Counting on your fingers, the fifth marriage is coming

Xu Shanshan made a "pardon" gesture with his left hand, and the civil and military officials who had been nailed to the ground and kneeling for a long time suddenly relaxed and staggered forward uncontrollably.

"Ouch!"

This fall was like a dog eating shit, and even his self-esteem was shattered to the ground.

Their faces were red and white, and their hearts were extremely complicated. They looked at each other, and countless thoughts exchanged with each other in an instant, and no less than a hundred thoughts came into their mind.

Finally, these shrewd people who had always been good at changing their attitudes according to the situation in the court finally understood the current situation. They lifted the hem of their court robes, and the first thing they did when they got up was not to save face, but to rush to the "safe haven" of the Empress Dowager.

Then...he hid behind her and complained weakly.

"Grand Empress Dowager, Your Majesty, she, she wants to kill us."

As soon as one person speaks, countless others will quietly emerge and follow.

"Yes, yes, please save us."

"If you don't save us, His Majesty will never let us go."

The Queen Mother wondered, wasn't she here to support Shen'er? How did she end up saving these usually arrogant ministers?

"No, it's impossible, right?"

"Really, if she doesn't kill us, she will make us into puppets, not giving us food or water, not letting us have any ideas, and just asking us to work hard until we die." A military officer burst into tears.

"Grand Empress Dowager, look, a general was just executed by His Majesty!"

The scene was simply horrific.

The Empress Dowager was stunned and could only follow their instigation. She looked in the direction they pointed, and saw a headless male corpse kneeling upright there. She immediately gasped.

The Empress Dowager cautiously asked, "Shen'er, what they said... is it true?"

Xu Shanshan led a group of people to pay respect to the Grand Empress Dowager, who called out "Grandma, how are you?" and then replied, "Yes."

The Empress Dowager glanced back and saw that all the ministers were shocked and frightened, but speechless. They looked like cowards who were oppressed but dared not resist.

The Empress Dowager curled her lips and said deliberately: "Is there really such a magic? That would be great..."

"Grand Empress Dowager, you can't do that—"

They all roared in unison, which frightened the Empress Dowager.

"Aunt, you won't save me either?"

"Aunt, you can't just watch your eldest sister's child die at the hands of your grandson."

Anyone who could establish a relationship would rush forward to acknowledge her as a relative, fearing that if they were a step late they would be ruthlessly "sold" by the Empress Dowager.

When the Empress Dowager saw how afraid they were of Shen'er, she knew that these people had been completely subdued by Shen'er, and now all that was left was for her to clean up the mess.

She cleared her throat, and her warm and nostalgic eyes fell on Xu Shanshan. Her face had indeed changed, but the look, demeanor, and power were still hers.

"Shen'er, you have just returned to the palace, and you still need the assistance of many talents. These ministers have worked hard for the court for many years. Even if their merits are not counted, they have worked hard. Please let them go."

Xu Shanshan's expression remained unchanged: "But grandmother, my court will not support traitors and people with two minds, who are not loyal to me, even if they are founding ministers, I will kill them-"

"Plop!" This time, everyone knelt down impatiently and shouted at the top of their lungs, "Your Majesty, please return to the palace. Long live the emperor!"

Loyal, they are absolutely loyal.

The whole Shenwu Gate was united in welcoming the return of Emperor Yue with a solemn scene. The Empress Dowager stepped forward and held Xu Shanshan's hand. She smiled with deep emotion and said, "Welcome back. I have waited so long for you to finally come back."

-

Yanshou Palace

The Empress Dowager led Xu Shanshan to the bed in the bedroom. The palace servants filed out one after another, leaving only the two of them, quietly looking at the person lying on the bed.

"Shen'er, will he never wake up?"

"Do you want him to wake up?"

The Empress Dowager was stumped by Xu Shanshan's question.

She was stunned for a moment, then suddenly laughed hoarsely: "I am old and confused, why would I wake up? With a sick and dying body and an incompetent and rotten brain, what use is there except to harm myself and others?"

Xu Shanshan knew that what the Empress Dowager cared about was not Emperor Yue, but the continuation of the royal bloodline of Jing State. Emperor Yue had long been hollowed out and unable to have children, which had always been a regret in her heart.

"I have found the future emperor of Jing State. He is the grandson of King Jin and has the orthodox royal bloodline."

The Empress Dowager widened her eyes in surprise, and then was delighted.

"Didn't you say that there is no wise ruler in the royal family who can take on the responsibility of being the future ruler of Jing State? This, this grandson of King Jin..." She thought about it. She knew something about King Jin's descendants, but there was no talent to be cultivated among them.

"His father has passed away, leaving only his widowed mother alive. I will bring him into the palace and teach him personally from a young age. Given time, he will surely become a great man."

The Empress Dowager naturally believed in her ability, but she had concerns about other things: "He is the descendant of the King of Jin, so he is always a hidden danger..."

"You don't have to interfere in this matter. I'm only informing you so that you can feel at ease, so that you don't always feel that supporting me as emperor has disrupted the royal orthodoxy and that you are sorry for the kindness of the late king and the emperor."

Xu Shanshan's words made the Empress Dowager feel a long-lost warmth.

She reached out and gently hugged Xu Shanshan: "Shen'er, I am not like you. When I entered the palace at the tender age of 15, you were so young when I saw you. Now I am already old and you are still like this. I am very afraid that one day I will not wake up suddenly, leaving you alone in the world."

"I have been living this way for all these years. Loneliness is just a form of training for me."

Seeing her calm and indifferent profile, the Empress Dowager was worried about her. After thinking it over, she made a decision in her heart.

-

After Emperor Yue recovered from his illness and went to court, he promulgated an iron rule, that is, court officials were not allowed to keep sorcerers in their families, or have any involvement with any sorcerers, physiognomists, fortune tellers, etc. Once discovered, they would be immediately dismissed and investigated. If they refused to change their ways after repeated warnings, their entire family would be punished.

After the temple was burned down by Emperor Yue's fire, the people of Shengjing were in panic again. Not only did the common people sense the signs of impending storm, but a number of civil and military officials also couldn't sleep at night.

"Don't panic, sir. With my abilities, I don't think those people will be able to find my whereabouts."

Upon learning of this, one official was worried, but the old Taoist priest in black beside him looked calm.

Over the years, in order to eliminate dissidents, this official cooperated with the old Taoist in black and harmed many people without anyone noticing.

However, since the government could not find any strong evidence, it was difficult to leave any solid evidence of the murder caused by this mysterious magic. Even if they guessed that it was the magician who killed people, they could not rely on the law to bring the criminal to justice.

Therefore, many unjust cases remain unresolved, which also fuels the evil and desires in these people's hearts, and makes them regard crime as a legitimate means of seizing power and wealth.

"You are just a low-level magician. How can you be so confident that you can deceive the eyes and ears of our emperor?"

In the darkness, a yellow talisman was swung out and hit the old Taoist in black. He screamed and was knocked against the pillar, almost dead. (End of this chapter)