Empress in her second playthrough: Something's not right with this plot!

Li Yunsheng stood up and looked at the hole in his clothes.

"Your Majesty must accompany me in wearing this official robe."

Upon hearing that she had to pay, the empress immediately questioned her.

"Why!"

"This robe was punctured by Shangguan Xuanran. She was acting on His Majesty's orders, so the cost should naturally be borne by His Majesty."

The empress pointed defiantly at the broken pieces of the vase on the ground.

"Then you'd better pay for my vase first!"

This famille rose olive-shaped vase with five bats and nine peaches is worth at least 100,000 taels of silver. With that money, she could lose not only one official robe, but ten robes and still have money left over.

Li Yunsheng sat on the stool, thinking to himself, "Is this what they call a staged accident?"

"Your Majesty, you broke the bottle yourself; I didn't even touch it."

How can this debt be placed on my shoulders?

"You have startled me!"

Jiang Qingying knew she was in the wrong, but she was unwilling to let this opportunity slip away.

"You have startled His Majesty; do you know your crime!"

"I haven't done anything. I've just been sitting here quietly. How could I have frightened Your Majesty?"

Li Yunsheng glanced at Shangguan Xuanran, who was slowly waking up.

"Your Majesty, however, has truly disappointed me today."

"That's because you put the flag on me first—"

Cough!

Li Yun Sheng coughed lightly, interrupting the Empress.

At the same time, she gave a look indicating that Shangguan Xuanran behind her had woken up.

Jiang Qingying glanced back, then swallowed the words she was about to say.

The fact that Li Ze took photos of her wearing a cheongsam has become a secret between the two of them.

How could she possibly talk about something so humiliating in front of others?

Jiang Qingying turned her face away.

"I've given you all the imperial treasury funds; I have no money left!"

"With Your Majesty's words, I am relieved. I will deduct the amount from Your Majesty's private treasury upon my return."

Sweating profusely, Li Yunsheng didn't want to linger any longer.

"If Your Majesty has nothing else to say, I shall take my leave."

As he reached the door, he turned back and gave a reminder.

"In the future, Your Majesty should think twice before acting and refrain from making mistakes again."

Jiang Qingying rubbed her aching stomach, feeling both angry and resentful.

She opened her mouth, but had nothing to say.

Despite a meticulously planned and foolproof scheme, this is the result.

Not only did they not get the photos back, they were also forced to give them away as gifts.

Later, she had even less reason to ask for the photo back.

Not only that, he also lost a beloved vase.

However, this time it wasn't all for naught.

At least, we now know some of Li Ze's methods.

snort!

I will trample you under my feet sooner or later!

hiss--

Shangguan Xuanran cried out in pain, interrupting her thoughts.

The Empress hurriedly turned around, wanting to help Shangguan Xuanran up from the ground.

"How badly are you injured?"

Shangguan Xuanran frowned even more deeply.

"Your Majesty, my arm..."

Jiang Qingying immediately let go of his hand and dared not make any further movements.

"I will go and summon the imperial physician."

……

outside the temple.

As Li Yunsheng walked out of Fenglin Hall, the guards immediately stood up straight.

Their eyes were filled with awe.

Previously, I only respected Li Yunsheng's status and power.

Now, I have even greater respect for Li Yunsheng's strength.

The Imperial Guard General was beaten unconscious. Who could have done this?

It couldn't possibly be His Majesty, nor could it be Shangguan Xuanran, so it could only be Prime Minister Li.

Li Yunsheng glanced down.

"Why is Prime Minister Liu still lying on the ground?"

A guard reported.

"Reporting to Prime Minister Li, Physician Hu said he couldn't cure the illness and went back to get reinforcements, but he hasn't returned yet."

Looking at the silver needles, Li Yunsheng said coldly.

"Go tell Ling Zuo that Physician Hu attempted to assassinate His Majesty. His crime is unforgivable. His family should be confiscated and he should be executed!"

"Yes!"

The guard accepted the order and quickly left.

……

Ten days later.

The walls of each ward in the capital were torn down, and the ward-market system was completely broken.

The capital city consisted of three parts: the palace city, the imperial city, and the outer city.

The palace was located in the center of the northern part of the capital. Outside the south gate of the palace was the imperial city, which housed the various government offices of the central government.

Outside the imperial city was a neighborhood district consisting of 108 wards. These wards all had high walls, and ward officials were stationed to maintain order within the wards.

After nightfall, the gates of the neighborhood are closed, and entry and exit are prohibited.

This system of wards and markets established a three-tiered management system: the Prefect of the Capital, the Magistrate of the Capital County, and the Ward Administrator, who worked together to maintain order and security.

This created a city structure where "neighborhoods have walls, ponds have gates, and wickedness has no place to stand."

The neighborhood was filled with official residences and private houses, and people could only enter and exit through the gates in the walls, which were guarded by soldiers.

People living in remote areas of the capital had to walk a long way to the West Market just to buy something as simple as a needle and thread.

Due to the curfew, trading in the East and West markets was also restricted to a limited time, from noon to dusk, for only two or three hours.

Once the market closed, people had to return to their neighborhoods and wait until the market reopened the next day to buy anything.

Now that these walls have been torn down, the East and West markets are no longer the only options for doing business.

The houses facing the street became lively.

Meanwhile, at Li Yunsheng's request, the Great Chu abolished the curfew.

The entire capital city, day and night, has become more vibrant than ever before.

The people were overjoyed at this.

only……

The 27th day of the Lunar New Year.

After the wall was demolished, Old Zhang's yard was located on the street, so he said his book business became even better.

Nowadays, he can not only make a living by telling stories, but also enjoy a pot of wine in the evening.

Since Li Yunsheng's identity was exposed by the Empress, he has rarely come to this courtyard.

Whenever he came, everyone in the courtyard who was listening to the storytelling felt uncomfortable.

Each one of them was extremely cautious, afraid of making a mistake and offending the prime minister.

Compared to Old Zhang, Little Taro adapted to Li Yunsheng's identity much faster.

In her eyes, Li Yunsheng, regardless of his identity, was always that kind older brother.

That's why he came over tonight.

Part of the reason is that it's been a long time since I've been here, so I wanted to see how the little taro is doing.

Another reason is to see what the nights in the capital would be like after the abolition of the market system and the lifting of the curfew.

Inside the room, Li Yunsheng and Old Zhang sat cross-legged on the kang (a heated brick bed).

On the small table between the two, there was a dish of peanuts and a serving of braised beef that Li Yunsheng had brought.

Old Zhang picked up the wine pot and filled Li Yunsheng's cup.

Even though the two had already drunk together several times, he still felt somewhat awkward in front of Li Yunsheng.

However, once Li Yunsheng started telling stories, he paid no attention to anything else and listened intently.