Peach Blossom.

Tao Ye naturally knew that Si Yuan was not someone who could be easily deceived, but could she directly say that the person who killed Xiaozong was Chen Ji?

Logically speaking, Emperor Xiaozong had treated her well in the past, and she felt that she should not betray him. But in recent years, Chen Ji had also helped her a lot, and she once said that they were friends.

Since they were friends, how could she easily expose his crimes?

What's more, Chen Ji is now Si Yuan's son-in-law, and Princess Si Rong is pregnant. If Tao Ye tells the truth, she might offend Si Rong. By then, she might not only fail to repay Xiaozong's favor, but also be in danger of losing herself.

Tao Ye thought carefully. Even though Si Yuan was smart, it had been a long time since Emperor Xiaozong's death. Si Yuan was far away in Yongchang at that time, so it was unlikely that he knew the truth...

After much deliberation, Tao Ye made up his mind.

"I... I don't know. When I saw Emperor Xiaozong, he had already passed away. I didn't witness his last moments... But Zhang Shuyuan... Zhang Shuyuan is definitely not the murderer... She is powerless..." Tao Ye hesitated, probably because she knew the truth but didn't tell it. After a few words, her face turned pale.

She soon heard Si Yuan's voice, which was surprisingly kind: "It's OK if you don't know. Miss Tao, there's no need to be nervous."

Si Yuan did not continue to ask about the murder of Emperor Xiaozong, which made Tao Ye feel relieved.

Si Yuan said to Tao Ye again, "Since you are pleading for Zhang Shuyuan, and I owe you a favor, there is no reason not to agree. No matter what she has done, let it go. Emperor Xiaozong has long passed away, and the Queen Mother has passed away. She has no one to serve. Let her leave the palace and give her a free life. How about that?"

Tao Ye knew that Si Yuan's way of handling the matter and his gentle words had already given her enough face and were extremely tolerant.

But in her heart, she still felt uneasy.

Because, since she had already learned that all of Emperor Xiaozong's concubines would be buried alive, it was impossible for her to only want to save Xiaowan.

She clasped her hands tightly together, feeling uneasy, but could not help but speak again: "Your Majesty... Your Majesty, can you... spare all of Emperor Xiaozong's concubines?"

"What did you say?" There was suddenly something strange on Si Yuan's face.

Tao Ye felt that it was impossible for Si Yuan not to hear her clearly, and asking this question definitely did not mean for her to repeat it again.

Madam Han, who was standing to one side, chuckled in a very strange way: "Ah... Miss Tao's compassion for the common people is probably not even comparable to that of the emperor."

Tao Ye was startled and knelt down quickly: "Your Majesty, please forgive me. I just feel that they... they are all weak young widows, and they are actually quite pitiful. Now that they have no backers, they can't cause any trouble. Why don't you give them a way out?"

Si Yuan asked with a smile: "How do you want to let them live?"

Tao Ye thought about it. After all, most of these women were relatives of the Meng family. It was probably impossible for them to be exiled directly from the palace like Zhang Xiaowan. "The emperor has promised the prince to exile the living members of the Meng family to Yongchang. They are also considered as such and can be exiled together."

Si Yuan looked at Tao Ye, smiled and shook his head.

Madam Han took a step forward and said to Tao Ye, "Miss Tao, you think things are too simple. Those Meng clan members who were pardoned from death penalty were all from remote branches of Queen Mother Meng and had low official positions. Among the concubines left by Emperor Xiaozong, those who were born in the Meng clan were all the most noble of the Meng clan, and many of them were cousins ​​who grew up with Princess Si Yao.

Moreover, although the Meng clan seems to have been destroyed, there are actually a large number of distant relatives and collateral relatives from other families. Those people used to bully others by relying on the power of others. Now that they have lost their support, they have naturally become the rats crossing the street that everyone wants to beat. It is hard to guarantee that they will not have resentment and grudges in their hearts, and they will not stir up any trouble. That is because they are now a group of scattered sand.

The concubine of Emperor Xiaozong is the descendant of the person these people relied on in the past, and she can just sort out this mess. If you follow your words, it won't be long before these people are organized into a revenge army. With Princess Si Yao in the capital and working with them, there is nothing they can't do."

