The wicked imperial concubine is courting death again; the comments section teaches her how to win w

Not far away, a tall figure was hidden in the shadow cast by the rugged rocks.

Dark eyes peered through the gaps in the branches and leaves, fixed on the two figures in the Listening to the Rain Pavilion.

Xie Ling was preparing a birthday surprise for Qi Yitang when someone came to report that Prince Anning had made a special trip to the palace to invite the Imperial Concubine to meet him.

Tangtang disliked Lu Linbai to begin with, and the last time they met, she wished she could stab him to pieces. Xie Ling was afraid that the two would get into a fight, so she thought she would come and take a look.

Unexpectedly, they saw the two chatting happily and laughing together.

Judging from their warm interactions, it seemed they had found common ground and were eager to become close friends.

What could she possibly have to say to Lu Linbai? Didn't she used to loathe him so much that she wished he would die right away?

"Snap—" The withered branch broke off, making a crisp sound.

The sound wasn't loud, mostly drowned out by the wind, and neither of the two people in the pavilion turned around.

Behind him, Li Degui remained calm and composed, as if the scene before him was commonplace.

If you look closely into his eyes, you'll find they're filled with a calm acceptance that comes with life's hardships.

Since his trip to the imperial prison, during which he inadvertently learned some deadly things, Li Degui had been very farsighted and had prepared a coffin for himself in advance.

Even if I lose my head one day, I can lie down in it without any problems.

Ah, it's just peaceful.

……

La la la~

Having received one million taels of gold, Qi Yitang was in an incredibly good mood. Walking on the street, he felt as if he were walking on clouds, so soft it was almost unreal.

Just thinking about that pile of glittering gold ingots made her want to hum a little tune.

Qi Yitang originally intended to return to the palace, but after taking a turn, she went to the Hall of Mental Cultivation.

She was going to share this amazing good news with Xie Ling.

But before Qi Yitang could even throw herself into Xie Ling's arms, she stepped back a few steps and whispered to Li Degui while clinging to the door frame as she entered the main gate of the Hall of Mental Cultivation.

"No, why is he unhappy again?"

The previous hot spring treatment was clearly very effective. After returning, Xie Ling had a cheerful expression and a gentle demeanor for several days. How come he's suddenly gloomy again?

Li Degui didn't laugh.

Why would you be jealous? It's because you were smiling so brightly at other men, right?

Everyone knows that His Majesty is a super jealous man reincarnated. As long as any male creature gets within five steps of his wife, he automatically transforms into a ruthless Yama, regardless of whether he is an uncle or not.

Qi Yitang suddenly realized why she had felt a chill down her back earlier, as if she had been stared at by a poisonous snake.

So it wasn't just my imagination.

However, she was a little puzzled. If that's the case, how did Xie Ling put up with it when she liked Xie Jingyu and was chasing after him?

Qi Yitang's eyes darted around, and suddenly an idea came to her. A sly smile appeared on her lips.

"I've got it!" she exclaimed, clapping her hands.

Li Degui was overjoyed. "Your Majesty, you're pregnant? When did this happen? Has the imperial physician seen you? Oh my, this is incredibly joyous news..."

Qi Yitang: "..."

Do you and Yunzhu share the same brain? How come you always think in that direction?

……

"The Inkstone—"

No longer arguing with Li Degui, Qi Yitang composed herself, lifted her skirt, and rushed into the hall.

She sobbed and threw herself into Xie Ling's arms, burying her face in his chest, her shoulders heaving as if she had suffered a great injustice.

Xie Ling paused, his pen still.

Even though he was still unhappy, he instinctively put his arm around her back and asked, "What's wrong?"

"It's that good uncle of yours again!" Her eyes were slightly red from being rubbed, and when she looked up, she really did look quite pitiful.

"He came to the palace specifically to threaten me, saying that if I didn't try to match him with my cousin and speak well of him, he would bury me in money to death—"

This was different from what Xie Ling saw, because at that time, someone was all smiles, without the slightest hint of resentment or grievance.

However, Xie Ling raised an eyebrow slightly.

"Then I shall issue a decree that he return to his fiefdom as soon as possible."

"No—" Qi Yitang was afraid that he would really issue an imperial decree and drive away the God of Wealth, so she quickly grabbed his sleeve.

"Actually, I quite like being showered with money."

"You have no idea, your great-uncle is such a sucker, so clumsy and tongue-tied. He can't win your cousin's heart himself, so he gets outsiders to help him. A million taels of gold! We're going to be rich overnight!"

She became more and more excited as she spoke, her eyes sparkling.

Xie Ling was helpless. Although the national treasury was not very wealthy, it was not so poor that it didn't even have a million taels of silver.

But seeing her beaming, money-grubbing expression, Xie Ling couldn't help but smile slightly. "So happy?"

"Of course I'm happy!" Qi Yitang said. "With this money, we can pay more to the soldiers stationed on the frontier; winter is coming soon, and several poor counties in the north are often hit by snow disasters, so we can send people from the Ministry of Works to build houses in advance to prevent them from collapsing... We can also set up more soup kitchens in various places to provide relief so that the disaster victims can have enough to eat..."

Xie Ling was taken aback.

Comments flooded the screen: "Wow, I thought the female supporting character would keep the money for herself, but all she cares about is the common people. She's really... I'm so sad."

[I already said Tangtang is a beautiful, kind-hearted fairy; all the previous comments were just influences from the original story.]

[The female supporting character generously donated one million taels of gold without hesitation, showing her remarkable magnanimity.]

Getting excited, Qi Yitang's voice brimmed with undisguised joy, "Yanzhi, what do you think?"

"I think...it's very good." Xie Ling's love for Tangtang grew stronger. No matter how much time had passed, his Tangtang was still the same as before, never changing.

"So much silver, not even a single bit for yourself?"

"Then of course I'll still—" Qi Yitang raised an eyebrow, "keep three to five hundred taels."

Although Qi Yitang loves to dress up, she doesn't dress up in a flamboyant way, with her hair covered in hair ornaments.

The main reason is that she had everything she wanted in the palace, and she never lacked food or clothing. She kept a little for herself and used it to reward the palace servants during festivals.

"Actually, I think your great-uncle still has plenty of money in his pocket. If he comes to ask you for the imperial decree of marriage later, you can't just give it to him casually. That will cost a different price."

Xie Ling finally couldn't help but chuckle softly.

He reached out and hugged the chattering little money-grubber even tighter, resting his chin on the top of her head and gently rubbing it.

"That's not excessive," he said in a low voice. "I'll negotiate the price with him for you; not a penny less."

An invisible jealousy storm was thus resolved by Qi Yitang's "cleverness and wit".

Li Degui wiped away his sexy tears. It still had to be the Empress. As long as the Emperor was kept in check, his head would be safe.