Chapter 35
Fate is truly wondrous.
One sentence was so infuriating that Yuan Qiong almost lost her fake smile.
Then, the Empress, who appeared aloof and unapproachable to outsiders, dismissed the Emperor and her half-sister with disdain, saw off her childhood friend Guan Shengran, and dismissed all the palace servants. She casually took off her loose outer robe and threw aside the brocade veil with it, and began to stretch her wrists and ankles with a dark face.
Yuwen Jing and Yuan Zhen both need to take good care of their health to prepare for having a child, so she can't move for the time being. Naturally, she'll vent her anger on the strong and healthy people!
“............”
The situation is not looking good...
Lin Qiang chuckled twice, then turned to leave.
"I have other matters to attend to, so I will take my leave!"
Yuan Qiong narrowed her fox-like eyes. Trying to run away?!
She stepped forward, but due to her height, she couldn't reach his collar, so she grabbed his belt instead. She snapped in a sweet voice, "Squat down!"
Lin Qiang, who had abruptly stopped, was a little flustered. Pulling a man's belt wasn't something a good girl would do...
"Don't pull... your pants will fall down!"
Pooh!
bandit!
A faint blush appeared on the tips of her ears. Yuan Qiong forced a straight face and repeated, "Squat down!"
All right.
The burly man resignedly turned around and squatted down in front of the petite woman, his hands covering his head. He looked innocent, much like a large feline that didn't know what it had done wrong, and looked up at her.
"Ouch, ouch, ouch... Let's talk this out, don't hit me... It hurts, it hurts..."
Yuan Qiong finally reached him and grabbed the man's ear. Even though she wasn't using much force, he pretended to grimac, which angered Yuan Qiong so much that she tightened her grip.
"Didn't I tell you not to sneak into Zhaoyang Palace again? You've been ignoring me!"
"No, no, I didn't do it secretly this time! I'm the commander of the Imperial Guards now, and protecting the palace is my duty!"
"......"
Ha! This guy actually dared to find a loophole in her words!
This time, Yuan Qiong didn't soften her grip and twisted it hard before letting go. Lin Qiang rubbed his ear in pain.
This little girl has quite a strong grip!
"How did a bandit like you become the commander of the Imperial Guard? Who helped you?"
As a woman with an extremely keen political sense, Yuan Qiong immediately grasped the key point in his words. There were no more than five people in the court with such abilities: besides her grandfather Yuan Su Hui, there were Guan Xiao and Yuwen Zhe.
She thought for a moment and immediately guessed who it was.
"Is it Prince Cheng? What benefits did you give him?"
It's been years since I last saw her, and this little girl has become increasingly clever.
Lin Qiang smiled and simply sat cross-legged on the jade bricks of the main hall.
"Yuwen Zhe wants me to monitor your every move. No matter what you do, you must report it to him immediately."
"Hmph." She chuckled dismissively. "He thinks he can spy on me? It seems I've been too comfortable for him lately."
Lin Qiang nodded, agreeing with her point of view: "Indeed!"
The little girl who dared to ambush him outside Chang'an Temple must be living too comfortably.
"But don't let your guard down. Yuwen Zhe is no ordinary person. He carries great fortune, and going against him is no easy task."
"Luck?" This was the first time Yuan Qiong had heard this term, and she looked at him suspiciously: "Where did you learn this from?"
So many years have passed, and the mystery surrounding the bearded man remains. If... if this man were anyone else, she would stop at nothing to explore and conquer him, even if it meant wiping out Black Cloud Village and slaughtering everyone!
But now...
Trying her best to refrain from coveting all of this was already her limit.
"Forget it, stop talking. I don't want to hear it."
She was afraid she wouldn't be able to hold back if she listened any longer.
Turning around, she sat on the phoenix throne piled with gold and jade. The woman with beautiful features remained proud and arrogant, her haughty demeanor like a phoenix soaring in the heavens, her gaze indifferent and unapproachable.
Lin Qiang got up from the ground and stared at her intently, a unique light hidden deep in his eyes. He loved her just the way she was.
“Big Beard, I remember you said before that everything you did was only for self-preservation. I promise you, I will never let anyone touch you or a single blade of grass in Black Cloud Village. So go back, this has nothing to do with you, don’t get involved.”
Although the bearded man had some martial arts skills, he didn't understand that the struggle for power wasn't about who had the better martial arts skills, and Yuan Qiong didn't want to involve him.
"Find a girl and live a simple, ordinary life, that would be great."
