I became the demon of the female devil

Chapter 246 The Empress Baby's Background! First a massage, then a bath!
"Chen Mo is here?"

The Empress frowned slightly.

Chen Mo's entry into the palace at this critical juncture must be because of the Yan family's case.

In such a short time, it's impossible to make any major discoveries; most likely, they've encountered trouble.

Zhuang Jingming clearly realized this as well, and said, "Lord Chen, you've come at the right time. I happen to have some questions for you regarding these two cases... Your Highness shouldn't mind if I listen in here, right?"

This is not too much to ask.

If you deliberately ask him to avoid it, it will only make you seem a little guilty...

"Let Chen Mo in," the Empress nodded.

"Yes."

Lady Sun acknowledged and withdrew.

A moment later, a tall figure dressed in a dark, black robe with dark scales walked into the main hall.

"This humble servant greets Your Majesty the Empress." Chen Mo bowed respectfully.

"No need for formalities," the Empress said calmly.

"Thank you, Your Highness."

Chen Mo stood up, glanced at the red-robed old man beside him, and cupped his hands, saying, "Is Chief Minister Zhuang here as well?"

"Lord Chen," Zhuang Jingming stroked his beard and said with a smile, "You haven't looked a day in the day, but you're still as dashing as ever."

"You flatter me, Your Excellency."

Chen Mo felt inexplicably uncomfortable.

Zhuang Jingming's smile seemed kind and friendly, but his eyes revealed indifference, just like when they met at Jinshui Bridge last time... If Lü Huaiyu was a sinister and fierce hungry wolf, then Zhuang Jingming was like a cunning and scheming old fox.

He is cunning and shrewd, making it impossible for anyone to figure out his true thoughts.

"I was just discussing the barbarian case with Chief Minister Zhuang when Deputy Commander Chen arrived," the Empress said casually. "There's still plenty of time before the deadline. May I ask what brings Deputy Commander Chen to the palace?"

Chen Mo replied, "Your Highness, I have come here specifically for this case."

"..."

The Empress looked somewhat helpless.

This big idiot, he couldn't understand that I was reminding him, and instead of taking the opportunity to back down, he was so stubborn...

Isn't this blatantly giving Zhuang Jingming an opportunity to cause trouble?

But now that things had come to this point, the Empress couldn't pretend she hadn't heard, so she said, "Then tell me, is there any progress in the case?"

Chen Mo shook his head and said, "The barbarian slave case happened too long ago, and many clues have been lost. It will be very difficult to solve the case in a short time..."

"So, Lord Chen hasn't discovered anything these past few days?"

Zhuang Jingming maintained his amiable smile, but his words were like a knife hidden in a velvet glove: "I heard that Lord Chen went to arrest people in a big way, threw the young master of the Yan family into the imperial prison, and subjected him to all kinds of torture, but in the end he got nothing. Isn't that a bit unreasonable?"

Before Chen Mo could answer, the Empress said calmly, "The one-month deadline hasn't even passed yet, Lord Zhuang is being far too impatient... If you have any objections to Chen Mo's methods of handling the case, then why not hand it over to you?"

"I did not mean to question Lord Chen's abilities," Zhuang Jingming said meaningfully. "It's just that the Chen family and the Yan family have a long-standing feud, and I've also heard that Lord Chen and Yan Linghu once fought over a woman in the brothel. This time, there's an undeniable suspicion that he's seeking revenge..."

"After all, Lord Chen is still young and should cherish his reputation. If he gives others cause for criticism, it may be detrimental to his future career."

"Hehe, in terms of official conduct, Chen Mo is indeed far inferior to Lord Zhuang, but if young people don't have any drive and only know how to protect themselves, they may not be of great use in the future, don't you think?" the Empress said indifferently.

Zhuang Jingming traced the rim of the white porcelain teacup with his fingertips and nodded, saying, "Your Highness is quite right. This old minister has fallen into a rut... But speaking of this case, how long does Lord Chen intend to keep the man imprisoned?"

"If they really can't find any problems, then they still have to give the Yan family an explanation, right?"

Although their tone was calm, there was a clear tension between them.

Even if Chen Mo was slow to react, he could tell that Zhuang Jingming was targeting him.

Seeing that the Empress was about to speak, he cleared his throat and interrupted, "Wait a minute... who said I didn't find anything?"

?

