When the first snow melted, Ancheng fell into a cold winter, and the whole city seemed to be quieter.

The court was in an even more bizarre state at this time. If the incompatibility between His Majesty and the Queen Mother was once an unspoken secret, then the current conflict between His Majesty and the Queen Mother made all the court officials fear that they would be implicated.

At the same time, the court was divided into three factions.

One faction strongly supports His Majesty, who is an orthodox civil official and is determined to purge the court of evildoers.

One faction is the Queen Mother's die-hard followers, most of whom are military generals, with the King of Loyalty being the most prominent, and the military power in his hands carries a strong deterrent effect.

This is also the reason why Your Majesty, knowing that Prince Zhongyi has surrendered to the Queen Mother, does not dare to take action against Prince Zhongyi and the Queen Mother. After all, the military force under Prince Zhongyi's command is so terrifying that it is not impossible for him to rebel by mistake.

One faction is the neutral faction. Most of them are old officials who do not participate in any struggle between the two factions. Their families have their own background and they are also conservative.

"Empress Dowager, please drink your medicine!" Yang Chaoyan walked into the hall carrying the freshly prepared medicine.

At this time, the Queen Mother was discussing important matters with Bian Jingsheng with an angry look on her face. It was also because the Queen Mother now regarded Yang Chaoyan as a close person, so Yang Chaoyan was able to enter the hall when the Queen Mother was dealing with important matters.

The Queen Mother waved her hand and handed a memorial to Bian Jingsheng. "Look at this ridiculous thing that this good emperor has done! He actually colluded with bandits to expand his personal guards! But he didn't think about the fact that those bandits burned, killed, looted, and committed all kinds of evil. If these bandits were really invited into Ancheng, the people of Ancheng would be in great danger! If these bandits really became officials and soldiers, it would be a disaster for the people!"

The Queen Mother has always known that His Majesty is confused, but she never thought he could be so confused! This is no different from letting a thief into the house.

Even if His Majesty really wins, when faced with such a group of bandits, even bandits who have already held power, can he really get rid of them?

"Auntie Yao, don't be angry. Just drink the medicine first, so as not to let Miss Yang down!" Bian Jingsheng took the medicine bowl and presented it.

Although the Queen Mother was extremely angry, she did not joke with her own body and drank the whole bowl of medicine.

"It's hard for Miss Yang. The poison has been cured, but Miss Yang still has to be trapped here to accompany an old woman like me!" The Queen Mother looked at Yang Chaoyan with a kind expression.

"What are you talking about? You are just thinking about me. In the current situation, if I rashly leave the Cining Palace, I'm afraid I will lose my life!" Yang Chaoyan said hurriedly.

Although His Majesty did not know all the news about the Empress Dowager's detoxification, he had guessed a little bit. I heard that His Majesty was very angry, and Yang Chaoyan, who suddenly moved into the Cining Palace, naturally aroused His Majesty's suspicion.

After that, His Majesty secretly tried to poison the Queen Mother several times, but unfortunately, Yang Chaoyan was there, and the poison was removed before it was presented to the Queen Mother.

The Empress Dowager now wanted Yang Chaoyan to stay in the Cining Palace. On the one hand, it was for her own safety, as she needed a skilled female doctor by her side. On the other hand, it was also to protect Yang Chaoyan. Given the Emperor's temperament, he was afraid that if Yang Chaoyan left, she would die.

"Look, this cleverness is exactly the same as Qing'an's!" The Queen Mother looked at Yang Chaoyan and suddenly said this, and then with a bit of low mood, "I miss Qing'an a little!"

Now it has been a long time since the Empress Dowager last saw Zhu Qing'an, never before had such a long time.

The Queen Mother treated Zhu Qing'an like her own daughter. She always felt uncomfortable and missed her terribly when Zhu Qing'an was not around.

"Don't worry, Your Majesty the Queen Mother. Qing'an is doing well and she's showing some signs of pregnancy now! Every time I go to check Qing'an's pulse, she always shows concern for her health. I believe it won't be long before the Queen Mother will be able to reunite with Qing'an!" Yang Chaoyan said comfortingly.

The Queen Mother was very pleased to hear this. She knew very well that as long as the current disputes in the court were resolved, she could bring her niece back to Ancheng and see her every day.

"I've been overthinking it! I heard that you and Qing'an are planning to set up a clinic. Do you need my help? If so, I'd be happy to help!" The Queen Mother asked with a smile.

The Queen Mother was very happy and proud that her two children wanted to build a clinic to provide free medical treatment to civilian women.

