She accidentally flirted with the villain and was fiercely criticized as the regent for forcibly mar

As Grand Tutor Cui's sharp eyes narrowed slightly, a glint of razor-sharpness flashed within them: "The Regent is not one to indulge in women. Those who stand by his side are all individuals of absolute merit and value. It seems this woman has noticed quite a bit over the years."

"The Regent is holding back, probably wanting to see us lose our composure, forcing our undetected accomplices to become restless and expose themselves!"

The Empress Dowager lifted the teacup brought to her by her confidante and took a small sip: "That beast who could rise to power by stepping on the corpses of his adoptive mother's entire clan has always been cunning."

Grand Tutor Cui smiled faintly: "The more cold-blooded a person is, the more they will open their heart and soul once they are moved."

The Empress Dowager raised her eyes, her alluring phoenix eyes gleaming with a captivating light: "Is the Grand Tutor referring to the Regent, or to himself?"

On Grand Tutor Cui's shrewd and refined face lay both gentleness and sincerity: "My entire life has been devoted to the Empress Dowager."

The Empress Dowager's soft, rouge-covered lips curved into a smile, clearly pleased that his heart and soul were devoted to her: "What a pity for such a clever young lady. If she doesn't serve me, she has no reason to live!"

Grand Tutor Cui thought to himself, "The Empress Dowager need not worry about such trivial matters; this woman has other uses."

The Empress Dowager raised an eyebrow: "What have you done?"

Grand Tutor Cui said, "The antidote that the Regent forced Jiang to take contained a mother-child Gu poison. As long as the Gu worms revive in Jiang's body, her life and death will be in our hands."

"Let's wait and see if the Regent's heart is truly ruthless enough!"

……

Holding the priceless jade pendant, Jiang Ruining felt a chilling unease, as if she were holding a treacherous snake. She wrapped the pendant in a handkerchief and gave it to Yun Mi for safekeeping.

I want to wipe my hands.

A handkerchief was handed to him.

It's Xiao Che.

"Your Highness is indeed thoughtful and understands me!" Taking the handkerchief, he vigorously wiped each of his fingers, then tossed the handkerchief, now stained with the young emperor's scent, into Shi'an's arms, saying disdainfully, "Your Highness doesn't need this anymore. Go back and secretly burn it!"

Shi An tucked the item into his waistband: "Sigh, I've got it!"

Jiang Ruining leaned closer to Xiao Che: "Princess, did you get it for me?"

Xiao Che led her towards the tent: "Don't you like it?"

Jiang Ruining shook her head and asked him, "Besides having more people paying their respects and inquiring after you, and attracting more jealousy and scheming, what practical benefits are there of being a county princess?"

Xiao Che said, "We receive a monthly salary from the imperial court, and we are allowed to attend banquets at the palace during festivals. We may wear yellow clothing. If anyone offends us, we will deal with them according to the royal law."

Jiang Ruining understood why so many female protagonists in historical romance novels had to undergo such an upgrade process; although they didn't have real power, there were still practical benefits: "Sounds alright!"

Xiao Che chuckled: "You accepted it rather reluctantly?"

Jiang Ruining said, "The pardon you gave me is far more powerful, so this county princess is at most icing on the cake, not really a surprise!"

Xiao Che tilted his head to the side.

That's absolutely true!

Step out of the crowd.

Jiang Ruining stepped closer to him, their arms touching. Their autumn clothes were not thick, and they could feel each other's body heat: "I must have seen His Majesty before."

Her keen observation made Xiao Che pause slightly with his long legs, then slow down to match her pace: "You have never been to the palace, and the Empress Dowager never allows him to leave the palace. You should not have seen him."

Jiang Ruining shook her head: "If he can make so much noise right under your and the Empress Dowager's noses and not be discovered, then he is fully capable of leaving the palace quietly."

The memory of seeing the young emperor belongs to the original owner, and it didn't happen recently, so it's somewhat vague when recalled.

The young emperor.

Ambergris...

"I've got it!"

Xiao Che: "When did you see him?"

Jiang Ruining slowly said, "It was probably in the spring when I happened to meet a boy of about thirteen or fourteen years old. He smelled of ambergris. My father used to frequently enter and leave the Imperial Study, and he would be covered in it. I've smelled it many times, so when he passed by me, I could smell it!"

"He was dressed plainly at the time, and didn't look like a eunuch or an imperial guard, but he had an air of nobility that couldn't be cultivated in an ordinary family. Later, when I attended a banquet, I paid special attention to him, but I never saw him before."

"Ambergris, nobility, thirteen or fourteen years old... After checking all these conditions, the only one who matches all of them is that one in the palace."

Xiao Che greatly admired her analytical skills: "You already had suspicions back then, so how did you become so certain?"

Jiang Ruining calculated the approximate time: "More than two months later, when I went to Congyang Lane, I passed by a charitable institution that took in the sick and weak. The door was open at the time, and I happened to see him. Xie Lanheng was next to him!"

"When Xie Lanheng, this noble young master from a prominent family with a real position, spoke to me, he had an unconscious submissive and protective attitude. Isn't that quite intriguing? But fearing trouble, I didn't investigate further."

They are observant but not overly curious, and know how to protect their lives.

Very clever!

As Xiao Che walked, his arm swayed gently, brushing against the back of her hand almost touching it: "You didn't immediately connect him with the boy you saw back then, was it because he was in disguise?"

Jiang Ruining felt ticklish from his rubbing, so she simply pressed herself against his arm and rubbed against him.

Xiao Che looked at her, his eyes deep, as she showed no sign of avoiding him.

Jiang Ruining, seemingly unaware that her actions had drawn stares, nodded firmly: "Yes! That's what I thought too. I'm afraid he has someone with him who is skilled in disguise!"

This leads the conversation to the key point in the book where his defeat first appeared.

"Remember what I told you last time about the seduction of Li Jingyu? Have you investigated? I suspect he might have personally intervened!"

Xiao Che turned his head and his gaze fell on her profile, which was bathed in the autumn sun. The fine down on her cheeks was tinged with a faint golden hue, making her look even more tender and adorable, and he wanted to bite her!

He lightly licked his thin lips with the tip of his tongue and asked, "Why would you make such a guess?"

Jiang Ruining scratched her face with her index finger. Why was it inexplicably itchy?

"intuition!"

Xiao Che has already confirmed her intelligence and observational skills.

But this intuition still surprised him slightly.

As Jiang Ruining analyzed, her eyes, like two deep emerald gems, shimmered with a precious and confident light: "It can't all be considered intuition. His Majesty is being suppressed by both sides. He hates it. The more timid and obedient he appears on the surface, the more intense the hatred hidden in his heart will be."

"Overflowing hatred needs to be released, otherwise it will inevitably leak out from under the mask of incompetence sooner or later! To release it, but without letting you find out, he will personally participate in the scheming from a dangerous but not easily discovered angle."

Xiao Che nodded slightly, signaling her to continue.