After failing the imperial examination, he began to wield immense power after entering the palace!

The practice of artificial insemination is too dangerous.

Consort Xie did not want to entrust her life to a fool.

Now it seems that this young man has some brains, and besides, he really felt disgusted to have an idiot on top of him.

She shifted her position, leaning lazily against the soft couch, the neckline of her nightgown slipping down slightly, revealing a large expanse of her fair, smooth shoulders and half of her collarbone.

"How can I cure my illness?"

Li Fan took a deep breath.

Having narrowly escaped death last night, he was unwilling to be merely a tool for sowing seeds, at the mercy of others.

Being so young, I naturally have to climb the ranks by any means necessary, to become someone Consort Xie deems useful!

"Your Majesty, the great defeat in Liaodong must be attributed to someone. It could be Zhang Xuan, or it could be Liu Zhengsheng!"

These words were spoken.

Consort Xie's expression suddenly changed.

Those dark eyes were fixed on Li Fan, like a drawn knife, sharp enough to cut through flesh.

"Who taught you to say that?"

The sound wasn't loud, but it was so cold it sent chills down your spine.

Li Fan felt an invisible pressure coming at him, as if an invisible hand was choking him.

He remained kneeling, his expression calm, his back straight, and his gaze open and honest.

"On the way, Lady Leng told me about Liu Zhengsheng's defeat, and also about the memorials His Majesty sent to order the execution of Zhang Xuan."

"Therefore, this servant dared to say those words just now."

This is a game of strategy!

If you bet correctly, you'll have a bright future!

If I gamble wrong, at worst I'll just give up and become Consort Xie's gigolo.

Consort Xie saw that he was so clever that he could deduce her intentions from just a few words, and that he was indeed a talented scholar who had passed the imperial examinations five times in a row.

She casually crossed her legs, one of her fair and delicate feet dangling in mid-air, her toes slightly curled.

"Are you still worried that I'll kill you afterward? So, you want to prove your worth to me?"

She hit the nail on the head, without any attempt to hide anything.

Li Fan felt a chill run down his spine.

As expected of a concubine who rose through the ranks of the harem to a position second only to the empress, she immediately understood her true intentions.

If you try to hide things from such a smart woman, it will only backfire.

"This servant does not want to hide it from Your Highness. This servant does have this concern, but more than that, I want to do things for Your Highness."

"Please, Your Majesty, grant me a chance to serve you. I will certainly give you a satisfactory confession!"

Consort Xie looked at his composed demeanor, a thoughtful glint in her eyes.

According to her original plan, she intended to keep this man by her side for a period of time to observe him. If there were no problems, she could proceed to the next step of sperm donation.

Of course, if they were not satisfied, they could drag him out and kill him to silence him.

But then, at that very moment, Liu Zhengsheng's incident occurred...

"Get out."

Li Fan was taken aback.

But he still walked out respectfully, having done what he was supposed to do; the rest was up to Consort Xie.

They say serving a king is like serving a tiger, and this woman looks dangerous too; it's hard to fathom her thoughts!

When he arrived at the door, he saw Leng Shuangqiu waiting there.

The aloof female official glanced at Li Fan before entering the bedchamber.

At this moment, Consort Xie held a token in her hand and casually tossed it to Leng Shuangqiu.

"Tell him to take my token to the Ministry of Justice prison and interrogate Zhang Xuan properly."

Leng Shuangqiu's expression changed.

In her mind, Li Fan should have been sidelined after entering the palace. Why would the Empress let him interrogate Zhang Xuan?

So, she hesitated for a moment, then tentatively began to speak:

"Your Majesty, his current position is sensitive. Wouldn't it cause problems to send him out of the palace to do official business?"

Upon hearing this, Consort Xie rubbed her temples, revealing an indescribable weariness.

"What's so sensitive about a dead man? What's truly sensitive is Zhang Xuan's confession."

In this regard.

Leng Shuangqiu agreed.

"Yes, Liu Zhengsheng was recommended by the Empress. If something happens to him, the Empress will be implicated."

"Therefore, the Empress will definitely try every means to make Zhang Xuan admit to the crime of colluding with the enemy, so as to cover up the responsibility for Liu Zhengsheng's defeat."

Consort Xie said calmly, "But His Majesty's intentions are very clear now. He handed this case over to me because he wants to use me to suppress Liu Zhengsheng and take the opportunity to crush the Liu family of Hedong."

"The Liu family was suppressed, and the Empress lost an arm."

"It's a pity that if I had even one capable person by my side, I wouldn't have had to entrust this matter to a mere eunuch who had just entered the palace."

"Let him give it a try. If he can't do it..."

She didn't finish speaking, but Leng Shuangqiu understood: if it couldn't be done, she would simply be shelved and used as a stud until she was done with it.

"Yes, Your Majesty."

She understood the Empress's situation better than anyone else.

The Empress rose to power too quickly; in just three short years, she climbed from a lowly concubine to the high position of Imperial Concubine.

But the legitimate sons of the Xie family are all good-for-nothings, and not a single one of them is decent.

But even if Li Fan is somewhat clever, can he really handle this task well?

Leng Shuangqiu was unsure of herself, and when she turned to leave, a rare look of hesitation appeared on her face.

Consort Xie, with her sharp eyes, raised an eyebrow:

"Is there anything else?"

Leng Shuangqiu bit her lip and lowered her voice.

"Your Majesty, I have discovered that Li Fan has a pure Yang constitution."

"It is said that people with this constitution are exceptionally vigorous in bed and can nourish women."

Consort Xie's eyes narrowed slightly, unable to conceal the sudden gleam in them:

Are there any examples?

Leng Shuangqiu knew that the Empress was interested, and quickly said:

"A hundred years ago, there was a martial arts prodigy with a pure yang physique in Hedong. It is said that he could sleep with seven women in one night without changing his expression."

"What's even more amazing is that his wife, though over fifty, still looks like a girl in her early twenties, with skin as smooth as cream and without a single wrinkle."

Consort Xie's breathing immediately became heavier; what woman doesn't want to stay young forever?

However, deep down, she was still reluctant to let a strange man climb into her bed to conceive.

But in order to rule from behind the curtain in the future, and to avoid becoming an old concubine who was thrown into the cold palace and died alone, she had to have a son.

How many offspring did that person leave behind?

Leng Shuangqiu lowered her head, not daring to look at her:

"He has more than a dozen sons."

The bedchamber was quiet for a moment.

Consort Xie's beautiful eyes flickered, and something seemed to be churning in her dark pupils.

"Go down."

"Yes."

Leng Shuangqiu left and gently closed the door behind her.

Consort Xie sat alone on the soft couch.

A snow-white jade foot emerged from beneath her nightgown, its toes slightly curled, gleaming with a lustrous sheen in the candlelight.

She rested her chin on her hand, a thoughtful expression on her face.

"Pure Yang constitution..."

Li Fan's face involuntarily appeared in my mind.

With sword-like eyebrows and bright eyes, a high nose bridge, and a straight back when kneeling on the ground, he showed no signs of the timidity or obsequiousness of ordinary men.

If I let a man like that climb into my bed...

"Pooh."

She spat at herself, an unnatural blush rising on her face.

What are you thinking about?

It's not even close to being done yet.

Outside.

Leng Shuangqiu walked out.

She spotted Li Fan waiting under the eaves at a glance.

"Her Majesty has ordered you to thoroughly investigate the case of Zhang Xuan's treason."