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

"You bullshit!"

"I never expected anything from that good-for-nothing, so how could I..."

It seemed that Jiang Mengxuan had touched on some painful memories, and Wu Li instantly broke down.

But Jiang Mengxuan replied calmly, "Empress Wu, I have already had my past thoroughly investigated."

I deeply sympathize with everything that has happened to you; after all, no woman could bear to have such a painful experience.

But ultimately, wasn't this your own choice?

Wu Li's delicate body began to tremble slightly: "Jiang Mengxuan, I don't know what you're talking about!"

Jiang Mengxuan gracefully picked up the glass teacup, but calmly replied, "I didn't understand before why you would propose such an outrageous condition as having your husband serve you in bed, even going so far as to offer the Wu Kingdom's imperial seal to tempt me."

I initially thought you were just indulging in lust, but if that's the case, why do you insist on having a husband?

Upon closer reflection, I understood the reason: it was the powerful clans of Wu who had turned you into a creature neither human nor ghost.

I understand your desire to use the current strength of my Chu state to completely destroy the Wu state.

However, if you truly have such thoughts, you can simply tell me directly. There's no need to involve my husband.

Therefore, the more I thought about it, the more uneasy I felt, so I secretly ordered someone to investigate your past.

This investigation actually revealed a clue to me, and I now understand why you made such a perplexing request.

It's definitely not just about indulging in pleasure; it's more about...

Is she jealous that I have such a husband, who can stay by my side and guide me when I need him most?

And you, too, once met a man like that, but unfortunately you gave up on him because his impoverished background led to opposition from both the court and the public.

In order to secure your throne, you had to suppress your love for him and choose another husband with mediocre abilities.

In the end, to silence the gossip in the court and among the people, they gave that man a cup of poisoned wine, is that right?

Actually, you just can't stand that my husband and I can trust each other, so you're trying every means to destroy him.

After all, as I said before, I don't care about Shen Lang's background; that's the biggest difference between you and me.

Wu Li froze on the spot, a long-forgotten memory waking up in her mind.

"Ah Li, are you really going to be so heartless?"

"Zhixiu, I'm sorry, I've let you down in this life. You can choose not to drink this cup of wine, I won't blame you."

"Haha, Ah Li, you know, no matter what decision you make..."

I will support you without hesitation. If drinking this cup of wine can secure your power, what does it matter if I die?

After saying that, the man raised his glass, tilted his head back, and drank it all in one gulp.

"you……"

"Ah Li, remember to take good care of yourself in the days without me. I... I can no longer protect you... Take care..."

“Zhi Xiu…”

The moment she saw the man fall, Wu Li was filled with regret and couldn't help but hug him tightly.

As the man's body temperature gradually dissipated, she knew that she had lost the man who loved her deeply and had vowed to protect her with his life.

Coming to her senses, Wu Li's gaze towards Jiang Mengxuan turned sinister.

"You dare to investigate my past?"

"Without investigation, how would I know what you're planning? That man's name is Lu Zhixiu, right?"

Jiang Mengxuan crossed her arms, leaned back against the chair, and looked at Wu Li with a cool expression.

"Actually, you killed Lu Zhixiu not only because of his background, but also because he personally helped you ascend the throne."

A ruler whose achievements overshadow his master has always aroused suspicion within the imperial family, who fear he might become a puppet emperor.

"Getting rid of Lu Xiuzhi was driven by your own selfish desires; you cared more about your throne than your relationship with him."

"Shut up, please stop talking, please stop talking."

Wu Li's body trembled even more violently. Jiang Mengxuan's words were like daggers, and her powerful aura made it hard for her to breathe.

"Empress Wu, everything you have today is your own fault. If you had only believed in Lu Zhixiu's feelings for you, you wouldn't have ended up like this."

"The power of an emperor makes you suppress your own emotions and unwilling to trust anyone, let alone subordinates who are stronger than you."

Wu Li covered her head with both hands and shook it repeatedly: "No, please stop talking, please don't say anymore!"

Then, her eyes reddened, and she glared at Jiang Mengxuan with resentment.

"Why? Why are you so lucky?!"

"As an emperor, aren't you really afraid that one day your power will be usurped?"

"How can you trust someone like Shen Lang to stay by your side and give him so much power? Aren't you afraid he'll seize power?"

"Yes! That's right, I'm jealous of you. Why aren't you as miserable as me? Why did you choose to believe Shen Lang!"

