"It wasn't me!!!"
"Not you? Then why did the suspicion fall on you? If it weren't for my sake, they would have rushed in and arrested you long ago!"
A couple of days ago, Ji Yunting got so angry that he went out drinking with his playboy friends.
None of those young masters had a single brain cell. After getting drunk, they all spouted nonsense. Each of them spoke with such confidence, making lewd jokes without a shred of shame, and goading Ji Yunting into doing something big to prove himself.
Ji Yunting couldn't resist the flattery when he was drunk. All he could think about was how great it would be if Ji Heng were dead. In a fit of madness, he really did something big after returning to the mansion.
No one knew what good things he had given to that jianghu organization. Even the top assassination organization had refused that job, but they dared to take it on.
Later, Prince Lian found out that this heir to the throne he had placed his hopes on had emptied the prince's mansion's treasury and ruined the carefully cultivated spies he had planted in the imperial palace guard. All he got in return was a farce. Prince Lian wished he could kill Ji Yunting on the spot, who was in exile.
The Supreme Court of Judicature received the emperor's oral order and finally rushed in to arrest the culprit. Prince Lian's mansion was thrown into chaos.
When they broke open Ji Yunting's door, they saw him with snot and tears streaming down his face, curled up in a corner, shouting that they shouldn't arrest him. He said he hadn't meant to do it and that he was innocent.
The people from the Supreme Court of Judicature didn't care. They stepped forward and arrested him on the spot.
Princess Lian fainted on the spot. She had been childless for many years and had finally given birth to a son, who she had carefully raised. He was of direct royal blood.
Even though there were twelve older siblings, he was the most noble one, and Prince Lian had also valued him highly.
Now, all her hopes were shattered!
Prince Lian seemed to age several decades in an instant. Prince Lian's mansion was finished.
No one had expected that such a major event as an assassination attempt on the new emperor would turn out to be a farce. In the end, it resulted in the downfall of Prince Lian's mansion and a reshuffle of the court forces, which actually helped the new emperor clean up the court.
Although Ji Yunting had caused trouble after getting drunk, what was done couldn't be undone. He couldn't escape punishment and was sentenced to exile on the border. At least he managed to keep his life, but no one could guarantee that he would survive the journey.
Mo Sang was also surprised that such a stupid thing had actually been done by Ji Yunting.
He had sent Su Xing to investigate Ji Yunting because he thought it was strange that Ji Yunting hadn't shown up when the new emperor ascended the throne. Who would have thought that the top contender for the throne would be so stupid? If he had really ascended the throne, it would have been a great opportunity for the Zhouyou Kingdom!
It was really a pity.
After such a big incident, the news naturally reached the harem.
The maternal family of Concubine Rui had already declined. Now, even watching the show with melon seeds in her hand didn't bring her much pleasure. Concubine Qi, on the other hand, was chatting with the other concubines with great interest.
"Sister, what's wrong? Why are you frowning? Be careful not to get wrinkles. It won't be nice."
"What's the use of me looking nice now that the late emperor is gone?" Concubine Rui threw away the melon seed shells in her hand, lifted her purple-red skirt, and walked out of the pavilion.
Concubine Qi had always been following behind her. Seeing her leave, she also lifted her skirt and followed.
"Sister, what are you worrying about? Why don't you tell me? Maybe I can help."
"I want to kill the empress dowager. What do you think I should do?"
"This... Sister, don't joke with me and make fun of me. I know you look down on me, but there are so many people around..." Concubine Qi's face turned a little pale.
Concubine Rui snorted and walked away directly.
Concubine Qi was used to being looked down upon by women. Since she started following this woman, she had never received a kind look. Fortunately, she only had to put up with this one woman.
Concubine Qi didn't really care. Seeing that the other woman didn't want her to follow, she simply turned around and went back to her own palace.
...
Ji Heng had become the emperor, but he was still young. Many things still needed to be decided by Shi Muwang. However, as an outsider with a foreign soul, Shi Muwang didn't know much. So, she simply used the excuse of teaching the new emperor and studied with Ji Heng, listening to the teacher's lectures.
Although the teacher found it quite novel, he didn't dare to say much.
Although Shi Muwang was often absent, relying on the liberal arts knowledge she had learned for the college entrance examination back then, she managed to handle many simple matters. For the rest, she simply dumped them all on Huo Qizhou.
Don't ask why. If you do, the answer is that he just looked very capable. Moreover, in the original owner's memory, Huo Qizhou had done many of these things. Otherwise, someone would have come to give her sarcastic remarks.
Sure enough, early in the morning, she ran to the imperial garden to take a break.
Shi Muwang, the former small-town urban management officer, didn't have many refined interests. She could only recognize the common flowers, plants, and trees on the streets. However, in this garden, she counted more than a dozen flowers that looked similar in appearance, not to mention the others.
She could recognize a few, but some of them bloomed in different seasons. Yet, they were all in full bloom in this garden.
It was really incredible.
Shi Muwang wandered around the imperial garden, occasionally bending down to study the flowers. A long line of people followed behind her, making her quite conspicuous.
Shi Muwang said she didn't need them, but Xiao Xiao said this was already the minimum number of people. She could just dismiss them when she didn't need them.
So, when Huo Qizhou passed by the imperial garden, he saw a few people from the empress dowager's entourage walking out.
Not paying much attention, he headed towards the emperor's study. It was time for him to assist and teach the new emperor in reviewing memorials.
In the garden, Shi Muwang pointed to a small white flower like jade and asked Xiao Xiao if she could pick it.
The girl simply replied, "These all belong to the empress dowager. Of course, the empress dowager can pick them if she wants. She can even dig them all up if she likes."
Shi Muwang was speechless. This girl was really straightforward.
Xiao Xiao and Ze had been following the original owner for a long time and had always found it strange. However, the empress dowager was indeed the real one.
Sometimes, Shi Muwang was quite domineering, but sometimes, she would stupidly ask some strange questions. Maybe it was because she had just recovered from a serious illness and her body was still weak, which was why she was like this.
It seemed that the dishes from the imperial kitchen needed some improvement to restore the majestic and domineering empress dowager.
Shi Muwang picked a white jade flower and thought of the pear trees lining the streets in her previous life. She couldn't help but feel a pang of nostalgia.
She was an average student. After graduation, she had worked hard to pass the civil service exam and get a government job. Then, through connections, she had become an urban management officer. She was kind-hearted and had an open personality. She never resorted to violent law enforcement. She always tried to reason with people and persuade them reasonably.
Of course, there were also times when things didn't go smoothly, but they were all small matters. As time passed, she had become good friends with the small vendors. Sometimes, she would even help them take care of their children. So, taking care of the three little ones in the palace was also something she was familiar with.
Suddenly, she turned around and asked Xiao Xiao, "Is there any empty land in the palace?"
"What does the empress dowager want to do?"
"Plant a tree. Do you think it's okay?"
"Of course, it's okay if the empress dowager wants to plant a tree. We can just remove the plants that we don't like in the palace."
That would be great! She just wanted to plant some pear trees. The white flowers were as beautiful as jade. In the past, when she looked out of the window, she could always see a sea of white jade. Just thinking about it made her feel happy.