People in the Qin Dynasty, entertained during the Warring States period

“My sister’s daughter is my daughter. Although Zilan Pavilion is not a brothel, it is still a place of pleasure. I want Nongyu to come into the palace and stay by my side. You are in charge of this matter.”

Hu Meiren revealed her purpose.

Having Nongyu by her side would allow her to look after her and also serve as a trusted confidante.

In her opinion, Nongyu was far better off with her than suffering in Zilanxuan.

Cao Ze hesitated and said, "Nongyu doesn't know about her background yet."

Hu Meiren snorted: "That's your business, I don't care."

Cao Ze pondered for a moment, then lowered his voice and said, "Your Majesty, Liu Yi's life hangs in the balance in the next few days. Can this matter be postponed?"

Hu Meiren's expression shifted slightly, and she placed her foxy eyes on Cao Ze's face, trying to see if Cao Ze was lying again.

"Really?"

Cao Ze respectfully replied, "I dare not deceive Your Majesty."

Hu Meiren walked halfway around Cao Ze, paused, and said, "Waiting a few days is fine, but let me ask you, when do you plan to let my sister and Nongyu recognize each other, and when do you plan to let me recognize them?"

Cao Ze handled the matter entirely; Hu Meiren did not make the decision on her own, but instead sought Cao Ze's opinion.

"Once Liu Yi is dead and the storm has passed, Your Majesty and Madam can reunite with Nongyu."

Hu Meiren nodded slightly, seemingly satisfied with the result.

If it weren't for Ji Wuye, a powerful minister who caused even the Great King a great deal of trouble, Liu Yi would have already used his connections to implicate him.

"Very well, this matter will be done as you wish. If it is not done well, or if my sister and niece are harmed... Hmph!"

Consort Hu said arrogantly, "I have plenty of ways to punish you!"

Aside from some kind of tearing apart, what harm could we possibly cause to Madam Hu and Nongyu...? Cao Ze said with a smile, "If anything goes wrong, Your Majesty, please punish us as you see fit."

She silently added in her mind, "If nothing goes wrong, I'll beat you to death if you don't play Jenga with me."

Hu Meiren always felt that the man in front of her was harboring evil intentions, but she couldn't figure it out. She waved her sleeve, and a fragrant breeze swept over Cao Ze's face.

"Go down, I will await your news."

Cao Ze glanced at the stunningly beautiful Hu Meiren, praised her charm and elegance, and respectfully bowed, saying, "Yes."

After Cao Ze left Consort Hu's main hall, Consort Hu tidied her clothes slightly and then went to find Honglian with her personal maid.

Her most important task now is to take advantage of her close relationship with Princess Honglian and try to make Honglian her own.

The pressure from Madam Mingzhu is immense. So far, she hasn't seen Madam Mingzhu's trump card and can only try to increase her own strength.

Cao Ze wanted to go find Xiao Honglian to have some fun, but before he had gone far from Hu Meiren's bedroom, he was stopped by Mingzhu's maid.

Seeing the familiar maid, Cao Ze smiled: "Is this what Madam is looking for?"

He had become accustomed to the fact that Madam Mingzhu could find out about him at any time as soon as he entered the palace.

Madam Mingzhu's maidservant said respectfully, "Yes, sir, please."

Madam did not intend to see Cao Ze today, but upon hearing that Consort Hu had seen Cao Ze, she changed her mind and asked her to come and take Cao Ze there.

Having a fairly good understanding of the lady, she vaguely sensed that the lady seemed to be jealous.

This feeling almost scared her to death.

Even if she realized it, she dared not say a word. Like Cao Ze, she had the Madam's Gu poison in her body, and her life and death were out of her control.

When Cao Ze arrived at Lady Mingzhu's palace again, he felt a little guilty.

Each time she came, Madam Mingzhu behaved differently.

This woman is not only a bit yandere, but also a bit schizophrenic; in short, her psychology is different from that of normal people.

The maid came from the back hall to the front hall and said somewhat strangely, "Madam wants you to go to her room."

It's easy for concubines in the harem to be criticized for secretly meeting with outsiders indoors. It's only because her wife controls the palace that this is allowed; otherwise, if other concubines caught her doing this, it would be enough to cause Lady Mingzhu a lot of trouble.

Unfortunately, his wife was quite capable; she not only controlled the palace, but even the king had to listen to her.

Cao Ze entered Madam Mingzhu's bedroom, his heart skipped a beat.

Compared to the last time I came to massage Madam Mingzhu, the current bedroom's curtains and decorations have a subtle, ambiguous feel, as if there's a certain ambiguity in them.

"Go down and stand guard outside the door. No one is allowed to come in."

"Yes."

The maid glanced at Cao Ze with a mixture of envy and pity before quietly leaving and closing the door.

Cao Ze respectfully replied, "Madam."

Lady Mingzhu rested her head on one hand and her other hand on her thigh, lying on her side behind a black gauze curtain, making it impossible to discern her emotions.

