Peach Blossom.

"Your Majesty is truly a prophet..." Chen Liang quickly flattered him with a huge smile on his face.

Chen Ji smiled, as if mocking: "First give her a name, then push the crime onto her, then demote her... Her cooperation is needed everywhere here, even a fool can tell that this is her trick, right?"

Perhaps because he had been benched in public once before, Chen Liang was mentally prepared this time, so he didn't take Chen Ji's sarcasm to heart.

Chen Liang still smiled and bowed, "This may not be the best idea, but Your Majesty, don't you have any other ideas at the moment?"

"Hmph... I really can't figure it out. What benefit did Zhang Xiaowan give you that was worth you fighting for her status again and again?"

"Madam Zhang has not done me any good. I have only met her a few times."

Chen Ji stared at Chen Liang with a sneer, his face surprisingly calm, but why did he feel a little bit unconvinced?

"I know that the emperor only has Miss Tao in his heart and he disdains other women. Not only I know this, but everyone in the imperial court and the harem knows this. However, I really want to ask, what use is there to you if a woman who only has other men in her heart? You keep her close to you every day. Aren't you really afraid that one day you will lose your life to her?"

Chen Ji said nothing.

"Even if you are confident that you can conquer her, what about the baby in her belly? If it's a girl, it's fine, but if it's a boy, he will surely avenge his father one day. I don't believe that the emperor can willingly raise a child for his enemy?" Chen Liang stared at Chen Ji, his questions becoming more urgent.

"These... I naturally know..." Chen Ji smiled again, but this time the smile was more forced, like a polite smile, "But, what does this have to do with Zhang Xiaowan?"

After mentioning Zhang Xiaowan again, Chen Liang's expression became very different, and a feeling of approval arose spontaneously, "Your Majesty probably doesn't know that although Madam Zhang's time in Jiaozhou was not long, she was very popular. Although she was the emperor's concubine, she always cared for the lowest soldiers.

Last time, when so many people were injured in Shitou City, the military doctors were too busy to handle it, so Madam Zhang personally went over to help apply medicine and bandage the wounds. She was so tired that she didn’t sleep for two days and two nights. Everyone was very moved. Madam Zhang kept saying that it was the emperor who asked her to do this, and all my subordinates praised her highly. "

Chen Ji couldn't help but frown as he listened. He never thought that Zhang Xiaowan was that good.

"The emperor only wants to quickly bring Princess Si Rong to appease the former ministers, but if you bring Madam Zhang into the palace, it will also comfort the new troops in Jiaozhou. Although many of those who came from Jiaozhou are old subordinates of the old county lords, most of the soldiers under them are new recruits from the old subordinates. Now Miss Tao is in the palace, Princess Si Rong and Madam Zhang are outside, can you hear what people in the capital are talking about?"

Chen Ji smiled helplessly. This Zhang Xiaowan was too cunning and tried so hard to show off her virtues. It would obviously be inappropriate for him to execute her now. However, if he ignored her, who knows what else she could do to make her so popular outside. Chen Ji felt that this was definitely not a good thing. It would be better to give her a random title, tie her up in the palace, and cut off her contact with the outside world.

"Of course, I also have my own selfish motives. You see, I am already a grandfather, and my wife has passed away for many years. It is really inappropriate for this young and beautiful lady to have been living in my house. I am afraid of what people will say, but I dare not chase her away. I beg Your Majesty to take her away..." When he said this, Chen Liang's tone almost turned into pleading.

Chen Ji couldn't help but chuckle. He had never thought before that he had caused Chen Liang such a big trouble?

He laughed jokingly and teased Chen Liang: "You are afraid of ruining your reputation, and I am afraid too! To tell you the truth, I have never had any concubines. Zhang Xiaowan took advantage of the situation and blackmailed me. How can I admit that I have a concubine behind Rong'er's back? That would be too cowardly and shameful, right?"

Chen Liang said, "Even if she was blackmailing you, you must have given her the opportunity. Is your heirloom jade pendant easy to steal?"

Chen Ji was suddenly speechless.

"How about this... I will adopt her as my goddaughter, and you can send someone to bring her into the palace and announce it to the public as a close relationship. It will be considered as her marrying out of my family. It will be good for both you and me, right?" Chen Liang smiled, as if he had come up with a best of both worlds idea.

Chen Ji couldn't help laughing again, "You've always been both the emperor's uncle and the emperor's father-in-law?"

"Oh...what does the emperor want in order to receive this person?" Chen Liang looked at Chen Ji with a worried look on his face, feeling a little amused and helpless.

Seeing Chen Liang's sad face, Chen Ji couldn't help but laugh, "Forget it, forget it. I won't joke with you anymore. I will take her into the palace."

Chen Liang was extremely surprised. He immediately knelt down and bowed deeply: "Thank you for your grace, Your Majesty. Please take her away as soon as possible. My small temple is really not big enough to support such a big Bodhisattva!"

Chen Ji turned his back, suddenly showing an unhappy face, and muttered to himself in a low voice: "What a plague god, he is a nuisance wherever he is..."

The next day, Chen Ji drafted two imperial edicts. One was to confer the title of noble lady on Chen Liang's adopted daughter Zhang Xiaowan and grant her the title of inhabitant of Fangle Palace; the other was to order Hexi King Si Yan and his family to move to Yongfu Palace.

