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

On the other side, the Cining Palace.

Nanny Sun looked at Empress Dowager Qi, who was reciting scriptures with her eyes closed, and walked back and forth outside the hall with an anxious look on her face.

Empress Dowager Qi opened her eyes and said calmly, "If you have something to say, just say it. Why are you walking around?"

Nanny Sun said, "Empress Dowager, even Nanny Yu, the wet nurse of our Imperial Concubine, was beaten to death in Chonghua Palace. I heard that the Imperial Concubine has fainted. Are you really not going to intervene?"

Empress Dowager Qi lowered her eyes and said coldly, "Rong'er has publicly contradicted His Majesty and defied the Emperor's authority. If I were to confront him again, it would only make him more wary of the Qi family."

"After all, the Great Sheng Dynasty is still the domain of his Ji family."

"What about our Imperial Concubine?" Nanny Sun asked worriedly.

Empress Dowager Qi's expression darkened slightly, and she spoke with a tone of disappointment: "Rong'er is still too young and impetuous. She can't even handle a little beauty."

"This time she'll suffer a little, so she'll remember it."

"Send someone to Chonghua Palace to take good care of him. Taking care of his health is the most important thing."

Nanny Sun said, "Empress Dowager, this Concubine Jiang is no ordinary woman. Your Majesty gifted her flowers on the day of her selection, and now Your Majesty has punished all the palace maids in Chonghua Palace for her."

"I heard from the servants that the Emperor personally carried her to the imperial carriage and took her to the Taiji Palace."

Empress Dowager Qi had never taken the women in the harem seriously, but after hearing Nanny Sun's mention of this, she began to understand a little. So she asked, "Who is this Concubine Jiang?"

"Replying to the Queen Mother, this Concubine Jiang is the second daughter of Prime Minister Jiang, who was abandoned in the countryside. I heard that she is so beautiful that she has won the favor of the Emperor."

Empress Dowager Qi shook her head: "Your Majesty is not a man who covets beauty. She must have other outstanding qualities."

Nanny Sun pondered for a moment, her eyes brightening as she whispered into the Queen Mother's ear, "A few days ago, I heard from an old man in the palace that this Concubine Jiang looks somewhat similar to the former Princess Liuli."

Empress Dowager Qi's face was gloomy. She narrowed her eyes, and the wrinkles at the corners of her eyes piled up into sharp folds. "Send someone to investigate the background of this Lady Jiang."

She couldn't believe that such a coincidence could happen in the world. She was afraid that it must have been sent here on purpose by someone with ulterior motives.

"I'll find an opportunity to meet this beautiful lady Jiang in person."

Nanny Sun bowed and said, "I'll do it right away."

……

Tai Chi Palace.

Jiang Wantang was carried by Ji Wuyuan in a daze to the side hall of Taiji Palace.

Inside the hall, the female doctor had treated Jiang Wantang's wounds and changed her into clean clothes.

After taking her pulse, the imperial physician knelt on the ground and said, "Your Majesty, Lady Jiang is safe. Although her injuries are serious, they are only superficial. She will recover after a period of rest."

Looking at the unconscious Jiang Wantang on the couch, Ji Wuyuan frowned and said coldly, "Then why doesn't she show any signs of waking up?"

The imperial physician shuddered upon hearing this and said tremblingly, "Perhaps Lady Jiang was seriously injured and caught in the rain, causing the wound to become inflamed and triggering a high fever."

"I'll make her a fever-reducing decoction and she'll wake up soon..."

Ji Wuyuan didn't say much. He just gave a few instructions and walked out.

The imperial physician did not dare to relax. After all, Lady Jiang on the couch was the first woman the emperor brought into the Taiji Palace. It goes without saying how much importance he attached to her.

He hurried inside to continue treating Jiang Wantang, giving her acupuncture and medicine as needed, without slacking off at all.

Sure enough, in less than half an hour, Jiang Wantang slowly woke up.

She moved her body and felt severe pain all over her body and her mind was not clear.

