They've already breached the palace, yet all they ask of me is an edict of self-reproach.

Seeing her daughter's confident tone, Li Qingguo couldn't help but feel curious and subconsciously asked:

Why?

Consort Chen did not hide anything and told her in detail how she plotted against the heir of the Western Liang Kingdom and how she and Zhao Ji schemed to sow discord between Chen Sangui and Han Pingchuan.

However, she concealed the fact that she and her mother were orphans of the Western Chu state from Zhao Ji.

Upon hearing this, Li Qingguo's face showed a hint of relief. With such a strategic mind, his daughter should not be bullied in the palace in the future.

But soon, Li Qingguo's expression changed again.

Consort Chen noticed the change in her mother's expression and couldn't help but ask, "Mother, what's wrong? Did I do something wrong?"

After the court assembly ended, Consort Chen learned of what had happened.

Logically, her plan should have succeeded.

But why does Mother look so worried right now?

"You did a great job, but you forgot one thing."

Although Li Qingguo had been imprisoned by Chen Sangui, the King of Western Liang, for so many years, she was, after all, a woman who had been an empress.

Her vision and strategic thinking are naturally beyond what ordinary women can match.

Although my daughter's plan was quite good, some details were not handled perfectly.

Consort Chen was startled. She had learned all her palace intrigue skills from Li Qingguo. Since her mother said there was a problem, there must be something she hadn't considered.

Li Qingguo stopped being mysterious and directly revealed the pros and cons:

"The imperial family is the most ruthless. Your use of the Empress as bait was a brilliant move, but man proposes, God disposes. It's one thing for the Empress to fall out of favor, but I've heard that the Emperor seems to be very fond of her now, because she has even given important positions to the Emperor's brother-in-law. Men are most intolerant of injustice. You used such methods to deal with the Empress. The Emperor might not have said anything when the plan failed before, but now that the situation is settled, do you think the Emperor will settle scores with you afterward...?"

Consort Chen's face turned deathly pale: "No, His Majesty isn't that kind of person..."

Li Qingguo shook his head. His daughter was resourceful and shrewd, but she lacked experience and could only see the surface of things.

Li Qingguo asked, "Did His Majesty promise me that I could stay in the capital?"

Consort Chen opened her mouth, about to say that His Majesty had already agreed, but the next second, Consort Chen seemed to have thought of something, and her expression immediately changed.

That night, His Majesty did seem inclined to grant her request, but it depended on her performance. However, just as she was deeply engrossed in the moment and preparing to serve His Majesty well, he suddenly made an excuse to leave.

Consort Chen recalled this moment and, combined with what her mother had said, she finally understood.

It turns out that from beginning to end, she was just a pawn of His Majesty.

Seeing his daughter's expression, Li Qingguo sighed softly, "Have you figured it out?"

"Um."

Consort Chen nodded, but another thought lingered in her mind: she felt that Zhao Ji would not lie to her.

As a woman, Consort Chen could sense that His Majesty truly wanted to favor her that night, but for some reason, he suddenly gave up on the idea.

Li Qingguo comforted him, "But you don't need to worry. This time you helped the emperor get rid of a major threat. Even if the emperor is dissatisfied with you, as long as you don't make any mistakes in the future, the emperor shouldn't make things difficult for you."

Li Qingguo, having once been the head of the harem, knew very well what kind of women the emperor desired and what kind of women he needed.

Li Qingguo paused, then suddenly smiled: "As for me, I'll stay in the capital for as many days as I can. These days, it doesn't matter to me where in the world I am."

"Mother, I miss home."

Consort Chen embraced Li Qingguo, resting her head on his chest, tears streaming down her face.

Li Qingguo longed for Western Chu, but she longed for it just as much.

Li Qingguo did not answer, but a loving smile appeared on her face as she gently stroked her daughter's soft hair.

Li Qingguo is already quite content with the current situation of the mother and daughter.

The Western Chu palace was breached, and most of the princesses and concubines became playthings for others.

"Mother, you should stay in the palace tonight and not go out," Consort Chen said softly.

Li Qingguo hesitated for a moment, feeling that this was inappropriate, but seeing her daughter's sad appearance, she couldn't bear it, so she nodded in agreement.

