The imperial concubine is charming and charming, and only seeks power and wealth

When the word "marriage" was mentioned, Xie Anning was prepared for this man to go crazy again, but she didn't expect him to react like this.

She was a little uncomfortable...

Xie Anning was stunned for a moment, thought for a moment, and then said, "I can't make the decision on your moving into the Xie family. When Ziqin comes back, I'll discuss it with him and then give you an answer."

Even so, she admitted that what this person said did make some sense.

But she had promised Shi Ziqin first, so she had to consider his feelings and make the decision to let Wang Shaofu live in the Xie family without authorization.

This is the most basic respect Xie Anning shows to his lover.

Wang Shaofu remained silent for a long time, his long knuckles clenched tightly.

He never thought that one day he would need another man's approval to go to the Xie family.

Really...

Xie An Ning seemed oblivious to his pain and continued, "Let me tell you in advance, even if Ziqin agrees to let you live here, you must recognize your own status. You are just a guest, not my husband anymore. You must not disturb Ziqin and me, and please do not behave rudely to me again... well..."

Her wrist was suddenly tightly grasped, and the slight pain made her stop talking and look up angrily.

"I'm sorry, I can't bear to hear you say such cruel words right now." Wang Shaofu relaxed a little and said lightly: "But don't worry, I will try my best to let you go."

——I will try my best to let you go.

"...Okay," Xie Anning ignored the fleeting feeling of suffocation in his heart and nodded lightly, "That's good."

Good for everyone.

She wanted to pull her wrist away, but Wang Shaofu just paused for a moment and then let go.

"I have nothing else to do. Why don't you tell me about our daughter? Does she still want to go to Xiaoxiang Library?"

Wang Wan is their common child.

And he is their only offspring.

Xie Anning believed that, apart from himself, no one in the world wanted the best for his daughter more than he did.

So she didn't hesitate and nodded directly, "Wan'er has already agreed with the Imperial Concubine that she wants to become a tutor at Xiaoxiang Academy. After this case is settled, she should participate in the tutor election."

Then she continued, "I want to choose a date to change Wan'er's surname and include her in the Xie family tree. Do you... have any objections?"

This is the question, but Xie Anning thought that it would be useless even if he had any opinions.

But Wang Shaofu had no objection. He said directly: "Change it."

Look at how straightforward he is, as if he would like to change his surname to Xie if possible.

Xie Anning was choked by his own thought, with an indescribable expression on his face.

Wang Shaofu didn't know what she was thinking. He just looked at her and said, "Wan'er is sixteen years old now. If she wants to enter the government, it would be possible for her to settle down and teach for three to five years."

Women's education has just begun to be promoted, and whether it will be successful is still uncertain. There is even no sign of women entering officialdom. However, everyone in the court can see that His Majesty the Emperor has this plan.

The emperor intends to elevate the status of women, and today's women's schools are only meant to pave the way for women to become officials.

If the new policy succeeds in the future, Wan'er, as a teacher at the world's number one women's academy, will have many students all over the world, and her qualifications alone will be of great benefit to her future career.

Girls' education has just begun to be implemented and the situation is complicated. It is indeed the best option to gain experience by teaching, as it is neither conspicuous enough to attract attention nor can it bring real benefits.

As he spoke, Wang Shaofu frowned as if thinking of something, and asked, "I heard that you were awarded the title of Fourth Rank in the Inner Court?"

Xie Anning nodded.

"..." Wang Shaofu's expression darkened. "The inner court is short of people. Has the imperial concubine said how she plans to use you?"

When talking about her daughter, Xie Anning still had the patience to answer him.

But when it comes to her personal affairs, she doesn't think it's necessary to talk to him more given their current relationship.

Seeing that she remained silent, Wang Shaofu pursed his lips and carefully explained the pros and cons to her.

"Establishing women's schools nationwide has affected the interests of too many people. The past two years have been extremely turbulent. The Imperial Concubine, surrounded by countless guards, rarely leaves the palace, yet she still finds herself in danger. Let alone the people working under her... Even if I were to wade into this muddy water, I wouldn't dare say I could escape unscathed."

It can be said that among the officials in the inner court, anyone who dares to stand out will face a life-and-death situation.

Even if your performance is mediocre, as long as you are doing work for the Empress, you will still be targeted.

It is difficult to guard against open and hidden attacks.

He couldn't bear to see her in danger again.

"An Ning," Wang Shaofu said, "Don't get involved in those things, and don't be too eager to show yourself. A tree that stands out in the forest will be destroyed by the wind. If you want to share the Empress's worries, just travel around the capital."

As long as she doesn't leave the capital, he can protect her.

Once you leave the capital...

He was so earnest in his advice, but Xie Anning felt that he was just meddling too much and had no patience to listen any further. He stood up and said, "Don't worry about what I should do."

As a female official in the inner court, she received the emperor's salary and shared his worries.

The Imperial Concubine has the final say on what errands to take.

How can we hide in the capital just because we are afraid of death?

After saying this, Xie Anning turned and left.

Wang Shaofu really has no way to deal with her now. He wants to pull her back and explain the pros and cons to her, but he is afraid that it will backfire.

After hesitating, Xie Anning walked to the door.

Seeing Wang Wu and Wang Yong standing outside, she paused and turned back, saying, "By the way, please discipline your subordinates. Don't think I'm good-tempered and always tell me how to handle things."

After saying this, she walked past the two guards who had dazed expressions.

The sound of someone kneeling down to apologize behind her did not stop her, and she walked away slowly.

Inside the room, Wang Shaofu leaned against the headboard of the bed, watching her departing figure without blinking. He lowered his eyes until she was completely far away and out of sight. He fixed his gaze on his two subordinates and said calmly, "Are you very dissatisfied with her?"

