You take on two husbands, I'll turn around and marry the tyrant and rule the world.

Jingxi glanced at Chu Nianci again, and reminded her with a half-smile, "Consort Hui, besides you, there is probably no one else who can make His Majesty so angry that he wants to personally punish you. You should serve him carefully later."

Chu Nianci's sweat poured down in an instant.

Like a kitten cornered against a wall, she pleaded softly, "Eunuch Xi, for the sake of our past relationship, you can't just leave me to die... I'm not begging you to let me go, I just beg you to give me the time it takes to drink a cup of tea to go back to Nuanqing Pavilion to get something, and I'll come right back!"

Jingxi put his hands behind his back and looked into the hall.

His Majesty is still in a meeting and shouldn't be summoned anytime soon.

He thought to himself, "The palace is only so big, she can't possibly run away," so he nodded and pointed to a little eunuch to follow.

Chu Nianci turned and hurriedly ran towards her residence, asking the bewildered Tuanyuan as she ran, "Where are the two Fushan clay dolls you bought last time?"

"It's...it's stored in the cabinet," Tuanyuan replied憨憨地.

Chu Nianci rushed into the room, opened the cabinet, and sure enough, pulled out two chubby clay dolls: a boy doll wearing a jade crown and a girl doll with a flower ornament on her head.

"It's you two. I'll have to rely on you to save my life this time." She murmured to herself, hugged the two dolls to her chest, tucked the imperial brush with the plum blossom painting into her sleeve, and turned to hurry towards the Hall of Mental Cultivation.

Duanmu Qingyu returned to the Hall of Mental Cultivation and first comforted the old prime minister, Huangfu Zhao.

No sooner had the person left than the Minister of Rites knelt in the hall again, claiming that he had failed in his parenting and that his adopted daughter had lost her virtue, and that he requested to resign from his position as Minister.

He sat inside the hall, frowning in thought.

Consort Yue had just been punished and confined to her quarters, yet the news spread so quickly that people immediately came to express their opinions.

There must be someone tipping them off behind the scenes.

He had assumed that the Ministry of Rites and Prince Yong were in cahoots.

Is this whole affair an attempt to plead for his daughter, or a gesture of goodwill towards the Prime Minister's office, demonstrating a willingness to cooperate? Has the Ministry of Rites secretly sided with the Prime Minister?

The Grand Commandant's side is also suspicious. He keeps criticizing Prince Yong in front of him. What are these two up to? Prince Yong is currently closely associated with the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion. He also heads the Imperial Clan Court and manages the imperial relatives. He shouldn't be interfering in court affairs. His quick declaration of his stance and his eagerness to make moves suggest that he wants to join forces with these established families to secure his position in the court.

Thinking that the Empress not only failed to help him stabilize the situation in balancing the affairs of the noble families, but also often caused trouble, Duanmu Qingyu felt a sense of suffocation. He irritably sent someone out to tell the Minister of Rites that he was only sending Consort Yue to the Yeting Palace for questioning. Once the matter was clarified, she would be released and would not be tortured.

Upon hearing this, the Minister of Rites wiped away his sweat and took his leave.

Duanmu Qingyu looked impatient; there wasn't a single day of peace... Remembering what happened with Consort Hui this afternoon, he ordered his men to bring out the hand-held ruler and the disciplinary ruler and place them on the table.

Just as he was getting angry, he suddenly caught a glimpse of the inner palace entrance out of the corner of his eye, where a corner of a moon-white robe was quietly peeking in.

First came two soft coughs, which made Jingxi, who was standing by, look up. Jingxi glanced at the emperor quietly, then bowed and tiptoed out.

Duanmu Qingyu pretended to be lost in her own thoughts and didn't notice the commotion at the door.

At the inner palace door, Chu Nianci dawdled and squatted down under the desk opposite him.

Before long, two Fushan clay dolls wobbled out from the edge of the table—a chubby boy wearing a jade crown and a chubby girl with a small flower in her hair, both pink and round, looking very adorable.

Duanmu Qingyu's anger flared up again when he remembered that she had given away the painting he had personally drawn to Consort Shu. He coldly stared at the two dolls, wanting to see what kind of trouble Chu Nianci would cause this time.

First, the boy walked out proudly and arrogantly, and the girl quickly bowed and rushed over.

"Your Majesty, are you tired from reviewing memorials? Are you thirsty? Shall I pour you some tea?" A sweet voice came from under the table.

The little girl also made sounds and rubbed against the little boy.

The actions and sounds were so lifelike that Duanmu Qingyu almost couldn't help but laugh. But when she thought about what she had done, she forced herself to suppress her laughter and only let out a soft hum from her nose.

"Get away from me! How dare you lie to me!" The boy twisted his body, shoving the girl away, and angrily "walked" to the side, turning his back.

The little girl hesitated for a moment, then cautiously sidled up behind the little boy and asked softly, "Your Majesty... please forgive me?"

"You're being outrageous! You don't respect me at all!" The boy refused to turn around.

"I had no choice..." The girl nudged the boy again in a coquettish voice.

The boy pushed her away again, puffing out his cheeks, and said angrily, "Tell me, why?"

"Your Majesty, please don't be angry. I will tell you the truth." The little girl bent down, looking somewhat helpless.

Duanmu Qingyu's beautiful lips gradually curved into a smile, and the remaining smile slowly fell on the little girl.

