Chapter 1 The Outskirts of the Imperial Capital

The imperial capital, far outskirts.

In an unattended wilderness mountain, Mei Ruoying held a torch, walking through the dark woods.

She was dressed in sackcloth, with a few white flowers pinned at her temples.

Her beautiful face, illuminated by the torchlight, was expressionless, like a delicate porcelain doll, only her upturned phoenix eyes were as cold as frost, full of resentment.

She walked quickly towards the depths of the barren mountain, finally stopping in front of a grassy mound.

Only at this moment did a bit of sadness appear on her lifeless face.

"Father, little brother, I will definitely avenge you!"

"I will not only subvert the dog emperor's kingdom, but I will also flay that dog emperor alive and make him suffer to comfort your spirits in heaven!"

Her clear voice carried a resentment that was etched into her bones, making people shudder.

After a long time.

A tall figure arrived surrounded by people. He was richly dressed, with extraordinary bearing, and his handsome face was somewhat similar to Jiang Chen's.

He was none other than Jiang Zuo Wang (King Jiang Zuo), Jiang Yuan.

"Submit to this king, and all the forces under this king can be at your disposal." His tone was solemn.

Hearing this, a hint of sarcasm flashed in Mei Ruoying's eyes, but she quickly hid it.

Turning around, she said, "Ruoying dares not accept the king's kindness."

"If I am abandoned by you again at a critical moment, who will avenge my Mei family?"

Jiang Yuan's expression remained unchanged, and even his tone did not waver in the slightest: "This king is not a person who goes back on his word."

"Last night at chenshi (7-9 PM), this king led troops to provide support, but discovered a large number of Xu Changqing's troops on the official road."

"At that time, this king knew the plan had failed."

Mei Ruoying's eyes flickered, and she said coldly, "So, my father and my younger brother were abandoned like that?"

Jiang Yuan's cold eyes stared directly at Mei Ruoying: "Otherwise? Should this king gamble his own life and power on a doomed ending? Allowing my imperial nephew to kill two birds with one stone, leaving no future troubles?"

"Mei Ruoying, you resent this king's inaction... but, this king asks you, if it was this king who was in danger last night, would your Mei family have offered a helping hand?"

Faced with Jiang Yuan's question, Mei Ruoying's pretty face froze slightly, and she remained silent.

The answer was naturally no. What the Mei family wanted was power, so how could they extend a helping hand to a fallen ally?

Moreover, she had nothing left now, no capital to accuse this Jiang Zuo Wang (King Jiang Zuo).

"Those without value should be abandoned, you should understand this principle."

Jiang Yuan stepped out from the crowd and walked towards Mei Ruoying, his words filled with enticement: "Come with this king, and this king can grant you the capital to take revenge!"

"As long as you nod your head, this king will immediately hand over five thousand jianghu (martial world) death soldiers for you to command, and you can use all other resources as well!"

"Whether you want to assassinate the emperor or subvert the Da Wei kingdom, this king will be your strongest backing!"

Mei Ruoying was somewhat tempted. As long as she could get revenge, she didn't care if Jiang Yuan was using her.

"Do you have a next plan?"

"Our Mei family has fallen, and that dog emperor's strength has greatly increased, making it even more difficult to deal with."

Jiang Yuan raised an eyebrow and said lightly, "That woman who helped you steal the waist tag is being wanted by my imperial nephew."

"Next, let's use her as a bargaining chip. If she is important enough, this king can consider rescuing the remnants of your Mei family."

Mei Ruoying nodded slightly, fairly satisfied with Jiang Yuan's attitude.

"Okay, I'll go with you."

At the same time, in the palace hundreds of miles away.

Jiang Chen was sitting in a dragon辇 (imperial carriage) heading to Chang Le Palace.

As the residence of the Imperial Concubine Dowager, Chang Le Palace was heavily guarded.

