Deep Palace Pet Peach Blossom Flawless

Lan Qingwu said lazily: "Let her come to Qingliang Palace to see me!"

Ruping agreed and ordered the palace maids to pass on the message.

Concubine Jiang was surprised when she received the imperial edict. She thought she would be ignored for a while. After all, Emperor Shenwu looked very ugly when he left after taking a bath in ice water that night. She was careless and let her niece Jiang Yuxian do such a disastrous thing as giving the emperor aphrodisiac. Concubine Jiang understood that she could not escape the responsibility.

For some time afterwards, the Empress claimed to be ill and could not go out. Concubine Jiang could probably guess what had happened, which made her heart sink even more. If the Emperor had gotten angry at this time, the Jiang family would have to accept the punishment. However, Emperor Shenwu only sent Jiang Yuxian home. What she feared most was that the Emperor would not do anything and would unexpectedly settle accounts with them in the future. Then the Jiang family would really have lost the Emperor's favor.

There was no point in thinking too much. Concubine Jiang dressed appropriately, tried her best to remain calm, and went to Qingliang Palace.

At the entrance of the Qingliang Palace, there was a palace maid waiting to take Concubine Jiang. The palace maid bowed respectfully and led Concubine Jiang into the back hall of the Qingliang Palace.

Lan Qingwu was coaxing the Seventh Princess to play with origami. When Concubine Jiang arrived, she asked the palace servants to take the Seventh Princess away.

Imperial Concubine Jiang entered the bedroom and bowed respectfully to the ground: "Your Highness, I pay my respects to the Empress. May the Empress live a thousand years!"

Lan Qingwu looked at Concubine Jiang with a hint of confusion. "I don't understand. Your attitude towards me is definitely not a pretense. If you truly respect me, why do you condone your niece's behavior? You can't stand Jiang Yuxian's ambitions and desires, right? You also find it extremely disgusting, right?"

Imperial Concubine Jiang was silent for a few breaths before she sighed softly, "Yes! I am disgusted by Jiang Yuxian's behavior. She is taking advantage of my affection for my family and trying to climb the ladder of power by relying on my status and position. She even wants my Second Prince to back her up. How shameless! When I think of this, I can't help but want to throw her back to the Jiang family. I want to ask my eldest brother how he raised his daughter!"

Lan Qingwu looked even more confused. Concubine Jiang paused and said, "But Queen, I want to know what your Majesty and you will choose if everything goes as Jiang Yuxian wishes. Will your Majesty accept Jiang Yuxian into the harem? Will you continue to fight for your Majesty or become discouraged? Will your Majesty and you still have this kind of emotion in the harem? Will it continue? I am very curious. That night, I couldn't fall asleep. I kept thinking and thinking. In the end, my curiosity overwhelmed my disgust for Jiang Yuxian. "I was so wicked that I ignored Jiang Yuxian's deceitful tactics and acquiesced to her attempts to seduce Your Majesty. When the Empress Dowager flew into a rage in the Queen Mother's Quanhe Pavilion, I had already given up on my plans. I just didn't expect that just when I was about to confess everything to Your Majesty, Jiang Yuxian would take the risk and drug Your Majesty! How dare she! I know I was wrong, and Jiang Yuxian is no longer safe. I only hope that this won't bring trouble to my mother's family. My brother and the others have no idea what Jiang Yuxian is thinking."

"is it?"

Lan Qingwu asked, "Do you really think that no one in the Jiang family knows? Sending your ambitious, vain, and beautiful daughter to a harem filled with opulence and power, is all just a coincidence? Is it just your brother doing this to fulfill your family's wishes?"

Concubine Jiang's expression changed. She murmured, "Impossible! Impossible! My brother loves me dearly and would never do such a thing! Besides, why would he do such a thing?"

Imperial Concubine Jiang's voice abruptly stopped. "Yes, for all these years, the Empress has monopolized the Emperor's favor, with no one else sharing it. The Emperor Shenwu has only been treating her with favor over the years, and for the sake of the Second Prince, he would occasionally visit De'an Palace. But this wasn't enough for the Jiang family. They no longer needed a completely disgraced Jiang woman! They...wanted more! That's why they were going beyond me, using me to pave the way for Jiang Yuxian."

Imperial Concubine Jiang smiled bitterly. "Yes, he is my brother, but he is also Jiang Yuxian's father. He loves his sister, but he loves his daughter even more. However, this time, Jiang Yuxian was sent back to the Jiang family by His Majesty like this, and there will be no good results."

Lan Qingwu shook his head: "You...are you trying to test the sincerity of His Majesty and me?"

Imperial Concubine Jiang scoffed, "Sincerity? Such a thing is too luxurious in the harem! Your Majesty, do you believe it? There are so many women in the harem, ah! And His Majesty, how much sincerity can there be? You said testing, and I was mainly testing Your Majesty's heart! Your Majesty, I admire you, and I admire you again for this divorce case. Your sincerity - should be given to someone worthy of trust! In my opinion, Your Majesty is not that person!"

Lan Qingwu was shocked: "Do you know what you are talking about?"

Imperial Concubine Jiang let out a soft breath, "Empress, have you ever considered that His Majesty's true heart is unfathomable and unseen, while yours is irrevocable? If His Majesty were to withdraw his heart, what would you do? The Emperor has ample confidence and a way out, but what about you? You have no way out!"

Lan Qingwu stared at Imperial Concubine Jiang for a moment before saying, "You've miscalculated one thing—my sincerity and the Emperor's heart are mutually beneficial, and there's no order of priority. It's not as you think, that only I offer my sincerity! If that day ever comes, the Emperor's heart will also be hurt! This isn't a trial by trade!"