Transmigrating into a book, seducing him to rise to power

Soon, a mountain of evidence of the Yan family's corruption, embezzlement, and factionalism was presented to the Dali Temple.

The Grand Master of Ceremonies was arrested on the spot and imprisoned, where he was immediately subjected to severe interrogation.

Upon hearing this news, Consort Yan collapsed onto the couch, utterly panicked. What should she do?

Her father was a Grand Master of the Palace, and the Yan family was a prestigious clan with a century-long history. How could this be?!

Consort Yan felt incredibly heavy-hearted, completely disregarding the dignified image she usually maintained.

On a sweltering day, she hurriedly traveled from Yuqing Palace to Kunning Palace. As soon as she reached the palace gate, she knelt down on the burning hot ground with a thud.

She kowtowed repeatedly, her forehead hitting the ground with a loud thud, and cried out at the top of her lungs, "Your Majesty, I beg to see the Empress! Your Majesty, I beg to see the Empress!"

Su Jingyao, who had just woken up from her afternoon nap, was still sleepy when she heard the noise outside. Her brows furrowed slightly, and she looked displeased.

"Miaoxia, is someone making a commotion outside?"

"Your Majesty, the First Prince returned to the palace today, bringing back a great deal of evidence of the Yan family's crimes. His Majesty has already imprisoned the Grand Master of Ceremonies, who is currently being held in the Dali Temple."

Miaoxia quickly straightened her mistress's clothes while replying swiftly.

"Even if I am the Empress, I cannot interfere in court affairs. What use is it for her to come to me for help? Besides, the Yan family assassinated Xingxing in Jinzhou. I haven't even settled accounts with them yet, but she has delivered herself to my doorstep."

As Su Jingyao spoke, a fierce glint flashed in her eyes.

The seventh prince got along very well with his brothers in the princes' quarters.

It was Consort Yan, the mother, who was increasingly restless.

At this moment, Miaoyun also hurriedly walked in, her brows furrowed.

"Your Majesty, Consort Yan came with the Seventh Prince."

Upon hearing this, Su Jingyao frowned even more. The Seventh Prince was not even nine years old yet. Because Jun Zechen valued the princes highly, they were usually sent to the Prince's Palace after the age of five. There were also strict time requirements for the princes' contact with the concubines. The Seventh Prince was not as ambitious as her mother.

Now that the Yan family has fallen, she actually wants to use the Seventh Prince to plead for mercy.

"Let them in," Su Jingyao said after a moment's thought.

Consort Yan led the Seventh Prince in. Her forehead was covered with red and swollen marks, with traces of blood seeping out.

Upon entering, Consort Yan immediately knelt down, and the Seventh Prince also knelt down at her prompting.

Consort Yan's voice trembled.

"Your Majesty, I pay my respects. May Your Majesty enjoy boundless blessings and peace."

"Your subject greets Your Majesty the Empress. May Your Majesty enjoy boundless blessings and peace."

"Miaoyun, please take a seat," Su Jingyao said coldly.

"Your Majesty, there's no need for that. I've come here today only to ask you to spare the Yan family. In the future, the Yan family will never obstruct the Crown Prince's path again."

As Yan Zhaoyi spoke, her eyes reddened and her voice trembled. After she finished speaking, she kowtowed heavily again, her forehead hitting the ground with a dull thud.

His Majesty's severe punishment of the Yan family is all because the father secretly assassinated the eldest prince in an attempt to pave the way for the seventh prince.

Originally, the Jinzhou plague was an excellent place to create an accident, but unexpectedly, the Crown Prince not only brought the private soldiers of the Wei and Su families with him, but also His Majesty's secret guards.

All of this was told to him by his father in a letter sent when the eldest prince was about to return to the capital. However, his father was unaware that the eldest prince had already quietly collected all the evidence against the Yan family and exposed it in court this morning, leaving his father powerless to resist.

Before coming to the Empress for help, the Yan family had already approached the Chu family, but the Chu family avoided them like the plague!

Consort Yan's face was filled with despair and helplessness, tears welling up in her eyes. She knew the chances of the Empress helping her were slim, but as long as there was a glimmer of hope, she had to do it for her family.

