The Empress remarried, and I retaliated by wiping out the court.

Phoenix Palace.

After a month of rest, Xiao Luan, Liang Mei, and Ma Wanlan had recovered from their previous disheveled state and were now adorned with gold and jade, looking every bit like empresses.

Liang Mei slammed her hand on the table, gritting her teeth.

"Ye Wudao, you've imprisoned me for seven days! If I don't avenge this, I, Liang Mei, swear I'm not worthy to be called a man!"

She became increasingly angry as she spoke, and the scenes from those days kept replaying in her mind.

Ye Wudao not only refused to give her food, but also tried to bury her alive!

And that so-called poison pill...

Thinking of this, her pretty face immediately darkened.

"Damn it! The imperial physician examined my body; that poison pill was completely fake. How could I have actually believed his lies!"

Ma Wanlan shrank her neck slightly and whispered:

"I...I even barked like a dog back then..."

As soon as she said it, she wished she could disappear into a crack in the ground.

"Shut up!"

Xiao Luan blushed, feeling a mixture of embarrassment and anger.

"No one is allowed to mention that day again!"

The three women fell silent.

Those days of imprisonment were the greatest humiliation of their lives. If word got out, how could they ever face anyone again?

A moment later.

Xiao Luan took a deep breath, her eyes filled with ambition:

"However, things are different now. Changsun Yuanpei's words have been a protective charm for us."

"Each household has two hundred personal guards, and there is also a thousand elite troops stationed in the suburbs of Beijing. As long as we give the signal, we can storm into the palace in an instant."

Liang Mei clenched her fists: "Killing Ye Wudao...is as easy as taking candy from a baby!"

Xiao Luan curled her lip: "Kill him? That's too easy on him. I'll make him pay a hundredfold, a thousandfold price!"

"good!"

Liang Mei raised her glass: "From today onwards, we form an alliance, and its name will be [The Queen's Alliance]!"

"Our goal is to deal with Ye Wudao by any means necessary! We want to leave him without anyone in court, his harem in turmoil, besieged both internally and externally, and ultimately make him kneel and beg us for mercy!"

Xiao Luan laughed heartily.

"Yes! Make him wish he were dead!"

The three women raised their glasses.

"The Empress is of one heart!"

"Let's join forces to punish this tyrannical ruler!"

…………

The Imperial Study.

"The Queen's Alliance? Morons!"

Ye Wudao received the report from the Eastern Depot and shook his head.

He wasn't surprised at all that the three women would seek revenge on him.

If it weren't for the power behind the three women, these three would have been buried in some unknown pit long ago.

Ye Wudao's true enemy is their father.

As for the schemes of these three... sorry, Ye Wudao has no intention of playing house with children.

He waited in the imperial study from morning till night, only to find that the four major families who had stockpiled grain had not come at all.

Cao Ji's face was grim, and he said in a low voice:

"Your Majesty, all four major families have made excuses not to come. The Fan, Jiang, and Cui families all claimed to be ill, and the Zhong family went even further, saying that their octogenarian mother was giving birth and could not come."

Upon hearing this, Ye Wudao raised his eyebrows sharply.

An octogenarian mother giving birth—is that really necessary?

The social hierarchy of scholars, farmers, artisans, and merchants placed merchants at the lowest level in feudal society.

Ye Wudao had considered that he, as the emperor, was not well-liked, but he never expected that a mere merchant family would dare to show him such disrespect!

Ye Wudao's face betrayed no emotion, but his expression visibly darkened.

"I have never been a bloodthirsty person. Since they claim that their eighty-year-old mother can give birth, then I will go and see for myself. If their mother cannot give birth, I will punish them for deceiving the emperor!"

After speaking, Ye Wudao flicked his sleeves and said, "Cao Ji, take one thousand Imperial Guards and two hundred Imperial Guards, and accompany me out of the palace!"

Cao Ji dared not be negligent, as there were too many people who wanted Ye Wudao dead.

He immediately mustered his troops and ordered Fu Lilin to bring a thousand imperial guards to the scene at top speed.

Cavalry led the way, shield bearers brought up the rear, arrows and crossbows were loaded, and they looked ready for battle.

"His Majesty……"

At the Xuanwu Gate, Xiao Luan and Ma Wanlan stopped Ye Wudao.

Xiao Luan bowed gracefully, her smile gentle.

"I heard that Your Majesty is leaving the palace today. I am worried about you. There are turbulent currents in the capital. I wish to accompany you and take care of you."

Ma Wanlan also rarely showed a smile.

"I feel the same way, so that if anyone were to harm Your Majesty, I could have someone to protect you."

Ye Wudao chuckled inwardly.

Concerned about me? More likely, they're spying on me.

He couldn't help but laugh and said, "Alright, let's go together then. But if we really encounter an assassin, their blade won't discriminate against the Empress."

The two women's pretty faces froze at the same time, but Ye Wudao had already turned around and boarded the dragon carriage.

He was secretly overjoyed.

On this journey to the four great families, blood will surely flow like a river.

I was just wondering where to find a scapegoat, and here he is, delivered right to my door for free?

Soon, a force of over a thousand men left the palace and headed straight for the Zhong family.

Along the way, Ye Wudao did not travel incognito. Instead, he had people carry the imperial flag and openly occupy the official road to clear the streets.