Even if Jiang Chen, the emperor, arrived, he had to notify them in advance before being allowed to enter.

After sending out the invitation, Lü shi (Lü Clan) sent palace servants to wait at the entrance to guide Jiang Chen.

As for herself, she was waiting in the hall.

"Your Majesty, this old woman hasn't seen you for some time."

Lü shi (Lü Clan) slowly got up, walking gracefully towards Jiang Chen, with a gentle and beautiful smile on her face.

The moment he heard the voice, Jiang Chen felt a tickle in his ears.

But before he could savor it, he was amazed by the beauty of the person before him.

He originally thought that this Empress Dowager Lü would be an old woman, but he didn't expect her to look only in her thirties.

With snow-white skin and red lips, she was beautiful and noble, exuding the charm of a mature woman, like a ripe peach, full of juice.

Her black hair was all tied up, with pigeon-blood red gems dotted among them. Her noble temperament made people dare not look directly at her, but her gentle and maternal aura tempered this imposing beauty, making people submit while also忍不住觊觎 (ren bu zhu jiyu - unable to restrain from coveting).

Especially the amazing curves hidden under the dark red palace dress, the fullness of the arc was something Jiang Chen had rarely seen.

Such a spectacular scale, even both hands would find it difficult to grasp.

Even though Jiang Chen had seen countless beauties, he couldn't help but take a few more glances.

It was not an exaggeration to say that Empress Dowager Lü's grace was enough to make ninety percent of the men in the world fall at her feet.

"Your Majesty, why are you staring at this old woman without saying a word? Could it be that you have become estranged from this old woman after not seeing her for so long?"

Empress Dowager Lü walked gracefully over, giving Jiang Chen a reproachful look.

"Cough, I have been busy with government affairs these days and have neglected the Empress Dowager. It is my fault."

Jiang Chen smiled, his tone somewhat apologetic, but his eyes were full of perfunctoriness.

This Empress Dowager Lü had no blood relationship with him, and even after the original owner was made crown prince, she secretly tried to trip him up, wanting to let her two sons succeed to the throne.

In a sense, this woman was also a potential enemy of his.

Empress Dowager Lü didn't seem to see through Jiang Chen's perfunctoriness, and smiled gently: "Your Majesty, what are you saying? You are the Son of Heaven, so naturally you must put the country first, but this old woman has watched you grow up, and I can't help but miss you after a long time."

After saying that, she led Jiang Chen to sit down in the main hall, pointing to the table full of delicacies and saying, "These are all your favorite foods. This old woman also specially ordered the cooks to make them according to the old recipes from before. Your Majesty, please try them."

While speaking, she took up the serving chopsticks with her slender hand and placed a piece of venison for Jiang Chen.

But this gesture of goodwill made Jiang Chen feel uncomfortable all over.

He frowned and said, "Empress Dowager is my elder, there is no need to trouble you with such trivial matters. I can do it myself."

"By the way, the rebel attack on the palace earlier, Empress Dowager, were you not frightened?" Jiang Chen ate the dishes while pretending to be casual as he probed.

Empress Dowager Lü's eyebrows furrowed, and a hint of panic flashed in her beautiful eyes, as she said with lingering fear, "This old woman is fine, but I was worried about Your Majesty's safety."

"You are the backbone of the Da Wei (Great Wei), if anything were to happen to you, the Da Wei (Great Wei) kingdom would probably be shaken."

Speaking of this, a touch of indignation appeared on her beautiful face: "This group of rebels is really bold, daring to break into the palace, it would not be an overstatement to诛 (zhu - execute) their entire nine generations!"

"Fortunately, Your Majesty, you were prepared and safe and sound, otherwise this old woman would really not know what to do."

Jiang Chen narrowed his eyes slightly, temporarily not dispelling his suspicion: "Empress Dowager, you don't have to worry about me, everything is within my plan."

Hearing this, Empress Dowager Lü frowned even tighter...