Many children, many blessings: Stealing the offspring of powerful figures to cultivate immortality.

Time is a strange thing.

Half a year passed in the blink of an eye while I was in the palace.

In the past six months, Ye Wuhen seems to have become a different person.

He stopped killing people and stopped going mad. He spent his days either attending court or staying in Weiyang Palace with Jiang Yining.

He presented Jiang Yining with the best things in the world.

Pearls from the South China Sea, grapes from the Western Regions, and snow fox fur from the Northern Frontier.

If Jiang Yining glances at it even once, the entire palace will be piled up the next day.

At this moment, in the pavilion of the Imperial Garden.

Jiang Yining leaned lazily against the chaise lounge.

Open your mouth.

Ye Wuhen peeled a crystal-clear lychee and held it to her lips.

Jiang Yining obediently opened her mouth and took it in, her tongue accidentally brushing against his fingertips.

Ye Wuhen's eyes darkened. Instead of withdrawing his hand, he took the opportunity to squeeze it for a while before stopping.

"Is it sweet?"

In front of all the palace servants, he unabashedly put his finger in his mouth, staring intently at Jiang Yining.

"sweet."

Jiang Yining lowered her eyes, concealing the coldness in them.

For the past six months, she has been acting.

Play a tamed canary.

The childish voice in her mind kept reminding her: "Mommy, hold back! You have to make the tyrant think you're completely in love with him before this scheme can be broken!"

"Your Majesty! Great joy!"

Eunuch Li was holding up an urgent battle report.

"A great victory has been achieved on the northern frontier! General Bai has decisively defeated the barbarians, beheading 30,000. The army is now returning to the capital, and is only thirty li away!"

Ye Wuhen paused, frowning. "You're back, so what's all the fuss about?"

He stood up, looked down at Jiang Yining, and reached out to stroke her cheek.

"Ningning, tell me, should I give him a cup of poisoned wine, or simply pierce his heart with a thousand arrows at the city gate?"

He was testing the waters.

Over the past six months, he has mentioned those three men's names countless times. Even the slightest hint of nostalgia from Jiang Yining would trigger his frenzied torment all night long.

Jiang Yining lowered her eyes, looking indifferent: "Whatever Your Majesty decides."

"That is His Majesty's subject."

Ye Wuhen stared into her eyes for a long time, but couldn't find the slightest flaw.

He suddenly burst into laughter: "Excellent! Reward him! I will certainly reward him handsomely!"

He leaned down and kissed Jiang Yining's lips fiercely, with a resolute air that carried the scent of blood.

That night, a victory banquet was held in the palace.

The banquet was extremely lavish, with constant singing and dancing.

Ye Wuhen sat on the dragon throne, with Jiang Yining in his arms and a wine glass in his hand, waiting for Bai Ze to arrive at the victory celebration banquet.

If Bai Ze dares to step into this palace, the dozen or so archers lying in ambush around him will immediately shoot him into mincemeat.

thump—

A deep, muffled thud resounded—the sound of something ramming against the city gate.

Immediately afterwards, the ground began to tremble.

Eunuch Li stumbled in, his hat falling off, his face ashen white.

"Your Majesty! Something terrible has happened!"

"They've rebelled! General Bai has rebelled!"

"The army, without even removing their armor, stormed straight through Xuanwu Gate! Chief Minister Ji breached the Nine Gates Commander's defenses, and the Second Young Master Chu... the Second Young Master Chu led his men to blow up the gunpowder depot!"

"What?!"

Ye Wuhen suddenly stood up, smashing the wine glass in his hand on the ground. The bright red wine splashed onto Jiang Yining's snow-white skirt, like red flowers.

Jiang Yining remained seated, calmly picking up a grape, peeling it, and putting it in her mouth.

"Your Majesty, eating too many lychees can cause internal heat; grapes are better."

She smiled slightly, a smile that no longer carried feigned obedience, but rather a hint of mockery and a touch of smug satisfaction.

"What? Didn't His Majesty say he was going to reward them handsomely?"

"Now that they've come to claim their reward, isn't His Majesty pleased?"

Flames shot into the sky.

The once heavily guarded palace is now filled with the sounds of fighting.

Ji Lingxiao, dressed in white and wielding a long sword, was followed by a squad of elite assassins, moving as if he were in an empty place.

On the other hand, Bai Ze was much wilder.

He rode his black warhorse, his broadsword still dripping blood, hacking his way from Xuanwu Gate to the entrance of Yangxin Hall.

