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

Seeing everyone still chatting idly, Yi Luo grew anxious. "Yu Ying, as a loyal bodyguard, knows too many military secrets. Now that he's in the Empress Dowager's palace, killing him to silence him won't be so easy..."

Jiang Qingyan took a sip of tea and said calmly, "What are you afraid of? I'll go to Yongshou Palace to take a look."

Mo Ting and Lu Nian said in unison, "I will go with my husband."

Jiang Qingyan took their hands and said with a light laugh, "No need, you two can just sit here and wait for me to come back, but... no physical contact is allowed!"

Upon hearing this, Mo Ting and Lu Nian both looked exasperated. What kind of time was this for their husbands to be joking with them...?

Yi Luo and Lü Yao, who were standing nearby, were filled with questions. Had the Empress and the Consort gotten so close that they were having frequent physical contact?

Jiang Qingyan walked out of Chaoyang Palace alone, leaving the four of them sitting anxiously in the courtyard.

Upon arriving outside Yongshou Palace, Jiang Qingyan summoned Ling Feng and ordered him to stand guard outside, ready to act if necessary.

Before Yinxing could announce her arrival, Jiang Qingyan pushed open the door and entered.

Hearing someone enter, the man inside was startled and hurriedly looked up at Jiang Qingyan.

After seeing the man's face clearly, Jiang Qingyan was even more stunned. Holy crap! How could it be Yu Ying?

Along the way, she imagined a thousand different ways Yu Ying and Xia Meier would be tortured by the Empress Dowager, but she never expected the plot to turn out like this...

The good thing was suddenly interrupted. The Empress Dowager's face turned ferocious. She pointed at Jiang Qingyan and roared, "You unfilial son, get out of here right now!"

Jiang Qingyan's lips twitched slightly, and she said casually, "I'm here to pick them up. I'll be leaving soon."

After saying that, he glanced at Yu Ying, whose eyes were full of terror, and Xia Meier, whose face was pale, and said coldly, "What are you standing there for? Why aren't you coming out?"

Upon hearing this, Yu Ying scrambled off the bed and hurriedly helped Xia Meier up, preparing to leave.

The Empress Dowager sat up abruptly, her anger intensifying: "Without my order, who dares to step out of this palace?"

Jiang Qingyan chuckled lightly, "The person I want, no one can keep."

The Empress Dowager said coldly, "It seems that I have been too lenient with the Emperor lately, making you forget the hierarchy of seniority."

Having said that, he pulled on an outer robe and shouted loudly towards the door, "Someone, bring the family law!"

Jiang Qingyan stood calmly in place, looking at the Empress Dowager with her arms crossed and a playful smile on her lips.

A moment later, the door was suddenly kicked open, and Ginkgo rolled straight in, lying on the ground clutching her chest and spitting out a mouthful of blood.

Then Ling Feng strode in, cupped his hands in greeting to Jiang Qingyan, and said, "Your Majesty, I don't know if it's necessary now..."

Jiang Qingyan pinched Ling Feng's chin, lifted his head, and lightly kissed his lips. "The timing is just right."

The Empress Dowager was stunned. Looking at the severely injured Ginkgo on the ground, her tone softened, "Emperor... are you going to commit matricide...?"

Jiang Qingyan sneered, "Mother, don't be afraid. I wouldn't kill my mother over something like this. I'm not a psychopath..."

At this moment, Ling Feng took out a whip from his waist and handed it to Jiang Qingyan, saying, "This is something that the aunt on the ground had. I think it is very exquisite and I was thinking of giving it to the Emperor."

Jiang Qingyan took the whip and gently stroked it, a murderous intent rising in her eyes. This was the whip the original owner had been frequently used to beat her since childhood; she too had tasted the pain of being whipped by it...

Looking at the few remaining congealed blood clots in the whip, Jiang Qingyan stared at the terrified Yinxing on the ground with a half-smile, and said coldly, "Aunt Yinxing is very good at wielding the whip. Now that I'm all grown up, I'd like to play with my aunt too."

Despite the excruciating pain, Ginkgo struggled to back away, muttering, "No...don't..."

Jiang Qingyan raised the whip and lashed it down hard with all her might. Instantly, the only sound in the hall could be the painful screams of Yinxing.

Xia Meier had already fainted from the scene before her. Yu Ying quickly picked her up and stood aside, trembling all over.

The Empress Dowager sat frozen on the bed, her heart filled with immense pain, for Ginkgo had served her closely since childhood.

It was clear that the emperor had gone mad with violence, and she dared not step forward to stop him; she could only watch helplessly.

After pulling for an unknown amount of time, Jiang Qingyan was completely exhausted, and her arm was so painful that she couldn't lift it, as if it had been dislocated. Only then did she slowly stop.

Ling Feng took the whip from her hand and gently massaged her arm.

Jiang Qingyan gasped for breath and sneered, "Aunt Yinxing, how does it feel? Does the whip feel good? From now on, I will send someone to whip you every day, using this whip. What do you think?"

Yinxing lay on the ground, pale and covered in blood, too weak to speak.

Jiang Qingyan took a deep breath and looked at the Empress Dowager again, "Mother Empress Dowager likes to see this kind of scene, so from now on, every day, I will have someone whip Aunt Yinxing in front of you to satisfy your SM desires. How about that? Don't you think I am filial to Heaven and Earth?"

Ignoring the Empress Dowager's livid face, Jiang Qingyan laughed loudly as she left Yongshou Palace. Before leaving, she reminded the eunuch to quickly summon the imperial physician and make sure to treat Aunt Yinxing well.

Only by keeping this dog alive can it be beaten for a few more days.

Upon returning to Chaoyang Palace, Ling Feng retreated into the shadows alone, while Yu Ying knelt down with a thud while holding Xia Meier.

Yi Luo quickly asked, "Yu Ying, what are you doing in the Empress Dowager's palace?"

Yu Ying lowered his eyes and said, "This subordinate deserves to die. That day, I was momentarily confused and infatuated, and I couldn't control myself. I...consummated my marriage with Lady Xia..."

Upon hearing this, Green Medicine was astonished. No wonder the Emperor was so indifferent to Consort Xia; it turned out she couldn't bear the loneliness and was having an affair behind the Emperor's back...

Yi Luo glanced at Jiang Qingyan, who was sitting on Mo Ting's lap drinking tea. Seeing that she didn't care at all, she guessed that she didn't have any feelings for that Xia beauty either.

Yi Luo coughed lightly: "Let's put that matter aside for now. Have you spoken to the Empress Dowager about matters in the army? Answer truthfully."

Yu Ying quickly shook his head, his face full of sincerity, and said, "No, I only heard from my spies that Consort Xia was punished by the Empress Dowager to kneel for half a day. I was afraid something might happen to her, so I couldn't help but go to save her..."

Jiang Qingyan chuckled and teased, "You're not exactly good-looking, but you're quite the romantic. You're a man of feeling and loyalty."

At this moment, Xia Meier slowly woke up and saw that she was lying in Yu Ying's arms, and the Emperor and Empress were also there. She was so frightened that she quickly broke free from his embrace and knelt down to the side.

Jiang Qingyan gestured for Lvyao to come over and take her pulse. After a moment, Lvyao said softly, "Xia Meiren and her unborn child are both fine. She's just a little weak from kneeling for so long. She'll recover after a few days of rest."