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

To cling to Ji Wuyuan is to cling to...supreme power.

But it's not easy to take him down...

On the other side, Tai Chi Palace.

Taiji Palace is the bedroom of the new princess Wuyuan. The inner hall is made of gold and bronze, carved with white marble, and covered with glazed tiles. The floor is covered with gold-woven carpets, exuding nobility and luxury everywhere.

On the walls hang peerless landscape scrolls, delicately painted, showcasing majestic mountains and rivers, imbued with profound meanings of state and government. Behind the throne stands a vast jade screen, depicting nine dragons playing with a pearl. Each scale is so vividly carved that it seems poised to soar into the heavens at any moment.

The lights inside and outside the hall are bright. When the evening breeze blows, the palace lanterns sway gently, and the emerald green glazed tiles shine brightly against the backdrop.

Ji Wuyuan sat upright on a throne carved from golden nanmu wood with dragon patterns, reviewing piles of memorials.

Seeing the newcomers entering the palace, the Jingshifang did not dare to delay and prepared the newcomers' list and green cards and presented them early.

Wang Fuhai held the names of the concubines in his hand, walked forward with a smile and said, "Your Majesty, tonight you want..."

Ji Wuyuan raised his eyes and glanced at them calmly, then waved his hand and said expressionlessly, "Retreat."

"Send someone to the Dali Temple and summon Ah Yan."

Wang Fuhai's face fell and he said, "Yes."

In the former and later dynasties, among all the concubines, Xie Zhiyan, the Minister of the Dali Temple, was the one who received the most favor from the emperor.

He is the only one who can enter and leave the emperor's bedroom freely at any time.

Wang Fuhai had just retreated to the door when a eunuch came in and announced, "Your Majesty, the Minister of Justice Xie Zhiyan requests an audience!"

Before Ji Wuyuan could react, Xie Zhiyan, dressed in a crimson official robe, walked in.

When passing by Wang Fuhai, he caught a glimpse of the green cards of the concubines in his hand. He raised his eyebrows, with a hint of surprise in his eyes.

Xie Zhiyan bowed and saluted, saying jokingly, "It seems that I have come at the wrong time and disturbed Your Majesty's good time."

Wang Fuhai's mouth twitched when he heard this, and he thought to himself: "It's good that you know this. You run to the emperor's bedroom every few days. All the concubines in the palace are not as frequent as you..."

If he hadn't been guarding outside the palace every day, he would have suspected that the two of them were having an affair.

Xie Zhiyan, the Minister of the Dali Temple, was your Majesty's study companion in his youth, his brother during his late Qianlong period, and now his right-hand man. He is the most trusted and trusted general in the court, and a true minister to the emperor.

Well, it's just too close...

Xie Zhiyan glanced at Wang Fuhai, who was frowning beside him, and said with a smile, "Why, Eunuch Wang, you don't welcome me?"

Wang Fuhai rolled his eyes countless times in his heart, thinking: Why shouldn’t I welcome you? Don’t you have any idea?

He didn't show it on his face, but smiled and said, "Thank you, sir, that's not true. His Majesty just asked me to summon you to the palace."

"Oh, it seems that Your Majesty and I really are... in tune with each other." Xie Zhiyan chuckled.

When Wang Fuhai heard this, the corners of his mouth twitched and he almost couldn't help rolling his eyes.

Especially when he looked at Xie Zhiyan's devilish face, he felt it was very annoying.

Wang Fuhai wisely retreated, closed the palace door, and sighed to the sky: "Ah!..."

Ji Wuyuan had already put down the wolf pen in his hand, leaned back, and a smile appeared on his usually cold face: "Here I come."

"Please sit down as you please. No need to be polite."

"Have you made any progress on the matter I asked you to investigate?"

After Xie Zhiyan sat down, he said calmly, "Your Majesty is right. The Qi family has indeed been secretly trying to win over Jiang Zhixu recently. There seems to be a sense of mutual support between the two."

"It's just that Jiang Zhixu, the old fox, sees that the Qi family is weak now, so he's deliberately keeping them hanging."

"He's unwilling to give up the Qi family, but he also doesn't want to offend His Majesty. He's completely greedy and wants it all."