"hiss……"

"Where...is this?"

"Your Majesty, this is His Majesty's Taiji Palace." The little palace maid who was guarding the side replied.

Jiang Wantang subconsciously raised her eyes and looked around. Looking at the luxurious and magnificent decorations everywhere in front of her, her memory and reason gradually returned to her mind.

"Where is His Majesty? Where is His Majesty?"

"I want to see His Majesty..."

The young palace maid said, "Your Majesty, His Majesty is in the main hall handling official business."

Jiang Wantang ignored the little palace maid's attempts to stop her, threw off the quilt and got out of bed, stumbling towards the main hall.

When he reached the entrance of the main hall, he was stopped by the guards.

Jiang Wantang said, "I want to see His Majesty!"

The guard refused to budge, his face stern: "No one is allowed to enter without your Majesty's summons!"

"Please go in and tell them."

Seeing that she looked pale and could barely stand, the guard hesitated for a moment and then walked into the hall.

At this time, Ji Wuyuan was sitting alone in the hall playing chess. Wang Fuhai walked up to him and whispered a few words.

"woke up?"

Ji Wuyuan held a black piece in his hand, his eyes still fixed on the chessboard in front of him, his expression indifferent, and he said no more.

Wang Fuhai glanced outside the palace and continued, "Your Majesty, Lady Jiang's injuries haven't healed yet. Standing outside in the wind and catching a cold is probably not good..."

After a moment, Ji Wuyuan dropped the black piece in his hand and raised his eyes and said, "Let her come in."

After Jiang Wantang entered, he bowed with difficulty and said, "Your Majesty, may you be well and safe."

"Thank you, Your Majesty, for saving my life..."

Ji Wuyuan stood indifferently above the hall, looking down at her.

After a long while, he sneered, "Miss Jiang, you are so brave!"

"Don't think I can't see through your tricks. Don't play this trick on me again."

"If you get carried away, it could be fatal."

Jiang Wantang's face showed no fear at all, and she spoke confidently, "I know that Your Majesty is not one to indulge in beauty. At the same time, I also know that Your Majesty is determined to clean up the court and eliminate the influence of the imperial relatives."

The Qi family is powerful, and Ji Wuyuan has been dissatisfied with the Qi family for a long time. In the harem, there are Empress Dowager Qi and Concubine Qi. If he takes direct action, it will inevitably attract criticism from court officials and the people.

Therefore, the best approach is to take a two-pronged approach, both in the front court and in the harem.

However, under the suppression of Concubine Qi and Empress Dowager Qi, the concubines in the harem did not dare to stand out, let alone compete with them.

Therefore, the incidents during the selection process where the eunuch dragged out a palace maid and beat her to death in public, as well as the news that five concubines who had served in the imperial garden were beaten to death, were most likely intentional acts by Ji Wuyuan.

In this way, those timid and fearful concubines will be eliminated automatically.

Those who stayed... were either born into noble families or possessed extraordinary courage...

This selection was not for concubines to sleep with, but for chess pieces that he could use.

Everyone is in his chess game.

Everyone is just a pawn.

As for the ones who stay, it depends on which one suits his taste more.

Ji Wuyuan narrowed his eyes, a dangerous light flashed in his eyes, and the oppressive feeling emanating from his body was extremely heavy and cold.

He said sternly: "Miss Jiang, you know, there are some things you can't say carelessly..."

"Be careful what you say."

Jiang Wantang knelt on the ground, raised her head, and her eyes were stern and stubborn: "Your Majesty, I am humble and willing to be the knife in your hand... the chess piece in your game."

The next moment, Jiang Wantang felt a chill on her neck. It was Ji Wuyuan who was pinching her neck.

It could be said to be "pinching" but it wasn't really, because Ji Wuyuan's long and powerful fingers were just on her slender neck, and it didn't look like he was using any strength.

But for some reason, she just couldn't breathe. The air in her lungs suddenly became thinner, and a feeling of suffocation swept over her...