The queen is crazy and spoiled, and the tyrant bows to her

The sunlight shines through the gaps in the leaves onto the paths in the imperial garden, and the breeze blows gently, causing petals to fall.

Jiang Wantang was wearing a crimson wide-sleeved fairy dress with pink butterflies embroidered on the hem, ready to take flight. She was draped over it with a layer of light crimson gauze. When the breeze blew past, the pearls and jade on her head made a pleasant rustling sound.

About half an hour later, footsteps were heard in the distance. Jiang Wantang looked up and saw the man in the lead, dressed in a black and red suit. He had sharp eyebrows and bright eyes, and looked very imposing. His chiseled face, illuminated by the sunlight, looked even more stern and imposing.

The person who came was Xie Zhiyan, the Dali Temple Minister who had not been seen for many days. Behind him were the two brothers Zhang Long and Zhao Hu who looked exhausted.

Xie Zhiyan saw Jiang Wantang in the imperial garden at a glance, and his eyes brightened unconsciously.

He knew she was waiting for him.

As if he had thought of something, the light in Xie Zhiyan's eyes quickly dimmed.

He strode towards Jiang Wantang and stopped at a suitable distance.

One of them was inside the pavilion, and the other was outside. Jiang Wantang stood up and took two steps forward.

When she saw the dark circles under Xie Zhiyan's eyes, she was stunned for a moment, then realized that he had rushed back all night.

Looking at the fatigue that could not be concealed on his face, a complicated look flashed in Jiang Wantang's eyes.

Xie Zhiyan smiled, his eyes full of teasing: "Second Miss Jiang, what a coincidence, I met you right after I came back."

"It's been a while since we last met. Miss Jiang has become noticeably plumper. I guess the food in the palace is good."

Zhao Hu, who was following behind him, wanted to roll his eyes. What a coincidence! There are several ways out of the palace, but you insisted on taking this one.

Jiang Wantang looked up at him, and when she met his smiling eyes, she couldn't help but smile too: "It seems that Master Xie's long journey... must have been really hard."

"It seems that people have aged a lot."

Xie Zhiyan was stung by the word "vicissitudes of life" she said. He laughed and thought that she was still that cunning fox who would not suffer any loss.

Afterwards, Xiuzhu sent away the palace servants in the imperial garden, while Zhang Long and Zhao Hu stood guard not far away.

The two men stopped joking, and Jiang Wantang was the first to ask, "Master Xie, what did you gain from this trip?"

Xie Zhiyan's eyes were deep, and his tone was slightly profound: "We have gained a lot, but it is also beyond our expectations."

Jiang Wantang immediately realized something was amiss and asked in surprise, "What do you mean?"

"I did find that Imperial Physician Lin in the Jiangnan area." Xie Zhiyan paused, then continued, "However, according to what he said, Concubine Yu was indeed carrying a female fetus."

Jiang Wantang's eyes widened in disbelief. "How is that possible? Could he have remembered it wrongly?"

Xie Zhiyan shook his head. "What I told him was that Concubine Yu gave birth to a healthy boy, but Doctor Lin insisted that was impossible."

"He was absolutely certain of two things: first, it couldn't be a boy, and second, it couldn't be a healthy baby."

"He said that Concubine Yu was overly worried and depressed. That pregnancy was extremely unstable, and they had to protect it the entire time. It was a great achievement for the baby to be born full term. This child is destined to be born with congenital defects."

"As the months progressed, the imperial doctors were able to roughly determine whether the baby was a boy or a girl. Furthermore, Concubine Yu preferred spicy food during her pregnancy, not sour food."

"..."

What Imperial Physician Lin said was well-founded, and all the signs proved that Concubine Yu gave birth to a little princess with congenital defects.

Jiang Wantang listened attentively, his expression complicated: "Could it be that we are mistaken, or is there something else going on?"

Xie Zhiyan nodded thoughtfully: "The reasons behind this are too complicated. I guess only Concubine Yu herself knows."

"Also, I discovered something about the Qi family."

Jiang Wantang raised her eyes and looked at him with a hint of curiosity.

Xie Zhiyan's eyes grew a bit colder. "The Qi family has indeed been active in the Jiangnan area recently, but it's not because of Doctor Lin."

"And Wang Liu, who was imprisoned in the Dali Temple prison, was poisoned and silenced half a month ago."

"I guess they must have other secrets that they cannot reveal, but their whereabouts are secretive. I don't want to alert them before I find any clues."

Jiang Wantang nodded in agreement.

After a moment's silence, she said, "There must be some serious hidden secret between Concubine Yu and Empress Dowager Qi."

"Why don't we split up? You keep a close eye on the Qi family's actions, while I personally go meet this Concubine Yu."

Xie Zhiyan's eyes were deep. He understood that this was indeed the best solution at the moment.

He nodded slightly, his expression solemn, and said, "There's also Empress Dowager Qi in the harem, who is eyeing you covetously. You must be careful and cautious, and don't act rashly or put yourself in danger."

Jiang Wantang smiled nonchalantly: "Don't worry, I will handle it carefully. There is no time to lose, we must speed up our actions."

After saying that, she turned around and left.

"Wait a minute"

Jiang Wantang turned around and looked at the complicated and tangled expression on Xie Zhiyan's face, wondering, "What's wrong?"

Xie Zhiyan hesitated for a moment before finally opening his mouth to remind him, "The person you should be most cautious of is His Majesty."

The moment I said this, I felt a deep sense of guilt for betraying my brother of many years.

Despite this, he still said it.

Under the sunshine, Xie Zhiyan's eyes were full of seriousness, without a trace of joking.

Jiang Wantang stared at him, stunned for a moment before hearing him continue, "Don't forget that he is still an emperor, an emperor who fought his way through mountains of corpses and seas of blood."

"No matter how good your acting is, you might be able to confuse him for a while, but it will only be for a while."

"Your Majesty is not someone who would indulge in beauty, and he was the most intelligent when we were studying together at the Imperial Academy."

"Do you get me?"

Jiang Wantang stared at him blankly without saying a word.

Xie Zhiyan didn't want to scare her, he just told her the truth and warned her.

Otherwise, if the truth comes out one day, he won't be able to protect her at all.

So, Xie Zhiyan continued, "Do you still remember what I said the other day, playing with fire will get you burned..."

“That’s not an exaggeration.”

"So, don't take it lightly."

Jiang Wantang's heart was touched, and his expression gradually became serious.

She looked at Xie Zhiyan, smiled, and said in a relaxed tone: "Thank you for the reminder, sir."

"Don't worry, I'm not that stupid."

After saying that, Jiang Wantang turned and left.

Xie Zhiyan watched her leave with a complicated expression...