Golden Branch

The saint's eyes were dark, unable to tell whether he was happy or angry. He slowly asked, "Noble Concubine, do you not want to be the queen?"

His voice was very soft, like the whisper between lovers.

Concubine Jiang hid her hands in her sleeves but clenched them tightly.

She tried her best to control her emotions, looked into the saint's eyes, and shook her head gently: "It's not that I don't want to, but I'm not worthy!"

Having said that, Concubine Jiang bit her lower lip lightly, and a look of determination flashed in her bright almond eyes.

She suddenly stood up and knelt before the sage, "Your Majesty, I have something to say. I know it's outrageous, but I can't help but say it."

She looked deeply at the saint, and her request was filled with sorrow: "My lady is gone, and the throne is vacant. But in this world, no one can compare to my lady!"

"Your Majesty! My dear! Could you please not appoint another queen?"

At this moment, Concubine Jiang looked like a crazy fan of Queen Li.

She not only respected and loved Queen Li, but also protected her to an almost paranoid degree.

Even if Queen Li died, she would firmly protect everything that belonged to Queen Li.

A young daughter, a noble status, and the love of her husband.

Concubine Jiang seems to firmly believe in one sentence: Death is not the end, forgetting is.

As the most loyal fan and supporter of Queen Li, what she has to do is to always cherish the memory of Queen Li and remind the people around her not to forget her and not to try to replace her!

Especially the saint, he is my wife's first husband, he must not remarry and let another woman replace my wife!

"Jiang, you are so outrageous!"

The saint gave a cold rebuke, as if annoyed by Concubine Jiang's overstepping of her bounds.

It is indeed an act of usurpation!

Even court officials were not allowed to interfere with whether the emperor remarried, so how could he allow a concubine to interfere?

A saint is not a puppet emperor. He is the supreme ruler and has absolute power.

He would not tolerate others telling him what to do.

He can choose not to do certain things, but he cannot be "persuaded" not to do them.

This time, Concubine Jiang really touched the bottom line of the saint.

"Your Majesty's forgiveness!"

Concubine Jiang hurriedly bowed her head and apologized repeatedly.

However, although she said "I know I was wrong", the aura around her still showed her persistence in her previous proposal.

She just didn't want the saint to enthrone a new queen.

It wasn't that she was worried about not being able to become the queen, nor was it that she had a desire to monopolize the emperor. She simply wanted to protect Queen Li.

The saint suddenly stood up, looking down at him with a stern expression.

He stared at Concubine Jiang for a long time.

Imperial Concubine Jiang was almost prostrating herself, her slender figure trembling slightly. She was respectful to the saint and her husband, but she also had a rebellious streak in her.

"Humph!"

The saint said nothing more, just flicked his sleeves and left.

The footsteps gradually faded away, but Concubine Jiang remained in the kneeling position.

It was not until a long time later that she collapsed to the ground as if all her bones had been pulled out.

"...Madam! Madam! Why did you go there?"

She suppressed herself, and her sobbing voice was almost inaudible.

The saint returned to the Ganlu Hall and sat casually on the low couch.

Half an hour later, a dark shadow appeared in front of him silently like a ghost.

The black shadow knelt before the saint and whispered back everything Concubine Jiang said and did after the saint left.

The Saint stroked a purse. After listening to the Shadow Guard's report, his hand paused for a moment. After a moment, he waved his hand and said, "Go!"

As soon as the words fell, the black shadow disappeared quickly.

The saint slowly opened the drawstring of his purse and took out a strand of black hair.

This was the hair he collected from the comb on his sister's dressing table when he was sorting out her belongings.

There was a small strand of black hair, with one or two white hairs mixed in.

My sister is old, and he is old too.

He and his sister have known each other since childhood and grew up together.

Married couple, together for decades.

My sister’s shadow has been with me for most of my life.

Now, they stood at the pinnacle of power and should have shared the world, but the elder sister——

"Sister, your love for A Jiang over the years has not been in vain."

Not only was Concubine Jiang able to resist the temptation of becoming the queen, she was also willing to risk angering the emperor to protect everything that belonged to Queen Li.

From this we can see how much she admired and respected Empress Li as her mistress.

The saint suddenly realized that even though his sister was gone, she would not be forgotten by everyone.

He remembered her and missed her, and so did Ajahn!

"Ajahn, very good! She didn't let you down!"

Queen Li had just passed away, and the saint's love and remembrance for her were at their strongest.

In the mourning hall, he cried several times without paying attention to the emperor's dignity.

In the court, he would shed tears when he thought of the queen.

He is still the emperor, and the idea of ​​being the only one in the world has been engraved into his bones.

How could he be the only one who was so sad about losing his loved one?

At this time, if anyone attempted to compete for the position of queen or suggested that he establish a queen, he would not let them go.

For example, Zhou Jiming has already found out that the rumors were indeed the work of Concubine Cui De.

