The queen of the end times is reborn and goes crazy, her whole family is burned to death

Yan Wanwan walked towards her gracefully with light lotus steps.

When she approached the ladies who spoke up for her, she nodded slightly. This slight gesture immediately won their favor. Everyone thought to themselves that it seemed that the general's wife was not an arrogant person.

She walked to the main hall with a graceful sway of her waist, bowed slightly to the empress at the top of the table, and said in a leisurely tone, as if casually, "Greetings, Her Majesty the Queen!"

The Queen's icy gaze shot at her like a sharp arrow. She immediately opened her lips, her voice as cold as ice: "Why don't you kneel before me?"

Yan Wanwan's beautiful eyes were fearless as she met the Empress's gaze and replied frankly, "Your Majesty, the Emperor has graciously granted me the exemption from kneeling."

"Then why didn't I know about this?" The Queen raised her eyebrows slightly, her tone full of doubt.

Yan Wanwan's lips curled up in a sarcastic smile, and she opened her red lips slightly, "Your Majesty, do you think I'm just talking nonsense? The crime of falsely conveying the imperial edict is punishable by death. Even if I had the courage of heaven, I wouldn't dare to do it."

The Queen was choked by her words and her face froze, but she still forced herself to remain calm and said, "Hmph, empty words are not enough, how can I believe them?"

Yan Wanwan took her time and took out an exquisite jade pendant from her sleeve. The dragon pattern carved on the jade pendant emitted a majestic luster under the candlelight.

"Does the Empress recognize this? This was given by the Emperor himself. Anyone who possesses this jade pendant is exempt from the kneeling ceremony when meeting the Emperor. If the Empress does not believe this, please send someone to ask the Emperor."

The hall suddenly fell silent, and everyone's eyes were focused on the jade pendant.

A flicker of jealousy flashed in the Queen's eyes. She was completely surprised that Yan Wanwan had received such an honor. But as the Queen, how could she easily lose face in front of everyone?

"Even so, as the general's wife, you should know the etiquette of the palace and not be arrogant because of your favor."

Yan Wanwan bowed slightly. "Your Majesty, I will take your advice to heart. However, I came here today out of respect for Your Majesty, but I didn't expect to hear so many false rumors as soon as I entered the palace. Some people slandered me for relying on my power as a general to act tyrannically in the city. Some even said that I wanted to oppose Your Majesty and have ulterior motives. I am truly terrified and I hope Your Majesty will understand."

She spoke earnestly and looked at the Queen sincerely, as if she had suffered a lot of injustice, but her eyes kept lingering on Madam Li.

The Queen sneered inwardly. This Yan Wanwan was quite good at acting. She coughed lightly and said, "I will naturally investigate thoroughly. If someone is truly spreading rumors and causing trouble, I will not let them off lightly. However, you must also be mindful of your words and actions and not bring discredit upon the General."

Yan Wanwan replied respectfully, "Yes, I understand."

At this time, the imperial concubine beside her said softly, "Your Majesty, today's banquet is for the refugees affected by the disaster. Let's not let these trivial matters delay our business."

The Queen nodded slightly, "Your Highness, what you said is absolutely right."

Yan Wanwan took the opportunity to step aside. She knew that their next big move was about to begin.

The Queen raised her head slightly, her signature smirk once again appearing on her face. Her eyes swept gently over the ladies, and she spoke slowly, "I'm sure you've all heard. A few days ago, Nanping Prefecture was suddenly struck by a catastrophic earthquake. The ground shook as if the heavens were collapsing. Several villages were instantly destroyed, leaving the people homeless and devastated. The tragedy is heartbreaking. Although the court has distributed relief grain, the disaster is too severe. These waves of aid are but a drop in the bucket, and it's difficult to completely rescue the people from this crisis."

The Queen paused, then nodded slightly. "I've been pondering this for days. As the saying goes, every man is responsible for the fate of his country. Though we women live in the inner chambers, we are all part of this world. How can we stand by and watch? You ladies are all from distinguished families, so it goes without saying that you possess a compassionate heart. The refugees are desperately in need of our assistance. I sincerely hope that you ladies will contribute generously and join in this charitable act, raising a ray of hope for these suffering people. This would be a truly meritorious act."

When the ladies heard the queen's words, they all stood up and saluted.

An elderly lady, leading the group, spoke first, "Your Majesty, be merciful. We will do our utmost to help these natural and man-made disasters. Although I am old, I am willing to donate half of my family's savings to help the refugees through this difficult time."

Seeing this, the other ladies also expressed their opinions. One young lady said, "I am willing to sell some of my jewelry to raise money to help the victims."

Another lady also said: "I have some extra clothes and bedding at home, and I can send them to the disaster area immediately."

The Queen nodded slightly, a hint of satisfaction flashing in her eyes. "You ladies are so understanding and righteous. It is a blessing for the court and the people. I will have your kind deeds carefully recorded and will reward you in the future."

After saying that, she fixed her eyes on Yan Wanwan and asked provocatively, "I heard that the general's wife had a grand wedding with a huge ceremony. I wonder how much you will donate this time?"

Yan Wanwan was struggling with the pre-prepared dish in front of her when she suddenly heard the Queen call on her. She looked up in confusion, "Ah? Your Majesty, what did you say?"

Seeing Yan Wanwan like this, the Queen frowned slightly and repeated with a hint of displeasure in her tone, "I heard that the General's wife had a grand wedding, with a ceremony lasting ten miles. I wonder how much the General's wife plans to donate for this disaster relief?"

Yan Wanwan finally came to her senses and quickly put down her chopsticks. She bowed respectfully and said, "Your Majesty, although I had a beautiful wedding dress, it was all my dowry. I'd like to donate five hundred taels of silver in the name of my husband, and then send some of my unused rice, flour, grain, and oil to the disaster area to help alleviate the people's urgent needs. What do you think, Your Majesty?"

The Queen snorted lightly and said dismissively, "Five hundred taels? The general has made great military achievements, so I don't think the general's mansion would be so short of money."

Yan Wanwan looked embarrassed. "Your Majesty, the general is devoted to fighting for his country, and his family's savings are not as abundant as the outside world has rumored. This five hundred taels was the sum that I, your wife, discussed with the general for a long time before deciding."

The crowd erupted in laughter and sarcasm. "Hey, how could the general's wife only donate so little? General Qin fought bravely on the frontier, yet he married a woman who doesn't even care about the lives of ordinary people."

"That's right. People from humble backgrounds are not presentable at all. They treat their little dowry like a treasure, not giving a cent to it. They are so stingy."

The Queen stared coldly from the top, but Yan Wanwan seemed oblivious to the sarcasm of the crowd, and was only focused on enjoying her meal.

Even though the pre-prepared dishes didn't taste good, she had no time to care about them. After all, she had been so busy these days that she had no time to have a proper meal.

"Humph, some people are really as thick-skinned as a city wall. They are really good at pretending to be deaf and dumb."

As soon as the sarcastic and mocking words fell, the eunuch outside the door shouted in a shrill voice: "The Emperor has arrived!"