novelaction Chapter 544 Xie Jing's Story: I Want to Be With You
Chapter 544 Xie Jing's Story: I Want to Be With You
Consort Liang stared blankly at the backs of the two figures walking away side by side, as if she had been struck on the head, frozen in place.
She stared at her empty hall, completely bewildered.
What's going on, Your Majesty?
Didn't he dislike Shen Qingyan?
This was the first time she had ever seen the Emperor look at a concubine with such eyes.
Consort Liang sat there blankly, as if she had been completely drained, utterly dumbfounded.
At this moment, on the palace road.
Shen Qingyan's hand was held tightly by Li Wuyang, and she could feel the warmth from his palm.
Li Wuyang would turn to look at her from time to time, his eyes filled with fervor.
Shen Qingyan's lips curved into a smile.
This love potion is really effective.
That evening, an imperial edict was issued throughout the palace.
Consort Li was granted the title of "Imperial Noble Consort Zhao".
In just a few hours, she went from a newly arrived concubine to the head of the imperial concubines, which shocked the entire palace.
Everyone was saying that this promotion was ridiculously fast.
Even the eunuchs and palace maids couldn't believe it was true.
The Hall of Nourishing Heart.
The Empress knelt down on the steps in front of the palace, pleading in a low voice, "Your Majesty, I beg you to reconsider your decision."
But the palace doors were tightly shut, and no one responded.
Inside the hall, Shen Qingyan nestled in Li Wuyang's arms, her eyes smiling.
Li Wuyang looked down at her, his eyes full of doting and infatuation, his palm tightly covering the back of her hand, unwilling to part even for a moment.
Qiyun Palace.
"boom--!"
A blue-and-white porcelain cup crashed heavily to the ground, scattering shards everywhere.
Consort Liang was so angry that her face turned red. She smashed the incense burner she was holding down, followed by a string of teacups, food boxes, and jade bottles, almost destroying all the furnishings in the palace.
"I knew she wasn't being honest!" she said through gritted teeth. "She kept trying to please me back then, just to use me to get close to the Emperor!"
"You vixen! You certainly have a whole repertoire of seduction tricks!"
The palace maids were trembling with fear, kneeling on the ground, not daring to utter a sound.
Half a month later, Li Wuyang issued another decree.
"His Majesty, out of compassion for Consort Zhao, who has just entered the palace and misses her family, has granted the Li family permission to enter the palace tomorrow to visit her and ease their longing for their loved ones."
The entire palace was astonished upon hearing this.
The imperial harem has always had regulations that prohibit pregnant concubines from summoning relatives from outside the palace!
But this time, the Emperor not only issued a decree in person, but also sent the Imperial Household Department to make advance arrangements for the reception.
When the concubines in the palace heard about this, they were all dumbfounded and began to discuss it amongst themselves.
The following day, the Li family was welcomed into Ningxiang Palace with great pomp and circumstance.
Ningxiang Palace.
Li Sheng stood in the hall, blinking as she looked around at everything.
Shen Qingyan, opposite her, wore a phoenix crown and gold hairpins, which were exceptionally gorgeous.
Shen Qingyan turned her gaze to the maids and eunuchs standing in the hall.
"You may all leave. I need to have a private conversation with my family."
The palace servants responded respectfully, bowed their heads, and withdrew. Soon, only the three of them remained in the hall.
Shen Qingyan remained seated upright.
She glanced at Xie Jing and Li Sheng, then stood up and led them into the inner room.
After closing the door herself and making sure no one could hear, Shen Qingyan finally let go of all her reserve and slowly exhaled.
"You guys are here."
Li Sheng excitedly pounced on her and sat down beside her, exclaiming in a low voice, "Sister Shen, you really did it! Xie Jing and I were so happy when we heard it!"
“I didn’t expect it to go so smoothly,” Shen Qingyan said with a smile. “Li Wuyang is a very cautious person and refuses to eat what I make. I had no choice but to find another way.”
"The adults' method is still the best." Shen Qingyan turned to look at Xie Jing.
"Your Excellency guessed correctly. Li Wuyang suspects us, but trusts the senior concubines in the palace."
"The Empress is difficult to approach, but Consort Liang is much easier. I will feign allegiance, find an opportunity to tell her about the pastries, and then take the chance to put poisonous insects in the pastry ingredients."
Shen Qingyan looked at Xie Jing, "So, what should we do next?"
Li Sheng was already getting excited and couldn't wait to interject.
"Does this mean we've taken control of Daliang? Does that mean we can..."
"Not yet." Xie Jing interrupted her gently. "Although Li Wuyang has been affected by the love potion and will listen to us now, there is still a group of trusted old ministers in the court, and part of the military power of Daliang is still in their hands."
"If we act too hastily now, it may cause turmoil in the court."
“Once someone in the court notices something amiss, or if they are pushed to the limit by the emperor’s unusual behavior, it’s hard to guarantee that someone won’t rise up in rebellion and declare independence. That would be the real trouble.”
"The best course of action now is not to take over Daliang immediately, but to gradually erode it."
"By stripping them of their power, replacing their generals, disturbing the people's peace of mind, and controlling taxes, we can rapidly weaken the strength of the Great Liang Dynasty within a year."
As he spoke, his eyes were as deep as ink, "When they can no longer hold on, and the Great Jin raises its army, it will be able to take over the Great Liang without lifting a finger."
Li Sheng looked up at Xie Jing, her eyes full of admiration, "Xie Jing, you are so smart."
Xie Jing's lips curved into a smile, but considering the current situation, he only pursed his lips and remained calm on the surface.
He turned to look at Shen Qingyan beside him, "From now on, I will have someone pass all the instructions to Xiaoxue, and then she will pass them on to you."
Shen Qingyan nodded, "Okay, I understand."
Having said that, Xie Jing glanced at the sky outside the window, stood up and nodded slightly to her, "It's getting late, let's go back first."
Shen Qingyan got up to see him off.
Li Sheng stopped at the door and turned to look at Shen Qingyan.
A smile played on her lips as she waved to Shen Qingyan, "Sister Shen, we'll come again another day."
Shen Qingyan smiled and nodded at her, "Okay."
Li Sheng reluctantly turned around and quickly caught up with Xie Jing ahead, her graceful figure soon swallowed by the night.
Li House.
Xie Jing and Li Sheng walked into the courtyard side by side.
Li Sheng was in a great mood, her eyes brimming with undisguised joy.
"So, will we be able to go back to Dajin soon? To be honest, I don't really like Daliang. The weather here is strange, the way they speak is strange, and even the pastries don't taste as good as back home."
She kept rambling on and on, complaining while reminiscing about all the good things about the Great Jin Dynasty.
Xie Jing listened quietly, without interrupting or saying a word. Only when she finished speaking did he say in a low voice, "We'll be going back soon. But it will probably take another month or two for me to settle things here."
He turned to look at her and said, "If you really miss the Great Jin, I can send someone to take you back first."
There's no need for you to suffer here with him.
Li Sheng immediately shook her head, "I'd rather stay here with you."
I want to stay with you.
As soon as she said it, she paused for a moment, her cheeks flushed, and she quickly added a sentence.
"What if something goes wrong with the Gu worms again? I think it's better if I stay."
Xie Jing's eyes darkened. Just as he was about to speak, he saw a figure walking quickly from the front.