"Bitch! Are you worthy enough?"

Before Queen Li's body was even cold, she dared to dream of coveting the throne.

Although Concubine Cui De was stirring up trouble in the harem, the emperor turned a blind eye to it because of their past friendship.

But this time, the saint could not forgive.

Especially compared with the sincerity of Concubine Jiang, Concubine Cui De seems even more cold-hearted, utilitarian and hateful!

As the mistress, Queen Li never treated her concubines harshly, from the General's Mansion to the Prince of Qi's Mansion to the Taiji Palace.

She was generous and compassionate, and treated all of Yang Chong's concubines and children well.

The reason why Concubine Jiang was so grateful to Queen Li was not only because she knew how to be grateful, but also because of Queen Li's virtue and kindness.

Such a good person had just passed away, and the funeral had not yet been completed, but Concubine Cui De started to make small moves.

How cold and indifferent!

How vicious!

"Come here! Declare that Concubine Cui De was disrespectful to the late Empress and behaved inappropriately in front of the Emperor. She is demoted to the rank of Concubine."

……

The saint came out of Baifu Palace with a cold face, and the news quickly spread in the harem.

Concubine Cui De: "Did Jiang anger the Saint? Humph, she's become arrogant due to her favor and has forgotten her status!"

Concubine Cui De was secretly angry about the failure of her plan, but when she heard the good news, she couldn't help but smile.

As old friends in the Qiandi Palace, when they were in the general's mansion, Concubine Cui De was overshadowed by Concubine Jiang.

"She's just a second-married woman, being presented to her husband like a plaything, yet she still doesn't know the rules."

"You're just a foxy girl, you only know how to seduce your master. It's fine if you seduce men, but you even pretend to be nice and fawning in front of your wife! Ugh! Despicable!"

"So what if I'm favored? I'm still just a hen that can't lay eggs. I have no children, only pampering. Sooner or later, my husband will dislike me!"

Over the past decade or so, Concubine Cui De has cursed Concubine Jiang many times.

What’s hateful is that Concubine Jiang has always been favored.

In the general's mansion, she was second only to the lady.

In the Prince of Qi's Palace, she was the Prince of Qi's concubine, listed in the royal jade disc.

After entering the Taiji Palace, she, who was childless, became the head of the four concubines, second only to the queen!

Concubine Cui De endured and endured, and when she reached the extreme point, she began to become abnormal.

She always wanted to find an opportunity to bring down Concubine Jiang.

However, Imperial Concubine Jiang was too cunning and good at acting, not only did she make the Saint dizzy, but even the Queen continued to favor her.

Concubine Cui De could only watch as Concubine Jiang continued to be favored in the harem and even gave birth to a son successfully.

Even her daughter with her ex-husband became a noble princess!

Concubine Cui De's hatred towards Concubine Jiang reached its peak.

Just when Concubine Cui De was so exhausted that her mind was twisted, the queen passed away.

This not only resulted in the death of the mistress, but also left the position of queen vacant.

In this world, there is no concubine who doesn't want to be the queen.

Who would be willing to be a concubine when they can be a wife?

Defei is also a concubine!

Not to mention, the position of queen is also related to orthodoxy.

The queen's son is the legitimate son and is qualified to compete with the crown prince, the third prince, etc. for the throne.

Even if not for herself, for her son, Concubine Cui De felt that she should try her best.

But Concubine Cui De knew that even if Queen Li was gone, there was still Concubine Jiang.

Although I don't want to admit it, the fact is...

For more than ten years, the Saint has always favored Concubine Jiang. No matter whether it is a new love or an old love, no one can compare to that vixen Jiang.

"So what? This time, let's kill two birds with one stone!"

"Oh no, it's three birds with one stone!!"

Not only can he get rid of Concubine Jiang, but he can also seize the throne, and he can also hide safely behind the scenes and reap the benefits!

A chess piece that was planted two years ago was finally put to use by Concubine Cui De.

The effect was remarkable, and rumors began to spread among the people.

Even if someone investigates, they will only find Concubine Zheng.

However, Concubine Cui De waited and waited for the incident to break out, but unexpectedly, the rumor suddenly disappeared.

"Did they get discovered? Did the Saint take action to curb the rumors?"

"The Saint also found Concubine Zheng? But Concubine Zheng has not been punished?"

"...Yes, the Queen's mourning period has not yet ended. The Sage should be holding back."

Concubine Cui De was in a state of confusion, worried about gains and losses, but she finally managed to convince herself to wait a little longer.

This wait lasted until Queen Li was safely buried and the national mourning ended.

Then, there was the scene today where the saint walked away from Baifu Palace in a huff.

"Did it happen? Did the Saint not investigate Consort Zheng and just believed the rumors to be true? Did he mistakenly believe that Jiang really wanted to be the Queen?"

"Haha, Jiang, ah Jiang, you are so stupid. You are an old lady who serves the young master, don't you know how important your wife is to the young master?"