"Of course there is!" Yang Chaoyan smiled lightly. Now she felt more at ease facing the empress dowager and was less reserved than before.

"Oh? Tell me about it!" The Queen Mother's eyes were full of anticipation, and the anger that had just risen because of the state affairs had subsided a lot.

"Your Highness and I have discussed this and want the Empress Dowager to personally nominate and award a plaque to the clinic. With your words, the clinic will never be criticized in the future!" Yang Chaoyan replied.

"Haha! Okay, I will definitely give you a plaque when the time comes. I am very pleased that you and Qing'an have such vision and can benefit women all over the world!" The Queen Mother stretched out her hand, and Yang Chaoyan immediately stepped forward.

The empress dowager took off a green jade bracelet from her wrist and put it directly on Yang Chaoyan's wrist.

"This is too expensive, I can't accept it!" Yang Chaoyan refused.

The Queen Mother held Yang Chaoyan's hand and said, "They are just common things, nothing valuable. I like you, my child! If you do what you want to do in the future and encounter any troubles, just come to me and I will take care of it for you!"

This statement gave Yang Chaoyan a backing, and also made Yang Chaoyan very excited, and she nodded quickly.

With the Queen Mother's words, her future path in practicing medicine and her desire to cure countless women's diseases will be easier.

Yang Chaoyan took the medicine bowl and retreated, while the Queen Mother and Bian Jingsheng were still discussing matters.

"Aunt Yao, if His Majesty continues to act like this, I'm afraid he will have no choice but to lead his troops in rebellion!" Bian Jingsheng said in a heavy tone. This was also the situation that Bian Jingsheng least wanted to see.

When Bian Jingsheng led his troops, he only wanted to fight the enemy and was unwilling to turn his sword against his compatriots.

Moreover, if he really started a rebellion, both the palace and Ancheng would be flooded with blood, and countless innocent people would die in vain. Therefore, he would not rebel unless he had no other choice.

It was precisely because Bian Jingsheng and the Queen Mother had such concerns that they were restrained by the Emperor. If they had truly ignored the situation, the throne would have been occupied by someone else long ago.

"Don't rebel unless it's absolutely necessary!" said the Queen Mother in a deep voice.

The Queen Mother has contributed more to the Xuanlong Kingdom than the late Emperor. She has always hoped that the Xuanlong Kingdom can prosper and that the people of the Xuanlong Kingdom can live and work in peace and contentment.

But if they rebelled, it would definitely cost the people a lot of money and even cause the deaths of many innocent people, which was what the Queen Mother least wanted to see.

Bian Jingsheng nodded. He knew this, which was why he had been dealing with the emperor.

"Go and deal with the bandits! These bandits have robbed so many people passing by and kidnapped so many innocent women. I heard that the only people harming the nearby villages are the elderly and widowed people. It's time to get rid of this harm to the people!" the Queen Mother ordered.

At this moment, His Majesty wants to invite a wolf into the house for the sake of power, but the Queen Mother still has to distract herself to solve the problems of the people.

"Don't worry, I will definitely strangle the bandits!" Bian Jingsheng promised.

"Your Majesty is now desperate. I'm afraid he has already started to assassinate you openly or secretly." The Queen Mother took a sip of tea to suppress the taste of medicine in her mouth.

"I can't hide anything from you, Aunt Yao, but don't worry, I'm always very vigilant!" Bian Jingsheng comforted her, and then said with concern, "You are alone in the palace, so you must protect yourself. I will dispatch some secret guards to protect the Cining Palace later!"

"No need. You need to mobilize so many secret guards. I am very safe here with three layers of security inside and outside. It is you who needs protection outside! And you should also mobilize more secret guards for Qing'an!" The Queen Mother instructed with a smile.

When Bian Jingsheng thought of Zhu Qing'an, his brows seemed to soften.

"Qing'an's place is like an iron barrel!" said Bian Jingsheng. Not only him, but even the Queen Mother and Marquis Wen'an have mobilized many guards to go there. It can be said that the safest place now is the hot spring mansion.

"Qing'an will be born after the beginning of next spring. If it's a girl, she will be as cute and smart as Qing'an was when she was a child. If it's a boy, he will be as smart and responsible as you. Just thinking about it makes me look forward to it!" The Queen Mother said with a smile on her face.

Bian Jingsheng also laughed, "I still hope it's a daughter. A daughter like Qing'an! How wonderful!"

"Hello, girl! The status of women in Xuanlong Kingdom will become higher and higher in the future. Hello, girl!" The Queen Mother said repeatedly.

She once thought that in today's world, women lived like ornaments or even animals. After years of hard work, the women of Xuanlong Country were finally different. She thought that the women of Xuanlong Country would get better and better in the future.

