Having many handsome men means no worries; pampering them all keeps me in good spirits.

The next day, after having breakfast, Lu Nian and Gulimi were about to get up and return to their own palaces when Liang Cheng walked in with the engraved playing cards.

Jiang Qingyan excitedly went over to greet him, picked up two playing cards and looked at them, and couldn't help but praise, "Liang Cheng, your hands are truly a treasure! You can engrave these playing cards so smoothly and delicately!"

Suddenly praised by the Emperor, Liang Cheng scratched his head somewhat embarrassedly, "Your Majesty... I'm glad you like it..."

Jiang Qingyan smiled and said, "I like it, I must like it!"

He then invited everyone to sit down at the stone table in the courtyard.

Jiang Qingyan arranged the playing cards, explaining the value of each card and teaching them several ways to play.

Gulimie excitedly looked up at Mo Ting and Lu Nian, and said impatiently, "Did you two brothers understand? If you did, let's begin!"

Mo Ting and Lu Nian nodded with light smiles, and the three of them started playing Dou Dizhu (a popular Chinese card game). They quickly became proficient, and the courtyard was filled with laughter and joy.

Seeing that they had found some amusement to pass the time, Jiang Qingyan decided it would be better to take the initiative to find Shen Yuan, lest he suddenly come over and say something inappropriate to provoke Mo Ting...

She coughed lightly, "I'm going out to run some errands. You three have fun for now..."

Upon hearing this, all three paused and looked at Jiang Qingyan.

Mo Ting suddenly remembered that Shen Meiren had said yesterday that she would come again today. He figured her husband didn't want him to come again, so he was thinking of taking the initiative to find him...

He said softly, "Then my husband, please go and come back quickly. I'll wait for you to return so we can have lunch together."

Seeing that Mo Ting had said so, Lu Nian and Gulimi didn't say anything more, and the three of them continued playing the game of Landlord.

As soon as she reached the entrance of Zhanghua Hall, Jiang Qingyan began to feel extremely uncomfortable.

It's strange, but in the past, she was always the one who took the initiative to seduce handsome men, and she enjoyed it even though it took some time...

This was the first time she'd ever seen someone so eager to throw themselves into her arms, and one of the most exceptional of all. It made her hesitant to make a move…

At this moment, Eunuch Wang announced loudly, "The Emperor has arrived!"

Then, the doors of the main hall and the side hall opened simultaneously, and Yun Yuxuan and Shen Yuan walked out of their respective sleeping quarters together.

Yun Yuxuan was the first to cup his hands and say, "Greetings, Your Majesty..."

Shen Yuan glanced at Yun Yuxuan first, then strode forward, took Jiang Qingyan's hand, and led her back to his own bedchamber.

Yun Yuxuan and Eunuch Wang were left standing there, stunned. They exchanged a glance and smiled politely.

Yun Yuxuan glanced at the tightly closed door of the side hall, lost in thought. The Emperor had become so close to the Grand Wizard…

Inside the side hall, Jiang Qingyan pulled her hand back from Shen Yuan's grasp, frowning as she said, "Just talk, why do you always have to get physical?"

Shen Yuan's hand suddenly felt empty, and he said with a look of grievance in his eyes, "I'm your man, can't I even touch you? What a heartless man..."

Jiang Qingyan gave a speechless twitch of the corner of her mouth, walked straight to the small couch and sat down, and said seriously, "Alright, let's get down to business. Do you have any plans for seizing the throne?"

Shen Yuan smiled, poured a cup of tea and handed it to Jiang Qingyan, saying softly, "Seven days from now is the coronation ceremony of Queen Xia. At that time, all the kings, nobles and generals will come to the palace to pay homage. The guards in the palace will also be less vigilant that day. At night, you should send a few skilled men with me to enter the palace through the secret passage. Then, we will quietly enter King Xia's bedchamber and kill him."

Jiang Qingyan took a sip of tea, pondered for a moment, and said, "I will have someone disguise you then. You can't end up looking like a traitor."

Shen Yuan curled his lips into a smile. "Are you concerned about me?"

Jiang Qingyan rolled her eyes at him: "If you have nothing to do with this matter, then you can stand up and recommend Yun Yuxuan to ascend the throne."

Upon hearing this, Shen Yuan looked disappointed and said, "Oh... then when I assassinated King Xia, you weren't worried about my safety?"

Jiang Qingyan looked at Shen Yuan's drooping head and pursed her lips. "You're so amazing, you'll definitely come back safely, right?"

It would be a lie to say I wasn't worried. Although Shen Yuan was always so unserious and somewhat wicked, he was undeniably stunningly beautiful...

Wouldn't it be a pity if he really died, or was disfigured...?

Hearing Jiang Qingyan say this, Shen Yuan was secretly overjoyed, but on the surface he still pretended to be deep and serious.

He slowly raised his eyes, staring into Jiang Qingyan's eyes, and murmured, "Actually... I'm not as amazing as you think... I just want to do my best for you, even if it costs me my life..."

Jiang Qingyan's heart skipped a beat. Shen Yuan's change in demeanor was too outrageous! Yesterday he was bragging about how awesome he was in Xia Kingdom, and today he's not so great anymore?

Seeing that Jiang Qingyan seemed somewhat suspicious, Shen Yuan gently loosened the sash and took off his outer robe...

Jiang Qingyan's eyes widened, and she quickly stopped her, saying, "Stop! What are you doing taking off your clothes in broad daylight?"

Shen Yuan ignored him and continued to remove his clothes one by one...

Jiang Qingyan said "stop," but her gaze never left Chen Yuan, and she even seemed to be looking forward to it...

Yesterday, Shen Yuan said his size was similar to Mo Ting's, and she wanted to verify if it was true...

After the last undergarment was removed, he was left wearing only his underpants…

Jiang Qingyan was still anticipating the size of the underwear when she saw Shen Yuan stop, and for a moment she felt a little disappointed...

Shen Yuan pointed to the five finger marks on his chest and said aggrievedly, "Look, this is from when the Empress hit me yesterday. After returning from Chaoyang Palace, my heart started pounding, and I even had trouble breathing..."

In fact, Mo Ting did use 10% of his internal force when he pushed him yesterday. If an ordinary person had been hit like that, they would definitely have had to stay in bed for several days. But for Shen Yuan, it was nothing.

He deliberately drew five finger marks on his chest with dye, a self-inflicted injury to evoke the emperor's pity...

Jiang Qingyan stared at Shen Yuan's strong, snow-white chest, and then looked at the five finger marks imprinted on it, and felt a strange pang of heartache.

Then I remembered how Ling Feng was almost kicked to death by Mo Ting, and it took him a long time to recover from his injuries…

Although Shen Yuan appears to have a muscular build, his skin is delicate and smooth, suggesting his martial arts skills are probably not very good. Look at that big finger mark on his chest; it must have hurt terribly…

Finally noticing the worry on Jiang Qingyan's face, Shen Yuan secretly curled his lips in satisfaction.

He slowly walked up to Jiang Qingyan, took her hand and placed it on his chest, then leaned down and whispered in her ear, "Feel it... my heart is pounding so hard..."

Feeling the strong heaving of Shen Yuan's chest, Jiang Qingyan frowned slightly. Could it be that Shen Yuan had suffered a heart attack from Mo Ting's beating?

Shen Yuan drew closer and closer, finally wrapping his arms around Jiang Qingyan's back and leaning down to gently kiss her lips...