Daming: After self-explosive time travel, Lao Zhu's mentality collapsed

Xiaolan slowly raised her head and looked at Chuze, her eyes full of awe and admiration.

Chu Ze looked at Xiaolan's clear eyes, and his heart moved. He suddenly felt that Xiaolan was much more pleasing to the eye than Wang Yuyan.

"Xiaolan, are you willing to stay with me?" Chu Ze asked.

Xiaolan was stunned. She didn't expect Chu Ze to make such a request.

"Your Majesty, I..." Xiaolan hesitated.

"What? You don't want to?" Chu Ze's tone turned cold again.

"I am willing! I am willing!" Xiaolan said quickly.

"Okay, from today on, you will stay by my side and serve me." Chu Ze said.

"Thank you, Your Majesty!" Xiaolan said excitedly.

Chu Ze looked at Xiaolan's delighted expression, and the corners of his mouth slightly raised. He thought to himself, maybe Xiaolan was the woman he really wanted.

In the following days, Xiaolan served Chuze every step of the way. She was gentle, considerate and empathetic, making Chuze feel the long-lost warmth.

Chu Ze became more and more fond of Xiaolan, even more than Queen Wang Yuyan.

When Wang Yuyan learned about this, she was burning with jealousy. She was unwilling to be outdone by a lowly palace maid, so she began to plot to frame Xiaolan.

One day, Wang Yuyan deliberately spoke ill of Xiaolan in front of Chu Ze, saying that Xiaolan had stolen her jewelry.

Chu Ze was furious when he heard this and ordered a thorough investigation of the matter.

After some investigation, the truth came out. It turned out that Wang Yuyan hid the jewelry herself and then framed Xiaolan.

After Chu Ze learned the truth, he was completely disappointed with Wang Yuyan. He ordered Wang Yuyan to be banished to the cold palace and never stand up again.

Xiaolan was canonized as a noble concubine by Chu Ze, whose status was second only to that of the queen.

However, just when Chu Ze thought he had finally found true love, something unexpected happened... Xiaolan became pregnant, but the child was not Chu Ze's.

Chu Ze felt a chill running from his feet to his head. Xiaolan was pregnant, but the child was not his! He was furious and grabbed Xiaolan's collar, "Bitch! Tell me! Whose child is this?!"

Xiaolan was so scared that she was shaking all over, tears streaming down her face, but she dared not speak. She lowered her head and let Chu Ze's anger burn in her.

The hall was in complete silence, with only Chu Ze's heavy breathing and Xiao Lan's suppressed sobs. After a long while, Chu Ze finally let go of her hand and sat down dejectedly on the dragon chair.

He closed his eyes, and every moment he spent with Xiaolan came to his mind. Her gentleness, her thoughtfulness, her understanding, were they all fake? Did she approach him just to use him?
Chu Ze's heart felt like it was cut by a knife. He once thought he had found true love, but he didn't expect that it was just a scam.

"Your Majesty..." Xiaolan choked and wanted to explain, but didn't know where to start.

Chu Ze suddenly opened his eyes, his eyes filled with disappointment and anger, "What else do you have to say? I have treated you well, why did you deceive me like this?"

Xiaolan cried even harder, "Your Majesty, I was forced to do this..."

"You were forced to do so?" Chu Ze sneered, "Who forced you to do that? Tell me!"

Xiaolan hesitated for a moment, and finally mustered up the courage to say, "Yes...it's the Queen Mother..."

"Empress Dowager?" Chu Ze frowned, his heart full of doubts. Why did the Queen Dowager force Xiaolan? What was the conspiracy behind this?
"The Queen Mother...she wants to control the Emperor, so..." Xiaolan didn't dare to say any more, for she was afraid that Chu Ze would vent his anger on her.

Chu Ze understood. The Queen Mother had always been dissatisfied with him and wanted to support her son to take the throne. And Xiaolan was just a pawn in her hand.

He took a deep breath and tried to calm himself down. "Tell me, whose child is this?"

Xiaolan bit her lip and whispered, "It's... it's Eunuch Wang's..."

Eunuch Wang? Chu Ze was stunned. Eunuch Wang was the Queen Mother's confidant and a eunuch. How could Xiaolan's child be Eunuch Wang's?
"You are lying!" Chu Ze roared, "Eunuch Wang is a eunuch, how could he have a child?" Xiaolan cried and said, "Your Majesty, I am not lying. Eunuch Wang...he did not castrate himself..."

Chu Ze was shocked. He never expected that Eunuch Wang was actually a fake eunuch. And the Queen Mother actually used a fake eunuch to control herself.

He felt like a fool, being played around by the Queen Mother.

"Your Majesty..." Xiaolan looked at Chu Ze timidly, her eyes full of fear.

Chu Ze looked at Xiaolan, feeling mixed emotions. He didn't know how to deal with Xiaolan. Kill her? He couldn't do it. Let her go? He was unwilling to do it.

"Someone come here!" Chu Ze shouted.

Two guards came in, "Your Majesty, what do you want?"

"Send Xiaolan to the cold palace. No one is allowed to visit her without my order!" Chu Ze said coldly.

"Yes, sir!" The guards dragged Xiaolan away.

Chu Ze sat dejectedly on the dragon chair, feeling exhausted both physically and mentally. He originally thought that he could control everything, but he didn't expect that he would be played around by a woman.

He thought of the hypocritical face of the Queen Mother and Wang Yuyan's pretending to be delicate, and felt sick. He suddenly felt that this palace was a huge cage that trapped him and made him unable to breathe.

He wanted to escape from here, escape from this place full of conspiracy and calculation.

He stood up, walked to the window, and looked at the prosperous capital city outside, his heart full of confusion.

Just then, a figure appeared behind him.

"Your Majesty, what are you thinking about?"

Chu Ze turned around and saw the person coming. There was a flash of surprise in his eyes, "Why are you here?"

The person who came was his former study partner and current prime minister - Lin Ruofeng.

Lin Ruofeng smiled slightly, "I heard that the emperor was not feeling well, so I came to visit him."

Chu Ze smiled bitterly, "I'm fine."

Lin Ruofeng walked to Chu Ze and followed his gaze to look out the window. "Your Majesty, I know you are distressed, but you are the Son of Heaven, shouldering the responsibility of the country, you must not give up easily."

Chu Ze was silent for a moment, then said, "Ruofeng, what do you think I should do?"

Lin Ruofeng pondered for a moment, then said: "Your Majesty, if you hesitate to make a decision, you will suffer the consequences. The Queen Mother and Wang Yuyan have evil ambitions and must be eliminated as soon as possible."

A hint of coldness flashed in Chu Ze's eyes, "I know, but they are my relatives after all..."

"Your Majesty, womanly kindness will only harm yourself and the Ming Dynasty." Lin Ruofeng said in a firm tone.

Chu Ze took a deep breath, his eyes filled with determination, "You are right, I can no longer be soft-hearted."

"Your Majesty is wise!" A hint of joy flashed in Lin Ruofeng's eyes.

"Ruofeng, what are your plans?" Chu Ze asked.

Lin Ruofeng leaned close to Chu Ze's ear and whispered...

It was late at night and the palace was silent.

Chu Ze lay on the dragon bed, but couldn't fall asleep. Xiao Lan's figure kept appearing in his mind, as well as her words "I was forced to do this..."

He was filled with guilt and self-blame. He knew that Xiaolan was innocent and that she was being used by the Queen Mother. (End of this chapter)