Wearing a book, hooking him up

The journey from Jiangzhou back to the palace took about half a month. Along the way, Su Jingyao and Jun Zechen sat in a spacious and luxurious carriage.

The several ministers who came with His Majesty to Jiangzhou this time all showed expressions of surprise when they learned that the queen had "resurrected from the dead."

I always feel that there is something wrong with the fact that the Queen has been away from the palace for five years, but His Majesty takes all the responsibility on himself, claiming that the Queen knew nothing and was just recuperating in Jiangzhou.

Several ministers looked at each other. Even though they still had doubts in their hearts, they did not say anything more.

After all, even if the queen comes back, His Majesty has been determined not to appoint a new queen in the past five years no matter how many court officials have advised him against it.

A country cannot be without a ruler for a day, and the throne naturally cannot be vacant for a long time, otherwise it will be detrimental to the country's fortunes.

But His Majesty insisted on his own way and turned a deaf ear to the advice of the ministers. The ministers had no other choice but to ask the Queen Mother to intervene before His Majesty allowed a few new people into the harem.

Half a month passed in a flash.

On the day of returning to the palace, Su Jingyao dressed up carefully.

She put on the golden phoenix robe she had chosen. The gold threads on the robe sparkled brightly in the sun, making her look graceful and elegant, like a goddess in the sky.

And today, Jun Zechen also put on a golden dragon robe, showing his dignity and majesty.

Both of them were dressed very formally, solemn and dignified.

The carriage slowly entered the palace from the palace gate, the wheels rolling, making a dull sound, and then drove along the palace road all the way to the inner court.

The Queen Mother, several concubines and court officials had already been waiting outside the Taiji Hall.

When he returned to the palace this time, Jun Zechen specifically sent back a message stating that the ceremony would be held in an unusually grand manner.

Lin Miaoyin therefore works hard on this matter every day.

She was wearing a luxurious imperial concubine's dress today, which made her look more elegant.

Lin Miaoyin was waiting for His Majesty almost side by side with the Queen Mother, with a deliberate dignity. Behind her were the other concubines, all of whom looked reserved.

At noon, the sun shone brightly on the platform.

Lin Miaoyin, standing on the high platform, stared into the distance and finally saw His Majesty's carriage slowly approaching.

The carriage stopped and Jun Zechen got out.

Lin Miaoyin was just about to go down to greet him, but she saw His Majesty stop beside the carriage and extend his hand. After a while, a woman in a phoenix robe came out with her back bent.

She put her hand in His Majesty's and was led off the horse by His Majesty.

For a moment, Lin Miaoyin's eyes were filled with astonishment.

As they were at some distance, neither the Queen Mother nor Lin Miaoyin recognized who the person was. It was just that he was wearing an elegant phoenix robe that startled them both.

Their brows were tightly furrowed, their hearts filled with doubts.

After Su Jingyao got off the carriage and walked up side by side with Jun Zechen, the Queen Mother, Lin Miaoyin and other elders of the Eastern Palace were so shocked when they saw the faces of the newcomers clearly that they could not react at all.

Is this the former queen?!

Or a woman who looks exactly like the late queen?

Lin Miaoyin's face turned pale in an instant.

She originally thought that it would be impossible for His Majesty to go without appointing a queen for the rest of his life. The longer the time went, the more the court officials and the Queen Mother would urge His Majesty to appoint a queen.

In addition, since the Lin family had a concubine, they naturally had to support her vigorously, so they used a lot of money to bribe officials in the capital and let the officials in the capital secretly ask His Majesty to make the concubine the queen.

Lin Miaoyin also felt that the position of queen would be hers sooner or later, but the scene before her shattered all her fantasies in an instant.

Looking at the emperor and empress walking hand in hand, their intimacy, it was as if I was back in the East Palace, where I could only watch His Majesty favor the empress while I was helpless and could do nothing.

Lin Miaoyin folded her hands in front of her, her thumbs tightly pinching her palms. The slight pain allowed her to maintain her sanity and smile.

