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

Inside the Chaoyang Palace, Jiang Qingyan was fast asleep on the bed, while Mo Ting sat beside her, tucking her in and quietly watching her sleeping face.

Suddenly, Eunuch Wang's voice came from outside the door, his tone full of panic: "This servant greets the Empress Dowager! His Majesty is resting... This servant will inform you first..."

Before Eunuch Wang could finish speaking, the door was kicked open, and Empress Dowager Rui stormed toward the bed, staring intently at Mo Ting.

Mo Ting paused for a moment, then immediately stood up and bowed, saying, "Your subject greets the Empress Dowager."

Empress Dowager Rui narrowed her eyes, frowned, and said unhappily, "This Chaoyang Palace is where the Emperor rests. Why is the Regent Prince here?"

Mo Ting straightened up and said expressionlessly, "The Emperor fell asleep in the court. I will escort her back to the palace."

Empress Dowager Rui glanced at Jiang Qingyan, who was still fast asleep on the couch, raised an eyebrow, and gestured for Ginkgo to wake her up.

Yinxing understood and walked to the bedside, softly calling out, "Your Majesty, wake up, the Empress Dowager is here."

Jiang Qingyan slightly opened her eyes and vaguely saw the Empress Dowager, who was furious and dancing with anger. However, her mind was not yet clear, and she muttered, "Why is Mother coming to my palace instead of playing with those two little male concubines in her own palace? Is she just bored and visiting others because she is old?"

Upon hearing this, Mo Ting felt like laughing, but he could only suppress it. He coughed lightly with his fist to his lips, turned his head to look elsewhere, and pretended not to have heard.

Empress Dowager Rui's face turned purple with rage. She strode forward and slapped Jiang Qingyan across the face, angrily saying:

"You unfilial son, how dare you!"

Jiang Qingyan was jolted awake by the unexpected slap. She sat up abruptly, clutching her burning cheek, and glared at Empress Dowager Rui.

That old hag is at it again! Beating her in Yongshou Palace was bad enough, but today she actually chased her to her bedchamber to beat her! She's never been beaten like this before! She can't take it anymore! Today she has to fight her to the death!

Thinking this to himself, he leaped up from the couch, grabbed a vase, and prepared to crack open the old hag's head. Then, he closed one eye and aimed at Empress Dowager Rui's head...

Mo Ting was also stunned by the slap. He had heard that the Empress Dowager was always very strict with the Emperor, but he never expected her to be so unrestrained in beating and scolding him at every turn...

Mo Ting quickly stepped in front of Jiang Qingyan and said sternly, "Empress Dowager, please have some self-respect! The Emperor is the ruler of the country; how can he be beaten and scolded at will?"

Seeing Mo Ting standing in front of her, Jiang Qingyan silently put down the vase in her hand. If she didn't throw it accurately and accidentally hurt Mo Ting, it would be a huge loss...

"The Emperor is my son, and I can do whatever I want with him!" After saying this, Empress Dowager Rui raised her hand again, wanting to slap him again, but this time she failed.

Mo Ting grabbed Empress Dowager Rui's arm, his voice filled with anger, and said, "Empress Dowager, please have some self-respect!"

"Hmph!" Empress Dowager Rui shook off Mo Ting's hand. "What is the Regent trying to do? Is he planning a rebellion?"

"I only hope that the Empress Dowager can respect the Emperor," Mo Ting said neither humbly nor arrogantly.

"Respect?" Empress Dowager Rui sneered. "When did it become your place to interfere in the affairs between my son and me, a mere subject?"

Empress Dowager Rui glared at Mo Ting and said, "Regent, don't forget your place. In this harem, I am still the one who calls the shots!"

The Regent narrowed his eyes and said in a deep voice, "The Empress Dowager is right. No one in the inner palace dares to disobey her, but the Emperor is the ruler of the country, and the world ultimately belongs to the Emperor."

Speaking of Empress Dowager Rui, the original owner's memories were filled with fear and obedience. She was not very clear about how snobbish she was, only that the Empress Dowager held absolute power in the harem, but she never directly interfered in court affairs...

Jiang Qingyan got off the bed, walked up to Empress Dowager Rui and sneered, "If Mother thinks I am beneath her, then depose me as emperor. I will immediately pass the throne to the Regent. With his abilities, he is definitely more suitable to be emperor than I am."

After saying that, he turned and glanced at the Regent, observing his reaction.

"Your Majesty, you must never say such things again! How can the throne be treated as a child's play and given away so easily? I have never had such thoughts. I only want to assist Your Majesty well..." Mo Ting's expression was extremely serious, so serious that Jiang Qingyan finally felt completely at ease and believed in his loyalty.

"But my mother is very dissatisfied with me! If I continue to be the emperor, I'm afraid it will shorten her lifespan by at least ten years!" Jiang Qingyan said sarcastically.

Empress Dowager Rui was speechless for a moment, then slightly toned down her arrogant attitude and quickly changed the subject, "Alright, Your Majesty, there's no need for that. I didn't say you were a bad emperor, but I heard that the Regent Prince slept with me last night?"

"So what if it is?" Jiang Qingyan said coldly.

"Emperor, don't forget your place!" Empress Dowager Rui glared at Mo Ting and said, "Don't be tempted by the Regent's appearance and do something wrong! If you like, I can send you a few handsome young men."

"Mother, I am naturally aware of my own identity," Jiang Qingyan said, enunciating each word clearly. "But I don't want anyone else; I only want him."

Upon hearing this, Mo Ting's heart trembled. The Emperor had just said... she didn't want anyone else, only him... He couldn't help but twitch his lips slightly.

Empress Dowager Rui was about to say something when Jiang Qingyan interrupted her.

"Alright, Mother, it's getting late. You should go back and have your meal. There's no need to discuss this matter further. I have many official duties to attend to, so I won't see you off."

After saying that, Jiang Qingyan turned and left Chaoyang Palace.

Mo Ting glanced at Empress Dowager Rui and followed Jiang Qingyan out. Empress Dowager Rui was left alone in the room, stomping her feet in anger.

"This unfilial son dares to talk back to me like this!"

"Your Majesty, please don't be angry, lest you harm your health." Yinxing quickly stepped forward to support the Empress Dowager's arm and whispered, "The Emperor has always listened to you, but now his personality has changed drastically. I'm afraid he's been instigated by that Regent!"

The Empress Dowager narrowed her eyes, a ruthless glint in them. "If that's truly the case, then Mo Ting cannot be allowed to live... In the past, out of respect for the late Emperor, I would have been somewhat wary of him, but now..."

After leaving Chaoyang Palace, Jiang Qingyan went to Yangxin Palace to handle government affairs. After all, she needed to find something serious to do in order to escape that annoying old hag Chaoxiong.

Mo Ting followed her in and stood quietly to the side, watching Jiang Qingyan work diligently, a slight smile creeping onto his lips.

He knew that the Emperor had truly changed; he had not only become smarter and braver, but also more attentive to state affairs, and everything was moving in a positive direction…

Suddenly, Jiang Qingyan touched her burning right cheek and shouted loudly to Eunuch Wang outside the door:

"Old Wang, bring me a mirror!"

Only then did Mo Ting remember that Jiang Qingyan's face had just been slapped by the Empress Dowager, and he couldn't help but feel a pang of heartache...

But the Empress Dowager was just a woman confined to the palace, so even if she used force, it couldn't be that strong. However, the Emperor had delicate skin and was probably hurt...