"Consort Yan, I can never forgive your family for assassinating the Crown Prince. Besides, this is not the only mistake your family has made."

"Disregarding the safety of the people, he embezzled relief supplies and colluded with officials and powerful families in Jinzhou to drive up grain prices, which led to a severe epidemic in Jinzhou and the deaths of countless people. This is a matter for the court, and I cannot make the decision."

Su Jingyao's gaze was sharp, her expression serious, and every word she spoke was firm and resolute.

"Your Majesty, what you're saying was all done by a branch of the Yan family in Jinzhou, and has nothing to do with my father!"

Consort Yan suddenly raised her head, her eyes filled with urgency and pleading, and tears finally welled up and slid down her cheeks.

It was because she had been bullied by Consort Xian for many years that her resentment grew, and she thought of having her father take advantage of the Crown Prince's trip to Jinzhou to get rid of him.

As long as the eldest prince is gone, all the remaining princes have a chance.

Furthermore, with the Seventh Prince's support from the Yan and Chu families, ascending the throne is not impossible. She did nothing wrong; she simply lost...

Does this mean that after being oppressed in the harem for ten years, her son will also be oppressed in the future?

Will Consort Xian let her seventh prince go?

Yan Zhaoyi's eyes were filled with resentment and indignation, and her body trembled slightly.

"I don't care about what you're saying. We just need to wait for the results of the Dali Temple's investigation."

"Empress, why are you so heartless? You treat all the other concubines in the harem kindly, so why have you tolerated Consort Xian's bullying of me for ten years? You forced me to want to get rid of the First Prince!"

Yan Zhaoyi roared hoarsely, her eyes wide open, filled with anger, her body trembling uncontrollably with excitement.

Upon hearing this, Su Jingyao gave a soft, cold laugh.

"Consort Yan, if I hadn't asked the Virtuous Consort to show mercy, it's hard to say whether you would still be here arguing with me right now."

Su Jingyao narrowed her eyes slightly, looking at Yan Zhaoyi with icy eyes.

When Consort Yan and Consort Xu joined forces to deal with Consort Xian, given Consort Xian's vengeful nature, would Consort Yan still be alive if she hadn't stopped her?

When Consort Xian faced Consort Yan, it was nothing more than minor skirmishes.

"However, I will not deny that what Consort Xian did was indeed due to my indulgence. When you first entered the harem, you poisoned my palace attire. So many years have passed, have you forgotten?"

"Or do you think I'm the kind of person who repays evil with kindness? Since you chose to enter the harem, and after entering, you've fallen into a quagmire of scheming, then you must bear the consequences of your failure." Su Jingyao's expression was stern, and her tone was icy.

Looking at the indifferent Empress and then at his mother, who was kneeling on the ground in despair and near madness, the Seventh Prince felt as if a huge rock was pressing down on his heart, causing him great distress.

He pursed his lips tightly, his eyes filled with pain and helplessness.

"Your Majesty, I beg you to spare my mother for my sake."

The seventh prince's voice was choked with sobs, and his eyes were filled with pleading.

"Miaoyun, help the Seventh Prince up." Su Jingyao frowned slightly, her expression showing a hint of helplessness.

"Seventh Prince, you are of royal blood. No matter what happens to the Yan family in the end, it will not affect you. Your mother should not have brought you here today."

"You're all grown up now. After studying at the Prince's Academy for several years, you'll naturally be able to distinguish right from wrong. Neither I nor your father will punish based on evidence. Once verified, we'll deal with it according to the laws of the dynasty."

Su Jingyao softened her tone and spoke earnestly.

The seventh prince sighed, his face full of exhaustion and disappointment. "Mother, let's go back."

If my grandfather really did those things, even the Empress couldn't save him.

"You are your father's child! Go and beg your father to spare the Yan family! What will you do if the Yan family is gone?!"

At this point, Consort Yan had completely lost her composure, and her voice was sharp and piercing.

Although she was a concubine's daughter in the Yan family, she was taught from a young age to be one with the family's glory. Now that the family is in trouble, how can she remain unscathed?

Without family support, how can the concubines and princes achieve anything in the future? Perhaps the seventh prince won't even be granted the title of prince!

