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

Jiang Wantang felt Concubine Yu's hand tremble, so he held her hand tightly.

Concubine Yu paused for a moment and continued, "Ji Huaijin killed all the concubines in the palace. He did it himself."

"This is the first time Ji Huaijin has shown his cold-blooded and tyrannical side in front of us."

"At that time, I was terrified, and the Empress Dowager was also frightened. By the time she reacted and wanted to stop it, it was too late."

"The Queen Mother was so angry that her face turned pale and her whole body trembled. She never imagined that the child she raised with her own hands would become such a tyrannical king."

"Ji Huaijin saw that her face was not right, and regained some of his sanity. He knelt before her and begged for mercy as usual. However, this time, the Queen Mother did not forgive him."

"The Queen Mother raised her hand and slapped him several times, angrily scolding him for his indiscriminate killing of innocent people."

"Later, Ji Huaijin dismissed everyone, and they had a fierce argument in the hall."

"I was afraid that Ji Huaijin would do something to harm the Empress Dowager in his rage, so I stayed outside the palace and didn't dare to leave."

"There were constant sounds of things being thrown in the hall. I heard Ji Huaijin questioning the Empress Dowager like a madman. He said, 'Those lowly people can do it, why can't he?'"

"And why can't we choose him..."

"Every question he asks is so outrageous and unorthodox that it makes one tremble with fear."

"I was completely shocked. It turns out that the person Ji Huaijin truly loves is his stepmother, the Empress Dowager who raised him!"

"He has no sense of shame, no regard for human ethics, and covets his stepmother."

"And I... was just a cover for him to hide his dirty thoughts..."

When Concubine Yu talked about the sad things, a line of turbid tears rolled down the corners of her eyes.

I thought we were childhood sweethearts, in love with each other, but later I discovered it was all calculated and exploited...

One is the man she loves, and the other is the man she admires and regards as her only relative.

Jiang Wantang's breathing became tight, and he didn't know what to say to comfort her.

Concubine Yu's eyes were filled with sorrow and depth. She continued, "The two argued until midnight. The Queen Mother was so enraged by Ji Huaijin that she fainted. Ji Huaijin wasn't much better off. Deeply enraged, he simply killed every single servant in the palace."

"I was so scared that I wanted to run away, but Ji Huaijin caught me in the corner. He pointed the bloody tip of his sword at me, with a bloodthirsty, cold smile on his face..."

"He knew I heard it all."

"Perhaps because he needed an outlet for his long-suppressed emotions, he didn't kill me. Instead, he took me to his study, where there is a secret room."

"The walls of the secret room are covered with various portraits of the Empress Dowager, all painted by Ji Huaijin himself, and hidden inside are all things related to the Empress Dowager."

"He threw all his dark thoughts that he dared not let others know in front of me. His eyes were red as he expressed his hidden love for the Empress Dowager over the years."

"He truly loves her. The kind of love a man has for a woman, regardless of the cost, regardless of the consequences, and the emotions he has suppressed for so long, has reached the point of madness."

"And I have been just a substitute from the beginning to the end!"

"It's not just me. The women he chose to enter the palace all have some of the Empress Dowager's influence on them."

"Just like Qi Yilan, just because her maiden name contains the same character 'Yi' as the Empress Dowager, Ji Huaijin could deceive himself by calling her 'Ayi' when they were making love on the bed..."

"That was the Empress Dowager's maiden name before she was married. When the late Emperor was alive, he always called her that in private."

"That night I was so shocked that I collapsed on the ground and started bleeding. The doctor found out that I was over a month pregnant..."

"This child came at an inopportune time, but it seems Ji Huaijin really likes it. He ordered the imperial physician to save the fetus in my belly."

Jiang Wantang immediately understood why the imperial physicians had said during the initial investigation that Concubine Yu had an unstable pregnancy, was overly worried, and had excessive mood swings, and had to protect the pregnancy all the way to delivery.

Speaking of children, Concubine Yu closed her eyes in pain. That was a pain she didn't want to mention in her life.

"After that day, Ji Huaijin claimed that the Queen Mother had suddenly fallen ill, imprisoning her in disguise."

"A month later, news broke that Qi Yilan was pregnant. Ji Huaijin was overjoyed and issued an edict that whoever gave birth to a prince first, her or me, would be crowned empress."

"Everyone thought he was targeting me on purpose. After all, judging by the month, I had the upper hand."

“Even I thought so at one point.”

"It seemed as if everything had returned to normal since that day. Ji Huaijin was very quiet for a while, attending court and handling official business every day, very diligently."

"I lived peacefully like this for over two months. One day, while I was serving food, a young palace maid slipped a note into my hand. It was from the Empress Dowager. She had arranged a way out for me and was going to secretly send me out of the palace."

"And I looked at my bulging belly and Ji Huaijin, who was getting better day by day. I couldn't bear to leave her. And the Empress Dowager..."

"The palace is like my home, they are my family, I have never thought of leaving."

"After that, I never heard from the Empress Dowager again. Ji Huaijin sealed off the palace and heavily guarded it. No one could get close. I was worried about her and often argued with Ji Huaijin because I couldn't see her."

"Until one day, Ji Huaijin suddenly appeared before me. His expression was as cold as ice, and he warned me to recognize my own identity and see clearly who the true master of this palace is."

"He said he would make me the queen. He said that in the harem, I was the most similar to the Queen Mother. After I give birth, I would be moved to the temporary palace to replace the Queen Mother."

"He said he had found a master of disguise who could make the Queen Mother look like me, so that he could be with her openly."

"I looked at the madness in his eyes and felt a chill run down my spine. It turned out that his silence during that period was just an illusion, and that I, the stand-in, wasn't just the stand-in I thought I was, but a stand-in in the truest sense..."

"I couldn't accept it and asked him if he had planned this day long ago. He didn't refute it. He said that if it weren't for my value, otherwise, how could I, an orphan from a declining clan, be chosen as a concubine and become the most prosperous one..."

"He also said that I am gentle, obedient, sensible, and know everything about the Empress Dowager. Because of her kindness in raising me, I will definitely not harm her. Instead, I will do my best to help him keep this secret. I am the most suitable person."