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

Empress Dowager Rui glanced at Mo Ting behind Jiang Qingyan, her tone tinged with anger, "Among the women in the harem whom the Emperor conferred titles today, I have never heard of a Regent Prince. How come the Regent Prince climbed into the Emperor's bed before the concubines?"

Upon hearing this, Mo Ting choked and was speechless for a moment.

Jiang Qingyan's lips twitched, her expression shifting from unnatural to extremely unnatural. This old woman was truly talking nonsense—very sarcastic and unsettling…

Suppressing her anger, Jiang Qingyan forced a smile and stepped forward to take the Empress Dowager's arm, saying, "Oh, Mother, please don't joke about the Regent. It was I who teased him; he's the victim too..."

After saying that, she stretched out her other hand behind her back and waved it at Mo Ting, signaling him to leave quickly.

Mo Ting caught her gesture, nodded to the Empress Dowager, and left Chaoyang Palace without looking back.

His intimate moments with the Emperor were repeatedly interrupted, and it would be a lie to say he wasn't angry. However, this person was, after all, the Emperor's birth mother, so he couldn't do anything about it and could only swallow his anger silently.

Seeing Mo Ting leave, Empress Dowager Rui's tightly furrowed brows finally relaxed slightly. She glared at Jiang Qingyan and said unhappily, "Why does the Emperor like that Mo Ting so much? What stage have you two reached?"

Jiang Qingyan avoided the Empress Dowager's gaze and said calmly, "Mother, don't worry. I only kissed him, I didn't do anything else, really!"

The Empress Dowager nodded in relief. "As long as he is unaware that you are a woman, then things will be easy."

Jiang Qingyan asked in confusion, "What's so easy about it?"

"Now that your recapture of the southern border has spread throughout the city, your prestige among civil and military officials and the common people has greatly increased."

The Empress Dowager walked to the bedside of the Imperial Concubine and sat down, and continued, "I think that the Emperor will not need anyone else to assist him in the future."

Upon hearing this, Jiang Qingyan's expression stiffened. Did the Empress Dowager mean to remove Mo Ting from his position as regent? But if Mo Ting wasn't regent anymore... he'd revert to being prime minister? It wouldn't make much of a difference...

Ultimately, the Empress Dowager's idea was also Jiang Qingyan's long-held wish. She never liked being restrained in her actions, and if she held all the power, she would definitely make a great show of her abilities.

Seeing that Jiang Qingyan did not object, the Empress Dowager smiled with satisfaction. "Since the Emperor has no other opinions, then I will handle this matter."

Jiang Qingyan nodded and smiled faintly, "It is up to Mother Empress to decide."

After reaching a consensus, Empress Dowager Rui was too lazy to stay in Chaoyang Palace any longer. She gestured for Yinxing to help her up and then strode away.

Thinking that she would be the only one in power in the court from now on, Jiang Qingyan jumped up excitedly, "Yay! No one will control me anymore!"

"Empress Dowager, the Emperor did not ask you how to deal with the Regent. He probably still thinks the Regent can return to the position of Prime Minister, right?" On the way back to Yongshou Palace, Yinxing helped the Empress Dowager and asked softly.

The Empress Dowager narrowed her eyes and sneered, "Hmph, Prime Minister? Dream on! Mo Ting has always looked down on me and the Emperor. I hate his arrogant attitude the most. This time, I'll just make him disappear completely."

Mo Ting had just returned to his residence when he received a letter from the palace, written by the Emperor:

"My dear Mo Ting, is he angry again? This time it has nothing to do with me! Don't give me the cold shoulder at tomorrow's morning court!"

Mo Ting smiled, his eyes full of joy. Unconsciously, he read it over and over again, more than a dozen times, even carefully examining the strokes of each character. This was the first handwritten letter the Emperor had ever written to him…

"Your Highness, there are Imperial Guards outside the mansion requesting an audience!" Yun Ao strode over, cupped his hands in greeting, and said.