The people on both sides of the road were seeing the emperor in person for the first time, and they all knelt down and prostrated themselves.

Ye Wudao remained silent the entire way, passing through the bustling Vermilion Bird Street, and under the watchful eyes of various forces, arrived at the East Market Mansion, where land was incredibly valuable.

The Zhong family had already received the news and, with over seventy members of the entire household, were already waiting outside.

"My name is Zhong Jinchen, and I, along with my family, pay our respects to Your Majesty. Long live Your Majesty!"

Amidst a deafening roar, Ye Wudao stepped directly out of the imperial carriage, his dragon robe fluttering in the wind. Looking at Zhong Jinchen kneeling before him, he coldly said:

"I've long heard that your Zhong family's octogenarian mother can give birth, and I'm quite curious! Come, pull her out for me to see..."

Zhong Jinchen, lying on the ground, broke out in a cold sweat. He forced himself to speak:

"Your Majesty, this matter, this matter..."

Ye Wudao interrupted Zhong Jinchen directly, saying calmly, "If you can't find it, it's a capital crime of deceiving the emperor! Cao Ji, what is the punishment for deceiving the emperor?"

Cao Ji, standing respectfully to the side, replied, "Your Majesty, deceiving the emperor is punishable by the Great Yan Law, ranging from caning and exile to immediate execution! If one intentionally spreads rumors and disrupts the court, their entire family may be exterminated!"

Ye Wudao looked at him coldly: "Now, what do you have to say?"

Upon hearing this, Zhong Jinchen was so frightened that he didn't dare to raise his head, and his back immediately became wet with sweat.

Thousands of imperial guards surrounded the Zhong family, and the Eastern Depot's guards were also watching them closely. If Ye Wudao gave the order, the entire Zhong family would be chopped into a pile of minced meat in an instant!

Zhong Jinchen was terrified. He had heard from the Regent that he should not attend Ye Wudao's banquet.

Furthermore, given that Zhong Ming, the eldest son of the Zhong family, had died at the hands of Ye Wudao, he agreed without hesitation.

But to his utter surprise, Ye Wudao would personally come to him over such a trivial matter.

His voice trembled as he explained, "Your Majesty, I'm innocent! I didn't mean it! Someone instructed me to do it!"

Ye Wudao squatted down and looked down at him: "Oh? Who ordered it? It's not too late to tell me now."

"Yes, it's the Regent!"

Upon hearing this, Ye Wudao sneered and said to the phoenix carriage behind him:

"Empress Xiao, this is a grave crime of deceiving the Emperor. Someone has slandered your Zhenguo Prince's Mansion. I ask you, is the situation true?"

Xiao Luan stepped out of the phoenix carriage.

"Zhong Jinchen! The Prince's Mansion has been favored by the Emperor for generations, and its loyalty is as clear as day. How dare you use the name of the Prince's Mansion to deceive the Emperor! Who gave you the audacity?!"

Xiao Luanfeng flicked her sleeve and shouted sternly.

Zhong Jinchen was completely stunned.

"Last night, I met with Sima Chang, a staff member of your Prince's residence. If Your Majesty does not believe me..."

"shut up!"

Xiao Luan's eyebrows shot up. "You're about to die, and you still dare to falsely accuse the Prince's Mansion? Are you trying to drag the mansion down with you?"

Ye Wudao's lips slowly curled up. Although these two women weren't very bright, they were quite useful as pawns.

"You scoundrel! How dare you slander my father-in-law? Outrageous! Guards, confiscate the Zhong family's property and throw the entire family into prison!"

Zhong Jinchen's face turned deathly pale instantly. He scrambled toward Ma Wanlan like a madman.

"Daughter-in-law, daughter-in-law, save me! I am Zhong Ming, the eldest son of the Zhong family, and we were originally engaged. You can't just stand by and watch me die!"

Upon hearing this, Ma Wanlan's face turned deathly pale.

Ye Wudao slowly turned his head, looking at her with a half-smile.

"Ma Aifei, he said you're the Zhong family's daughter-in-law, what do you think?"

Ma Wanlan's lips began to tremble as she recalled the fear of being dominated by Ye Wudao.

who am I?

Why am I here?

Why should I get involved in this mess and provoke this scourge?

Ye Wudao slowly added a sentence.

"Consort Ma, you are my Empress. If you admit to having a marriage with another man, according to the Great Yan Law, an Empress who has an affair with a man outside the palace is committing adultery and should be executed!"

boom!

Ma Wanlan's head buzzed, and she felt completely overwhelmed.

She dared not say a word in defense of the Zhong family and shook her head desperately.

"No! I am not! From the moment I entered the palace, I have been His Majesty's person, and have no relation to the Zhong family whatsoever!"

"Zhong Jinchen, you're about to die, yet you still dare to slander my innocence!"

The two women immediately severed all ties with Chung Chin-chen.

Zhong Jinchen was so frightened that he kowtowed repeatedly: "Your Majesty, this humble subject was wrong, please have mercy!"

Ye Wudao sneered, patted Zhong Jinchen's face, and said calmly:

"Is this all you're relying on? I kindly invited you, and you dared not come? How arrogant! Show me your arrogance then..."