The besties traveled through the book together, and the prince and general became abandoned husbands

The two best friends returned to Zhongcui Palace after lunch.

After closing the secret passage and tidying up her clothes and hair, Jiang Wumei directly ordered Qingzhi to bring lunch.

After lunch, seeing that it was already late, Xu Junjun was afraid of running into Xiao Tong returning from court, so she hurriedly said goodbye to Jiang Wumei while holding the box of gold ingots.

"Niao Niao, it's getting late. I'm leaving now. I'll come to the palace to see you next time."

Jiang Wumei saw what she was anxious about and whispered:

"Well, make plans early after returning to the Huo Mansion."

"Ok, I know."

Xu Junjun nodded rapidly. Seeing that the sky was getting dark, she was worried that the carriage would slip if it snowed, so she quickly put on her cloak and left Zhongcui Palace under the guidance of a palace maid.

"Qingzhi, I want to take a bath."

As soon as Xu Junjun left, Jiang Wumei couldn't wait to take a shower.

The secret passage seemed to have not been walked in for many years and was covered with cobwebs and dust.

Although she and Junjun had just cleaned each other up, Jiang Wumei had sweated while running, and she always felt sticky and dirty, which made her very uncomfortable.

Qingzhi took the order and went down to make arrangements. After the hot water was delivered, he prepared to personally help his master take a bath.

But Jiang Wumei was worried that she would find out, so she stopped her and came out of the shower alone.

After covering up all traces, Jiang Wumei's heartstrings relaxed a little. She let Qingzhi wipe her long hair, and thought about countermeasures with her peach blossom eyes half closed.

It started snowing again.

The howling cold wind mixed with heavy snow, and the entire palace was covered in white.

Xiao Tong was wearing a dragon robe and had a sullen look on his face as he continued to review memorials in the imperial study.

Holding a memorial requesting the release of the person who was first deposed and then sent to the cold palace, Xiao Tong's dark eyes were filled with anger. He made a few harsh criticisms and then threw it aside, out of sight and out of mind.

When the new dynasty was first established, many things needed to be done.

Xiao Tong understood the decline of the Great Saint Dynasty and had long intended to carry out drastic measures to clean up the court.

It is time to liquidate and execute the parasites and waste that the previous emperor indulged in the past, and replace them with a group of capable ministers and generals to fill the vacancies.

The imperial court is in need of personnel, so it needs to discover more talents.

Thinking of this, Xiao Tong took out the memorial submitted by Jiang Yuanzhou.

After reading his summary of the Ministry of Revenue's financial items for the year and new plans for the coming year, a hint of admiration appeared in his eyes.

Jiang Yuanzhou is worthy of being Niao Niao's brother. He has a long-term vision, and his intelligence and open-mindedness are exactly the same as Niao Niao's.

In addition, he is an upright person who knows how to act and retreat, so I feel at ease handing the Ministry of Revenue to him.

Having made up his mind, Xiao Tong wrote a mark of approval on Jiang Yuanzhou's memorial with a red pen, and then took out another memorial to continue reading and reviewing.

As the time went on, Xiao Tong, who had only slept for two or three hours for several days in a row, had increasingly noticeable dark circles under his eyes.

When Zhao Qi entered the palace to report the matter, everyone was shocked.

"Your Majesty, the Second Prince's wife has committed suicide. I have sent the Second Prince's legitimate son and illegitimate daughter to live in the Imperial Mausoleum."

During this period of time, Zhao Qi was not with the Great Saint Emperor Xiao Tong, but was dealing with the relatives of the Second Prince.

Now is the time to return to the palace and report back.

Xiao Tong nodded, looked at the man kneeling on the carpet, and said in a deep voice:

"Zhao Qi, I remember your biological father is Zhou Quanming, the Minister of Rites.

If you wish to return to your ancestral home, I can issue an order for you."

After Li Hun became a white tiger cub, Zhao Qi was loyal to him, and Xiao Tong remembered it all in his heart.

Now that he is the new Great Saint Emperor, helping him return to the Zhou family is just a matter of a word.

Zhao Qi suddenly looked up, his face excited.