Zhuang Jingming raised an eyebrow. "Judging from what Lord Chen is saying, there's been a breakthrough in the case?"

Chen Mo took out a confession from his pocket and said, "This is Yan Linghu's confession. He personally admitted that the entire process of the barbarian slave case, from entry into the pass to the transaction, was arranged by Prince Chu Heng. Yan Liang was just a small fry doing things for him."

Zhuang Jingming asked, "Besides that, is there any concrete evidence?"

Chen Mo replied frankly, "Not yet."

Zhuang Jingming chuckled and said, "Is this the major discovery you're talking about? As the deputy commander of the Tianlin Guard, you should know very well that without concrete evidence, a confession alone is not enough to convict someone."

"After all, given the methods used in the imperial prison, not many people can withstand it. Perhaps Yan Linghu was tortured into confessing..."

"Lord Zhuang, please don't be impatient, I haven't finished speaking yet." Chen Mo took out another jade slip and said, "Although there has been little progress in the case of the barbarian slaves, I have made an unexpected discovery that may involve a long-standing case. I would appreciate it if Your Highness would take a look."

"A cold case?"

Zhuang Jingming's heart skipped a beat, and he had a bad feeling about it.

Chen Mo handed the confession and the jade slip to Lady Sun, who then passed them on to the Empress. Afterward, the hall fell into a long silence.

A full quarter of an hour passed before the Empress's icy voice finally rang out: "Unexpectedly, this is truly a pleasant surprise."

thump—

The jade slip was thrown out from behind the screen, arcing through the air before landing squarely on the carpet in front of Zhuang Jingming.

"Lord Zhuang, you should take a look for yourself."

"Is it I who should give the Yan family an explanation, or is it the Yan family who should give me an explanation?"

Zhuang Jingming felt a chill run down his spine, finally realizing that something was wrong.

He bent down to pick up the jade slip, his mind immersing himself in it, and his expression immediately became solemn.

"The imperial examination leak case from two years ago?!"

"This matter has clearly been settled, and everything has been cleaned up. Why has it suddenly been brought up again?!"

The contents recorded in this jade slip are very detailed, including the whole process of how Yan Peizhi obtained the examination questions from the Vice Minister of Rites and leaked them to many students in Jiangnan!
Suspected of bribery, favoritism, and forming cliques...

These charges combined are far more serious than the barbarian slave case!

"In addition, I also have several letters between Vice Minister Yan and Vice Minister Feng."

"The two men used the guise of donating money to charity to sell official positions. The current head of the Ministry of Justice rose to his position in this way."

With his hands behind his back, Chen Mo smiled and said, "Now, does Lord Zhuang still think there's a problem with me arresting people?"

Zhuang Jingming remained expressionless, but cold sweat had already seeped out from the back of his neck.

Yan Linghu could never have known these inside stories. How could Chen Mo have investigated so thoroughly in just three days?!

"Lord Zhuang?"

"Ahem, Lord Chen is truly a genius at solving cases. He can even unearth cases from two years ago. No wonder he is the number one detective of Tianlin Guard." Zhuang Jingming came back to his senses and praised him repeatedly, but it was clear that he was not being sincere.

"If you don't want anyone to know, then don't do it in the first place." Chen Mo glanced at him, his tone playful: "Since Lord Zhuang is so careful about his reputation, he probably wouldn't want to get involved with the Yan family, right?"

"..."

Zhuang Jingming's expression was somewhat stiff, but he forced a smile and said, "Of course..."

"Alright, I need to understand the details of this case in detail, so I won't keep Lord Zhuang any longer." The Empress's tone was cold, and she had already given him the order to leave without any mercy.

Sun Shanggong approached Zhuang Jingming and extended her hand, saying, "Your Excellency, please."

Zhuang Jingming didn't say anything more. He placed the jade slip on the table, stood up, and bowed, saying, "Your subject takes his leave."

After saying that, he followed Lady Sun out of Zhaohua Palace.

The two remained silent until they arrived at the Qianqing Gate. Zhuang Jingming cupped his hands and said, "Shanggong, please wait."

"Sir, walk slowly."

Lady Sun stopped and watched the figure in red until it disappeared from sight before turning and walking towards the inner court.

……

……

Zhuang Jingming left the palace and boarded a sedan chair parked on the street.

Inside the sedan chair sat a young man, dressed in simple, spotless white clothes, with a handsome, porcelain-white face, who was brewing hot tea on his own.