Jun Zechen and Su Jingyao walked side by side to the Queen Mother, bowed slightly and saluted, "Your son/your concubine pays respect to the Queen Mother."

Jun Zechen was calm and composed, while Su Jingyao looked dignified.

"Get up, what is this?"

The Queen Mother narrowed her eyes slightly, and her sharp gaze fell directly on Su Jingyao with scrutiny.

Jun Zechen said slowly: "Mother, the queen did not die five years ago, she was just in a coma. The imperial doctors in the palace were incompetent and could not treat the queen, so I sent the queen to Jiangzhou for treatment..."

His tone was steady, as if he was stating something very ordinary.

Jun Zechen told the Queen Mother the reason he had thought of long ago, and his voice was clearly heard by all the concubines and court officials in the palace.

When the imperial concubine heard this, she staggered and almost fell.

The queen is not dead?

No wonder His Majesty has been unwilling to appoint a queen. It turns out that the queen is not dead!

Now that the queen is back, can she still control the palace?

Is there still hope for her son?

Lin Miaoyin bit her lips tightly with her teeth. She felt as if a huge rock was pressing on her heart, so heavy that she could hardly breathe.

If it were five years ago, Lin Miaoyin might not have had these thoughts, but in these five years, she had a prince and power, and was no different from the queen in the harem, so she had deeper desires.

But now, is all this going to be shattered?

After hearing the emperor's explanation, the empress dowager did not believe it in her heart and her expression was somewhat solemn.

But now in public, she couldn't possibly question the emperor, so she just looked at Su Jingyao with an unfriendly look.

Su Jingyao didn't care, she lowered her head slightly and pretended not to see it.

Su Hongyu, who was standing at the top among the court officials, felt his heart pounding when his daughter appeared, and he was so excited that he could hardly control himself.

His daughter is not dead!

When my wife heard the news, she would be so happy that she wouldn't be able to sleep.

Jun Zechen announced in public that the queen had returned to the palace. Seeing that the queen mother did not say anything, the court officials naturally did not dare to say anything.

They lowered their heads, with different expressions on their faces, but all remained silent.

After the ceremony, Jun Zechen gently took Su Jingyao's hand and sent her back to Kunning Palace, and then went to Cining Palace.

"What happened to the Queen?"

The Queen Mother had a serious expression on her face, her brows furrowed, and she stared at Jun Zechen with a sharp gaze, questioning him.

"It's just as I said."

Jun Zechen remained calm and responded calmly.

"You are my son. The courtiers and concubines would believe your words, but how could I believe them? When the queen died and you were so sad that you couldn't sleep all night in the Qianqing Palace, could it be that you were acting?"

The Queen Mother's voice unconsciously rose, her hands tightly gripping the armrests.

"I went to the Qianqing Palace so many times to persuade you to let go of the queen, but you remained indifferent. Are you just acting?"

The expression on the Queen Mother's face became increasingly solemn.

"Mother, no matter what happened five years ago, I no longer care. Now that the Queen is back, everything is back to normal. Mother, please don't delve into it."

Jun Zechen lowered his head slightly, and although his tone was still respectful, he did not allow for any rebuttal.

This was not the first time in the past five years that the emperor had been stubborn. The empress dowager felt helpless when she saw him like this.

She let out a long sigh, a hint of fatigue in her eyes.

Although no prince was born during these five years, the emperor did handle state affairs very well and even created the most extensive territory since the founding emperor.

Although the number of princes was less than that of any previous emperor, with three princes the court officials would not put too much pressure on him.

The Queen Mother could only let Jun Zechen do as he pleases.

She rubbed her temples, then rested her hands on the armrests and said helplessly, "Then why did the emperor come here today?"

"The Queen has returned to the palace. I hope that your mother will hand over the Queen's seal to her and let her take charge of the six palaces."

The Queen Mother knew that the Emperor loved the Queen, so she was not surprised by any of the Emperor's requests.

She frowned slightly and asked, "What about the imperial concubine?"

"The imperial concubine is still the imperial concubine, but all the palace power she held has been taken back." Jun Zechen said without hesitation.

