Peach Blossom.

After a brief glare, Chen Ji quickly regained his composure and said calmly, "Uncle, you're worrying too much. I know what's going on with this matter."

"I hope so..." Chen Liang reluctantly stopped arguing, but still sighed.

Chen Ji could hear Chen Liang's perfunctory response, which made him even more uneasy.

Turning his head, Chen Ji glared at Zhang Xiaowan who was kneeling on the ground again, revealing that look of extreme disgust.

"I'm warning you for the last time. Don't interfere in any of my affairs! If I find out you're up to something again, I'll just assume you're tired of living..."

Chen Ji almost gritted his teeth when he said this last sentence.

Zhang Xiaowan was always submissive and said, "I know I was wrong, I won't do it again."

"Get out!" Chen Ji roared another word angrily.

Zhang Xiaowan quickly stood up and left.

Looking at Xiaowan's back, Chen Liang's face was full of worry.

"Uncle, isn't it time for you to go home and rest?" When Chen Ji turned to Chen Liang again, his tone was much more relaxed, but his smile was not friendly.

Of course Chen Liang couldn't afford to make trouble for himself, so he said "I'll take my leave" and left the palace with his daughter Chen Tang.

The weather was gloomy in the evening. Chen Ji sat alone at his desk, recalling every event since he became queen.

"Your Majesty is the highest authority. If he were to accidentally get stained, it would be unlucky. It would be better for you to return to Xuanji Palace for the time being."

On the wedding night, Tao Ye used sweet words to drive him out of the bridal chamber.

"Once you marry me, you are not allowed to touch any other woman! Even if others say I'm a jealous woman, I will tie you down! You belong only to me, do you hear me?"

She kidnapped him from Si Rong's house. Was it because she was jealous or did she have other motives?

"Maybe I'm sick... This sickness... makes me unable to help but hurt those who are close to me..."

Chen Ji couldn't help but touch his neck again, even though the bite wound had healed beyond recognition.

"Maybe it's because I used to work in a brothel, where I was often coveted by customers... Over time, it left a psychological scar on me..."

"If you really love me, you should find a way to cure me... instead of being angry with me..."

Every word Tao Ye said, every expression she gave him seemed very real, and every reason she gave seemed very reasonable...

But all the reasonable plots added together may not make sense.

What could Tao Ye be thinking? She must have been planning something since she asked to be queen...

Chen Ji is not a fool, so how could he become such an innocent person?

Thinking of Tao Ye's high-sounding reasons, Chen Ji actually wanted to laugh.

Looking at the sunset in the sky, the sunlight was increasingly obscured, but the few remaining rays were still somewhat dazzling.

Staring at the setting sun, Chen Ji suddenly fell into some kind of fantasy.

He seemed to have foreseen that ten or twenty years from now, all the concubines would be childless, and there would only be one eldest prince in the palace...

This situation seems a bit familiar...

In a trance, Chen Ji seemed to see Emperor Xiaozong Si Yu.

Si Yu was standing not far away, smiling broadly:

"Retribution... Retribution... Chen Ji, you know where my eldest prince came from, but you don't know where your own eldest prince came from... It's truly retribution..."

The sarcastic smile made Chen Ji extremely angry. He picked up the inkstone on the table and smashed it over.

But the inkstone did not hit Si Yu, and Si Yu had already disappeared.

Looking up again, Chen Ji saw Chen Liang, Chen Cuo, Huo Qu, Zhao Sheng, Xun Yi and other members of the Chen family army, escorting the eldest prince Chen Sheng to the throne, and honoring Concubine Si Yao as the empress dowager, but Tao Ye in the central palace had disappeared without a trace.

Then, on Si Yao's birthday, he saw Chen Sheng holding a thousand-year banquet for his mother Si Yao in Hualin Garden.

During the banquet, Chen Chong, Chen Wei, Chen Xin, Chen Mi and others suddenly broke in with their troops and surrounded everyone.

Chen Liang stood beside Chen Sheng and Si Yao and shouted, "How dare Prince Ding openly disrespect the Emperor and the Queen Mother?"

Chen Chong sneered and pointed his sword at Chen Sheng: "He is not the late emperor's flesh and blood, and has no right to inherit the throne."

So the two groups of people met in battle.

In the chaos, Chen Sheng was killed with a sword and his head was presented to Chen Chong. Si Yao was also captured by Chen Mi and others.

Chen Chong held the head, placed his sword on Si Yao's neck, and shouted, "Is this the late emperor's flesh and blood? Speak!"

Si Yao was so frightened that he trembled all over and immediately admitted, "No... He is not... Please spare my life, Prince Ding! Spare my life! I am willing to write an imperial edict to let... let Prince Ding ascend the throne."

Chen Chong held up Chen Sheng's head again, facing Chen Liang and the others, and loudly announced, "The late emperor had no heir, and the crown prince should be a member of the same family. I am the late emperor's cousin, the closest bloodline to him! Who wouldn't accept this?"

"Long live our emperor..." The entire Hualin Garden was filled with cheers.

Only Chen Liang stared at the sky with deep sorrow, tears streaming down his face. "My late emperor... you didn't listen to the advice of your elders, leaving no one to succeed you. Now you've only been making wedding clothes for others in vain!"

With a loud bang, Chen Ji waved his sleeves across the table, and the memorials, papers, and pens on the desk fell to the ground.

"Your Majesty... Your Majesty, what's wrong with you?" Zhuo Jin, who was guarding the gate, ran in in a panic.

What happened? What happened? Chen Ji also asked himself in his heart.

He was still in Xuanji Palace, with only Zhuo Jin by his side, and a mess surrounding the desk. Among them was an inkstone that he had thrown the farthest, which he had used to hit Si Yu.