"Night Without Trace! Get the hell out here!"

His shout was so loud that even the tiles on the roof of the main hall shook.

Inside the main hall.

Ye Wuhen stared intently at Jiang Yining, his eyes frighteningly red.

"You've been lying to me all along. You don't want to be my empress?"

He suddenly reached out and grabbed Jiang Yining by the neck with astonishing force.

"Why? Haven't I been good enough to you? I've given you my heart, why are you helping those good-for-nothings?!"

Jiang Yining did not struggle.

She simply looked at him quietly, her eyes filled with pity.

"Night Without a Trace, that was stolen."

"You treat stolen goods as your own, and you expect the owner to be grateful to you?"

These words completely broke him.

Ye Wuhen's hands trembled, but he still couldn't bring himself to crush that fragile neck.

boom!

The palace door was kicked open.

Bai Ze stormed in, exuding a murderous aura, and upon seeing this scene, his eyes instantly turned red.

"Let her go!"

Following closely behind were Chu Sikong, who was carried in by guards in a wheelchair, and Ji Lingxiao, whose face was cold and stern.

Ye Wuhen released his grip and burst into laughter.

He looked at his three former rivals, now allies, a ruthless glint in his eyes.

Ye Wuhen took a step back and pressed the mechanism on the armrest of the dragon throne.

With a loud bang, a large hole cracked open in the ground behind the dragon throne.

Ye Wuhen took one last deep look at Jiang Yining.

There was no hatred in those eyes, only a chilling obsession.

"Ningning, I will come back."

"I don't want this empire anymore, but you... I will take it back with interest sooner or later."

After saying that, he leaped into the air and disappeared into the bottomless dark passage.

"Chase!" Bai Ze drew his sword and was about to jump.

"Stop chasing."

Chu Sikong said calmly, "That's the royal family's secret escape route. It's a maze of passages below, and it even has self-destruct mechanisms. Going down there is just suicide."

Ji Lingxiao sheathed his sword, his gaze sweeping over the chaotic crowd and landing on Jiang Yining.

She was still wearing that elaborate and gorgeous phoenix robe, and there was a clear finger mark on her neck, the last mark left by Ye Wuhen.

The three of them moved at the same time.

Bai Ze rushed forward the fastest, pulling Jiang Yining into his arms with such force that it seemed he wanted to meld her into his body.

"Wife! I'm home!"

He reeked of blood and sweat, making Jiang Yining want to cry.

Ji Lingxiao was a step too slow and gave Bai Ze a cold glance.

"Let go, your armor is digging into her."

Chu Sikong then wheeled over, his voice gentle.

"My wife has suffered. Let's go home."

With just one sentence, he successfully made the other two men's faces darken.

Three days later.

He vanished without a trace at night, but a country cannot be without a ruler for even a day.

Under Ji Lingxiao's iron-fisted rule, a five-year-old puppet child was chosen from the imperial clan to be placed on the throne.

Ji Lingxiao remained the powerful Grand Secretary and Regent.

Bai Ze handed over the military tally, but in return, he gained real power over the defense of the capital.

As for the Chu family...

The original Chu residence was expanded to three times its original size, completely engulfing the two adjacent streets.

At this moment, inside the main hall.

The atmosphere was strangely awkward.

Jiang Yining sat in the main seat, with three cups of tea in front of her.

Three men were sitting below.

"So..." Jiang Yining rubbed her throbbing temples, "You're planning to stay here indefinitely?"

"Otherwise what?" Bai Ze retorted confidently. "All my wealth is with you. If I don't live here, where am I supposed to live? Sleep on the streets?"

"The Chu residence is my home; it's time for the two guests to leave."

Chu Sikong smiled slightly, picked up his teacup, and took a sip.

Ji Lingxiao remained the most composed.

He put down the official document in his hand and looked up at Jiang Yining.

"His Majesty is young, and I need to keep a close eye on him at all times. This residence is closest to the palace, which is convenient for conducting official business."

It's all just an excuse.

Looking at these three shameless men, Jiang Yining suddenly felt that compared to dealing with a madman in the palace, life now seemed even harder to endure.

"My wife."

Chu Sikong suddenly spoke, pointing to the sky outside: "It's getting dark, shall we go back to our rooms?"

puff--

Bai Ze spat out all the tea he had just drunk.

The pen in Ji Lingxiao's hand snapped in two with a "crack".