The Queen Mother was somewhat helpless, and said earnestly: "Your Highness has managed the harem for the past five years. Even if she has no credit, she has worked hard. She also gave birth to the Third Prince, which is also a credit. Isn't it disheartening for you to do this?"

"It was a blessing for her to be the Imperial Concubine after giving birth to the Third Prince. Now that the Queen has returned, there is no reason for the Imperial Concubine to continue to hold power."

"The Imperial Concubine is not one to argue, she shouldn't have any objections."

Jun Zechen's attitude was firm and he was not moved at all.

"..."

The Empress Dowager and the Emperor argued with each other and refused to give in.

Seeing that he couldn't persuade his son, he became so angry that his face turned blue.

After reluctantly taking out the Phoenix Seal and the Book of Treasures, he waved his hand and said impatiently: "Forget it, forget it, take it away, leave quickly, and don't hang around in front of me. Out of sight, out of mind."

At her age, it seems that it is better for her to leave the palace and practice cultivation earlier, so as not to let this disobedient son make her sick.

The Queen Mother leaned back in her chair, closed her eyes, and looked exhausted.

Jun Zechen returned to Kunning Palace.

Su Jingyao had just finished bathing in the bathing pool with the careful waiting of a dozen palace maids. She walked out of the bathing pool, her long hair covered with moisture and falling on her slender back.

She was wearing a long skirt that dragged on the ground, and the hem of the skirt swayed gently with her steps.

In five years, her beauty has not diminished, but she has become more charming and passionate, and the charm between her eyebrows and eyes is so charming that people can't take their eyes off her.

Miaoyun and Miaoxia followed behind her and served her.

After Su Jingyao came back, the deep affection between master and servant was demonstrated once again, and the eyes of several personal palace maids all turned slightly red.

When she saw Jun Zechen and was about to salute, Jun Zechen quickly walked up to her, took her hand, and led her directly to the couch.

"Anshun, show it to the queen." Jun Zechen raised his head slightly and motioned Anshun to come forward.

Anshun walked forward with a smile and gently opened the red cloth on the tray he had been holding. The noble phoenix seal and the queen's imperial seal were immediately revealed to everyone.

"Although the Imperial Concubine has been in charge of the harem for the past five years, after you come back, both the Ministry of Internal Affairs and the Six Palaces will naturally be in your charge."

"This is the Phoenix Seal and Imperial Treasure that I just asked for from my mother."

Su Jingyao looked at the treasure book and the phoenix seal, a hint of surprise and satisfaction flashed in her eyes, which was enough.

Seeing that she liked it, Jun Zechen continued, "However, during these five years, the Imperial Concubine should have a lot of people in the harem, and you may encounter some resistance in taking over the power of the palace. If you need my help, tell me."

"Thank you, Your Majesty, but Your Majesty is usually very busy with government affairs. If Your Majesty is distracted from handling the affairs of the harem, it will be a burden to you and I will feel bad for you."

Su Jingyao lowered her head slightly, with just the right amount of shyness on her face.

Naturally, she had to keep the power in her own hands. How could she let Jun Zechen help her? She didn't share the same mindset as Jun Zechen, so of course she had to train people who couldn't be discovered by Jun Zechen.

Moreover, she eliminated Lin Miaoyin's people one by one, so she felt more at ease.

Since entering the East Palace, Su Jingyao has shown no offensive power towards Jun Zechen, so Jun Zechen always likes to call her Jiaojiao when they are intimate. Recently, he has even directly used the word "Jiaojiao" as a nickname for her.

But only Su Jingyao herself knows that she is not the delicate girl in Jun Zechen's palm, but a beautiful snake who will do anything to achieve her goals.

Jun Zechen chuckled and pinched her smooth face, which was pink after just taking a bath.

"Okay, make your own decision." Jun Zechen raised the corners of his mouth, his eyes full of pampering.

He knew clearly in his heart that she didn't care about him at all, she just liked power.

It doesn't matter, he will give her whatever she likes.