Su Jingyao shook her head helplessly.

Fortunately, Jun Zechen had the foresight to have these princes leave their mothers early and be taught by the princes themselves, thus preventing them from being tainted by the schemes and secrets of the imperial concubines.

"Miaoyun, take Consort Yan away and confine her to Yuqing Palace. Send the Seventh Prince to the Prince's Residence."

Su Jingyao waved.

"Yes, Master."

Miao Yun responded, then stepped forward, forcefully helped Yan Zhaoyi up, and led her away.

-

Inside the Imperial Study, Jun Zechen summoned the First Prince, his eyes filled with admiration, affirming his outstanding performance during his trip to Jinzhou.

The father and son also had a lot of conversation.

As time passed, night quietly fell, and darkness gradually enveloped the entire palace.

When Jun Zechen arrived at Kunning Palace, Su Jingyao had already finished her dinner and was lazily curled up in a rocking chair in her bedroom, holding a book in her hands. Her loose strapless dress, like a soft cloud, completely concealed her protruding belly.

Jun Zechen tiptoed over, a doting smile on his face, and picked her up.

He said softly, "Don't read at night, it'll hurt your eyes."

As he spoke, he gently lifted her and placed her on the bed.

Jun Zechen washed up under Anshun's attentive care, and then lay down wearing loose undergarments.

He skillfully rested his head gently on her stomach, his eyes filled with tenderness and expectation.

He has been with this child throughout the entire process, watching him grow up little by little. Every night, Jun Zechen would talk to the baby in his belly.

When Jun Zechen was pregnant with Xingxing, his state of mind was completely different from now. He was pregnant with twins when he had just ascended the throne and was extremely busy with state affairs.

Only the baby in his belly now is one that Jun Zechen sees with his own eyes and touches with his own hands every day. He also talks to the baby from time to time and can truly feel the baby's movements.

Seeing him lying on her lap as usual, Su Jingyao smiled and gently stroked his hair with her small hands.

Suddenly, Jun Zechen looked up at her, his eyes filled with surprise.

"Yaoyao, the baby seems to move."

Su Jingyao started calling him "Baby" because she didn't know if he was a boy or a girl at first.

Jun Zechen initially found it cheesy, but after hearing it so often, he naturally started calling her that too.

Looking at Jun Zechen like this, Su Jingyao was filled with emotion. Sometimes she found it unbelievable that he had changed so much in the past ten years.

"Hmm, he's been very mischievous lately, so it's probably a boy."

Su Jingyao's voice was as gentle as the wind, carrying a hint of speculation.

"By June, Physician Li should be able to fully diagnose the pulse."

"Imperial Physician Li has been taking my pulse these past few days and says there's a high probability it's a prince."

Jun Zechen got up from her, stretched out his arms, and pulled her into his embrace.

"Does Yao Yao want a princess or a prince?"

"I like them all, whether they are princesses or princes."

Su Jingyao's voice grew softer and softer, tinged with weariness.

The two chatted warmly as the night deepened. As they talked, Su Jingyao began to feel sleepy; she had been getting sleepier since becoming pregnant.

As Jun Zechen felt her breathing gradually become steady, he also gradually fell asleep.

Inside the bedchamber, candlelight flickered, casting danced shadows on the walls. The emperor and empress slept in each other's arms, a scene of tranquility and beauty.

It felt like only a moment before Jun Zechen slowly woke up. He opened his eyes and looked around in confusion, his heart filled with doubt.

Why am I not in Kunning Palace?

here it is......

He looked closely and realized it was the Xiyan Palace.

A look of surprise instantly appeared on Jun Zechen's face. He was even more puzzled as to how he had suddenly come to this place.

Filled with suspicion, he found himself walking involuntarily toward Yao Yao's bedroom.

Upon entering the bedchamber, he saw a woman lying on the bed with her back to him.

Is it Yao Yao?

Jun Zechen's pupils suddenly contracted, and a bad premonition surged in his heart.

How can she be so thin?

His thin back looked like that of a withered person, devoid of any life.

A deep furrow formed between Jun Zechen's brows, and he didn't even dare to take a step forward.