Male superiority and female superiority: forced love

The next morning, Jiang Xuanzhou and Ruan Chuyin hurried into the palace to visit. By then, the Queen had miraculously regained consciousness.

Li Chanjuan stared at her daughter-in-law, whom she had always disliked, with a complicated look, and for the first time ever, she showed a gentle smile, which scared Ruan Chuyin so much that she quickly lowered her head.

"The prescription from the Immortal Fufeng Sword is very effective. I feel much better after drinking two doses. You are so thoughtful."

"This is what a son should do. A son should have come to visit mother earlier. I hope mother will forgive me." Ruan Chuyin greeted her hurriedly, fearing that the queen would hold a grudge against her now that she was sober.

"Come and sit down." Li Chanjuan waved at her and took off the spring ribbon on her wrist.

"Since you married Xuan Zhou, I have never given you a wedding gift. This jade bracelet was given to me by the King of Nanxing Kingdom as a wedding gift. It is quite meaningful. Please keep it."

This thoughtful gesture not only stunned Ruan Chuyin, but also stunned Jiang Xuanzhou. The Queen Mother's attitude towards Chuyin had completely changed. She must have sensed Chuyin's kindness, as she quickly stepped forward to put the ring on her and pulled her along to kowtow in gratitude.

Li Chanjuan hadn't been so happy for a long time. Looking at the young couple holding hands in front of her, she seemed to see herself and her ancestors back then, and a soft light appeared in her eyes.

Jiang Wenzhou's words yesterday had clearly awakened him. Since he was willing to help, he would do as he wished and remove the thorn in his side for both him and Xuanzhou.

The coldness Emperor Yong displayed during her illness chilled her heart. Before Sun Wanning was around, he'd at least remembered to visit her at Penglai Palace. Now that he was with her, he didn't even bother pretending, only now offering her a few hypocritical words of sympathy. She'd originally intended to get rid of the child, but now that she'd sensed that woman's ambition, she decided to go all out and get rid of her too.

Li Chanjuan moved quickly, quietly increasing the dosage of Hongyanzui in the red candles of Yonghe Hall.

This was a tacitly accepted aphrodisiac in the imperial harem. Whenever a concubine went to bed, two sticks would be lit by the bedside.

At noon the next day, news broke that Consort Sun had miscarried. The imperial physician diagnosed the problem as the Emperor's own, prompting Jiang Chenfeng to blame himself. He immediately rewarded Sun Wanning with countless treasures and canceled three consecutive morning court sessions, remaining by her side every day.

Li Chanjuan didn't pause as she reviewed Sun Wanning's daily menu. Learning of her seafood preference, she instructed her confidants to replace all the nine-legged fish sent to Yonghe Palace with a rare, poisonous variety, hastening her demise. Within two days, Sun Wanning died from a heart arrhythmia and hemorrhage.

The tampering left no trace; even the remaining nine-legged fish in the kitchen had been replaced with a normal species. The two imperial physicians who performed the autopsy on Concubine Sun were the Empress's men, and they concealed the poison in her system, leading everyone to conclude that Concubine Sun had died suddenly from grief caused by a miscarriage.

Emperor Dayong suffered a severe blow and fell ill immediately. The Crown Prince was temporarily in charge of the court affairs.

Li Chanjuan stared at the sleeping Jiang Chenfeng with a gloomy gaze, tightly holding his big hand, with murderous intent in her eyes. After a long time, she finally dispelled the thought in her mind.

Things developed so quickly that when Jiang Xuanzhou got the news, he locked himself in his study for the entire night. He even only took a couple of symbolic bites of the broken gold rice that the princess had personally prepared for him as a midnight snack.

He knew his mother too well, but he had not expected that this time her actions would be so swift and her methods would be more brutal than ever before.

Now that Sun Wanning has been eliminated, will they target Jiang Wenzhou again? Thinking of this, he could no longer hold back and immediately asked Ruan Chuyin to follow Xiang Yunchi back to Licheng.

"Why? Jiusi hasn't come out of seclusion yet, so I can't leave now." Ruan Chuyin looked at Jiang Xuanzhou in confusion. Why did he suddenly ask her to leave Liangcheng?

"We don't know when Wei Jiusi will come out of confinement. You don't have to keep dragging your feet and not marrying Xiang Yunchi. I will help you find someone to take care of Mingyue Restaurant. When Wei Jiusi gets better, he will naturally go to Licheng." Jiang Xuanzhou advised.

Ruan Chuyin thought what he said made sense, but it sounded a little strange coming from his mouth. Suddenly, there was a strange look in her eyes, and she asked nervously, "Xuan Zhou, has something happened?"

"No, I just want you to finish your important business as soon as possible and return to Liangcheng to live permanently." That was true. Xiang Yunchi was a martial artist; if he wanted, he could live in Liangcheng. The same could be said for Wei Shizhang. When the time came, they could all move here. That way, Hatsune wouldn't have to travel back and forth, and her life would be completely settled.

"Then... I'll talk to Wenzhou tomorrow." Ruan Chuyin took these words in. Of her husbands, only Jiang Xuanzhou and Jiang Wenzhou couldn't leave with her at any time. Since Jiang Xuanzhou was fine, that left Jiang Wenzhou alone.

Jiang Wenzhou did not raise any objection to her decision, and just as Jiang Xuanzhou said, he asked her to come back early.

Now that his father was bedridden, all matters of state fell upon him alone, a heavy burden. At this critical juncture, he could not afford to consider his children's affections. With the Crown Princess back in Licheng, he could take advantage of this time to reassess the situation at court.

When Ruan Chuyin took the initiative to tell Xiang Yunchi that she wanted to go back, he felt that it was worth it to have dark circles under his eyes for a few more days.

That afternoon, the group set off for Beiyue.

Ji Zhiya wasn't used to riding in a carriage, so he and his apprentice went ahead. Ruan Chuyin looked at the afterimage left in the sky and felt that this was why he was revered as the "Sword Immortal of Fufeng."

When passing through Bafang Town, Xiang Yunchi specially took them to stay at Lanshan Pavilion, but Shen Tingxue happened not to be in the pavilion, so they did not see her.

"Where's your landlord?" Xiang Yunchi looked at the rebuilt attic, which seemed even more impressive than before. No wonder this guy couldn't save any money all year round, he was such a spendthrift.

Wang Shi smiled broadly and bowed as he said, "The host has been called back to Licheng by his wife for a blind date. You should be able to see him when you get there."

"Blind date? Blind date with whom?" Xiang Yunchi was shocked. Ruan Chuyin, Qin Guanzhi, and Yu Yu all pricked up their ears, their expressions focused.

"Liu Yunnong, the most beautiful woman in Beiyue. I heard that the Madam not only called the owner of the building over this time, but also called Master Yue and several others."

"What? They all went? So many people came to see one girl?" Xiang Yunchi was so shocked that he almost couldn't hold the teacup. His mother really could do such a thing.

"This... I don't know." Wang Shi quickly handed over the key to the best guest room in the pavilion and arranged a large table of good wine and food to serve.

"Yun Chi, so, can I see all your brothers when I return to Licheng this time?" There are still six of them that Ruan Chuyin has never met.

"My second brother will definitely go. There's no reason for my fourth brother to go, and the others may not show up. Especially my third brother Gou Munan, he definitely won't go."

"Why?" Ruan Chuyin asked puzzledly.

"Because he's afraid of women. As for the reason, it's hard to explain." Bai Jinmo's dark, evil face popped up in Xiang Yunchi's mind again. The next time he saw her, he would beat her into a pig's head.