Mo Ting folded the letter, put it in a brocade pouch, and carefully tucked it into his person.

He looked up at Yun Ao, his brow furrowing slightly. "The Embroidered Uniform Guard? Let him in."

The Imperial Guards always trained in the palace and were not allowed to leave the palace without an imperial edict stamped with the imperial seal. How could they have come to his Regent's Palace?

Just as Mo Ting was racking his brains trying to figure it out, a Jinyiwei (Imperial Guard) wearing tattered flying fish robes and with a face filthy black walked in with a limp.

Upon seeing Mo Ting, he immediately knelt down and said in a deep voice, "This subordinate deserves to die. I have failed His Majesty and the Regent's expectations and have no face to return to the palace. I have come here to beg the Regent for my life..."

Mo Ting was even more confused. He said coldly, "You might as well tell the truth."

Then, the Imperial Guard revealed in detail how Lu Nian had taken the imperial edict and ordered him to lead ten Imperial Guards to launch a surprise attack on the southern border...

This also includes the detailed description of Lu Nian being ambushed by Xia Bing midway, suffering serious injuries, being rescued by the girl, and then being abandoned by the strategist Yi Luo who went to find Lu Nian with a strange man…

Mo Ting's face was frighteningly gloomy, and he couldn't help but exude an extremely cold aura, which frightened the Imperial Guard so much that he collapsed to the ground.

So that's why the Emperor wanted the Imperial Seal that day... So the intimacy that day was fake, and the Empress Dowager sending someone to summon her was also premeditated. It turns out she and Lu Nian had been secretly seeing each other for a long time...

It turns out that everything... was a lie... even the so-called "liking" was probably a lie too...

Mo Ting's heart sank as if weightless, until it plummeted to the bottom... How could someone like him so easily trust a policeman's sincerity? He even foolishly fell for him...

He took a deep breath and slowly exhaled, showing no sign of anything unusual in front of the Imperial Guards, but a barely perceptible dimness flashed in his eyes.

Mo Ting said in a deep voice, "Alright, you should go back to the palace now. Whether to reward or punish is up to the Emperor to decide."

Seeing that Mo Ting did not react, the Imperial Guards hesitated for a moment, but still left the Regent's Palace and returned to the palace.

Inside the Chaoyang Palace, Eunuch Wang was holding the green nameplates of Ning Ruyu and Gulimi, standing beside Jiang Qingyan waiting for her to choose her bedmate for the night.

After much deliberation, Jiang Qingyan ultimately chose Ning Ruyu. Although she was eager to see Gulimi's appearance, given the deep-seated hatred she shared with him, it was best to avoid meeting her.

She was still the obedient and gentle Ning Ruyu, nestled quietly in Jiang Qingyan's arms, and the two slept soundly through the night…

As dawn broke, Jiang Qingyan sat on the dragon throne early, waiting for Mo Ting's arrival. As soon as the Empress Dowager left yesterday, she wrote a letter and sent it to the Regent's Palace. She thought he wouldn't be angry today!

Just then, Mo Ting, dressed in black robes, strode into the Taihe Hall. His face was so gloomy it was almost frightening, and he was even more indifferent than he had been a few days ago.

Jiang Qingyan frowned. This shouldn't be... Didn't she write him a letter to coax him? Could it be that he didn't read the letter?

Seeing Mo Ting approach, Jiang Qingyan quickly put on a smile and waved to him: "Good morning, Mo Ting! Did you receive the letter I wrote to you yesterday? I explained it to you! Please don't be angry~"

Mo Ting seemed not to hear him, and without saying a word, walked straight to his seat, turned around, flicked his sleeves, and looked indifferently at the audience.

Jiang Qingyan stared at his retreating figure, feeling increasingly frustrated. Why did every morning court session have to be a nightmare of chasing after her husband? She was about to break!