A middle-aged emperor, childless, was blessed with a beautiful and pregnant concubine who entered th

However, Mingyi hadn't yet figured out how to deal with the Cen family.

Cen Shaoyuan was nothing more than a spoiled brat, and as far as she knew, he seemed to have been harassing his older brother.

Although her brother was lenient with him, he never mentioned him to her.

Her elder brother was a smart man, so naturally he wouldn't mention Cen Shaoyuan in front of her.

Although they were only engaged, they had almost no contact since their parents passed away and the Zhou family declined.

Public opinion can be a powerful force to be reckoned with.

She needs to think about it carefully.

But Zhou Mingyi never expected that Cen Shaoyuan would be so audacious as to take the initiative to come to her door.

On the third day of the eleventh lunar month, the grand court assembly for the winter solstice takes place.

Zhou Mingyi, dressed in empress's robes, sat beside Emperor Qianwu and received the congratulations of the officials.

This was her first official appearance since being crowned empress, and all eyes of the court officials were on her.

She sat upright, graceful and poised, a faint smile on her lips, her gaze sweeping over the dark mass of people before finally settling on the palace entrance.

Suddenly I saw a familiar face.

When his eyes met hers, he looked delighted.

But Zhou Mingyi only glanced at it briefly before shifting her gaze away.

The latter's smile froze on his face.

The grand court assembly adjourned, and the officials filed out.

Zhou Mingyi, holding Lianwu's hand, walked from the side hall to the inner palace.

Halfway there, Shiliu hurriedly caught up with him, her expression somewhat strange.

"Your Majesty, someone wishes to see you."

Zhou Mingyi glanced at her.

"Who?"

Shi Liu leaned close to her ear and whispered a few words.

Zhou Mingyi paused in her steps.

Cen Shaoyuan?

She had only recently remembered this person.

He was thinking about how to kill her.

However, being in the inner palace presented her with many inconveniences, and she never expected him to come to her door so willingly.

She was silent for a moment.

"He's certainly bold. Where is he?"

Shi Liu said softly, "He's with Lord Zhou."

He said he had important matters to report to the Empress and that he absolutely had to see her.

"Lord Zhou initially refused, but the man persisted, and it was said to be a very important matter that required an audience with the Empress before he would speak. Lord Zhou had no choice but to send someone to deliver the message."

Zhou Mingyi remained silent for a while.

To be honest, she didn't know Cen Shaoyuan well.

She was supposed to be her fiancé, but we'd only met a handful of times across both our lives.

In her past life, she went to the Cen family to find him out of desperation.

However, there were also intentional motives involved.

She knew that with her beautiful face, if she humbled herself and begged for help, she could at least gain some sympathy.

Unfortunately, Cen Shaoyuan showed no regard for their relationship and turned around to tie her up and send her to the Eastern Palace.

She really didn't understand why he was putting on this affectionate and entangled act now.

But since he's so eager to hand over his incriminating evidence, there's no harm in meeting him.

"Tell my brother that I will be returning to my residence to visit my family tomorrow. Tell him to wait."

Zhou House.

Zhou Mingchong sat in his study, looking at the young man drinking tea across from him, his brows furrowed so deeply they could trap a mosquito.

Cen Shaoyuan didn't stand on ceremony. He poured himself three cups of tea and gulped them down as if he had been thirsty for three days.

After finishing his drink and wiping his mouth, he smiled at Zhou Mingchong. "Brother Mingchong, your tea is quite good."

Zhou Mingchong took a deep breath.

"Cen Shaoyuan, what exactly do you want to do?"

Cen Shaoyuan put down his teacup and dropped his playful grin.

"Brother Mingchong, believe me, I really have something important to report to Sister Achang."

Before he could finish speaking, Zhou Mingchong glared at him fiercely, "I think you're tired of living."

Cen Shaoyuan coughed awkwardly.

"Ah, I'm used to it. It's Your Majesty the Empress. Your Majesty, I have important matters to report."

