He Hui didn't want to entangle with Ye Xinxin at all at this moment. Impatiently, she tried to squeeze past from the side, but Ye Xinxin was determined to pick on her today.
"How dare you! I'm talking to you, yet you pretend not to hear. It seems I need to teach you a lesson today so that you'll know your place."
As she finished speaking, her hand shot out, and a resounding slap echoed in everyone's ears.
The others looked over in shock, but after seeing who had struck the blow, they could only shrink their heads back.
Ye Xinxin's family was very powerful, and now that she was a noble concubine, no one present dared to provoke her.
Of course, she noticed the inquisitive looks from those around her. Seeing that no one dared to say a word, she burst out laughing.
"Now that you've tasted the bitter fruit, sister, do you still think what you did just now was right?"
He Hui covered her slightly reddened cheek. Knowing that no one here would speak up for her, she could only endure the humiliation.
"Sister is right to teach me. I'll never dare to overstep my bounds again in the future."
"That's more like it. Well, I still have a lot of things to tidy up. Since you're so free, you can go and do it for me personally."
He Hui was stunned. She didn't expect Ye Xinxin to be so overbearing. But for now, she could only swallow all her grievances.
When she lowered her head, her eyes were filled with hatred. One day, she vowed, when she climbed above Ye Xinxin, she would never give her a chance to be so arrogant again.
"Perhaps sister could wait until I've finished tidying up my own things. I don't have many, so it won't take long."
These soft words immediately changed Ye Xinxin's expression.
"What? Do you have any objections to my words?"
She immediately resorted to using her status to suppress He Hui. Helpless, He Hui could only grit her teeth and head in the other direction.
From beginning to end, at the end of the corridor, two people had been quietly watching the whole scene.
"Mother, you didn't call me here just to watch this show, did you?"
Indeed, the two standing here were Jin Miner, who had just become the queen, and Shi Muyuan, who had come early in the morning to watch the fun.
After feeling that the show was almost over, the young girl stretched and sat down.
The place where they were now was a restricted area. Unless ordered by the young girl, no outsider could enter.
At first, when Jin Miner discovered this place, she had wondered countless times in her mind.
"Mother, do you always come here to watch shows when you're bored?"
Her long - held little thought was thus exposed in public. She felt rather embarrassed.
The young girl averted her eyes and pretended to change the subject.
"I'm not just here for the show today. Congratulations on becoming the queen, Miss Jin."
"Then could mother please explain to me? Why did you take such a fancy to Miss He at first, but in the end, you let me become the queen?"
Being so straightforward would surely lead to trouble in other places, but Shi Muyuan liked such people the most.
"You asked a good question. I'll only answer you this once. I hope you won't ask such questions again in the future."
"Please speak, mother."
"You're straightforward, daring to act and take responsibility. You're inherently kind but also have a tough side. Only someone like you can be the queen of our Great Liang."
"Can I understand that mother means Miss He is too gentle?"
"Not entirely. I've also investigated your family. Every member is a loyal patriot. If you could help them gain higher ranks, it wouldn't be a bad thing for the emperor."
With this explanation, everything made sense.
Jin Miner nodded. "I don't like to owe people favors. I'm sure mother doesn't like others to owe you either. So, why don't you tell me the rest?"
"Good. Being direct, we mother - in - law and daughter - in - law should get along well in the future. As the queen, you must always keep an eye on everyone in the harem. I made you the queen not for you to betray the emperor or cause him trouble. I hope you'll remember this."
"Mother wants to find a virtuous wife for the emperor?"
"Smart. It seems we've reached an agreement for now. The rest need not be said. Remember, from the moment you became the queen, you, me, and the emperor are one. If anything goes wrong with us, you won't be able to escape either. We rise and fall together. You're a smart woman. You'd better weigh the pros and cons clearly."
"I understand. Don't worry, mother. I won't disappoint you."
After saying that, the two quietly left, just as they had come, without being noticed by anyone.
When they were about to enter the Shoukang Palace, Fu Lu hurriedly stopped the young girl.
"Empress Dowager, please go and have a look at our emperor. It's his wedding night today, but he's been drunk in the main hall. What if the concubines in the harem are waiting for him tonight?"
The young girl checked the time and was quite surprised.
Wasn't the young emperor fine when he sent the list? How could he be drunk now?
After thinking for a moment, she lifted her feet and headed towards the main hall.
Before they even entered, they could smell the strong odor of alcohol.
Shi Muyuan frowned, waved her hand to signal the others to retreat, and then walked in.
Looking at the person crying heart - rendingly on the dragon bed, she let out a helpless sigh and stepped forward to console him.
"If you want to cry, Your Majesty, just cry. But after that, you still have to go to the wedding tonight. Don't keep the new concubines waiting in their rooms for too long."
Hearing the familiar voice, Ji Heng looked up. His somewhat immature face was still stained with tears.
It had to be said that he had grown up. She almost forgot that at his age, in her era, he would be a child cared for by his parents, not shouldering such great responsibilities.
"Mother, I've never understood. We were in love, and her attitude towards me seemed unchanged. But her heart is full of interests. She didn't care about our time together at all."
"It seems Your Majesty still can't accept what happened to He Hui."
"Yes, mother once taught me to have only one love in my life, and I promised her the same. But in the blink of an eye, everything has changed. Why? Have I done something wrong to her?"