Fearing being killed for his overwhelming merits, the empress decided to marry him.

"Your Majesty, this is how the matter unfolded. I apologize for disturbing your rest, but given what has happened..."

As the Prime Minister of Great Chu, I must report this to Your Majesty, and I hope Your Majesty will forgive me.

Ye Mo truthfully told Jiang Mengxuan the whole story of how Mu Changge bribed everyone inside and outside Xuanzheng Hall, including the reason why he bribed her.

Upon hearing this, Jiang Mengxuan's jade-like face softened slightly, and she said softly, "Prime Minister Ye was merely fulfilling his duties as Prime Minister."

How could I possibly blame Prime Minister Ye? In fact, I should thank Prime Minister Ye for coming to report this; otherwise, I would still be in the dark.

So, what does Ye Xiang think should be done with Mu Changge?

Ye Mo raised his head and replied, "Your Majesty, Mu Changge has openly offered bribes. According to the laws of our Great Chu, he should be handed over to the Ministry of Justice for sentencing."

However, he is currently the emperor's chosen son-in-law. If we were to take action against him now, it would likely cause turmoil in the court and among the people. This old minister believes it would be better to wait until the emperor has determined a suitable husband.

It's not too late to deal with it later, but of course, everything is up to His Majesty to decide.

Jiang Mengxuan nodded: "Then let's do as Prime Minister Ye says. We'll deal with everything after the selection ceremony."

"Old minister, I obey."

After bowing respectfully, Ye Mo did not leave immediately.

"Does Prime Minister Ye have anything else to tell me?"

"Your Majesty, I have already learned of the assassination attempt on His Highness Prince Jing at Shuyu Tower a few days ago from the Court of Judicial Review and the Ministry of Justice."

What this old minister wants to say is that the Ye family is utterly loyal to the Great Chu and would never do such a treasonous thing. I hope Your Majesty will not be swayed by rumors.”

"Prime Minister Ye is overthinking this. I believe this matter has nothing to do with you. The late Emperor mentioned it to me before he passed away."

"Prime Minister Ye is a pillar of the Great Chu. Without him, the Great Chu would not be as stable as it is today. Therefore, please do not worry about it."

"This old minister thanks Your Majesty for your understanding and will take his leave now."

"President Ye, please take care."

After watching Ye Mo leave, a shadow of gloom flashed in Jiang Mengxuan's eyes.

Compared to Mu Changge's bribery, what worried her most was that none of the palace maids and eunuchs in Xuanzheng Hall came to report this matter to her. They were so easily bribed.

It seems the palace needs to replace its staff with a group of reliable people.

In addition, Ye Mo's indirect probing further strengthened her resolve to bring down the Ye family.

After leaving the Imperial Study, Ye Mo's expression also darkened.

"Your Majesty, you are no ordinary person."

Recalling his conversation with Jiang Mengxuan, Ye Mo had many feelings.

After truthfully reporting Mu Changge's situation, Jiang Mengxuan asked him to decide Mu Changge's crime.

When Jiang Mengxuan brought up the assassination attempt on Jiang Shangxian at Shuyu Tower, she did not give her a clear and reasonable answer.

This means that Jiang Mengxuan will definitely use this incident to her advantage in the future, so we need to prepare contingency plans in advance to prevent any unforeseen circumstances.

Meanwhile, Jiang Shangxian insisted on showing Shen Lang the approximate locations of various parts of Weiyang Palace.

Finally, the two stood on the Star Gazing Tower, where Jiang Shangxian pointed to the palaces in the distance.

"That's Ganquan Palace, that's Changle Palace, and in the distance is Jianzhang Palace. How about that? Isn't my royal palace quite magnificent?"

Unable to contain himself any longer, Shen Lang asked bluntly, "Your Highness, what exactly do you want to say? Please speak frankly, as this makes me very uncomfortable."

Jiang Shangxian replied, "What can I say? I'm just showing you around the palace. You might come here often in the future."

Shen Lang was immediately stunned: "You mean you want to transfer me to the palace for duty?"

Jiang Shangxian: "My dear brother, although I am the commander of the Jingwei Division, the real power in the Jingwei Division lies with His Majesty."

"If His Majesty wants to transfer you to the palace, what do you think I can do?"

Shen Lang immediately said, "Your Highness, we had already discussed this beforehand. I joined the Jingwei Division because I wanted a peaceful life."