"Even if my husband wants to remarry, he will never do so during my wife's mourning period!"

"Your eagerness will only disgust my husband. My husband now is no longer the great general of the past, but a sage who respects himself the most."

When Concubine Cui De received the news from her spy, she was very excited.

His plan succeeded, and Concubine Jiang was disliked by the Saint. So, would he depose her from her position as concubine and banish her to the cold palace?

Once Concubine Jiang is overthrown, it will become easier to seek the position of empress.

"I'm not from the Jiang family. I have the huge Cui family behind me."

Concubine Jiang only had a brother who was in poverty, while Concubine Cui De's father, brother, and clansmen had all become officials in the court.

It is not difficult for aristocratic families to use the power of the family to encourage the saint to establish a queen.

The more Concubine Cui De thought about it, the more excited she became, and she was eagerly waiting for the imperial edict to be issued from Ganlu Palace.

Not only Concubine Cui De, but also Concubine Zheng Xian, Concubine Wang Shu and others all knew the latest news that Concubine Jiang had angered the saint.

Concubine Zheng was copying scriptures. When she heard the palace maid's report, her hand holding the brush couldn't help but pause:

"Is the news true? The Saint came out of Baifu Palace with a cold face?"

"... Noble Concubine Jiang is extremely intelligent and has been favored for many years. How could she easily anger the Emperor?"

Even if she speaks rudely, the saint will tolerate it.

More than ten years of pampering is not fake.

Concubine Zheng is not smarter than Concubine Cui De, but she is more able to face reality.

The reality is that from the day Jiang was sent to Yang Chong, this woman became Yang Chong's favorite.

Maybe not the only one, but the one who is dearest to my heart.

Concubine Zheng Xian and Concubine Jiang Guifei have been fighting openly and secretly for half their lives, and have begun to accept their fate.

I can't compare to Concubine Jiang!

Besides, there is no need to compare.

Concubine Jiang was indeed favored and did have a son, but her son was too young and her mother's family was in decline.

Even if the Ninth Prince wanted to participate in the fight for the throne, he didn't have much capital.

It was different for women like Concubine Zheng Xianfei and Concubine Cui Defei, who came from aristocratic families and gave birth to princes. They had large families and many in-laws behind them.

Compared with Concubine Jiang, who has a weak foundation and a weak family, Concubine Cui De, Concubine Wang Shu and others are more worthy of Concubine Zheng Xian's fear.

If she really wanted to take action, Concubine Zheng would first deal with Cui, Wang and others.

Perhaps because she did not regard Concubine Jiang as her mortal enemy, Concubine Zheng was able to evaluate Concubine Jiang more objectively.

She will not become her competitor, nor will she fall out of favor easily.

"Let's wait and see! No one can predict what kind of storm will happen when Taiji Palace loses its wife."

"I will not participate for now. I will just stay in the palace quietly."

"Copying scriptures and praying for the saint and the late queen is better than anything else!"

There was also Concubine Wang Shu, who was observing secretly, waiting for the storm to come.

Soon, the "wind and rain" came.

Ganlu Palace indeed issued an imperial edict.

However, the person who was punished was not Concubine Jiang, but the "innocent" Concubine Cui De.

Disrespectful to the late queen?

Disrespect before the emperor?

What are these crimes?

Not to mention that Concubine Cui De herself would cry out for injustice, even Zheng, Wang and others were a little confused.

Concubine Jiang, the only one who knew the truth, silently lit the note sent by the insider in her daughter's palace and threw it into the incense burner.

"Cui used a knife to kill someone, using Zheng Cairen's brothers to spread rumors, and in the end, she suffered the consequences!"

Concubine Jiang had already known the truth about the rumor and had long wanted to "retaliate" against Concubine Cui De.

Her "request" before the saint was not only to clear herself and pass the saint's test, but also to set a trap for Concubine Cui De.

Both are concubines who have served their mistress for many years. Concubine Jiang is willing to offend the emperor in order to protect her mistress's status, while Concubine Cui De is secretly doing spooky things. What would a saint who has the ability to find out the truth think?

Now is the time when the Saint is most sorrowful and misses her the most. Anyone who dares to disrespect the Queen is seeking death!

Sure enough, Cui Defei's retribution came. She was demoted from Defei, one of the four concubines, to Chongyuan, the last of the nine concubines.

This was probably for the sake of the prince and princess, otherwise, Concubine Cui De might have been demoted to the lowest position or even banished to the cold palace!

"Even so, for Concubine Cui De, oh no, for Concubine Cui Chongyuan, this is already a great punishment!"

Concubine Jiang was very satisfied.

Of course, what really made her happy was not that Concubine Cui De got her retribution, but that she finally got through it successfully!

……

The harem was in turmoil, and the capital was also unstable.

That day, someone came to Wang Heng to ask for help...