When the imperial edict reached the Left Prime Minister's residence, everything went smoothly. Zhang Xiaowan dressed up carefully and entered the palace in gorgeous attire, feeling very proud.

But after entering the palace, Zhang Xiaowan quickly realized that no matter how beautifully she dressed up, it was useless because Chen Ji had no intention of seeing her at all. He only ordered Zhuo Jin to come to Fangle Palace to take away the Chen family's heirloom jade pendant, and nothing else.

Fangle Palace was just as deserted as before, without any decoration or even a palace servant to serve her. Fortunately, Chen Liang gave her four maids as a dowry, otherwise, with her courage, how could she have dared to live alone in such a big palace?

Another imperial edict that was transmitted to Yanming Palace was not so smooth.

When Madam Han heard that they were going to move to Yongfu Palace, she was a little frightened, but she remained calm. The other women in the family were furious and started to refute the idea:

"The Yongfu Palace has been abandoned for decades. How can people live there if there are still ghosts inside?"

"Even the Wang family members who are guilty of crimes can be sent back to their family home, so why should we live in a place like that?"

"Even if the dynasty changes, we are still the Queen's family, and they should at least provide us with a palace!"

……

Si Yao even shouted at the top of his voice: "I am not a member of the Hexi King's family. I want to go back to my princess's mansion!"

Fang Xiang, who was in charge of the relocation of these people, felt dizzy when faced with the noise of these women and could not help but shout loudly: "Shut up, everyone!"

The concubines of the previous dynasty were all shocked.

Fang Xiang first pointed at Si Yao and shouted, "You are no longer a "princess", why are you going back to the "Princess's Mansion"? Let me tell you, that place has long been General Huo Qu's general's mansion!"

He pointed at the concubines of the previous dynasty and was equally rude: "And you, are you used to enjoying the good life? First you were with Emperor Xiaozong, then Emperor Chengzong, and now you want to rely on the Empress? Don't you even ask around? Where is the Empress in the palace? If you want to climb up the social ladder, you have to wait until that branch is established, right?"

The concubines of the previous dynasty recovered and suddenly started to scold Fang Xiang:

"Who the hell are you? Are you qualified to talk nonsense here?"

"Just a dog slave!"

"It's really a dog fighting against the power of man!"

Fang Xiang drew his sword in annoyance, and without saying a word, he chopped it to the side. A half-grown tree broke in the middle and fell in front of the concubines, scaring several of them to scream.

"I'll give you one hour. Hurry up and pack your things and move them here!" Fang Xiang roared and closed his sword casually.

This time, Yanming Hall suddenly became quiet. Everyone returned to the room where they were originally under house arrest in despair and tidied themselves up in silence.

Si Yao also walked back to the house where she had stayed for many days, but her heart was pounding. Among those imprisoned here, no one knew Yongfu Palace better than her.

She grew up in the palace and had passed by the gate of Yongfu Palace several times when she was a child. At first, she asked the palace servants in confusion why there was such a large palace there but no one could live there. But no one answered her.

Until one day, she couldn't suppress her curiosity anymore, so she sneaked over and took a look through the crack in the door. She saw a skull, which scared her so much that she had nightmares for several days.

Later, her mother, Empress Dowager Meng, also known as Concubine Meng at the time, found out about it and ordered people to clean up the remains of Yongfu Palace so as not to scare her again. But in fact, she never dared to go there again, not even near it.

As she grew up, she gradually got to know that place. Rumor has it that crying could be heard there every night and everyone stayed away from it.

How could she dare to live in Yongfu Palace now? Just thinking about it makes my hair stand on end!

"Hurry up! The guys are busy!" The urging voice from outside came into Si Yao's ears again.

"Mother, what should I do? What should I do?"

Si Yao paced around the room, sweating from nervousness. Suddenly, a light bulb went off in her head, and she remembered the two purses her mother had given her before she died.

"If you are still a princess when you are in trouble, open the yellow purse; if you are no longer a princess when you are in trouble, open the red purse."

She had already opened the yellow purse, and Si Yuan had indeed spared her life; now that she was no longer a princess, it was time for her to open the red purse, so why had she forgotten about it?

The purse was with her all the time, never leaving her body for a moment. She quickly took it out and opened it. Inside was a piece of writing paper, folded and stuffed in the purse.

She opened the piece of rice paper and saw a portrait of a half-grown boy. On the right side of the portrait were written two words "Chen Sheng", which was obviously the name of the person in the painting.

Si Yao looked down again and saw two lines of small characters at the bottom. The first line read "Born on the eighth day of the eighth month of the Renxu year", and the second line had the address of a village.

The year of Renxu… was ten years ago, so the meaning of this painting is: this child was born ten years ago, and his name was Chen Sheng…

Si Yao pondered over it carefully. Ten years ago, she and Chen Ji were still married. She vaguely remembered that year, she hated Chen Ji more and more because she loved someone else in her heart. She had not met Chen Ji for more than half a year...

She looked at the portrait carefully again. The child in the painting looked like Chen Ji...

Suddenly, Si Yao understood that her mother had pointed out a clear path for her. She hurried out the door and shouted to Fang Xiang, "I want to see the emperor!"

Fang Xiang sneered and asked: "Who do you think you are? You want to see the emperor? Why should the emperor see you?"

Si Yao held the portrait in front of Fang Xiang, and said confidently, "Just because I gave birth to a son for the emperor ten years ago!"