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

Jiang Qingyan smiled and patted Eunuch Wang on the shoulder, "Don't worry, Old Wang, from now on, as long as I have a bite of meat, you'll definitely get a sip of soup!"

After saying that, he strode towards the outside of the hall, only to run into Lu Nian who was rushing over.

Jiang Qingyan raised an eyebrow. What was Lu Nian doing here at this time? After thinking for a moment, she suddenly slapped her forehead. Oh no! She forgot to make him a green nameplate! She couldn't help but feel a little guilty.

Jiang Qingyan forced a sheepish smile and said softly, "Lu Nian... your green-headed sign is being made, don't rush it..."

Lu Nian frowned, his face grave, and said, "Your Majesty, something has happened at the Regent's Palace!"

Jiang Qingyan's smile froze, and she grabbed Lu Nian's hand. "What? What happened at the Regent's Palace? Lu Nian, tell me quickly!"

"The Regent's Palace has been raided! I heard that the Regent embezzled public funds and accepted bribes from officials during his tenure, and all the servants have been arrested and interrogated!" Lu Nian replied hastily.

Jiang Qingyan's heart sank. Mo Ting was always aloof; why would he be interested in money? There must be something fishy about this!

"What about Mo Tingren? Is he still in the Regent's Palace?" Jiang Qingyan's voice trembled slightly.

Lu Nian lowered her eyes and said, "He... has already been taken away by the Dali Temple for interrogation..."

Jiang Qingyan's foot slipped and she almost fell, but luckily Lu Nian caught her in time.

Jiang Qingyan knew that all of this was the Empress Dowager's doing. So this was what the Empress Dowager meant when she said "easy to handle" last time… She never imagined that the price of regaining power would be harming Mo Ting…

Lu Nian looked nervously at Jiang Qingyan, who had collapsed into his arms, a pang of sorrow rising in his heart. He knew the Emperor favored Mo Ting, but he hadn't realized Mo Ting was so important to her…

Jiang Qingyan took a deep breath, trying to calm herself down. Now, the only thing she could do was to go to the Empress Dowager to ask for clarification and then find a way to protect Mo Ting.

"Lu Nian, you should go back first. I need to go to Yongshou Palace." Jiang Qingyan's eyes turned slightly cold, as if she had made a decision.

Lu Nian's heart trembled. He knew that the Emperor's trip would inevitably lead to a conflict with the Empress Dowager. Although the Emperor had just regained real power, his foundation was still unstable, and it was indeed a bit too hasty to confront the Empress Dowager.

Thinking of the whip marks on the Emperor's back from last time, Lu Nian's eyes couldn't help but redden...

But he also understood that Mo Ting was so important to the Emperor, and if he interfered too much, he might incur the Emperor's displeasure...

After a moment's thought, Lu Nian said with a firm look in his eyes, "Your humble servant will go with you."

Jiang Qingyan looked up at Lu Nian, a strange feeling welling up inside her. Come to think of it… Mo Ting was her rival in love…

Jiang Qingyan patted Lu Nian's arm and said softly, "Lu Nian, you are just as important to me. I don't want you to be in danger. Go back first. I know what I'm doing. Nothing will happen. Trust me."

Lu Nian's eyes flickered slightly; he was also very important to the Emperor…

"Your Majesty, I trust you, but I will not leave. I will wait for Your Majesty to return at Chaoyang Palace."

Jiang Qingyan nodded, gave him a light kiss on the lips, and strode towards Yongshou Palace.

"Didn't the Emperor come to pay his respects to me? Why has he returned?" Empress Dowager Rui asked casually as she saw Jiang Qingyan rushing over.

Jiang Qingyan forced a smile as she walked to Empress Dowager Rui's bedside and sat down, saying softly, "Mother, I heard that the Regent's Palace was raided. Was that your doing?"

The Empress Dowager glanced at her and said indifferently, "The Regent is corrupt and accepting bribes. I am only doing this to clean up the court of corrupt officials for the sake of the Emperor."

Jiang Qingyan really wanted to curse him out. Mo Ting embezzled and accepted bribes? This old woman was truly "all talk and no action!"

But she could only take a deep breath, trying her best to keep her expression completely expressionless.

"So, what does the Empress Dowager intend to do with the Regent?"

The Empress Dowager took a sip of tea and said, "Kill him."

Jiang Qingyan's heart skipped a beat, and she almost dropped the teacup in her hand. She managed to catch it in her panic, but the scalding tea instantly burned her hand, making it red and swollen.

The Empress Dowager frowned, took out a handkerchief from her bosom and tossed it to Jiang Qingyan, "It's just a teacup. If it falls to the ground and breaks, just let it break. Why bother reaching out to catch it?"

Jiang Qingyan knew perfectly well that the Empress Dowager wasn't just referring to the teacup, but was subtly alluding to Mo Ting…

She picked up a handkerchief to wipe her hands, curled the corners of her lips into a forced smile, and said to the Empress Dowager in a coquettish tone, "My dear, kind, and beautiful mother, since Mo Ting's power is gone and he will no longer be a threat to me and you, why not bestow him upon me?"

The Empress Dowager squinted at Jiang Qingyan, expecting the Emperor to make a scene after learning about the matter. Instead, he fawned over her, leaving her somewhat at a loss.

If the emperor had come and questioned her directly, it would have been resolved with a whipping. But now that she was so calm and composed, if she refused, wouldn't that have damaged the relationship between mother and son?

After a moment's thought, the Empress Dowager asked, "Then how does the Emperor intend to deal with Mo Ting?"

Upon hearing that there was a glimmer of hope, Jiang Qingyan quickly replied, "Mo Ting has the talent to govern the country. I have only recently regained real power, and I still need his assistance in many matters. How about... letting him serve as a prime minister without real power?"

The Empress Dowager frowned and immediately rejected the idea, saying, "No! He can't stay in the court, lest he grow powerful and seek revenge in the future. However... if he were to be a plaything in the Emperor's harem, always under my watchful eye, I might reluctantly agree."

"Alright! Then I will take him back to the harem!" Jiang Qingyan happily agreed and hurried to the Dali Temple.

The Empress Dowager stared at Jiang Qingyan's back, thinking to herself: Why do I have a feeling that I've been tricked by the Emperor?

In truth, Jiang Qingyan knew that the Empress Dowager would never allow Mo Ting to return to court as an official, but if she didn't say so, it probably wouldn't be so easy to get Mo Ting into the harem...

"The Emperor has arrived!" Before Eunuch Wang could finish speaking, Jiang Qingyan had already rushed into the Dali Temple.

Upon seeing the Emperor arrive, everyone was so frightened that they immediately bowed their heads and knelt down, shouting, "Long live the Emperor! Long live the Emperor! Long live the Emperor!"

Jiang Qingyan looked around and didn't see the Minister of the Court of Judicial Review. He must have gone to interrogate Mo Ting himself. She grabbed a guard by the collar and said coldly, "Where is Mo Ting being held? Take me there right now!"

The guard trembled with fear, stammering, "He's...he's...he's..."

Jiang Qingyan slapped him hard across the face, her eyes filled with murderous intent. "Tell me where Mo Ting is! If you keep dawdling, I'll exterminate your entire family!"

The guard slumped to the ground, raised his index finger and pointed southeast, still stammering, "In...in...the torture chamber..."

Jiang Qingyan looked up at the large blue gate in the southeast direction. She had long heard that the interrogation methods of the Dali Temple were extremely cruel, but she never expected that they would directly lock Mo Ting in the torture chamber...

She dared not waste a second any longer, practically rushing over. She kicked open the torture chamber door with a vengeance, and what she saw before her left her frozen in place...