"Alright, Mother will stay in the palace with you tonight."

"Mother, no matter what, I will go and beg His Majesty tomorrow to let you stay in the capital."

"My silly daughter, you know the current situation of the court. Although Han Pingchuan took away 40,000 elite cavalrymen, the emperor is still unwilling to break ties with Chen Sangui. So even if the emperor agrees to let me stay in the capital, for the sake of the overall situation, the emperor will still send me back to Xiliang."

"I know, but I still want to try. Tomorrow I'll have the Empress come with me. His Majesty favors the Empress so much, he'll definitely listen to what she says."

"Okay, then your mother will be waiting for your good news tomorrow."

Li Qingguo smiled.

She knew her daughter didn't want her to return to that wolf's den in Xiliang and continue suffering, which was why she was so persistent.

The mother and daughter haven't seen each other for too long; there's no need to worry about things that can't be changed.

Li Qingguo felt that there was only one possibility to keep her in the capital.

That would mean the emperor was lusting after her beauty, but that's even more unlikely.

Everyone knows that the Emperor of Dali was obsessed with Taoist cultivation and disliked women. Otherwise, how could he have not had a single child after seven years on the throne?

However, Li Qingguo soon thought of something else...

Could it be that the Emperor of Dali was impotent, just like that treacherous Chen Sangui?

Li Qingguo knew that Chen Sangui was impotent, but Chen Sangui was unaware that Li Qingguo knew.

But the thought that Zhao Ji was infertile only flashed through Li Qingguo's mind.

Since the late emperor chose Zhao Ji as the crown prince, it is impossible for Zhao Ji to be infertile.

The royal family values ​​succession above all else; an emperor who is inhuman cannot ascend the throne.

Then there is only one possibility: the emperor of Dali really did not like women.

As the mother and daughter chatted, it gradually got dark.

……

On the other side, inside the Chengtian Hall.

Zhao Ji sat cross-legged on the dragon bed and slowly exhaled a breath of stale air.

The life-or-death slash has reached its perfect conclusion!

As Zhao Ji had guessed, the Imperial Path Nine-Five Heavenly Technique was indeed a top-tier auxiliary cultivation method.

The reason I was able to achieve minor success in cultivating the Yin-Yang Imperial Scripture so quickly was also due to the blessing of the Imperial Dao Nine-Five Heavenly Technique.

However, the Yin-Yang Imperial Scripture is too special, which is why Zhao Ji has spent so long to reach the minor completion stage. Simply relying on breathing in and out the Yin and Yang energies is no longer effective in advancing to the next stage.

To cultivate the Yin-Yang Imperial Scripture to the fourth level, one needs to absorb the innate Yin energy from a woman's body.

"The correct method for cultivating the Yin-Yang Imperial Scripture is finally about to be revealed!"

Zhao Ji felt a surge of emotion when he thought of the beautiful women in his harem, especially the Empress and Consort Chen.

With such a beautiful day and scenery, how could we not indulge in a thoroughly enjoyable romantic evening?

Thinking of this, Zhao Ji immediately ordered his carriage to be prepared at Qihuang Palace.

However, as Zhao Ji sat in the light palanquin, preparing to depart, the image of the Western Liang Princess in the Golden Palace earlier that day inexplicably surfaced in his mind.

Such a ripe and stunningly beautiful woman should marry into an imperial family.

However, Zhao Ji can only dream about it now.

If he had forced himself on the Princess of Xiliang, Chen Sangui might have directly broken ties with him.

In Zhao Ji's view, it was a foolish thing to let a woman jeopardize the hard-won stability of the situation.

Moreover, physical experience wasn't very appealing to Zhao Ji; what he enjoyed was the process of conquering a woman's heart.

Of course, meeting Mu Qingyi was purely accidental.

"What a pity... Oh right."

Just as Zhao Ji was feeling disappointed, something suddenly occurred to him.

Didn't he have a concubine in his harem who looked eight-tenths like the Queen Consort of Xiliang?

"We're not going to Qihuang Palace, we're going to Changle Palace instead."

The eunuchs carrying the light palanquin immediately changed direction.

Meanwhile, the troublemakers in Chang Le Palace were unaware that Emperor Zhao Ji was already heading their way.