She said in a low voice, "I heard from the palace that you spent quite a while with Consort Hu."

Cao Ze immediately realized that Madam Mingzhu had a problem with his private meeting with Consort Hu.

"Yes, Madam, Consort Hu asked me about her sister, Madam Hu."

Madam Mingzhu's tone changed, "You know her sister?"

"Hu Meiren's sister is Liu Yi's wife. I am on good terms with Liu Yi. Because Yingge lived in Hu Meiren's courtyard, I became acquainted with Hu Meiren through Yingge."

“Yingge…” Madam Mingzhu immediately focused her attention on Yingge.

She had just received news that the Hundred Birds Killer Army on the Ghost Mountain Blood Pool in the Ancestral Mountain had been wiped out.

As the leader of all birds, Yingge was sent by Ji Wuye to monitor Cao Ze, and she knew about this.

However, she was still one step ahead and directly took control of Cao Ze.

Do you know the identity of that Parrot Girl?

Lady Mingzhu slowly rose from the couch, stepped out from behind the layers of curtains, and walked barefoot to Cao Ze.

Cao Ze breathed a sigh of relief. He knew that Madam Mingzhu was definitely more concerned about Yingge.

If Lady Mingzhu knew how Consort Hu treated him, she would probably rush out right now and tear Consort Hu's mouth apart.

Cao Ze feigned ignorance: "Isn't Yingge Liu Yi's distant niece?"

Madam Mingzhu couldn't help but burst into laughter. Her laughter was exceptionally melodious, and she laughed so hard that her beautiful shoulders trembled slightly, as if she was laughing at Cao Ze's naivety.

"A distant niece? It's amazing that Liu Yi could make that up."

"Let me tell you the truth, Yingge is Ji Wuye's subordinate and one of the four leaders of the Hundred Birds Assassins. Her strength is not much weaker than mine. Could such a person be Liu Yi's distant niece?"

Lady Mingzhu moved closer to Cao Ze, half-embracing his shoulder, and whispered sweet nothings in an ambiguous tone, saying with a seductive smile, "But now you are mine, and I won't let you suffer any losses. You can play with that Yingge as you please, and I will take full responsibility for everything."

"Still playing around? It's almost falling apart..." Cao Ze couldn't help but laugh when he thought about how Yinggeyi was no longer performing well and how he had been urging him to go to Madam Hu's room.

He began to showcase his acting skills.

At first, he was shocked and incredulous, then he was moved to tears and repeatedly expressed his loyalty to Madam Mingzhu, flattering her.

The photos made Mrs. Mingzhu feel completely refreshed.

After Madam Mingzhu finished feeling comfortable, her smile faded.

"Soon, Ji Wuye will take action regarding this year's military pay. Keep a close eye on things, and if anything goes wrong, report it to me. Do you understand?"

Her cousin Bai Yifei secretly wrote to her, saying that after obtaining the military funds, he would return to the capital to report on his duties and divide the funds with Ji Wuye, in preparation for her aunt's plan.

Cao Ze asked, "What about the King?"

"Hmph, just an old codger, no need to worry about him."

Lady Mingzhu narrowed her long, beautiful eyes, looking at Han Wang An with disdain.

Being controlled by her incense for so many years without realizing it is enough to show her incompetence.

Thanks to this, she has never been touched by that old geezer, and has remained chaste to this day, without ever feeling disgusted.

……

Chapter 278 Purple Maiden: Taking the Lead Personally

Three days later.

Bai Yifei sneered after reading his cousin's secret letter.

Even without Bai Niao, Ji Wuye still has the Ice Armor Guard. In any case, the advantage is currently in his hands!

"The Xuanwu Gate Incident..."

Bai Yifei murmured something to himself as his blood-red lips moved slightly, a wicked smile slowly spreading across his pale face.

He could also take his place.

A mother is a woman; how can a woman be queen?

Once Ji Wuye is eliminated, he will take the throne of Han!

……

In mid-February, the weather warmed up.

Cao Ze quietly sneaked into the Scorpion Sect's dungeon.

Li Kai opened his heavy eyelids and vaguely saw a familiar figure.

"Yes, it's you..."

Cao Ze placed a palm on Li Kai and used his internal energy to help him regulate his qi.

Where have the vultures been lately?

Yesterday, Consort Hu urged him again, telling him to kill Liu Yi as soon as possible and arrange for Nongyu to enter the palace.

But strangely, the vulture disappeared after making the appointment with Hu Meiren a few days ago.

Li Kai coughed. "He seemed to have gotten some secrets from Liu Yi. He asked me what happened in Zheng back then. I didn't know much, so he left."

That's it?

"...After that, it seemed that something serious had happened to Bai Niao. He came back, told Du Xie to keep an eye on me, and then hurriedly left."

Cao Ze rubbed his temples. There was no need to guess anymore; it was probably because the Hundred Birds Killer of Ghost Mountain Blood Pool had been wiped out, and the vultures had been relocated to other places.