"I am all alone in the palace. When Consort Shu and the Empress learned about the bath, they were furious. If I don't give the painting to Consort Shu to appease her anger... I'm afraid I won't be able to stand firm under the wrath of both palaces." Her voice lowered, revealing helplessness.

Duanmu Qingyu's heart softened suddenly, and the boy's hand twitched slightly, but he still didn't turn around.

"I will never dare to do it again," the little girl continued.

The boy then turned around, letting out a cold snort: "Trying to fool me? Why didn't you tell me sooner?"

"That's because...because..." the girl stammered for a while, then tugged at the boy's sleeve and said, "I see how hard you work at court every day, and I don't want you to worry about these trivial matters in the harem anymore!"

As soon as he finished speaking, the hall fell silent.

"Will you... will you forgive me?" After asking this question, Chu Nianci shrank under the edge of the table, holding her breath and waiting.

Time passed slowly, but the person behind the desk remained silent, seemingly deep in thought.

Her heart began to race again.

My legs went numb from squatting, my arms ached from holding the doll, and sweat gradually soaked my forehead...

"Never mind." His voice finally broke the unbearable silence.

The voice was cold, yet it was like the melting snow and ice, a spring breeze brushing across the eyes and brows.

Chu Nianci snapped out of her daze, a bright, spring-like smile suddenly appearing from under the table. She exclaimed excitedly, "Your Majesty, I will spend my whole life with you!"

Duanmu Qingyu finally couldn't hold back, his eyebrows lifted and he laughed. His eyes were bright and sparkling, and his smile was truly that of a handsome man of exceptional beauty.

Chu Nianci leaned against him, her delicate face slightly bent, revealing a section of her fair and slender neck.

Duanmu Qingyu's gaze fell upon her, his eyes darkening slightly. Suddenly, he reached out and pressed her down onto the dragon bed, his fingers slipping inside her clothes to caress her. Chu Nianci looked at him with her big, watery eyes, her face full of anticipation.

"You think you can fool me with two clay dolls?" He stopped what he was doing, his voice low and his eyes gradually darkening. "You just casually pass on my feelings to someone else like that? Have you ever cared about me at all?"

Chu Nianci knew in her heart that the emperor was a man of deep thoughts and would never completely believe her just because of a few words.

To truly gain his trust, this act must be performed flawlessly.

"Your Majesty, I feel that I should not disregard your kindness, but I also have to consider my own safety... I am truly conflicted."

Chu Nianci's voice trembled slightly: "Your Majesty... I did not give your painting to anyone else."

As she spoke, she carefully took out the painting of plum blossoms from her sleeve.

Chu Nianci lowered her head and bit her lip lightly: "Your Majesty, I will not give this painting to her. If one day I am also forgotten by Your Majesty, I hope to keep this painting personally painted by Your Majesty, so that I can use it to ease my longing."

Unexpectedly, this woman was able to replicate his painting. A hint of surprise flashed across Duanmu Qingyu's deep eyes.

My heart suddenly softened.

"What's wrong?" He pulled her closer. "I like your intelligence and quick wit. As long as you keep this in mind, I will always like you."

Chu Nianci's face was pressed against his chest, a hint of mockery flashing in her eyes.

Emperors have said these words to countless women. Even if they haven't said them now, they will say them in the future when they have more concubines, in order to consolidate the dynasty.

And I must hold on to my original aspiration of climbing higher.

When she spoke, her tone was full of emotion: "Your Majesty, I believe in you."

He had seen too many women who appeared innocent on the surface but were ruthless on the inside.

The struggle for favor in the imperial harem is always a life-or-death struggle. He knew she wasn't as innocent as she seemed, but he still hoped to maintain a bottom line.

The person before her knew how to protect herself and cherished his feelings... all of them were hers alone.

Duanmu Qingyu looked at her and could clearly see a red mole between her eyebrows, which made her skin look even whiter than snow. Her eyelashes were thick and long, and they became more upturned towards the outer corners of her eyes. Paired with her slightly upturned eyes, she had an innocent look in her eyes. Her eyebrows were dark even without makeup, but the ends of her eyebrows rose up along with the ends of her eyes. She looked at him with a slightly lazy, charming, and pure gaze... It was so tender and captivating that it made him fall in love with her.

He felt as if something had gently bumped into his heart, and his Adam's apple bobbed involuntarily.

Chu Nianci's hand moved from his back to his waist, while her soft lips kissed his earlobe all the way down.

His breathing gradually became heavier.

The red curtains are drawn, spring is growing stronger, and the night is still long.

Outside the Hall of Mental Cultivation, Jingxi listened intently to what was happening.

First, there were voices coming from inside, interspersed with a laugh or two. Then, the sound of the dragon bed gently rocking could be heard.

He had thought His Majesty was truly enraged this time, but unexpectedly, he raised the issue high and then let it go easily.

Jingxi couldn't help but feel a little emotional.

His Majesty has always been diligent in handling state affairs, often staying up late to review memorials, and has devoted himself to the affairs of the country.

If they still have to get upset and upset about these trivial matters in the harem, those who serve them by their side feel both sorry for them and worried.

If His Majesty could have such a good mood every day from now on, he wouldn't have to worry so much about his health.

It seems that for this reason alone, I should persuade His Majesty to see her more often in the future...