"What if...what if they have no intention of rebelling?" Tao Ye couldn't suppress her inner uneasiness. She understood what Mrs. Han said, but she just couldn't agree with it: "Do we have to kill them all to prevent them from taking revenge?"

Madam Han sneered and asked, "Does it mean that in order to fulfill your "compassion", you have to let the remnants of evil do evil?"

"This is actually easy." Si Yuan smiled and looked at Tao Ye: "If Miss Tao can't bear to see them die in vain, then there is another way. Kill Si Yao and they won't have the chance to "cooperate from the inside and outside."

Tao Ye was shocked when she heard this.

Si Yuan said again: "Choose one, do you want the concubine of Emperor Xiaozong to be buried with the Queen Mother, or do you want Si Yao to be buried with the Queen Mother?"

Madam Han looked at the smile on Si Yuan's face and was very unhappy. She said sarcastically, "I didn't know that a mere servant could decide the life and death of the princess and her concubines?"

Facing Madam Han's provocation, Tao Ye felt uncomfortable. She stared at Si Yuan and said a few words from her heart boldly, neither servile nor overbearing: "I am indeed not qualified to plead for anyone, let alone to let anyone die. The dead are gone, but God has the virtue of loving the living. I just hope that the living can live well. I think this idea is not wrong. If my words and deeds today have overstepped the boundaries, then please punish me, Your Majesty."

After saying this, Tao Ye leaned over and kowtowed deeply.

Unexpectedly, when Tao Ye looked up again, Si Yuan had already left his seat and walked down.

Si Yuan walked to Tao Ye's side and told Wang Jing: "Miss Tao is a pure and kind person. I can't help but be moved. Please help her up, Marquis Anfeng."

Wang Jing then helped Tao Ye to stand up.

Si Yuan sighed softly and said softly, "But this matter is difficult for me to handle. Marquis Anfeng is always good at giving advice. Why don't you give me some advice?"

Wang Jing bowed to Si Yuan and replied, "I think that although these women are blood relatives of the Meng family, they are no longer considered members of the Meng family since they have married and entered the palace. The imperial harem is empty, so why not take the concubines left by Emperor Xiaozong and restore them to their original positions to show your benevolence and virtue, and the remaining members of the Meng family will no longer have any reason to rebel."

After hearing this idea, Mrs. Han was stunned. She glanced at Wang Jing with a sidelong glance and her face turned green.

However, Wang Jing was blind, so he could only ignore Mrs. Han's expression.

Wang Jing bowed to Si Yuan again and said, "I have another request today. I have been honored by your majesty by granting me the title of Marquis of Anfeng. I have been ill for many years and it is difficult for me to serve the country. I beg your majesty to allow me to leave the capital soon and spend my remaining years in peace in my fiefdom."

Si Yuan smiled and said, "That's fine. You and Miss Tao can go to Anfeng. No one will recognize you. You can start over and don't have to worry so much."

Wang Jing smiled helplessly and explained, "Your Majesty has misunderstood. It is I who want to go to Anfeng alone. Miss Tao doesn't want to accompany me anymore. It is my bad luck and I shouldn't force it."

Tao Ye glanced at Wang Jing and couldn't help but feel angry about these words. He was indeed her good second brother. Over the years, she had always been the one trying to get close to him, and he had no choice but to accept or refuse. He was always so passive.

Si Yuan looked at Wang Jing, then at Tao Ye, very puzzled, and suddenly advised Wang Jing: "If Marquis Anfeng goes to his fiefdom alone, I think it is unnecessary, right? Staying in the capital, with his brother and sister-in-law to take care of him, and you can often see each other, isn't it much better than being alone?"

Wang Jing replied, "Thank you for your concern, Your Majesty. However, the capital is a place of trouble. As long as I stay here, I will inevitably meddle in other people's affairs. However, most of the troubles are not good, and they often make me unable to sleep or eat. I know that I don't have much time left, but I just want to live in peace in a corner. In my twilight years, I have no other request but to have peace of mind."

Tao Ye smiled faintly. She didn't believe that he could do such a cruel thing and still be unable to sleep or eat? Would he really only seek peace of mind in the future?

