Wearing a book, hooking him up

Su Jingyao got into the carriage, changed out of her palace dress, and took off 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 looks very beautiful and graceful, like a beautiful lily.

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 interested in leaving the palace with Jun Zechen 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 when he occasionally comes out, he still feels a little bit of excitement that he can't suppress.

Miaoyun followed her master and was busy paying.

However, the things her master bought were so many that she couldn't handle it 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 has a graceful figure and walks lightly, and every step seems to carry a unique charm, which makes her very different from ordinary ladies.

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 it was very lively.

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

However, the waiter was slightly disappointed when he heard this.

I thought a big customer came today.

As soon as this young lady came in, she gave people a sense of outstanding demeanor, 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 to lead her the way, and said humbly, "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 ordered a few dishes at random, sat by the window, leisurely, 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 from a noble family in the future."

After saying 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 darkened instantly.

"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 blue-robed young man 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 Guanglu Dafu, and Yan Mufan even has a younger sister who became the 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 the illegitimate daughter of the Chu family.

Although the blue-robed young man felt that Yan Mufan was being 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 reject her? Otherwise, you will be annoyed by marrying her." The young man in blue robe said tentatively.

"Now that His Majesty has gone to war, the Su family is governing the country. The Su family has also produced a queen. Not only does the queen have a legitimate eldest son, she even gave birth to a pair of twins, a boy and a girl, not long ago."

"The Su family is as powerful as ever. 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 a marriage alliance."

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

His eyes were full of annoyance.

The reason why Dad asked 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 asked his concubine's son to marry her.

Thinking of this, an indescribable resentment 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 be a prince at the very least. As the Seventh Prince's uncle, you have a very noble status."

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

The blue-robed young man said 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 himself 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 to the legitimate son, so he just wanted to marry a legitimate daughter with a lower family background.

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.

The few meat dishes were specially ordered for Miaoyun.

Su Jingyao has always been very picky about meat, and only eats the various soups and dishes made by Miaoyue that are good for beauty and nourishing the mind.

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

While enjoying the meal, he was thinking about the conversation he had just heard with 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.

However, Minister Chu’s immediate superior is her father, if the Yan family and the Su family are not on good terms.

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, he has been raised by Concubine Xian, and the biological mother listed in the imperial edict is also Concubine Xian.

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.

The virtuous concubine now holds a high position and has a noble family background. How does Concubine Chu plan to deal with the virtuous concubine and take back the third prince?

What's more, Concubine Chu's position is low. Even if Concubine Xian lost the third prince, Concubine Chu would not be allowed to raise him.

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

Su Jingyao was stunned when she heard this.

Then he couldn't help but chuckle.

Miaoyun covered her mouth and chuckled.

"Miss, His Majesty and the Queen have a deep affection for each other and they live in harmony. People outside the palace all know that His Majesty no longer sets foot in the harem for the Queen, so many writers have made up stories about His Majesty and the Queen."

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

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

Department of Caution and 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 ask some questions clearly.

"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 a spy from an enemy country, Concubine Lan will be tried and detained separately.

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

"Let's go see Concubine Lan first."

It was rare for nobles to 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 the empress trembling all the way to the place where Concubine Lan was imprisoned.

This is a very closed prison, and even food can 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 disheveled and even had obvious scars from interrogation on her body.

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

"Princess Lan."

When Concubine Lan heard the familiar voice, her eyes flickered, then she looked up and saw the Queen 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 torture me, why torture 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 was wrong with her body during her pregnancy.

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

Therefore, she took the initiative to find Concubine Lan. 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 fought in the future, the remaining forces of the Ye family would disintegrate the royal family from within and join forces with Canglang.

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

But the main target 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 trembling 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 better than this."

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

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

"If Ye hadn't revealed his 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 about all her spy activities 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 by 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 why you are helping 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 trace of panic flashed across her face.

How could she know so clearly?

If the Queen knows, does Your Majesty also know?

"Cooperate with me. When the iron hoof of the monarchy 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 ready to attack Junguo. 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 the secrets of the Canglang, he ordered the spies hidden in the palace of the Jun Kingdom to kill you if they get a chance."

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

Su Jingyao said coldly with a blank expression.

Jun Zechen could tolerate a cuckolding woman in the harem. He was really tolerant and worthy of being an emperor.

Then Su Jingyao turned her head slightly to signal, and Xilu handed 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 her whole body froze.

Is this really my brother's handwriting?!

Her eyes widened, her face full of disbelief.