The empress dowager did not go to see her, the silver spoon in her hand gently stirring, letting the snow-white and crystal-clear "jade" milk swirl and float. She gazed into the void, slowly saying: "With An Wangping as the leader, the vassal kings responded one after another, this undercurrent is surging in the court and the countryside, what they are plotting is not small."

  The queen slightly relieved, sneered: "Those two princes were born to concubines, now they don't even know how to restrain themselves?"

  The empress's face darkened, and a cold light burst forth from her eyes.

  "They relied on the favor of the previous emperor and never put us in their sights!"

  She thought of the days when the previous emperor was alive, those two concubines who came from humble origins, a wave of disgust rose in her heart, and she tightly grasped the handkerchief in her hand.

  The empress observed the expressions and said comfortingly, "In the late emperor's heart, he still loved Empress Dowager the most. The two princes were young and had been banished to their fiefs - the late emperor's thoughts are self-evident."

  She thought this remark was reasonable, but unexpectedly the Empress Dowager's eyebrows were filled with cold anger, and the pulse on her temple jumped rapidly. The Queen panicked, calling over a palace maid to massage the Empress Dowager's chest, and it wasn't until after a long while that she calmed down.

  "Do you think...the previous emperor was biased towards us ***?"

  The empress lay on the couch, her snow-white face shrouded in the dim light, and she asked with a soft laugh, her voice crisp as snowflakes falling to the ground, yet eerily cold and desolate.

  The queen felt something was wrong, furrowed her brow and lowered her head, no longer speaking.

  The empress dowager covered her face with a fan, her demeanor elegant and composed. She smiled coldly, seemingly extra pleased: "Former Emperor Yuan Xu..."

  She lightly spat out this title from between her lips, as if it were a passionate whisper between lovers, yet also as if it were a venom born of the darkest depths.

  "He's afraid that those two princes might meet with disaster, so he had them establish their own fiefs early on... He truly dotes on us!!!”

  She whispered word by word, and the queen touched her cold and gloomy eyes, and she felt a chill. (Updated fastest on 16K computer station). She was secretly shocked at heart for this secret.

  "People see us high up, glorious and prosperous, but they don't know how much hardship and bitterness there is in this..."

  The Empress Dowager sighed and continued: "Not to mention these two sons of mine. Even my own brother, your uncle Xiang Wang, was quite unmanageable."

  The queen listened and only then did she realize that what Lin had said earlier meant that the Lin family was in a precarious situation.

  The empress sighed gloomily and coldly said: "You're all like black-eyed chickens, fighting each other, thinking I'm old and useless?"

  She drew a fine line on the fan handle with her slender finger: "Let's wait and see..."

  When the messenger of King Ping arrived, Jing Wang Yuanxi was holding a chess piece, gazing at the clear lotus in the pond, lost in thought. The chess master bowed slightly and reminded him: "Your Majesty?"

  "I understand."

  The king's handsome face was calm. A hint of a cold smile that was hard to detect appeared on his face, he stretched out his hand and messed up the chessboard, stood up and said: "What wind blew and exposed the fourth brother?"

  The Master said: "Ping Wang is cunning, and Your Majesty must not take him lightly."

  The still king smiled and said from the green shade: "I am not an easy person to deal with."

  The envoy followed the guide through the courtyard, around several layers of jade buildings and pavilions. Only then did they arrive at the garden. At this time, it was just after noon, but the garden was lush and serene, with a hint of coolness in the air. Under the green trees and wisteria, there were faint patches of light filtering through, but no feeling of sweltering heat. The king sat quietly under a tree, gazing at a pond of clear lotus flowers, leisurely sipping tea.

  The envoy first saw King Jing, who was reclining in a cool place, seemingly not taking it seriously. He didn't notice the slight displeasure and said in a deep voice: "My lord sent me to pay respects to King Jing for his thousand years!"

  The King of Jing smiled and waved his hand, saying: "In my garden, there is no need for formalities."

  He slightly nodded, and there were people who flowed like water, presenting an iced food box. The messenger didn't decline, and lightly touched his lips, but felt a coolness that penetrated to the bone.

  "On a sweltering summer day, Your Highness stays indoors and rarely goes out, living such a leisurely and carefree life, even the gods can't help but envy..."

  The envoy sighed in admiration and finally turned the topic back to his own intention: "But my lord has been worried for a long time, as if he was walking on thin ice!"

  The King smiled and listened quietly, saying lightly: "A calm mind is naturally cool, Fourth Brother can't help but be too anxious!"

  The envoy burst out laughing and met Jing Wang's gaze without flinching, saying: "Is this the extent of your insight, Your Highness?"

  "The king said calmly: 'You have a big nerve, daring to be so presumptuous in my garden?'"

  The messenger bowed down to the ground and said: "How dare I, Your Majesty is wise and thoughtful in a thousand ways, but there must be one mistake. I have this smile because of it."

  "Oh...... I'd like to hear more." "The king thought he could add fuel to the fire, or watch from a safe distance, so he was calm as if nothing had happened... but my lord has two words to bring to the king."

  The king's eyes flickered slightly, and the messenger said softly: "The sage has an heir, the ancestral temple is in order... If the emperor were to give birth to a prince now, would your highness still be so calm?"

  The king listened quietly, with no ripples on his face.

  The messenger drove forward and approached, saying in a low voice: "My lord has another sentence..."

  He whispered in Jing Wang's ear, and after he finished, Jing Wang was finally shocked.

  "Can it be so?!"

  He took a deep breath, thought for a moment, and said resolutely: "I can only beat the drum for your master..."

  The envoy smiled with satisfaction: "With this sentence from Your Highness, it is enough."

  Jing Wang glanced at him and sighed: "Your master is hiding behind An Wang, shooting these hidden arrows, his ambition is not small!"

  The envoy smiled and said: "My lord actually dare not have any unseemly thoughts, but the Emperor's pressure is too great, and he has no choice but to discuss with several uncles and brothers, only seeking self-preservation. If he can get a word of consent, he will be satisfied with being king in his fiefdom forever."

  The King of Jing smiled and said, "This is something you should go tell the Emperor, what's the point of telling me?"

  "Otherwise," the messenger said with a flattering smile, becoming even more polite: "His Highness has said that for now, Your Highness is like a brother to him, but next time they meet, who knows, there may be a distinction between ruler and subject."

  The king remained unmoved, as if he had not heard the words: "Fourth brother is joking... I ask the envoy, when did fourth brother decide this?"

  At the end of the month, at dawn.

  The envoy's words were like a thunderclap, but Jing Wang remained unmoved by the sound of the thunder. After sending the envoy away, he walked under the tree and smiled thoughtfully.

  "Master Wang, shall we continue to monitor Ping Wang's subordinates?"

  The King smiled and rearranged the chess pieces, saying: "No need... The Emperor must have already sent someone to keep an eye on us. Now going would just be joining the commotion, and in vain *** our strength."