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

At first, it was just people gossiping about it over tea.

It is said that the phoenix coronet and embroidered robe for the Empress's wedding took dozens of embroiderers several months to complete, which was incredibly extravagant.

Somehow, some people linked this to the plague, saying that the empress was extravagant and that heaven had sent down disaster as punishment.

All the blame was pinned on Qi Yitang.

When Qi Yitang heard the news, she was so angry she almost laughed.

Are you alright?

She stayed in the palace to rest and prepare for childbirth, without causing any trouble. She even donated all her possessions to disaster relief, doing good deeds and accumulating merit.

And what happened? She became a demon queen?

The mess that incompetent magistrate of Xushui County made has almost turned her and Xie Ling into "long-distance relationships," and now he's blaming her?

Based on Qi Yitang's past temper, she would definitely try every means to find those who splashed dirty water, take action herself, and beat them until they admitted their mistake.

Since they dare to spread rumors about her, then let's confront them head-on!

But now she is the empress, and she is pregnant. If she were to personally confront those rumors and gossip, she would not only fail to clear her name as a wicked empress, but would also be criticized for being "narrow-minded and intolerant of gossip".

Not hitting someone doesn't mean she doesn't care; Qi Yitang is still very angry!

After pacing back and forth in front of the window several times, she calmed down and realized that something was wrong.

Empress Dowager?

As far as I can remember, only one person would call her that. After all, even when the Empress Dowager scolded her the most, she only called her a "seductive vixen who bewitched the emperor."

Qi Yitang frowned. "Could it be that Qin Yuanchao is still alive?"

When Xie Ling arrived at Yaotang Palace, she asked the question directly.

Xie Ling had come over to comfort his wife, fearing she might get angry and upset the baby, but then he heard this.

He was slightly surprised that Tangtang could think of this.

Xie Ling said, "It's not impossible. The guards did not find Qin Yuanchao's body in the cold pool that day."

They might have drifted away with the current and drowned, or they might have been lucky enough to survive and thus used this epidemic to cause trouble.

Moreover, Qin Yuanchao's target wasn't Tangtang at all; it was clearly him.

He insisted on marrying her, bringing her into the palace, and making her his empress.

If this epidemic is not handled properly, confirming the accusation of the "femme fatale," and with public resentment boiling over, he, the emperor, will also become a sinner for all time.

The worst outcome would be for him to issue an edict of self-reproach, confessing his misconduct and becoming a stain on the Xie family, losing face for the rest of his life.

Xie Ling would never allow such a thing to happen.

"I have already sent people to suppress these rumors, and your fourth brother has also helped a lot. Now no one dares to spread rumors anymore."

Qi Yitang breathed a sigh of relief. It still had to be Fourth Brother!

She used to complain that her fourth brother spent his days hanging out in the streets and had corrupted her. Thinking about it, those comments most likely came from the streets, which happened to be her fourth brother's comfort zone.

He has a wide network of connections and friends everywhere; a little investigation reveals the source.

The only problem is—could Qin Yuanchao really not be dead?

Qi Yitang even considered using a witchcraft doll to curse him to a violent death.

Why are both the male lead and the second male lead in the original book against her? Who is more vicious?

……

The emperor used swift and decisive means to uncover the source of the rumors about the "demon queen," which turned out to be two spies from a foreign race.

Without saying a word, Xie Ling was beheaded, and his head was displayed at the execution ground.

Everyone suddenly realized that this was not a demon queen, but a sly alien who wanted to sow discord among the people and deliberately ambushed them to spread such rumors.

After that, the rumors about Qi Yitang stopped.

Qi Yitang couldn't do anything but count down the days as she stayed in the palace to prepare for childbirth.

That morning, she had just woken up when a palace maid announced that Liu Ruyan, the eldest daughter of the Marquis of Anyang, was requesting an audience.

Liu Ruyan? What's she doing here?

After Xie Ling discovered that Liu Ruyan was suspected of being "possessed," he arranged for someone to keep an eye on her and found that she was behaving herself.

Every day, he went between the Marquis of Anyang's residence and the clinic, living a very routine life. Since there was nothing unusual happening, he stopped paying attention to it.

Now that she has made a special trip to the palace, there must be something on her mind.

Qi Yitang thought for a moment, then said, "Announce."

……

"This humble woman, Liu Ruyan, greets Your Majesty the Empress."

This was Song Yunzhi's first time visiting the legendary imperial palace.

In modern times, she studied in the capital and visited the Forbidden City, but she traveled to a fictional dynasty where the imperial palace was completely different from the Forbidden City.

The palace walls are even higher, and the imposing presence is even greater. The eaves and brackets gleam with a deep, dark gold under the sunlight, like a lurking giant beast.

As Song Yunzhi walked along, she felt like a country bumpkin entering the city, and she certainly broadened her horizons.

Especially when he saw Qi Yitang, he couldn't help but take a few more glances.

I used to think she was a great beauty just from reading her descriptions in novels.

I was amazed when we met last time, and now, dressed in empress's attire in a magnificent palace, her aura is even more dazzling and intimidating, making it hard to look directly at her.

[Can't you be a little more sensible? Stop drooling over the female supporting character!] The system crashed, feeling frustrated and disappointed.

Song Yunzhi quickly snapped out of her daze and knelt down to pay her respects, just like in movies and TV dramas.

Qi Yitang raised his hand, "Miss Liu, please rise and have a seat."

A palace maid immediately served tea, saying, "Please have some, young lady."

Song Yunzhi wasn't used to being served in the Marquis's mansion, and she became even more nervous when she arrived in the palace where there were even more rules. "Thank you."

Emperor Ruyan is quite polite.

[Why does the Emperor seem to have social anxiety? He's been picking at his fingers ever since he came in.]

Song Yunzhi mustered her courage and said, "Your Majesty, I... I have something to say to you. May I ask the others to leave?"

Qi Yitang paused for a moment, then said, "You can go down first."

Yun Ying disagreed somewhat: "Your Majesty."

Liu Ruyan used to be crazy. Although she has lost her memory, she may not be very normal. What if she has bad intentions towards the Empress?

Qi Yitang's gaze swept over the hidden corners behind the beams and screens, and she shook her head slightly.

Whether the palace maids were there or not didn't matter, but Chi Zheng hadn't left.

Yunying understood, "Yes, this servant will take her leave."

After the palace servants left, Song Yunzhi visibly breathed a sigh of relief. As someone with social anxiety, she was most afraid of crowds.

Qi Yitang, unaware of her purpose, said calmly, "Now that it's just the two of us, Miss Liu, please speak your mind."

Song Yunzhi took a deep breath and said, "Your Majesty, actually... I am not Liu Ruyan."

Qi Yitang: "...?"

No, is it really that straightforward?

The viewers in the live chat were also confused: [What kind of move is this? They've revealed their hand directly?]

The system was furious: [What kind of naive and innocent girl are you?! You dare to reveal your secrets to the vicious female supporting character? Tomorrow I'll burn you like a monster!]