Wang Yong and Wang Wu said in unison, "We dare not!"

Wang Yong said, "I just feel sorry for you."

Unfair...

The room was quiet for a few moments.

Wang Shaofu said: "Since you don't dare, don't do it again in the future. Remember, she is your mistress. If you disrespect her, you are disrespecting me."

"Whatever she did, I deserved it. She can't be wrong."

He raised his head slightly, unable to hide his self-loathing. "I don't keep people who disrespect my superiors around me. If you do it again, you won't have to serve me anymore."

As soon as these words came out, Wang Yong and Wang Wu immediately kowtowed and said, "Yes!"

…………

On the other side, in the Dali Temple lobby, the case has already begun.

The chain of evidence for this case has long been completed and has been reviewed by His Majesty the Emperor.

This court hearing is just a formality.

However, even if it is just a formality, it is necessary to interrogate the case from beginning to end and clarify all the details one by one.

Only then can we make a final judgment.

After all, this is a major case involving multiple families and it cannot be completed in one day.

As the prisoners were brought up one by one, the files written by the clerk gradually became thicker.

The trial started on the sixth day of the first lunar month and ended on the tenth day.

His Majesty the Emperor is very busy with state affairs and of course has no time to listen to these details. He has not shown up in public in the past few days.

As the chief judges, Ishihara Qing and Chen Zilu were so busy that they had to go to the palace from time to time to report on the progress.

Jiang Lingyue was present most of the time.

On the rare occasions when she was not present, Qi Junyi would be very considerate and tell her about the progress of the case.

In fact, after knowing how His Majesty the Emperor planned to deal with these people, Jiang Lingyue no longer cared much about the case.

It's just a formality, why should she care?

She is also very busy these days.

As the new year approaches, the construction of women's colleges in various places cannot be delayed.

She wanted to select candidates to be sent to the capital for work, as she was in dire need of manpower.

Jiang Lingyue didn't intend to let go of any of the concubines in the harem that she had been eyeing for a long time.

After all, His Majesty the Emperor has not yet officially selected concubines, and officials from all over the country have not presented beauties to him.

Those who can enter the palace at this time are all noble ladies from famous families.

She is greedy.

However, when it comes to asking others to work for you, there is no forced buying or selling. In the end, they have to be willing to do so.

So, Jiang Lingyue has been asking them one by one about their thoughts these days.

There are three roads in total.

Or go home and remarry.

Or go to Zhenguo Temple and spend the rest of your life surrounded by green lamps and ancient Buddhas.

Or she could become an official in the inner court, step out of the luxurious inner chamber, and fight for fame and fortune like men to earn a future for herself.

Although the tactics used by the women in the inner palace to fight against each other are also scheming, they are not enough when compared with the turbulent struggles of the previous dynasty.

Jiang Lingyue did not hide it from them. She made it very clear that if they chose the latter, their lives would be in danger at any time.

In the end, out of a total of thirteen low-ranking concubines, only seven chose to serve as officials in the inner court.

The remaining six people, either due to their family's position or receiving orders from their fathers and brothers, did not dare to disobey their family even if they wanted to.

Or they backed out and were unwilling to take the risk.

After all, they are all pampered ladies from aristocratic families. It takes a lot of courage to ask them to disregard life and death overnight.

Everyone has ambition.

But many people think that it is unnecessary to risk one's life for a better future.

Although Jiang Lingyue felt sorry for the lack of six available people, she did not force it.

The lower-ranking concubines have made their choice, leaving only the higher-ranking concubines.

Among the three concubines, Concubine Hui was deposed. She was the one who was in charge of the inner court and was very scheming and resourceful.

His Majesty the Emperor used her very smoothly in managing the harem, and Jiang Lingyue was even more eager for her talent.

Considering that Concubine Hui had never actually attempted to murder him in her past or present life, he was willing to put aside past grudges and help her.

She asked Prince Lu to go and persuade him several times, and now she is just waiting for the other party's attitude.

However, the virtuous concubine and the virtuous concubine were different. They were closely related to her death in the previous life, and in this life, even their maternal clans were trying to murder her. Jiang Lingyue could not tolerate them.

Now the two of them have been taken to the Ministry of Punishment, and the only fate waiting for them is a cup of poisoned wine, and they are destined not to get out.

After the three concubines, Chen Shuyi was the only high-ranking concubine left.

Chen Ziwei entered the palace two days ago specifically to persuade his elder sister, but there was no movement in Baohua Palace for two whole days.

Jiang Lingyue was really short of people, so she had some patience for talents like Concubine Hui and Chen Shuyi who were proficient in controlling their subordinates.

It is also understandable why Concubine Hui and Chen Shuyi were reluctant to express their opinions.

It's simply that he feels that she is inferior to him in terms of background, qualifications, and scheming.

Those who had to pay respect to him half a year ago, now had to bow down to him in just half a year.

It is human nature that one cannot immediately accept such a gap.

It was understanding, but after waiting for a few days, Jiang Lingyue finally became impatient.

She poked the arm of the person next to her, told him what had been bothering her for the past few days, and asked, "Tell me, should I do something? Should I just sit there and wait?"

It was night time and it was pitch black outside, but since they hadn't yet planned to rest, the bedroom was brightly lit.

His Majesty the Emperor leaned against the bed, one arm around her, the other hand flipping through a scroll presented by an unknown minister. He said slowly, "Wait."

"..." Jiang Lingyue frowned, stood up from his arms, and tried to pull at his sleeves, "Qi Hengzhi, did you hear what I said?"