"Lord Zhuang is back?"

As soon as Zhuang Jingming sat down, the man in white pushed a steaming teacup in front of him and said in a calm tone, "Judging from your appearance, things don't seem to be going very well?"

Zhuang Jingming's face was ashen, and he said in a deep voice, "Yan Peizhi has messed things up. Chen Mo has dug up the Spring Examination case from two years ago. This time, the Yan family is probably really doomed!"

"That good-for-nothing can't even clean up his own mess, making me so passive in front of the Empress..."

The man in white was somewhat surprised to hear this and asked curiously, "This case happened so long ago, how did Chen Mo find out about it?"

"I don't know." Zhuang Jingming frowned and said, "I looked at it carefully, and the chain of evidence is very clear. It's definitely not just random accusations. In just three days, he was able to investigate so clearly. Does this guy really have extraordinary abilities?"

"Or is it that he was prescient, foresaw the current situation, and gathered evidence in advance?"

The man in white picked up his teacup, took a sip, and a strange glint flashed in his eyes.

He quickly concealed his emotions and said:

"It doesn't matter, there's no need to dwell on it."

"The Yan family is just an insignificant pawn. We can make a quick buck if we can, but if we can't save them, there's no real loss."

"Don't forget our ultimate goal..."

Upon hearing this, Zhuang Jingming's expression also turned serious.

The man in white asked, "Has there been any movement from the Grand Tutor's residence recently?"

Zhuang Jingming shook his head and said, "During this period, Lü Huaiyu has been staying at home and hasn't even gone to the palace to teach the Crown Prince."

"The Crown Prince's sudden attendance at court is a clear signal that the long-silent Qianji Palace is obviously brewing something." The man in white filled his teacup and said, "Judging by the days, Yan Li will be back soon. The capital will be quite lively then."

Zhuang Jingming said in a low voice, "Young Master, shouldn't we make preparations in advance...?"

The man in white picked up his teacup, downed the scalding tea in one gulp, and said calmly, "The winds of change bring forth the chaos, dragons and tigers soar and shake the eight directions... Since everyone wants to join in the fun, let's stir up this stagnant water even more."

……

……

After Zhuang Jingming left, the main hall fell into a brief silence.

Chen Mo gazed at the figure behind the glass screen and asked cautiously, "Your Highness, did I say anything wrong just now?"

"No, you did very well," the Empress said. "Zhuang Jingming clearly had a purpose this time. If you hadn't presented the evidence of the Yan family's crimes, things would have been much more difficult to resolve today."

Chen Mo asked in confusion, "But just a few days ago, Chief Minister Zhuang was angrily rebuking Yan Peizhi in court and speaking up for me. How come he has suddenly changed his tune in just a few days?"

The Empress smirked and said, "Zhuang Jingming's stance has never changed from beginning to end. Everything he does is based on the interests of the powerful clans... He does this when he helps you, and he does it when he tramples on you."

"Valve?"

Chen Mo recalled a subplot from the original story and whispered, "Your Highness is referring to the Hidden Clan?"

The Empress was taken aback. "Where did you hear that word?"

Chen Mo casually replied, "This humble servant only heard the Imperial Concubine mention it by chance, but I don't know the details."

Upon hearing the words "Your Highness the Imperial Concubine," the Empress's face darkened with displeasure. She coldly snorted, "Yu Youhan has only been in the palace for a few years. Her mind is filled with nothing but fighting and killing. She doesn't understand anything at all..."

"Please enlighten me, Your Highness," Chen Mo said at the opportune moment.

"The so-called 'hidden clans' are a collective term for those aristocratic families that have remained secluded for hundreds of years," the Empress explained briefly. "Over the years, probably only the Jiang, Qi, Wanqi, and Sikong families remain." "Jiang?"

Chen Mo blinked and asked, "So, Your Highness is also from a hidden clan?"

"I suppose so." The Empress's expression was somewhat complicated. She paused for a moment before saying, "It is said to be hidden in the world, but in reality, it is everywhere. It's just that ordinary people can hardly detect it... You know Baoheng Money House, right? It is controlled by the Jiang family behind it."

?

Chen Mo was somewhat taken aback.

Baoheng was the largest money shop in the entire Yuan Dynasty, with branches all over the country. Its money exchange and intermediary shops were almost everywhere. It was no exaggeration to say that it was as rich as a country!
"Good heavens! I never imagined Her Majesty the Empress was actually the richest woman in the Great Yuan Dynasty?!"

