High Martial Arts Three Kingdoms: The Incompetent Strategist

Empress He watched his performance quietly: "It's not necessarily all fabricated, is it? Don't you have anything to confess?"

"Confess? No, I have never been close to women in my life, and I am known as the virtuous man of Luoyang." Tang Ke thought to himself, "Trying to get information out of me? You're still too green."

"Shameless!" Someone behind the curtain burst out laughing.

Tang Ke suddenly stood up, pulled Empress He behind him, and shouted, "Who dares to trespass into the inner palace? Get out here right now!"

"Snapped!"

Empress He slapped Tang Ke's hand hard and spat out, "Don't take advantage of the chaos to touch me. I knew you were up to no good."

As she spoke, she recalled the scene when Tang Ke saved her that day, and her face flushed slightly, her ears turning red. Fortunately, Tang Ke didn't see it.

He Lingyi slowly emerged from behind the curtain. Dressed in a plain long dress, she appeared much more elegant standing next to Empress He, who was adorned with jewels.

Although these two people look alike, you can tell from their clothing styles that they are completely different people.

Upon seeing her come out, Tang Ke, who had been joking around, suddenly fell silent and stood there, unsure of what to do.

He thought it was Zhang Feng who was complaining, but he didn't expect it to be He Lingyi herself.

In his mind, if it were Zhang Feng, he could still fight back righteously as a victim. But this one is completely different. As a fellow victim, He Lingyi has obviously suffered a greater loss.

"What? Have you gone mute? Where did your cleverness go?" Empress He looked at Tang Ke, who had suddenly fallen silent, with a strange expression.

“Your Majesty, please allow me to explain in detail. The matter concerning Madam Zhang is not as described in the letter. At that time, well, we were framed. I was also a victim.”

Tang Ke stammered for a long time before finally managing to utter a single word.

“Lingyi has already told me the truth. She has no intention of holding you responsible. It was Zhang Feng who wrote this letter to force her to come to me.”

Empress He said angrily, "If I didn't know you were framed, how could I have kept you here based on this letter alone?"

Tang Ke quickly kowtowed in gratitude: "Your Majesty is wise!"

Empress He sighed, "You are just a commoner. You were suddenly elevated to such a high position. It's normal for you to be proud and want to show off your power. No one will care if you take a little something extra in your spare time."

“But if you make enemies on all sides, everyone inside and outside the palace is shrewd. One wrong step could cost you your life. You are now part of the He family. We share the same fate, and if we suffer, we will all be implicated.”

After she finished speaking, she was suddenly overcome with a deep sense of melancholy.

Thinking of the countless conspiracies and struggles she had experienced in this desolate palace over the years, and the hardships she had endured as a woman, fighting for the emperor's favor and resisting powerful ministers, she couldn't help but feel a pang of sorrow and shed tears.

"Your Majesty, rest assured. I will take responsibility for my actions. Since someone has accused me of humiliating Madam Zhang, I will give my life to the Zhang family. I will not cause Your Majesty any trouble."

These words slipped out of Tang Ke's mouth in a moment of impulse, and he immediately regretted them. He knew his foundation was weak, and if no one was there to protect him, he would surely lose his life.

"Xiang Zhuang's sword dance was aimed at Liu Bang. Do you think they are targeting you? If you were alone and in a high position, they would be trying to win you over. They only want to find a breakthrough by targeting you because you are a member of the He family."

"Don't worry, although you've caused quite a mess, as long as Lingyi doesn't testify against you, no one else can do anything about it. You need to find a way to shut Zhang Feng up as soon as possible and stop him from spreading rumors and ruining the reputation of the He family. Also, find out who's behind this and get rid of this troublemaker! You may leave."

After hearing Empress He's words, Tang Ke finally felt relieved. He respectfully bowed to her in farewell, then gave He Lingyi a slight bow before leaving Changqiu Palace.

Empress He gazed at his retreating figure, lost in thought.

A gust of wind blew, and the pear blossoms in the Changqiu Palace Garden fell with the wind, dancing in the air, as if time had flowed back to the year I entered the palace.

She was about the same age as Tang Ke, young and graceful, emerging from the flowers as light as a butterfly. Pink petals danced in the air as she twirled among them, ethereal and otherworldly.

Back then, I was innocent and genuine, unaware of my own limitations, and my eyes were filled with the beauty of a peaceful life.

Over the years, she gradually became cunning and scheming in the bottomless quagmire of the imperial harem, overcoming numerous difficulties and finally becoming the Empress, admired by all.

He Lingyi watched as she stared blankly out the door, her face first beaming with a smile, then turning sorrowful, and knew she was reminiscing about the past.

Thinking of the arduous journey the two sisters had taken, and how the elder sister's path had been ten times harder than her own, she felt a pang of pity and whispered, "Sister!"

Empress He finally came to her senses, looked at her sister's still innocent and clear eyes, and sighed softly.

“My sister and I are in danger. You must be careful in everything you do from now on. Don’t trust anyone, including this person.”

She realized that her younger sister, after losing her virginity to him, did not feel any aversion towards him, which was a very dangerous thing.

"This is nothing like when we were herding sheep in Wanxian County. One wrong step could lead to utter ruin!"

The sigh was like a fleeting breeze.

The wind was light and the clouds were thin; almost the instant they reached the exit, they were swallowed up by the many palaces of the Han Dynasty imperial palace.

Yihongyuan.

This was Zhang Feng's first time venturing into this place. In the past, he had only been interested in the daughters of officials and wealthy families. Relying on his father's power, no one had ever dared to oppose him.

Zhang Rang is currently under investigation and should not cause trouble, but he simply couldn't hold back any longer.

Adding to his distress was the thought that his wife was reporting Tang Ke in the palace, and that he might have to wear this green hat as a witness and be questioned.

He stayed up until late at night, and after several bouts of wild revelry, he finally left the brothel and staggered home.

As I walked through a dark alley, I suddenly felt a sharp pain in the back of my head, and then everything went black and I passed out.

When he woke up again, the first thing he saw was Tang Ke's face, which had a half-smile on it.

He then found himself with his hands and feet bound, lying on a wooden board.

"What do you want to do?" Even though he was usually arrogant, he felt a little uneasy at this moment.

Tang Ke clapped his hands and said casually, "It's nothing, I'm just about to perform a minor surgery on you."

Zhang Feng struggled a few times, but the rope was tied very tightly. He still said, blustering but weak, "What kind of surgery? This is kidnapping! Don't do anything reckless! My father is Zhang Rang!"

"Don't shout. It's not like I don't know your father. We even had dinner together yesterday."

Tang Ke brought over a basin of water and prepared a feather to soak in it.

Zhang Feng had a vague idea of ​​what he was planning to do, and shouted loudly, "Don't do anything reckless! My father is a eunuch, and I am his only son, the heir to the title, and I am meant to carry on the family line."

"Don't panic, you're just an adopted son!" Tang Ke kindly reminded him, "At worst, you can just adopt a son yourself in the future."