"I just can't stand seeing you happier than me. You should be like me and find a good-for-nothing like Shu Yingwen to be your husband, so that you can only stand by and watch coldly when you encounter danger."

"Why, why can't you be like me! I hate you! I hate that you're willing to believe in Shen Lang, I hate that you don't care about class distinctions!"

Jiang Mengxuan remained expressionless, sipped her tea, and listened quietly as she poured out her inner emotions.

Wu Li now is pathetic, hateful, and pitiful.

Jiang Mengxuan put down her teacup only after Wu Li had vented her anger.

"Wu Li, Wu Li, do you know what the prerequisite for us to be emperors is that we must first be human beings?"

"As long as you are a human being, you will inevitably have emotions and desires, and you will inevitably fall in love with the person you like."

"Before I met my husband, I might have become like you, resorting to any means to gain power. But after meeting my husband, I have come to understand a very simple truth."

"Compared to the treacherous machinations of emperors, trust and openness are the most sincere weapons."

"He can give me everything, so why can't I entrust my heart and soul to him?"

"Only by connecting with each other and relying on one another can we face all problems together."

Upon hearing this, Wu Li blushed and stared intently at Jiang Mengxuan before exclaiming, "Jiang Mengxuan!"

After a gasp, Wu Li suddenly felt her whole body burning up and couldn't help but kneel down on the ground.

"Empress Jiang, my Gu poison has flared up! I beg you, I beg you, give me a few strong men to cure it..."

After saying that, he started rolling around on the spot, completely disregarding his image.

Jiang Mengxuan coldly replied, "I'm sorry, Empress Wu, I have never kept male concubines. I never have before, I don't now, and I will never do so in the future."

"Then summon Shen Lang and let him satisfy me just once! Just once, it's really too painful!"

As if possessed, Wu Li's eyes turned red, and she crawled to Jiang Mengxuan's feet like a dog.

"Empress Jiang, Your Majesty, I'm begging you, please treat me like a lowly cunning woman and let your husband satisfy me this once."

He then began to undress in public, a very indecent act.

Jiang Mengxuan kicked her away.

"You've already said you're a 'female ghost,' do you think you deserve my husband's favor?"

All of this is your own doing!

My husband can only love and cherish me; how could I possibly entrust him to you to be wasted?

Wu Li's face visibly turned red, and her breathing became rapid.

"Please, Empress Jiang, I'm about to break. Please find any man, even a beggar, a vagrant, or even one with a sexually transmitted disease, as long as he can satisfy me, I'll do anything you say."

Hearing the former empress utter such shameless words, Jiang Mengxuan couldn't help but sigh.

He was very glad that he had always been devoted to Shen Lang.

Otherwise, Wu Li might be the next version of myself.

She tossed a bottle of medicine in front of Wu Li.

"This is a newly developed Qingling Pill that can relieve your symptoms. Take it first."

"Speaking of which, I should thank you for giving me the 'lustful poison' that the Empress Dowager intended to harm me, which gave me the opportunity to develop the antidote to suppress it."

Without thinking twice, Wu Li grabbed the bottle and started chugging it down her throat.

The pill went down and instantly dispelled the burning desire within me, finally calming me down.

Wu Li was panting heavily, still not fully conscious, when she heard Jiang Mengxuan say:

"I will destroy the Wu Kingdom for you sooner or later. As for how to destroy it, Empress Wu doesn't need to worry about it. You just need to stay peacefully in the palace."

I will send you pills to alleviate the poison on time, in order to suppress your apricot addiction. But don't think I'll let you off so easily.

"I want you to witness with your own eyes how the Kingdom of Wu is annexed into the territory of Great Chu."

Wu Li, however, did not care at all. She simply stood up slowly and bowed to Jiang Mengxuan.

"Empress Jiang, I have one more request. On the day the Wu Kingdom is destroyed, I want to witness it all with my own eyes."

"Ah."

Jiang Mengxuan closed her eyes and responded.

The next moment, Wu Li placed the Wu Kingdom imperial seal on the table.

"Empress Jiang, with this imperial seal, I believe you can grasp the situation in Wu more quickly. This is all I can do."

After saying this, Wu Li left the imperial study in a daze.

Looking at the bluish-purple imperial seal of the Wu Kingdom, Jiang Mengxuan could only think of Shen Lang's tall and straight figure.