"These thighs seem thicker than I imagined!"

The Empress, unaware of his thoughts, continued, "Besides that, their presence is everywhere—in the grain transport, salt and iron, medicine… even in the imperial court. Otherwise, how do you think Zhuang Jingming rose to the position of Grand Secretary?"

Chen Mo asked, "Which family supports Chief Minister Zhuang?"

The Empress replied, "The reason the cabinet was established was to check and balance the Central Secretariat, and Zhuang Jingming was personally promoted by the Jiang family."

Chen Mo frowned. "If that's the case, he should be completely obedient to His Highness. But judging from what happened just now, that doesn't seem to be the case."

The Empress shook her head and said, "In the end, Zhuang Jingming is a member of the Jiang family, not one of mine... I am not on the same side as the Jiang family either. They only care about their own interests, while I..."

She stopped speaking at this point and did not continue.

Chen Mo's lips curled slightly as he stepped onto the high platform, walked around the screen, and stood before the Empress. "Your Highness, why do you only say half of what you mean? What is in your eyes?"

A slight blush rose on the Empress's oval face as she muttered softly, "Of course it's you, you audacious little thief..."

Chen Mo chuckled and said, "It's the same for me."

The Empress gave a soft snort and turned her head away. "That sounds nice, but I don't believe it."

Chen Mo reached out and cupped her slightly flushed face, then gently pecked her rosy lips.

"now what?"

"Do not believe……"

"What about this time?"

"Well……"

a long time.

The Empress pushed against Chen Mo's chest with her slender hand, barely managing to break free. Her almond-shaped eyes glistened with tears as she said reproachfully, "Stop kissing me. Your lips will be swollen. What if someone notices?"

Knowing that the Empress was shy, Chen Mo didn't press the matter further. After thinking for a moment, he said, "Since we're already here, how about I give Your Highness a shoulder massage?"

"Alright."

The Queen nodded.

Recently, because of Chen Mo's matter, she has to deal with countless reports every day, and her workload has at least doubled. She is indeed very tired.

Chen Mo placed his hand on her shoulder and gently pressed it.

The Empress leaned back in her chair, her eyes narrowing contentedly.

It has to be said, this little thief's massage skills are indeed much better than those of Lady Sun. If it weren't for the fear of gossip, I would really like to keep him in the palace forever...

"By the way, Your Highness doesn't seem surprised by Yan Peizhi's situation?" Chen Mo asked.

"Hmm." The Empress closed her eyes slightly and said in a lazy voice, "This matter is not exactly a secret. The imperial examination is held every three years, and there is almost always some behind-the-scenes manipulation. After all, it is a good opportunity to develop one's own faction, and no one wants to miss it."

"It's just that Yan Peizhi was too greedy, which led to the leak of exam questions being too widespread, and that's when the situation got out of control..."

"In the end, a vice minister from the Ministry of Rites was brought out to take the blame, which barely calmed the storm down."

"I see."

Chen Mo nodded knowingly.

There are some things that, even if everyone knows them, there's nothing that can be done about them.

For officials of Yan Peizhi's caliber, it is very difficult to shake their position without fatal evidence.

"But then again..."

The Empress lowered her shoulders, stretched her long neck, and said, "I am quite curious. Back then, those officials relentlessly pursued Yan Peizhi for months without finding any evidence. How did you obtain such detailed evidence?"

Chen Mo didn't hide anything and said directly, "It was given to me by Madam Yan."

"Madam Yan?" The Empress looked slightly taken aback and asked, puzzled, "Why would she help you deal with Yan Peizhi?"

"Naturally, it's to save Yan Linghu..."

Chen Mo recounted the general events to the Empress, embellishing the story slightly and omitting the part about Qin Shu actively inviting him to enroll; otherwise, the Empress's jealousy would likely have boiled over again...

"Is it really that simple?" the Empress asked doubtfully, feeling that something was not quite right.

"Yes, it's that simple."

"Ok."

The Empress did not press the matter further.

"Hiss, over here, use a little more force..."

"Yes."

As Chen Mo massaged his shoulders and neck, a purple-gold light flashed in his eyes. His bright yellow palace dress gradually became translucent, revealing skin as delicate as jade, dazzlingly white.

The crimson blouse accentuated her ample figure, creating a striking sight from an overhead view.