Si Yuan glanced at Tao Ye again, concentrated for a moment, smiled slightly, and said to Wang Jing: "If Marquis Anfeng is determined to leave, I will not persuade him any more. I still have a few words to say to Miss Tao alone, please wait for her outside."

Wang Jing had no choice but to bow and leave.

Si Yuan turned around and saw Madam Han still standing there: "I have already said that I want to talk to Miss Tao alone, why don't you leave?"

Although Mrs. Han had a long face, she had no choice but to leave.

When Si Yuan and Tao Ye were the only ones left in the hall, Tao Ye felt uncomfortable all over.

However, Si Yuan acted very normal and kind: "Si Yao tried to kill you several times and made you fall into prostitution, but you don't hate her? You even hope that she is alive and well?"

Tao Ye thought about it and told the truth: "Of course I dislike her, but I don't think I hate her."

"Why is that?"

"Maybe it's because... she tossed around like this and like that, but in the end, she seemed to get nothing." Tao Ye thought about Si Yao's character and sighed softly, "She's not a bad person, she's just too willful and selfish, so she does so many unjust things. But now her situation is pretty miserable, and she didn't really kill me, so how could I put her to death?"

"You are very good at making excuses for her." Si Yuan chuckled and said lightly: "It's a pity, if she were in your shoes, I'm afraid she wouldn't treat you like this."

Tao Ye lowered her head, not knowing what to say.

"Si Yao sees you as a thorn in her side. If there is any chance, she would wish you to go to hell, but you pity her miserable situation now; Zhang Shuyuan did not hesitate to push the death penalty on you twice to protect herself, but you still care about the sisterhood in the past..." Si Yuan paced back and forth, and looked back at Tao Ye: "Miss Tao, I really want to advise you, why are you so tolerant of those who hurt you, but too mean to those around you?"

Tao Ye was bewildered. Could it be that the "people around him" here refers to Wang Jing?

"Marquis Anfeng only saw through my mind and took a bad name for me, becoming a sword in my hand. If you blame him for this, you should blame me even more. If you two go your separate ways, isn't it my fault? How can I face my son and daughter-in-law in the future?" Si Yuan said with a pious smile and an unprecedented pleading tone: "Just give me a favor and don't leave him, okay?"

Tao Ye felt very embarrassed to hear Si Yuan, the king of a country, say this. But how could she, with all these years of emotional entanglement with Wang Jing, resolve it perfectly by just being tolerant?

"It's not that I'm ungrateful for your kindness, Your Majesty, but the relationship between us is not just..." Tao Ye didn't know how to continue.

Si Yuan thought for a moment and asked tentatively: "He is so obsessed with his first wife that he hurt you, right?"

Mentioning this, Tao Ye couldn't help crying.

"Why bother with a dead person?"

"Although she is a dead person, I have lived in her shadow for many years... Everything seems to belong to me, but it does not belong to me... The emperor may not understand what I am saying..." Tao Ye's tears were getting more and more, and her voice was choked with sobs.

Si Yuan was a little confused, but still gentle: "A few years ago, in Yongchang, Madam Bai said something similar to you. She became the mistress of Yongchang Palace, but she could not have the title of queen; when I ascended the throne, I made her son the crown prince, but I could not make her the queen."

Tao Ye raised her head and glanced at Si Yuan.

Si Yuan's eyes became very deep, and also a little sad: "Why I left the throne vacant, you should know. But Anfeng Hou is different from me. If you are willing, you will be his legal wife in the future. As for the fact that he still has Man in his heart, it just shows that he is a good husband. Do you hope that he is a heartless person who gets tired of the old and loves the new?"

"No...that's not what I meant..." Tao Ye was in tears, she couldn't express her complicated feelings.

Si Yuan looked at Tao Ye's tears, sighed softly, walked slowly to the door, and looked out. He saw Wang Jing standing by a small pond on one side of the yard with a crutch.

In the pond, the fish are swimming happily, and the tender buds of willow branches on the shore are drooping, creating an air of tranquility and quietness. However, the outing person has a frown on his face, and seems absent-minded about everything.

Tao Ye turned her head and saw it too.

"He can't stand on that foot for too long. You go."