Shocking! In this matriarchal society, every man wants to marry me!

These words, devoid of any discernible emotion, sent shivers down the spines of everyone kneeling. They all lowered their heads and remained silent.

Jiang Yuxiao walked up to Le Xingxi first, looked down at him for a while, reached out to help him up, and said gently, "Xingxi, get up first. You're not feeling well, don't hurt yourself."

Le Xingxi stood up, his tone filled with both distance and respect: "Thank you, Your Majesty."

"Xingxi, you used to call me Sister Jiang, why have you been so distant all these years?"

"Your Majesty is the supreme ruler. Before, Xingxi was just a child and didn't know any better. If I continue to be so presumptuous and disrespectful, my mother will scold me."

"Hahaha," Jiang Yu laughed, tucking a stray strand of Le Xingxi's hair behind her ear, her tone very affectionate: "General Le is very obedient to the etiquette between ruler and subject, which is a good thing, but if you enter the palace in a few days, you will be my person, and she will not be able to control you!"

Upon hearing this, two of the other three kneeling men changed their expressions.

Le Xingxi glanced at her brother, who was kneeling on the ground, his face as cold and hard as ice.

"Your Majesty, please let the others get up. My brother has been kneeling for a long time."

"You may all get up," Jiang Yuxiao said, glancing at the people around her.

The others got up.

However, Zhong Tian was still being held back by the guards. Jiang Yuxiao sized him up and asked, "Who are you? Are you an assassin?"

Zhong Tian hurriedly denied it: "Your Majesty, I am not an assassin. I am Zhong Tian from Shun Ning Express. I was summoned to the capital by Your Majesty and just happened to be passing by today."

Nakata?

Jiang Yuxiao looked Zhong Tian up and down, clearly remembering: "It was because you took in refugees during the locust plague that so many people didn't starve to death."

"Your Majesty is so complimentary."

Why are you here? Why are you hiding in the tree?

Nakata was at a loss for words. After a while, he managed to say with difficulty, "I...I was catching pigeons in a tree."

"Shoot pigeons? Don't try to fool me. You're empty-handed, what are you going to use to shoot pigeons?"

"Let me show Your Majesty."

Zhongtian casually picked up a stone from the ground, squinted at it for a while, and suddenly flicked her wrist, knocking down a pigeon that was flying in the sky. Zhongtian was strong, so this was no problem for her at all.

“My husband has been unwell lately, so I thought I’d catch a pigeon and make some pigeon soup to help him recover.”

Xia Lan was extremely unwilling. She immediately shouted and cried out, "Your Majesty, Your Majesty, she didn't come to shoot the pigeons, she came to hit me! Look, look, all the injuries on my body were inflicted by her!"

Upon hearing this, Zhongtian shook his head inwardly. This person was courting death; no one else could save him, no matter how hard they tried.

She behaved herself like a quail, and His Majesty didn't even remember her. Now that she's standing out, isn't this just reminding His Majesty that she and her sweetheart went out for a spring outing?

Zhongtian finally understood.

Although Yue Wentao has a better reputation, His Majesty prefers Yue Xingxi, who is like a white lotus, rather than Yue Wentao, who is as beautiful as a peony.

"Why did she hit you? You are Xia Lan from the household of the Vice Minister of the Imperial Secretariat, and what are you doing here?"

Even if Xia Lan were a fool, she would understand that if she answered His Majesty's question incorrectly, she would lose her head.

“I…I…” she stammered, unable to finish her sentence.

Jiang Yuxiao snorted coldly: "How old are you this year?"

"I am 21 years old."

"At such an old age, he's still a fool, unable to even speak clearly."

Do you have a husband?

“Mother hasn’t chosen a suitable person for me yet,” Xia Lan replied.

"Then I will bestow a marriage upon you."

Xia Lan was overjoyed. What an honor it was for His Majesty to personally bestow a marriage upon her!

"What about the Imperial Censor's eldest son?"

Xia Lan's smile froze on her face before it could even fully open.

The Imperial Censor's eldest son is already over 40 years old. He has three daughters with his former wife. Most importantly, he is not only old but also ugly! Xia Lan had met him once and complained about him to her cronies for a long time.

"What, you don't want to?" Jiang Yuxiao looked at her, but there was no smile in her eyes.

Xia Lan suppressed the sorrow on her face and thanked the emperor with a beaming smile: "Thank you, Your Majesty!"

"Master Li, please escort the two young masters and Xia Lan back!"

Zhongtian was startled and suddenly raised his head to look at Master Li behind His Majesty.

She was completely different from how she was in Yangcheng; neither flamboyant nor obsequious, she stood behind His Majesty like a shadow, and Zhong Tian hadn't noticed her at first.

"Yes."

Jiang Yuxiao slowly walked to Le Xingxi's side, carefully helped Le Xingxi put on her cloak, and gave her instructions.

"It's still a bit chilly in spring. You're not feeling well, so you shouldn't stay outside for too long. Stay home and prepare for your wedding. I'll be waiting for you in the palace."

"……it is good."

After the group left, Zhongtian was about to leave when Jiang Yuxiao's voice suddenly rang out: "Zhongtian, you stay."

“…Yes.” Nakata felt rather uneasy.

Jiang Yuxiao walked ahead, while Zhong Tian followed slowly behind, her head down. She looked at the ants at her feet, so small that she could crush them with just a slight lift of her foot.

“A few days ago, a minister reported that people near the capital were growing cotton in large quantities, but this winter was warm and spring came so early that many people’s cotton was piling up and they couldn’t sell it.”

“Cotton is not like a crop, where even if it cannot be sold, it can still be used to feed the people. The people in the suburbs of Beijing have poured all their savings of the year into it. The people are suffering, and I am truly uneasy about it!”

Zhongtian listened slowly from behind. Only then did she raise her head to look at the tall woman in front of her. This woman was the emperor of the world, and she could see the suffering of the people in her eyes.

Zhongtian spoke up first: "What can I do?"

"If you can sell the cotton, I will not pursue your crime of deceiving the emperor today!"

Zhong Tianxin was in a state of high anxiety. Her clumsy tricks were only meant to amuse His Majesty, and the reason His Majesty didn't pursue the matter at the time was simply because His Majesty was waiting for her there.

"Yes."

"Do a good job, and if you do well, I will reward you!"

Back at the mansion, before he could even rest, a gatekeeper came to report that a woman was waiting outside, specifically asking to see him.

Zhong Tian was extremely puzzled. Who would come to the Zhong residence looking for her?

"What did she say?"

The doorman handed over a note. Zhongtian glanced at the note casually, his expression changed instantly, and he immediately ran out.

The note was written in simple strokes, and it contained a sentence that every modern person is very familiar with: "Odd changes, even remains the same, the sign depends on the quadrant."