But after the excitement, he quickly calmed down and firmly refused:

"Thank you, Your Majesty, but I still want to take my mother's surname.

In my life, I have only been Zhao Qi, not Zhou Qi."

Seeing that he insisted, Xiao Tong did not force him. Those who were chosen by the previous emperor to be secret guards were all single young men.

Xiao Tong could understand Zhao Qi's choice.

After all, Zhao Qi's mother was persecuted by Zhou Quanming's wife and forced out of the Zhou Mansion.

If her mother had not kept her pregnancy a secret and dared not make it public, there would probably be no Zhao Qi in the world.

"Since you don't want to return to the Zhou Mansion, you can become the leader of my imperial guards."

After leaving this sentence, Xiao Tong lowered his eyes and continued to review the memorials without caring how much turmoil was stirring in Zhao Qi's heart.

Zhao Qi was so excited that he knelt on the ground for a long time and thanked the emperor excitedly:

"Thank you, Your Majesty, for your respect!

I will fight to the bitter end to live up to the Emperor's kindness!"

"Ah."

Xiao Tong nodded in satisfaction and waved him off nonchalantly:

"You've been traveling for half a month. You should go back home and rest. The imperial edict will come tomorrow. You should make arrangements."

"Your Majesty, I will take my leave."

After bowing again, Zhao Qi stood up and left the imperial study.

It took more than an hour for Xiao Tong to finish reviewing the mountain of memorials.

Only after the replacement list of officials from various departments was finalized did Xiao Tong take the imperial sedan chair to Zhongcui Palace.

At this hour, Jiang Wumei didn't rest either.

Knowing that Xiao Tong would come to the palace to have dinner together every day, Jiang Wumei held a travel book in her hand and read while waiting for him.

Outside the palace, the snow was like goose catkins. After leaning against it for a while, Jiang Wumei felt her hands and feet getting cold. She put two heaters in her pockets and told the palace maids to burn the charcoal fire more vigorously. Only then did Jiang Wumei lower her eyes and continue reading.

The imperial carriage passed through the wind and snow and stopped in front of the gate of Zhongcui Palace. Xiao Tong waved away the eunuch holding an umbrella and strode in with his long legs.

The palace maids guarding outside the palace, upon seeing the handsome face of the new emperor, immediately knelt down trembling with fear to pay their respects.

When Jiang Wumei heard the palace maid's trembling greeting, she knew that Xiao Tong had arrived.

Putting down the book and the lap heater, Jiang Wumei walked down from the couch and went to greet the palace door.

After taking two steps, the bright yellow figure appeared in his sight. When he saw her, the man's eyes seemed to burst into light and he was very happy.

"Your Majesty, be safe."

Jiang Wumei pursed her lips and tightly grasped the heater in her arms, gently squatting down to salute the new emperor of the Great Saint Dynasty in front of her. As soon as she moved, her arm was supported by the man.

"Niao Niao, I've said that from now on, you don't have to bow when you see me."

This was the first preferential treatment a man showed to the person he loved after ascending the throne, but in Jiang Wumei's eyes, it became another death warrant.

The new emperor has ascended the throne, but there are no new people in the harem. If she, a woman with the title of favorite concubine, makes the new emperor do many extraordinary things again, she will really become a concubine who brings disaster to the country, and sooner or later she will be reported to death by the old stubborn people of the previous dynasty.

She didn't believe that Xiao Tong didn't think of this. After all, he didn't care about her life or death, he only cared about his own happiness.

Jiang Wumei's smile remained unchanged, but there was a hint of coldness in her eyes.

"Thank you for your kindness, Your Majesty, but etiquette must not be abandoned. I cannot rely on your favor and forget my duty."

Xiao Tong's enthusiasm towards Jiang Wumei was instantly frozen. His dark eyes darkened, and looking at the bright smile on her lips, Xiao Tong's frozen heart began to melt again.

It doesn’t matter. He is already the monarch of the Great Holy Dynasty and has plenty of time and energy to compensate Niao Niao.

Faith will move mountains to open.

Sooner or later, Niao Niao will accept him again.