry or even be a spy?"

Su Jingyao stared at Lan Fei with sharp eyes.

"And the reason you help Canglang pass on messages is because of your mother, brother, and...your lover in Canglang."

Princess Saihan looked at Su Jingyao with a hint of surprise, her pupils slightly dilated, and a hint of panic flashed across her face.

How could she know so clearly?

If the Queen knows, does Your Majesty also know?

"Cooperate with me, and when the king's iron hoof crushes the wolf, I can ask His Majesty to spare the lives of your family."

"How do you know who will win between Canglang and Junguo? My brother has been preparing to attack your Junguo for a long time. Even if Junguo is ready, what can we do? Canglang's warriors are not vegetarians."

Lan Fei clenched her fists and spoke in a firm voice.

"Then you know that after your brother found out that you were captured, in order to prevent you from revealing Canglang's secrets, he has ordered the spies hidden in the Imperial Palace to kill you if they get the chance."

"As for your lover, he was killed by your brother a long time ago."

Su Jingyao said coldly with a blank expression on her face.

Jun Zechen was able to tolerate a cuckolded woman in the harem. He was really tolerant and worthy of being an emperor.

Afterwards, Su Jingyao tilted her head slightly to signal Xilu to hand Canglang's letter to Concubine Lan.

Lan Fei stretched out her hand tremblingly. The moment her fingers touched the letter, she felt like she was electrocuted and was stunned.

Is this really my brother's handwriting?!

She opened her eyes wide, her face full of disbelief.