For example, Yuan Liu Niang, although she's not very bright, isn't a bad person at heart. Unlike her, who's always scheming and plotting, she'd probably be a good match for him...
In fact, after so much time had passed, Yuwen Zhe on the other side also learned of Yuan Liuniang's disappearance and was almost driven mad with worry.
At this critical juncture, perhaps Sixth Sister is suffering some inhuman torment!
What to do... what to do...
Unlike Lin Qiang, who was an outsider, Yuwen Zhe clearly remembered how lifeless and like a walking corpse Hua Wenluo was when they first met in his previous life. It was as if there was nothing inside her body but hatred.
So in this life, when he saw the vibrant Wenluo, he felt extremely grateful to the black-bearded man who might have been reborn.
That was a Wenluo he had never seen before. There was no hatred, no worries, no melancholy, no sensitivity or suspicion. She was radiant with sunlight, making it impossible for him to look away.
Perhaps, this is her most authentic self.
He absolutely cannot let all of this be ruined!
"Find him! Find him for me! Even if you have to dig three feet into the ground in the capital, find him for me!"
Yuwen Zhe, who is usually like a moving iceberg, now seemed to be freezing himself into an ice sculpture.
"promise!"
**
Meanwhile, due to a miscalculation of the relative strength of the Emperor and Empress's relationship, Chang Qian's plan to slander them failed. Upon learning this, Prince Jin, Yuwen Ting, smashed everything in his residence.
"If you can't even handle this small matter, what use are you to me?!"
In the vast living room, all the staff members remained silent, not daring to utter a sound.
"Speak up!" Yuwen Ting glared at them menacingly. "Aren't you all usually so talkative?! Why are you suddenly so mute?!"
At this moment, a newly recruited advisor stammered, "Your Highness, I have an idea..."
Yuwen Ting looked up and sized up the somewhat unfamiliar advisor: "Tell me about it."
"His Majesty's harem is currently empty, with no heir for a long time. Empress Yuan is the eldest daughter of the Yuan family, holding a prestigious position, so naturally no one dares to challenge her. But... if a concubine is pregnant... wouldn't the Empress's prestige be diminished?"
“Those women, even if they are pregnant or give birth to princes, cannot compare to the Empress!” Chang Qian objected at this moment, feeling that it was inappropriate.
The advisor glanced at him, looking somewhat intimidated, but Yuwen Ting became more interested and urged him to continue.
"Go on."
"promise."
The aide organized his thoughts and continued, "If it were an ordinary concubine, she would naturally not be as honored as the Empress. But what if the pregnant woman were another woman from the Yuan family? For example, Consort Yuan?"
Chang Qian objected again: "His Majesty is in poor health; it's not that easy for him to have an heir!"
"As long as Consort Yuan says she's pregnant, and we arrange for a physician to assist her, then she's naturally pregnant!"
The new advisor grinned slyly: "If Consort Yuan were to be framed by the Empress out of jealousy during her pregnancy, causing her to miscarry, I'm sure the Prime Minister would also blame the Empress..."
"You mean to have Consort Yuan fake a pregnancy?" Chang Qian frowned, still feeling it was inappropriate.
Unexpectedly, several newly recruited advisors began to chime in, "This plan is brilliant! It will surely deal a heavy blow to Her Majesty the Empress!"
"Yes, yes, yes! We can make the Yuan clan fight amongst themselves without losing a single soldier!"
"What a brilliant plan!"
Yuwen Ting thought about it and decided that having Yuan Zhen fake a pregnancy and then miscarry, and then framing Yuan Qiong, was indeed feasible!
He immediately made the decision: "Okay! Let's do it this way! Who will carry it out?"
"Since Chief Advisor Chang is quite familiar with Consort Yuan, it is most appropriate for Chief Advisor Chang to handle this matter."
The aide who had just offered his opinion immediately said, "Moreover, Chief Advisor Chang is always reliable and will not make any mistakes."
“Alright!” Yuwenting looked at Chang Qian: “Then I’ll have to trouble Advisor Chang.”
Chang Qian had no choice but to agree: "Yes."
The newly arrived staff members exchanged a knowing smile.
That's right, they are the troublemakers that Lin Qiang planted next to Yuwen Ting some time ago, dedicated to harming their master for ten thousand years!
Their current master, Yuwen Ting, naturally had no idea that troublemakers always came up with terrible ideas...
Author's Note: Uh, isn't it a bit late to say "Happy Dragon Boat Festival" now...?
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com