Returning after a three-year escape from death, the tyrant has turned evil.

Chapter 58 Deliberately Scaring Her
Jiang Lanye just looked at her and asked, "Why don't you go up?"

Song Yi held back for a while, then said indignantly, "Lying on the couch is so boring. Who else is like you, able to go wherever you want and have so many things to do?"

"And me? I can only lie on the tatami mat and stare blankly, and you won't even let me get down."

Her lips were exceptionally moist, and she kept talking as she opened and closed them.

Jiang Lanye lowered his eyes, staring at her soft lips, not hearing what she was saying at all.

"Did you hear me?!"

Jiang Lanye wanted to bend down again, but then he remembered that Song Yi might get angry again, so he stopped.

Song Yi immediately shrank back in fear.

She figured out what Jiang Lanye was going to do.

"Jiang Lanye, what exactly is wrong with you? You should go see a royal physician as soon as possible."

Looking across the entire harem, only Song Yi dared to say such things to Jiang Lanye.

"Song Yi".

He suddenly called out softly.

"What?"

"Is it because I've been too good to you?"

As a result, she became increasingly unscrupulous, wishing she could jump on his head.

Upon hearing this, Song Yi was immediately pleased.

"Your Majesty can't stand it anymore? Then let me go quickly. You'll have peace and quiet after I leave."

Jiang Lanye remained silent, but suddenly reached out and gently stroked the fading red mark on her neck, murmuring, "It will disappear soon."

Song Yi warily slapped his hand away and then quoted the imperial physician.

"The imperial physician said that I am weak and you cannot torment me."

Jiang Lanye said expressionlessly, "If I don't make things difficult for you, the entire court will make things difficult for me."

This is true.

The memorials he has received in the past few days, besides advising him not to favor one person exclusively, also urged him to consider the issue of imperial succession as soon as possible.

He glanced at Song Yi's flat stomach, deliberately trying to scare her.

"Now everyone is watching our every move. If you are willing to give birth to an heir for me, they will stop nagging about the royal family continuing its lineage."

Upon hearing this, Song Yi was truly frightened, and his face turned pale.

"No, you can't force me to do this kind of thing."

She still wanted to escape; there was absolutely no way she would bear him an heir!

Seeing that she took it seriously, Jiang Lanye deliberately stretched out his large palm and gently placed it on her lower abdomen, pressing it against her ear, as if whispering a devil's words:
"What if I insist?"

"You! When that time comes, I'll just find a pillar and smash my head against it to death."

Song Yi stared intently at him, attempting to threaten and intimidate him with words of life and death.

Unexpectedly, Jiang Lanye chuckled softly, his eyes filled with a desire for control as he looked at her.

"Do you think that if I really force you, I'll still give you the chance to commit suicide?"

Furthermore, he didn't believe that Song Yi really had that kind of courage.

Seeing that Song Yi's eyes were red, she looked just like a bullied rabbit.

Jiang Lanye smiled gently.

"It's too early to just say it casually."

After all, he was afraid that if he really frightened her, it would be difficult to bring up the matter again in the future.

Day two.

Jiang Lan returned all the memorials she had reviewed last night, along with the one written by Song Yi.

This morning, Jiang Lanye had just appeared in front of everyone.

Minister Fang stepped forward with trembling steps and spoke.

"Your Majesty, may I ask you a question today: who approved the memorial I submitted?"

Jiang Lanye's expression remained calm and composed as he said, "Of course it is I. Why do you ask such a question, my dear minister?"

Minister Fang slowly shook his head, his tone resolute. "This old minister has served Your Majesty for over ten years. If one day I can no longer even recognize Your Majesty's handwriting, wouldn't I be senile?"

The surrounding officials all looked at him with suspicion, not understanding what he meant.

However, they could all clearly see that Physician Fang's wrinkled face looked extremely haggard, with dark circles under his eyes, clearly indicating that he hadn't slept well all night.

No one knew that yesterday, when Minister Fang saw the three crookedly written characters next to the memorial he had submitted, he was so angry that he almost vomited blood on the spot!
Ironically, his memorial was actually advising His Majesty not to favor one person exclusively, and a certain concubine even sarcastically said in His Majesty's tone that she agreed.

This is clearly an act of arrogance! Relying on the fact that His Majesty only favors her, she even dares to interfere in matters of the court!

Jiang Lanye said coldly, "Minister Fang is getting old, and perhaps he really is senile."

Minister Fang sighed and, abandoning all further cryptic remarks, said directly:

"Your Majesty's favorites are none of my concern. However, how can women in the harem interfere in politics? They have even been privately reviewing memorials. This is utterly disrespectful!"

Throughout history, there have been emperors who favored one person, but no matter how much they favored someone, they could never touch the imperial power!

These words caused an uproar among the ministers.

Whispers immediately filled the hall.

"What?! This is outrageous!"

"Could the person Minister Fang is referring to be Consort Yun?"

"How can Your Majesty allow her to review memorials?"

Seeing this, Jiang Lanye said in a deep voice, "That's enough."

There was silence.

Jiang Lanye casually said, "Minister Fang's memorial was reviewed by Consort Yun on my orders."

Why?

"My attitude has long been clear. Now that Consort Yun has returned, my beloved ministers need not try to persuade me any further."

There was silence again.

After a long pause, a minister suddenly spoke, his hands trembling as he cupped his hands:

"If Your Majesty wishes to favor only one person, that is fine, but the matter of the imperial heir is another matter."

Jiang Lan chuckled at night.

I didn't expect that after I scared Song Yi with this last night, they brought it up again this morning.

"I ascended the throne at the age of sixteen, and I am only twenty-four now. Why are you all so anxious about the imperial heir? Do you want to curse me?"

Everyone was shocked.

"Long live Your Majesty! Your humble servant dares not!"

Jiang Lanye had lost his patience. He casually flicked his sleeve and stood up.

"Since that is the case, this matter shall not be discussed again in the future. Court adjourned."

Before anyone could speak again, Eunuch Cao hurriedly shouted in a shrill voice from below, "Court adjourned—"

Jiang Lanye returned to the Golden Palace in the imperial carriage.

As soon as he entered, he didn't see Song Yi and his face suddenly darkened.

"Your Majesty, could you please open this window?"

Her voice suddenly rang out from the window.

Jiang Lanye looked over and saw that she was kneeling on the low couch, trying to push open the sealed window.

Jiang Lanye, still wearing his court robes, strode over and, ignoring her resistance, swept her up in his arms and pulled her back.

"Why are you opening the window? To make it easier for you to escape?"

Song Yi said angrily, "Can you stop always assuming that I'm the one who's going to run away?"

"I just feel that the palace is always closed and the windows are never open, so it's really stuffy. I want to get some fresh air."

Jiang Lanye said calmly, "I don't think this is a reason to open the window."

A surge of anger suddenly rose in Song Yi's heart, but it quickly subsided after a moment's thought.

Suddenly, her voice softened, and her delicate brows furrowed slightly.

This chapter was originally supposed to be about the male and female leads kissing... but it keeps getting locked. Sorry, I'm just incompetent; even a simple kiss between the leads gets highlighted and blocked.
(End of this chapter)