Cen Shaoyuan originally relied on his own abilities to become the top scholar in the imperial examination, but unfortunately he was not cut out for studying.

He managed to get a minor official position through family connections.

The Honglu Temple's order of ranks was from the ninth grade.

The Court of State Ceremonial was in charge of court assemblies, guests, and auspicious and inauspicious ceremonies; the lowest-ranking official was the one in the family.

Responsible for guiding guests and arranging shifts.

To put it simply, it means leading people to their positions during court assemblies.

Those who were properly qualified as Jinshi (successful candidates in the highest imperial examinations) looked down on this kind of job.

Cen Shaoyuan had never even passed the imperial examinations, so the fact that he managed to get a ninth-rank official position was already the result of the Cen family's great efforts.

Cen Fang originally wanted him to study at the Imperial Academy so that he could at least pass the imperial examination and become a Juren (a successful candidate in the provincial-level imperial examinations).

However, Cen Shaoyuan was not cut out for studying. He spent two years at the Imperial Academy, driving away three of his teachers.

Cen Fang had no choice but to find him this job, so that at least he would have a respectable background and wouldn't be ashamed if word got out.

Cen Shaoyuan himself didn't care; he ate, drank, and shopped as he pleased.

His meager salary as a junior officer wasn't even enough for a single drink, but he didn't care; his family was wealthy.

Cen Fang served as the Vice Director of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices for more than ten years. The Court of Imperial Sacrifices was in charge of the affairs of the Crown Prince's Palace. Although it was not a very wealthy or powerful government office, it was still very lucrative.

Every expense, reward, and festival gift for the Crown Prince's palace—which of these wasn't handled by him?

Cen Fang was a shrewd man who never left any loopholes in his actions, but his three thousand acres of land, his five-courtyard mansion, and his several boxes of antiques and paintings did not fall from the sky.

Cen Shaoyuan's elder brother, Cen Shaoqing, was much more successful than him.

He was a child prodigy from a young age, passed the imperial examination at the age of fourteen, and was selected as a tutor to the crown prince at the age of eighteen.

Being a prince's study companion isn't a proper official position, but it means being someone close to the prince, with unlimited potential for future advancement.

Cen Fang placed all his hopes on his eldest son, and as for his younger son, he only needed him to stay out of trouble.

But Cen Shaoyuan was a troublemaker.

They fought as children, and now they're masters of eating, drinking, and having fun.

He's a complete spoiled brat.

Once, when he was drunk, he got into a fight with someone on the street over a bird and cracked the other person's head open.

Cen Fang had to pay several hundred taels of silver to settle the matter.

After that, Cen Shaoyuan behaved himself for a few years, but his honesty wasn't due to a change in his nature; it was because he ran out of money.

Cen Fang cut off his allowance, so he had no choice but to stay at home. He couldn't concentrate on his studies or write, and spent his days wandering around the yard with a birdcage, flirting with all the maids.

Cen Fang was so angry that he wanted to kick him out of the house, but Cen Shaoqing stopped him.

Cen Shaoqing said that her younger brother is still young, and she will teach him slowly.

Cen Fang sighed and let him go.

It wasn't until he met Zhou Mingyi that he truly changed, but he just wasn't cut out for studying.

But the Cen family was already very satisfied with him being able to do this.

Zhou Mingchong's expression changed. "What nonsense are you spouting?"

Cen Shaoyuan looked at him and said, slowly and deliberately, "Brother Mingchong, have you ever considered that the deposed Crown Prince Xie Jing might not be dead?"

Zhou Mingchong glanced at him. "You'd better really have something to say."

Cen Shaoyuan said awkwardly, "Of course."

Zhou Mingchong tried to probe several times, but Cen Shaoyuan refused to say anything, and insisted that it was definitely a big deal.

It is a matter of great importance concerning the fate of the nation and its people.

Zhou Mingchong dared not make such a decision lightly and declined it for his sister.

My younger sister is now the Empress.

When it comes to matters concerning the fate of the nation, even if this brat surnamed Cen is scheming, it's better to kill the innocent than let him go.

