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"Empress Dowager Hua" shouted, "You seduced the king, disregarding palace rules, committing a grave offense."
"Ju Rong" quickly intervened, "Empress Dowager Hua, let's not resort to violence."
"Empress Dowager Hua" glared at him and ordered, "Step aside."
"Ju Rong" actually stepped back and turned to leave. He wasn't fleeing; he was going to inform the king. He thought to himself that "Empress Dowager Hua" was courting disaster. Her daughter was the king's heart's desire; if she wanted to deal with it, she shouldn't make such a big fuss. She should learn from his wife and handle things discreetly. But if everyone acted like his wife, the Yan Kingdom would be in even worse trouble.
At this moment, "San Chun" had already been tied up. She was curious to see what "Empress Dowager Hua" would do to her.
Back when "Mother" was still alive, she was just a beauty in the palace, not favored much and without offspring. Now she had risen to become the mistress of the harem and was getting arrogant.
She sneered, "Empress Dowager Hua, this is truly unreasonable. I never intended to marry the king. If you have objections, take them up with him. Why make things difficult for me as a woman?"
"Empress Dowager Hua" was furious and raised her hand to strike her. "San Chun" would never allow that; she sidestepped and the two began chasing each other around the hall.
The few officials who followed were watching; some were thinking about what kind of situation this was. The king's absurdity could be overlooked, but "Empress Dowager Hua" was also acting without restraint. Some were excited, watching the spectacle as if they were cheering for "Empress Dowager Hua." Others shook their heads in dismay, fearing chaos would ensue.
"Empress Dowager Hua" couldn't catch up with "San Chun," so she commanded the guards to seize her. Just then, someone outside shouted, "Stop!"
It was "Uncle Qi," who might have just bathed; his hair was still wet, and his clothes were not properly worn. He had put on his shoes incorrectly—one on the left foot and one on the right foot—completely mismatched. He had rushed over in such a hurry that he hadn't bothered with his appearance.
Following him was "Ju Rong," who ran in panting, along with "Young Master Rong," who despite having a limp managed to arrive quickly.
He originally didn't know about this matter; he had just come to the palace looking for "San Chun." Upon hearing that she was about to be beaten during a grand event, he hurried over to see what was happening. As he ran, he thought to himself who dared to lay a hand on her.
When "Empress Dowager Hua" saw "Uncle Qi," she felt a bit scared. She had initially planned to take advantage of her numbers to capture "San Chun," punish her first, and then deal with any inquiries from the king later. By then, if she were gone, there would be nothing he could do about it. But who would have thought that this girl was so skilled that even a dozen guards couldn't catch her? She was already feeling anxious and irritable; upon seeing "Uncle Qi," she became breathless and fainted on the spot.
This saved some trouble.
"Uncle Qi" coldly smiled and ordered, "Someone take 'Empress Dowager Hua' out. Since 'Empress Dowager Hua' is unwell, don't escort her back to the palace; just take her straight outside."
This is a disguised attempt to force Empress Dowager Hua out of the palace. Poor her, she was dazed and had no chance to struggle before being carried away.
Several ministers opened their mouths but dared not speak up.
Uncle Qi's cold gaze swept over the ministers. Remembering what had happened earlier that day, they couldn't help but shrink back. They thought to themselves, if the king dared to send Empress Dowager Hua out of the palace, who knew how he would deal with them?
Unexpectedly, Uncle Qi uttered a single word, "Get out—"
In an instant, the ministers fled without a trace. It has always been the case that the weak fear the strong, and the strong fear those who are reckless. The king's eyes were bloodshot; anyone who dared to stay was a fool.
Seeing this, Ju Rong also didn't dare to linger and turned to leave. Upon raising his head, he saw Young Master Rong still standing at the door and quickly pulled him along, "Hurry up."
Young Master Rong was clever and immediately followed.
In a moment, the palace maids, eunuchs, and guards all fled as well, leaving only the two of them in the hall.
Uncle Qi stepped forward and personally untied San Chun's bindings.
San Chun sighed, "Why go through all this trouble?" Why did he have to marry her and cause such a mess? Now it was likely that all the ministers knew about the king's fury over her.
"I want to," Uncle Qi said awkwardly, turning his face away. Hearing her let out a soft hiss, he quickly grabbed her hand. "Did she hit you? Where are you hurt?"
She shook her head; with Empress Dowager Hua's frail body, it was impossible for her to have harmed her. It was just that the ropes had chafed her hand a bit.
"I'm fine. You should change out of your shoes first."
Uncle Qi looked down at his feet and realized he had put on his shoes incorrectly. He couldn't help but smile awkwardly. "I was too anxious coming out." Sitting on the couch, he took off his shoes and noticed her worried expression. He smiled reassuringly, "Don't worry; I will definitely marry you."