"I'm not here to be a beast of burden. If you transfer me to the palace, you'll find my resignation on your desk tomorrow."

"Don't get agitated," Jiang Shangxian immediately reassured him. "I know you have a wild side and don't want to be tied down too much."

But, you see, I'm doing this for your own good. After all, serving His Majesty means a high salary and occasional bonuses.

Isn't this more profitable than running around aimlessly outside?

Shen Lang scoffed: "Let's forget about making empty promises. When it comes to serving the emperor, I've only ever heard one saying: 'Serving a ruler is like serving a tiger.'"

"I understand your concerns, but I can assure you that Her Majesty would never do anything like discarding a tool after it has served its purpose."

"Forget it, you should find someone else for this job. The Jingwei Division has so many capable people, they don't need me. In short, I would rather die than stay in the palace and wait to die."

After saying that, Shen Lang glared at Jiang Shangxian, then turned and walked down from the Star-Picking Tower.

"Why bother? Once you become the emperor's son-in-law, the entire country will practically be yours."

How could the emperor's niece possibly harm her own husband? Sigh, what a stubborn person.

Jiang Shangxian shook his head helplessly, continued to look into the distance, and couldn't help but sigh.

"It was truly magnificent."

……

As dusk fell, Shen Lang was already waiting in the outer hall of the Imperial Study.

Meanwhile, the three potential sons-in-law had already bathed and changed their clothes, prepared their speeches, and stood outside the imperial study waiting, intending to give Jiang Shangxian a surprise.

"Young Master Wang, His Majesty requests your presence."

At Shu Yue's summons, Wang Xianglin tiptoed into the Imperial Study.

Mu Changge curled her lips slightly, then looked at Shu Yingwen, who was also waiting on the side, and once again showed a disdainful expression.

Shu Yingwen ignored this and simply waited quietly for Jiang Mengxuan to summon her.

Upon seeing Jiang Mengxuan in the Imperial Study, Wang Xianglin immediately knelt on the bright floor and bowed, saying, "This humble student greets Your Majesty."

Jiang Mengxuan raised her eyes, her voice as elegant as an orchid: "No need for formalities, Young Master Wang. Do you have the answers to the questions I asked you before?"

Wang Xianglin quickly replied, "Your Majesty is the Empress of Great Chu, ruling the world. All plans are in Your Majesty's heart. All I can do is to always support any decision Your Majesty makes."

And then, that was the end of it.

Shen Lang narrowed his eyes, thinking to himself, "This idiot is useless except for his flattery skills. Everyone understands what you're saying."

The Empress wants a strategic blueprint, not your silver tongue. Fine, you're out.

As expected, after listening to Wang Xianglin's words, Jiang Mengxuan simply smiled faintly and closed her bright eyes.

"I have felt your loyalty, Prince Wang. You may leave now."

"This humble student will take his leave."

Wang Xianglin bowed and backed out of the Imperial Study.

"Shu Yue, pass the throne to the next person."

"Yes, Your Majesty."

Shu Yue accepted the order and stood at the door again, calling out, "Young Master Mu, His Majesty requests your presence."

Mu Changge immediately straightened her clothes to make sure she looked presentable, then calmed herself and walked into the Imperial Study.

"This humble student greets Your Majesty."

"No need for formalities, Young Master Mu. Tell me, what are your plans for the future of the Great Chu?"

Mu Changge said, "In my humble opinion, Great Chu should closely unite with local powerful families to select capable individuals to serve His Majesty. Only in this way can Great Chu remain strong and prosperous..."

He adopted an air of profound knowledge and began to give his opinions, every word sounding perfectly reasonable.

However, to Shen Lang, all of this was just nonsense.

Strictly speaking, this person is no different from Wang Xianglin from before.

Everyone can talk about grand principles, but when it comes to specific plans, how to proceed, and how to get there, there is no clear direction.

After he finished speaking, Jiang Mengxuan's expression remained unchanged.

“What Young Master Mu says makes sense. I will consider it carefully. You may return now.”

"Yes, I'll take my leave."

After Mu Changge left, it was naturally Shu Yingwen's turn.

As soon as Shu Yingwen entered the Imperial Study, he knelt gracefully on the floor of the outer hall: "This humble student, Shu Yingwen, greets Your Majesty."

His attitude was very proper and extremely humble.

Jiang Mengxuan: "Young Master Shu, please rise and speak."