Besides, he's in his own home; I doubt he'd dare to act recklessly!

The following day, Zhou Mingyi returned to her residence to visit her family.

This was her first visit to her parents' home since becoming empress, so the occasion was naturally quite grand.

The sedan chair stopped at the door, and Zhou Mingchong and his family knelt down to welcome it.

Zhou Mingyi got out of the sedan chair and looked at her brother's familiar face, feeling a warmth in her heart.

"Brother and sister-in-law, please rise."

Zhou Mingyi personally helped the two up, showing their close relationship.

Everyone could see that the Empress and Lord Zhou were indeed very close.

Even the Wen family felt honored.

They entered the main hall of the Zhou residence.

Zhou Mingyi knew he had something to say, so she waved her hand, signaling the others to leave.

Wen Ruojin was very considerate. "My husband is talking to the Empress. I'll be right back."

Zhou Mingyi smiled and said, "Sister-in-law, please go ahead. I will visit you later."

Wen Ruojin's pretty face flushed slightly.

He gave a slight curtsy, then turned and left.

As soon as Wen Ruojin left, Zhou Mingyi got straight to the point.

"Brother, what's wrong?"

Zhou Mingchong lowered his voice and recounted Cen Shaoyuan's story.

Zhou Mingyi had already received the news, so she nodded.

"Since it's a major event concerning the fate of the nation, why not take a look?"

Zhou Mingchong carefully observed his sister's expression and saw that she looked calm and did not seem to have an affair with that boy. He immediately breathed a sigh of relief.

Yes, he's overthinking it.

What is the younger sister's current status?

The crown prince has already been born, and besides, they have had no contact with the Cen family since their parents passed away.

My sister rarely goes out, so how could she possibly have any connection with that brat Cen Shaoyuan?

Zhou Mingchong was relieved.

"Where are the others?"

Zhou Mingchong turned his head and glanced at him. "Come out."

Cen Shaoyuan actually came out from the inner hall.

He kept his head down, not daring to look at Zhou Mingyi. After a long while, he finally mustered the courage to look up at her.

The first thing he saw was that face as beautiful as a peach blossom, the one he had been longing for day and night.

She wore a phoenix robe and a phoenix crown, looking radiant and beautiful, like someone who had stepped out of a painting.

But when Cen Shaoyuan saw her, he was reminded of that painful dream.

In that dream, Ming Chong was forcibly detained in the palace by Princess Chaoyang, and Ming Yi had nowhere to turn for help, so she finally came to the Cen family for help.

He fell in love with her at first sight.

He immediately patted his chest and promised that he would definitely help her find out where Mingchong was.

He also invited her to stay at his home for a while.

Unexpectedly, her parents and brother turned around and drugged her, sending her to the Eastern Palace in a small sedan chair.

Her parents and brother treated her as a gift, a toy, and sent her to the Eastern Palace.

But this is the person he loves!

A look of pain appeared on Cen Shaoyuan's face.

He recalled the man in his dream, who was frantically rebelling against his family and even trying to go to the Eastern Palace to save people.

But his family stopped him.

His parents and brother thought he was still a child and forgot about Ah Chang after a while.

But he didn't.

He managed to escape from home when no one was looking, only to hear the news of her death.

She was beaten to death.

Ming Chong's brother was also stripped of his skin and stuffed with straw, and hung above the city gate.

In that dream, he went mad.

That dream caused him great distress.

But he knew that if Ah Chang really came looking for him, his parents and brother would definitely do such a thing.

He closed his eyes.

Zhou Mingyi found it strange that Cen Shaoyuan had suddenly become so much more composed.

She frowned, and then saw Cen Shaoyuan kneel down with a "plop".

"Your Highness, please take care of yourself in the palace and do everything you can to protect His Highness the Crown Prince!"

Zhou Mingyi raised an eyebrow.

"What do you mean by that?"

"Do you know that this is an attempt to intimidate me?"

"Your humble servant would not dare!"