"Humph!" Ji Wuyuan sneered, his sarcasm was bone-deep: "The end result of wanting it all, being both a role model and a role model, is destined to be nothing."

"What about the Qi family? Are they making any moves?"

"The Qi family severed their own lineage this time, severely damaging their vitality and plummeting their reputation. On the surface, they seem to have behaved a lot more honestly." Xie Zhiyan said.

Ji Wuyuan snorted and laughed, "The Qi family is quite good at this trick of trying to stop the boiling water by adding more fuel to the fire and whitewashing the situation."

Xie Zhiyan smiled, a cold look flashed across his eyes, and he pondered: "If you drive a dog into a corner, it will be bitten back. You have to call it back and let it see the hope of survival, so that it won't jump off the wall..."

Ji Wuyuan curled his lips, and the two smiled at each other meaningfully.

After a cup of tea, Ji Wuyuan suddenly asked, "Is there still no progress in finding the person behind the Qi Gui case?"

Xie Zhiyan was stunned for a moment, and a stunningly beautiful face appeared in his mind.

He recalled the confrontation with Jiang Wantang in the prison cell that day.

Like she said, he had no evidence.

Xie Zhiyan collected his thoughts, his eyes deep, and said calmly: "Qi Gui has made too many enemies, and there are many people who want to kill him."

"The murderer left no evidence, so it's hard to judge at this point."

Ji Wuyuan raised his eyebrows slightly and said calmly, "It's okay. We can put this matter aside for now if we don't have any clues."

"The most important thing right now is to keep a close eye on the Qi family."

Xie Zhiyan nodded in agreement, then continued, "By the way, in this selection, rumors are circulating both inside and outside the palace that His Majesty favors Zhao Shujia, the daughter of Duke Zhao."

"Many people also say that His Majesty has taken a fancy to Prime Minister Jiang's daughter, Jiang Wantang, and publicly gifted her flowers."

Xie Zhiyan looked at him seriously, his tone full of doubt: "Your Majesty means..."

Ji Wuyuan smiled, with a somewhat casual tone: "The former is the one who ordered someone to spread the news."

"Your Majesty, do you want Concubine Jia to replace Concubine Qi in the harem?" Xie Zhiyan asked.

Ji Wuyuan didn't answer but asked, "What does Ah Yan think of her?"

Xie Zhiyan hesitated for a moment before answering, "I'm more optimistic about Lady Jiang. As a chess piece, she might be able to achieve the effect Your Majesty desires."

Ji Wuyuan couldn't help but shook his head when he thought of Jiang Wantang's innocent and harmless little white rabbit appearance.

At the beginning, he was more optimistic about her.

But later, the secret guards found out that this Lady Jiang was just the daughter of Prime Minister Jiang who was abandoned in the mountains ten years ago.

Although she has a good appearance, unfortunately she is just a beauty with a straw hat, and is far inferior to the ladies in the capital.

To this end, he withdrew all the people who were sent to monitor Yongchun Palace.

Ji Wuyuan sighed, his tone sinking: "Her status is indeed more suitable, but a woman with only beauty will find it difficult to gain a foothold in the harem, let alone fight against Qi Rong and Queen Mother Qi."

"How can a weak little white rabbit face a ferocious and brutal tiger?"

Xie Zhiyan raised his eyebrows upon hearing this, and smiled meaningfully: "Little white rabbit?!"

"Your Majesty, are you sure?"

"At most, it's just a wild cat that can only show its fangs and claws." Ji Wuyuan said indifferently.

Xie Zhiyan sneered in his heart. What a cunning little fox. Even His Majesty was deceived by her.

He smiled and said nothing more.

It's simple, he doesn't believe that this fox disguised as a little white rabbit will behave itself.

He was waiting to see the fox show its tail.

Speaking of the harem, Xie Zhiyan remembered another thing that happened when he entered the palace today.

He looked up at Ji Wuyuan and said calmly, "Your Majesty, now that the concubines have entered the palace, it's time for you to favor the concubines in your harem."

Ji Wuyuan did not remain silent as usual, but chuckled and said, "Ayan is right."

……