The last ray of sunset outside the window had completely disappeared, and flames were burning on the tall candlesticks on both sides.

He pushed Zhuo Jin aside, walked through the messy memorials on the ground, and went out.

Zhuo Jin didn't have time to pack up and hurriedly followed him out.

"You are not allowed to follow me!" Chen Ji suddenly turned around and pointed at Zhuo Jin and gave an order.

Zhuo Jin had to stop under the eaves.

Fang Xiang and other guards in the courtyard watched as Chen Ji ran away like the wind.

In the darkness, Chen Ji ran to Zhaoyang Palace in one breath.

The Zhaoyang Palace was brightly lit, especially Tao Ye's living room, which was as bright as day. I don't know how many lamps were lit.

"Your Majesty?" Lan Yue was surprised to see Chen Ji walking hurriedly in the courtyard.

Before she could pass on the message, Chen Ji's figure had already flashed past Lan Yue and quickly arrived at the door of Taoye House.

With a crash, the door was pushed open.

Caiwei, who was grinding ink, was startled by the sound and accidentally dropped the ink out of the inkstone.

Tao Ye looked up and noticed that Chen Ji looked very bad. She quickly left the desk and walked towards Chen Ji, greeting him softly, "Is the Emperor here?"

Several maids in the room also hurriedly bowed.

"Everyone get out." Chen Ji said in a cold voice.

The maids had no choice but to withdraw.

Tao Ye suddenly felt her heart beating rapidly again.

Tao Ye didn't know when it started, but she actually felt a little afraid of Chen Ji, especially of being alone with him.

Chen Ji walked to Tao Ye's desk and flipped through the papers on the table. They were all things related to the imperial examination.

After flipping through a few of them, Chen Ji put them down again, the corners of his lips curled up slightly, and he looked at Tao Ye, "The Queen seems to be very busy every day?"

This shouldn't be the name they used when they were alone together. Tao Ye vaguely felt that Chen Ji was different today than before.

"Why does Your Majesty say that? Did I do something wrong?" Tao Ye stood upright, the strange atmosphere made her cautious.

"The Queen is so concerned about the country and the people, what could she do wrong?" Chen Ji sat in the seat where Tao Ye had just sat, still facing Tao Ye, supporting his head with one hand, and smiling sarcasticly.

Tao Ye didn't know what to say, she just stood there anxiously.

"Who do you think of me in your heart?" Chen Ji's voice was very soft, not sounding angry at all.

But Tao Ye felt as if a thousand ants were crawling in her heart, scratching her until she felt suffocated.

"Backer? Stepping stone? Or maybe..." Chen Ji paused, his smile even more sinister: "Enemy?"

Hearing this, Tao Ye had to refute: "Your Majesty, how can you say 'enemy'?"

"I'm not an enemy, but why do I feel like you're trying your best to make me extinct?"

Tao Ye asked in confusion, "The Emperor already has an eldest prince, so how could there be no descendants?"

"Grand Prince?" Chen Ji laughed again, a smile that was beyond words. "You were so eager to become the Queen, so why are you willing to give up the throne to the son of a concubine? Aren't you afraid of losing your authority as Queen and being bullied?"

Tao Ye had to deny it again: "I never said that."

"But you're doing just that." Chen Ji looked at Tao Ye, his curved brows piercing a terrifying sword. "You keep rejecting me and forbidding me to favor others. If that's not giving up the throne to the eldest prince, what is it?"

Tao Ye frowned, suppressing the discomfort in her heart, and explained: "I have already said that I just need treatment..."

"How long does it take to cure a disease that can't be seen or touched?" Chen Ji interrupted Tao Ye and smiled sinisterly: "Three years? Five years? Ten years? Twenty years?"

Tao Ye was speechless again.

"Will it be delayed until the end of time, until I am old and gray, until I have to make wedding dresses for others?" As the words fell, Chen Ji slammed his palm on the table, making a loud noise.

Tao Ye also trembled all over.

Chen Ji stood up suddenly and approached Tao Ye step by step: "I'm not sure whether you are sick or not, but you've almost tortured me into a psychopath!"

Tao Ye's heart beat faster and faster, and her steps couldn't help but retreat as Chen Ji moved forward.

"I've seen what will happen in twenty years. It's a complete mess! In broad daylight, my soul could have left my body! How much further do you want to torture me?"

Chen Ji's relentless pressure forced Tao Ye to retreat again and again until he had no way to retreat.

Tao Ye understood a little, but was also a little confused. Her back was against the wall, and she looked helplessly at Chen Ji who was so close to her.

The next moment, she was picked up by Chen Ji.

Tao Ye suddenly fell into infinite fear, no longer able to think, kicking her legs and shouting loudly: "Help! Help!"

The voice was almost hoarse, and even had a slight tone change.

Caiwei and Xueyi outside the door also pushed open the door in shock, and saw Chen Ji holding Taoye with a ferocious look on his face.

"Get out! Who is looking for death?" Chen Ji shouted harshly, his eyes wide open like a tiger about to eat someone.

Caiwei and Xueyi looked at each other, hesitated, and then Lan Yue closed the door behind them.

Chen Ji turned his gaze to Tao Ye in his arms and asked resentfully, "You are my legitimate wife. How can you yell for help from an outsider?"

"I'm afraid I will hurt you, please let me down! I just don't want to hurt you..." Tao Ye looked at Chen Ji with pleading eyes, and could not think of any reason to defend herself.

Chen Ji once again smiled and said calmly: "Even if you bite me into pieces today, I can't let you be a queen in name only!"