C20 After the Sinner

Within the Meiyi Palace.

The handsome man in white took a cup of spring tea and leisurely sat down in front of a stone table. Soon, the entire courtyard was filled with the fragrance of spring tea.

Jiang Qiuyue had just crossed the threshold when she smelled the fragrance of tea.

In her previous life, she had studied tea quite a bit, so she also went up to stand behind the imperial concubine and asked, "The tea made by my beloved concubine smells so good."

The imperial concubine set down her teacup and stood up to pay her respects.

Jiang Qiuyue helped him up, but kept her gaze on the stone table. "What tea is this?"

"Reporting to the emperor, it is Yi An's Phoenix bush." The imperial concubine's etiquette was thoughtful and distant.

After hearing what he said, Jiang Qiuyue had an impression. "It's said that the phoenix bush has red cinnabar spots, and the fragrance of boiling water lasts for a long time. The room is full of fragrance. Seeing you today, it's true."

The imperial concubine smiled and did not continue with the topic. "Your Majesty, why have you come looking for chenqie today?"

Clearly, the subtext of this sentence was — if you have something to say, say it quickly. If you have nothing to say, then scram.

Jiang Qiuyue couldn't help but feel a bit embarrassed as she touched her hairpin, "About that …" "Thank you for saving the people of Liam for me."

"The martial arts world has nothing to do with the imperial court, but in the end, my lips have turned cold. Chenqie is doing this for herself."

Jiang Qiuyue muttered in her heart, was there a need to open a storehouse and store food for her? That's not a small expense.

"In short, I still have to thank you." Jiang Qiuyue lustfully pulled the imperial concubine's hand, touching it just like Xiao Ruoyu did that day.

The imperial concubine's sword-like eyebrows creased, but she didn't push Jiang Qiuyue away.

Jiang Qiuyue let go of her addiction after a good deal of effort.

She was destined to disband the Three Palaces and Six Courtyard in the future. She should still have some conscience and leave some innocence for them …

The imperial concubine recovered her smile after Jiang Qiuyue put down her hand, "There is no need to thank Your Majesty. As long as Your Majesty remembers your promise when your concubine entered the palace, everything will be fine."

Jiang Qiuyue froze, she didn't know what kind of agreement this mysterious concubine who lived in seclusion had with Jiang Qiuyue.

The Imperial Concubine glanced at Jiang Qiuyue's expression and understood what was going on. Her expression turned cold. "This concubine has only been in the palace for a year, could it be that Your Majesty has already forgotten?"

Jiang Qiuyue stood on the spot and didn't know what to say for a moment.

The Imperial Consort took a step forward, forcing Jiang Qiuyue to raise her head and look at him.

He was very tall. When Jiang Qiuyue raised her head, she bumped into his eyes and saw the myriad of stars in his eyes, vast and boundless.

Jiang Qiuyue composed herself and said, "After I get drunk … "I can't remember anything."

The corner of his mouth pulled back into a desolate smile, revealing a faint trace of grief. "So that's how it is …"

Jiang Qiuyue hurriedly opened her mouth to interrupt him, "If you tell me, I will never go back on my word!"

Original owner, ah, original owner, you've caused me so much trouble!

He took a step back and sat down on the stone bench. Then, he waved his hand towards the stone bench opposite him. "Sit, your Majesty."

Jiang Qiuyue sat upright and nervously, her hands twisting the hem of her skirt.

The imperial concubine poured a cup of phoenix bush for Jiang Qiuyue. The tea water in the pot rippled, swirling up pieces of tea leaves as it rushed in between, vaguely reflecting Jiang Qiuyue's face and the imperial concubine's clean jade-like hands.

However, Jiang Qiuyue wasn't in the mood to drink tea at the moment. She felt uneasy, afraid that he would say something that she couldn't accomplish.

The imperial concubine looked at the teacup with a cold expression as it gradually became filled with tea.

"When chenqie was young, she was executed by her entire family because her family was plotted against by a traitor. Chenqie and elder brother were lucky enough to survive, but when elder brother established the Ling Family Manor, he was also assassinated five years ago."

"A year ago, chenqie found out that the person who killed my brother was from the same faction who framed chenqie. In order to secretly investigate the Chenqie family, chenqie used the Ling Family Manor to force Duke Ming to come and seek help. Duke Ming also promised to investigate for chenqie."

"However, when His Majesty saw his concubine during his visit to Duke Ming's Palace, he bestowed upon Duke Ming a remote fief and sent Duke Ming away, before accepting his concubine and entering the palace."

Although he spoke calmly, Jiang Qiuyue still felt goosebumps from listening to him. In other words, the person that Jiang Qiuyue offended … There were really quite a few of them!

And it was for the sake of beauty. This made her feel extremely pained.

"His Majesty promised that he wouldn't let chenqie's Ling Manor go, and was willing to investigate on her behalf. If chenqie doesn't agree to kill Duke Ming, then chenqie will never have the chance to wait until the truth is revealed."

Cold sweat flowed down Jiang Qiuyue's forehead. She really didn't know if she should praise the original owner's meticulous thinking or call her shameless.

The imperial concubine narrowed her almond-shaped eyes and actually laughed. "Speaking of which, Duke Ming submitted the imperial report to His Majesty a month and a half ago. His Majesty has given his permission, so Duke Ming should arrive in a few days."

When Jiang Qiu Yue heard this, she broke out in cold sweat again, cursing madly in her heart.

Jiang Qiuyue took a sip of the tea after digesting it, then said, "Don't worry, I'll agree to this matter!"

The Imperial Concubine expressionlessly raised her head and looked at him. Her expression clearly indicated that she should do this.

Jiang Qiuyue gave in and stood up with a flick of her sleeve. "I'll leave first, I'll give you the answer before long."

The imperial concubine didn't stand up to send her off, she only spoke, "Be careful of Duke Ming. His return to the capital is not that simple."

Jiang Qiuyue had once understood that amongst the children of the late emperor, other than the crippled crown prince and the original owner Jiang Qiuyue, the one who was most competitive in the throne was none other than Duke Ming, Jiang He.

River He was a treacherous and cunning person, unlike the crown prince who was magnanimous and fond of playing tricks and using his flattery to win the favor of the late emperor.

The crown prince was called Jiang Yueying. After he ascended the throne, he was changed to Jiang Yueying for violating the emperor's name. He was kept at Yonghe Palace and became a tiger whose teeth had been pulled out.

Speaking of which, the man in green that day should be Jiang Yoyin.

Just as Jiang Qiuyue was about to leave in a flurry of emotions, she turned her head as if she had thought of something, scratching her head awkwardly, "Um, what is your family?"

"Liang Zhu Ling, grandfather was once the crown prince's Grand Preceptor." The Imperial Consort didn't even raise her head.

The crown prince had quite a large official position. He was second only to the prime minister and was more powerful than the other six ministers.

Jiang Qiuyue nodded and took note of this. She then bid farewell to the imperial concubine, left the Mei Yi Palace, and hurried towards the Heartrest Palace.

Since the original owner didn't let anyone else know the name of the imperial concubine, he must have been unwilling to let anyone know of his identity as a vassal. It seemed that she could only rely on herself for this matter.

However, since Imperial Concubine's grandfather was once the Crown Prince's Grand Preceptor, perhaps the Yulan Monarch would be a better starting point.

However, the original owner couldn't have forgotten about the Imperial Consort for over a year …

As soon as they arrived, Jiang Qiuyue began to pack up her luggage.

Luo Ying stuck her head out from behind the door and timidly asked, "What is His Majesty planning to do?"

"I'm going out of the palace tomorrow."