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

After that, it rained heavily in the capital for several days in a row. The rain was like a dense curtain of beads, pouring down from the gloomy sky, and the entire capital was shrouded in a hazy water vapor.

When it rained heavily, the water on the long streets of the capital quickly reached above the ankles of pedestrians. The originally bustling streets became much quieter due to the heavy rain in recent days.

This is the case in the capital, not to mention the water towns in the Jiangnan area that are close to rivers and lakes.

Changle Palace.

From the eaves of the palace, rain flowed down like a waterfall, splashing on the ground, creating large and small water droplets.

The beautiful flowers that were originally in full bloom in the courtyard were all torn to pieces by the merciless rain, their petals floating in the water and scattered on the muddy ground...

The carefully crafted crabapple lanterns gradually softened under the rain, and the exquisite patterns on them became blurred. The originally bright lights had long been extinguished, leaving only wet woven frames.

The rain kept falling, and the whole courtyard was filled with an atmosphere of sadness and desolation.

Jiang Wantang stood under the corridor wrapped in a cloak, quietly watching the decaying scene before him, his eyes dazed and his expression gloomy.

Who would have thought that the courtyard, which was so warm and bright a few days ago, would become so dilapidated after being beaten by wind and rain.

No matter how beautiful and resilient a flower is, it will still be vulnerable when facing wind and rain.

As Jiang Wantang watched, a self-deprecating smile unconsciously appeared on the corner of her lips.

She thought of the last words that Concubine Yu said to her that day in the Cining Palace.

At that time, Concubine Yu held her hand and advised her earnestly: "Tang'er, I know Ji Wuyuan treats you very well now, several times better than the late emperor treated me..."

"But Aunt Yue still has to remind you again, don't trust a man easily, especially if he is an emperor."

"The most supreme thing in this world is imperial power, and the most unfathomable thing is the emperor's heart."

"Don't think that just because he dotes on you and indulges you, you can challenge the imperial power. And don't believe the emperor's sincerity just because he says he loves you."

"If Tang'er thinks he's good, it's because he's a good person in front of you, but people are very complicated. Do you understand?"

Jiang Wantang understood.

Therefore, her answer is clear enough: Don’t be imprisoned by your heart, and don’t be trapped by your emotions.

She still remembered the intense and complex expression on Concubine Yu's face when she looked at her. It seemed like surprise, relief, and more of an emotion she couldn't understand, which eventually turned into a sigh and a self-deprecating smile.

She said that these were taught to her by Empress Dowager Wende.

She also said that it was a pity that she couldn't see through it or understand it back then, and in the end she didn't hear a word.

The young girl who is just beginning to fall in love thinks that love can withstand all difficulties, but the ending is that she is left with scars all over her body.

In the end, I realized that love is ever-changing, so how can it withstand reality and clarity?

By the end of her speech, Concubine Yu was already in tears.

Before leaving, she heard Concubine Yu muttering to herself after turning around. She said, "Similar, so similar, how could it be so similar?"

As for what and who he resembles, Jiang Wantang knows it very well.

Thinking of this, Jiang Wantang stood in the courtyard, stunned, until Yun Shang walked up to her and said, "It's windy and rainy outside, be careful not to catch a cold, sister."

Jiang Wantang came back to her senses and looked at the gloomy sky, then at the fallen flowers. With a touch of regret, she whispered, "It looks like the weather is about to change, isn't it?"

Then, within a few days, news of floods and famine in the south of the Yangtze River reached the capital.

The atmosphere above the court hall was solemn.

Ji Wuyuan's face was terribly gloomy, and the ministers were trembling with fear, but they had to step forward to report on the flood in the south of the Yangtze River.

"Your Majesty, the flood in the south of the Yangtze River is coming with great force. The flood has broken the dikes and submerged countless fertile fields and villages. The people are displaced and suffering terribly." An old minister spoke first, his voice trembling and his eyes full of worry.

Another minister continued, "Your Majesty, this flood is widespread, affecting several counties south of the Yangtze River. Houses have collapsed, leaving the people homeless and forced to temporarily live in higher ground. They lack food and clothing and are in urgent need of rescue..."

"Your Majesty, I heard that many people have fallen ill due to the flood. If they are not treated in time, it may cause an epidemic with unimaginable consequences." A young minister said worriedly.

"..."

Everyone was talking at once, and there were many different opinions.

Ji Wuyuan sat upright in the hall, listening to the ministers' reports. A smile played on his face, but his voice was extremely gloomy. "After all this talk, what are your countermeasures?"

"The hundreds of thousands of taels of silver I allocated for building the dike were destroyed in one fell swoop?!"

"..."

In the end, Ji Wuyuan got very angry and dragged several ministers away to punish them before leaving the court.

The news of His Majesty's rage quickly spread from the front court to the harem.

When the news reached Changle Palace, Jiang Wantang was sitting in the main hall playing chess with Yun Shang. He frowned when he heard the news.

It wasn’t because Ji Wuyuan was angry, but because of the flood in the south of the Yangtze River.

She remembered that there was a flood disaster in Jiangnan at this time in her previous life, but it was far less serious than this. Judging from the situation, it must have been going on for some time, but it was not reported until now when it could no longer be concealed. No wonder Ji Wuyuan was angry.

When things are abnormal, there must be something wrong. There must be something fishy behind this flood disaster.

Thinking of this, Jiang Wantang narrowed his eyes, and there was a hint of solemnity in his eyes.

The entire Changle Palace was silent.

On the other hand, Zhao Shujia's Zhaohua Palace was as lively as ever, with laughter and joy.

At this moment, Zhaohua Palace was filled with concubines, sitting together drinking tea and chatting.

Ever since Jiang Wantang was promoted to the position of Imperial Concubine, she had been exempted from paying respects to the other palaces because she didn't like a group of women with their own thoughts sitting together and pretending, so she was too lazy to even pretend with them.

Compared to Jiang Wantang's unapproachable and unsociable nature, and Bai Weiwei's pretentious aloofness, Zhao Shujia's dignity, generosity and approachability are more popular.

Therefore, even though she was demoted to Concubine Zhao by His Majesty, everyone still liked to come to her Zhaohua Palace to drink tea and chat in their spare time.

What surprised the concubines was that today, the virtuous concubine Bai Weiwei also came out to visit, which was a rare occasion.

Everyone was a little reserved when they first saw her, but later they saw that she was just sitting there quietly drinking tea. With Lady Zhao livening up the atmosphere, they soon started chatting freely.

Soon the concubines started talking about the flood in Jiangnan.

But no matter what others said, Bai Weiwei always looked as if it had nothing to do with her and was drinking tea leisurely.

It wasn't until a concubine mentioned the recent flood in Jiangnan that His Majesty was considering going on an incognito tour to the Jiangnan area in person that she suddenly stopped drinking her tea...