"I know your wish. After His Majesty abdicates, you can benefit the women of Xuanlong Kingdom!" Bian Jingsheng said with emotion.

Because he was raised by the Queen Mother, he was influenced by her and his ideas were different from those of many men.

In Bian Jingsheng's heart, women have always been independent individuals, not appendages of men. He knows that women are equally excellent and have the same high thoughts, just like the queen mother.

Unfortunately, women have been taught since childhood to follow the three obediences and four virtues, and not to go out of the main door or the secondary door, which makes women struggle in the backyard all their lives.

"I am old, and I hope you can free those women from their bondage for me!" said the Queen Mother earnestly.

Fortunately, she felt no regrets, as her ideas had already been inherited. Even if she left, the women of Xuanlong Kingdom would not be reduced to the oppressed state they once were. Now, the most important thing was to push Bian Jingsheng to the throne.

Bian Jingsheng was silent. He always felt that the Queen Mother could do better than himself.

Never mind the claim that women couldn't ascend the throne. In Bian Jingsheng's opinion, no man in the world was as good as the empress dowager. The empress dowager had planning, strategy, and great love, qualities that few emperors possessed.

"The child is about to be born. When are you going to get married? Why not wait until everything is settled before getting married?" The Queen Mother was looking forward to their marriage when she mentioned it.

"I do want to, but Qing'an doesn't seem to want to get married yet!" Speaking of this, even Bian Jingsheng couldn't help but feel discouraged, with a look of loss on his face.

He could understand Zhu Qing'an and respect her, but secretly, he really wanted to marry her so that he could see her as soon as he opened his eyes. As long as he thought of that scene, he would feel very happy.

"This child is very stubborn! Don't worry, she can feel your feelings for her, and she can figure it out herself!" The Queen Mother was very confident. After all, this was the child she raised herself, and she knew him better than anyone else.

If it were any other man, the Queen Mother would still be worried, but since that man was Bian Jingsheng, the Queen Mother was more relieved than anyone else. She had raised both of them, and she knew their personalities very well, and she also understood that they were a perfect match.

Bian Jingsheng left the palace. Even though it was winter and the wind was as cold as a knife, Bian Jingsheng still rode a horse instead of taking a carriage.

But when passing a turn, a figure suddenly rushed out. Fortunately, Bian Jingsheng reacted quickly and reined in his horse. The horse neighed and raised its hooves high.

Fortunately, the horse's hoof did not fall on the woman, but she fell in front of the horse.

"Miss, are you okay?" Bian Jingsheng dismounted and asked, but his eyes were filled with vigilance, fearing that she might be assassinated.

But at this moment, the woman suddenly turned around and looked at Bian Jingsheng, and the veil on her head suddenly fell down, revealing an extraordinarily beautiful face.

Bian Jingsheng was stunned for a moment, not because he was stunned by the woman's appearance, but because the girl's appearance was three-quarters like Zhu Qingan.

Zhu Qing'an's appearance is already stunning, with a delicate and charming look, and this girl's eyebrows and eyes are just like Zhu Qing'an's, which can captivate people at the sight of her.

"Sir..." the girl said, she seemed to be very frightened, with tears in her eyes.

Bian Jingsheng took a step back and said, "Look at the girl, she's not hurt, but it's my fault. Take this money and go see a doctor!"

As Bian Jingsheng spoke, he took out some silver from his sleeve and placed it in front of the woman, then left without looking back.

The woman was stunned when she saw what Bian Jingsheng did. She quickly stood up and did not pick up the silver. Instead, she chased after Bian Jingsheng, her voice filled with anxiety, "Sir, wait a minute!"

As she spoke, the woman was about to catch up with Bian Jingsheng, but at the same time, she lowered her head in shock, and saw that red blood was already oozing from her abdomen, while Bian Jingsheng slowly retracted his sword.

"Why...why?" the woman asked in confusion. She had already fallen on her back, and her sleeves were filled with thin poisonous needles.

"Qing'an would never use such a weak look as yours! No one can imitate my Qing'an!" Bian Jingsheng said coldly.

Perhaps at that moment, he did feel that this girl was somewhat similar to Zhu Qing'an, but he knew very well that Qing'an was just Qing'an, she was unique. He also knew that even if there was another woman in the world who was similar to Zhu Qing'an, he only loved Zhu Qing'an.

The woman smiled bitterly and finally closed her eyes.

Bian Jingsheng looked at the woman's body indifferently. Now, the people sent by His Majesty to assassinate him are becoming more and more numerous.

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