When you gaze into the abyss, the abyss also gazes into you...

Chen Mo's breathing became slightly rapid, and the force in his hands involuntarily increased.

"Um……"

The Empress frowned slightly.

"I'm sorry, did I hurt you?" Chen Mo apologized.

"It's alright... Huh?"

The empress's expression froze. She looked down and saw several long, amber-like tendrils spreading out and clinging to her body, accentuating her already voluptuous curves even more vividly.

At the same time, you can also feel the intense heat emanating from it.

"What are you..."

"Just massaging the shoulders and neck might not be enough to fully relax them; other acupoints also need to be addressed."

"Wait, wait a minute!"

……

……

Lady Sun returned to Zhaohua Palace.

Just as I was about to go in, I suddenly remembered something, hesitated slightly, and then raised my hand to knock on the door.

dong dong dong-

Then, standing outside the door, he announced loudly, "Your Highness, Chief Minister Zhuang has already been escorted out of the palace."

A moment later, the Empress's voice came from inside the hall:

"understood……"

"I need to discuss the case with Chen Mo. You...you can go ahead and attend to your work. There's nothing for you here..."

His voice sounded slightly trembling, and carried a somewhat strange tone.

Lady Sun replied, "This servant understands."

She looked at the palace servants outside the hall and waved her hand, saying, "You may all leave. No one is allowed to enter Zhaohua Palace without my permission."

"Yes."

The palace servants all left, leaving the entire hall empty.

Looking at the deep, dark palace, Sun Shanggong's expression was somewhat complicated. She sighed softly and then turned and left.

……

……

"You little thief!"

"If you dare to act recklessly here, what if Lady Sun finds out?"

The Empress's cheeks were flushed, her eyes were filled with tears, and she glared at Chen Mo resentfully. "What massage? I think you did it on purpose!"

Chen Mo said innocently, "This humble servant was doing everything perfectly fine, who knew Your Highness would suddenly..."

"You still said that!"

The Empress stamped her foot and said angrily, "If you dare to talk nonsense again, I will ignore you!"

She didn't know what was wrong with her; every time Chen Mo made the slightest move, she completely lost control...

"I don't know if this little thief is too clever, or if I'm just too useless..."

The Empress took a deep breath to calm herself down, but still felt very uncomfortable. She frowned and said, "You stay here for now. I need to go to Xuanqing Pool, otherwise I'm feeling really unwell."

She had just stood up when her legs suddenly went weak and she almost fell. Chen Mo quickly reached out to help her up, "Your Highness, let me take you there."

"No need. What if someone sees us? I can just call a palace servant."

"Someone...someone?"

The Empress called out several times, but no one answered, and even when she rang the bell, no one came in.

"Strange, where have all the people gone?" the Empress asked, puzzled.

Seeing this, Chen Mo suggested, "How about this, I will follow behind you and escort you to the entrance of the bathhouse. If we encounter any other palace servants on the way, I will return first."

The Empress thought for a moment, then nodded and said, "Very well."

The two walked out of the palace one after the other.

Chen Mo was about half a body length behind, using his true energy to support the Empress from a distance, making it easier for her to walk.

Strangely, after leaving Zhaohua Palace, not a single palace servant was seen; it was as if they had all vanished.

We followed the path through the palace walls and arrived at a pavilion deep within the inner court.

Standing in front of the Xuanqing Pool, the Empress waved her hand and said, "Alright, you can go back now. I need to go in and wash up..."

Before she could finish speaking, her body suddenly felt light as Chen Mo swept her up in his arms.

"What are you doing?" The empress stared at him blankly.

Chen Mo said in a serious tone, "Of course, it's to serve His Highness a bath."

? !
The Empress's expression froze, and she stammered, "Who...who asked you to serve me?! You just promised me that you would only escort me to the entrance of Xuanqing Pond!"

Chen Mo said matter-of-factly, "If we encountered other palace servants, that would be fine... but we haven't seen a single person along the way. We can't expect Your Highness to wash by yourself, can we? What if you choke on the water?"

"Who would choke on water in the bath!" the Empress exclaimed, kicking her legs frantically. "Put me down right now, or... or I really won't talk to you anymore!"

"There's an old saying in my hometown: 'A bath can dispel all grudges.' If we take a bath together later, Your Highness won't be angry anymore."

"...What nonsense! I've never heard of that before!"

(End of this chapter)