San Chun was both amused and helpless; what she was worried about was not this at all.
After the second round of greetings, Young Master Rong finally dared to enter. As soon as he stepped inside, he joked, "How did you feel yesterday?"
San Chun shot him a glare. "Aren't you a bit too idle?"
He pretended not to understand. "Did you not ask me to come to the palace?"
Young Master Rong had already become a junior official and was serving in the military. San Chun had specifically summoned him to the palace yesterday to help find Zhao Country's Crown Prince Ji Xun. However, who would have thought that he would encounter the incident with Empress Dowager Hua and be scared away?
After hearing that Empress Dowager Hua was sent out of the palace, she woke up and insisted on returning, but the imperial physician firmly stated that Empress Dowager Hua was seriously ill and could not be moved casually. The mansion outside the palace was heavily guarded, so she couldn't leave, which made her furious as she scolded Uncle Qi for being heartless.
San Chun knew this was Uncle Qi's intention; he probably couldn't bear to see her bullied and wanted to give her a way out. However, this old lady couldn't be taken out of the palace either; instead, she would only cause chaos within it, so it was better for her to stay outside.
This all happened yesterday, and today San Chun didn't want to bring it up again; she just wanted to find Ji Xun as soon as possible. They had gotten separated on the mountain, and he should still be waiting for her there, right? It wasn't difficult for Young Master Rong to return to the mountain to search for him; she just feared that he might no longer be there.
Young Master Rong readily agreed to help find him. He had long admired this Zhao Country Prince and was naturally willing to assist.
After discussing this matter, San Chun asked again, "Are you happy in your current position?"
"Happy," Young Master Rong nodded, though he felt a bit constrained by power; he was cautious in everything he did since those high-ranking officials didn't take him seriously.
He jokingly asked, "When will I get promoted?"
San Chun exclaimed, "When did you become so obsessed with official titles?"
Young Master Rong sighed and said half-seriously, "Having never tasted the flavor of power, I naturally didn't know its benefits. Now that I know, I can't let go of it."
San Chun didn't believe him at all; if he were someone who craved power, he would have already made something of himself.
She smiled and said, "You don't think your current official position is insufficient to showcase your talents, do you?"
He laughed heartily. "Indeed, only Spring knows me."
It was not difficult for him to be given any official title; Uncle Qi did not care much about such matters. Even if she let someone else take the position of the king, he would agree. He just feared that those court officials who wished for their parents to die and chaos to ensue would not agree.
To elevate him, someone must inevitably step down. She had already thought of that person: Pang Wan.
From the time of Lian Wei's Attack on Chu, she realized that Pang Wan was not suited for that position. He was overly jealous, too conservative in his actions, and given his age, it was indeed inappropriate for him to be on the battlefield any longer.
Especially since last time Zhong Xue was with her during the assassination attempt, Pang Wan was also involved. Although she did not believe it at the time, after thinking it over, she felt something was off. Having such a person close to Qi was too dangerous.
If he could betray her, he would certainly betray Uncle Qi as well. For safety's sake, he could not remain in that position. However, finding a suitable general in a short time was quite challenging; they needed to be skilled in martial arts, well-versed in military strategy, calm, wise, composed, and resilient—too many qualities were required to be competent.
Young Master Rong, although talented, had a disability and was not knowledgeable in martial arts. He was suitable as a military advisor but not as a general.
Her next step was to suggest appointing him as a military advisor to Qi, but first, she needed to determine the candidate for general.
After discussing this matter with Qi, it was clear he showed little interest and simply said, "Since I have entrusted this to you, you should handle it as you see fit."
San Chun became annoyed. "Is this nation yours or mine?"
Qi raised an eyebrow slightly. "Does it make a difference? It’s neither yours nor mine; it should belong to both of us."
San Chun was speechless; being pedantic with him was indeed the most unwise thing to do.
After thinking it over, she ultimately decided on a nationwide talent selection or considering capable individuals from several nations who could ascend to the position of general.
Upon sharing her thoughts with Qi, he found it quite appropriate as he had long been displeased with Pang Wan; replacing him would be just right.
An immediate decree was issued to post notices in various places to select capable individuals. Of course, due to the situation with Pang Wan, it was naturally not appropriate to seek someone to replace the General; only those with exceptional martial skills and a deep understanding of military strategy would be entrusted with important positions.
Although Pang Wan was unaware of this matter, there was concern that if he were to learn of it, he might take advantage of the situation and rebel, which would be troublesome. Especially since he had not committed any major offenses, it would not be easy to remove him from his official position.
San Chun pondered for a while and came up with a good idea; she wanted to scare Pang Wan, hoping to frighten him into revealing the truth.
That evening, Uncle Qi issued a decree summoning Pang Wan to the palace, where he met with him in the king's sleeping quarters.
Having applied some makeup in advance, Qi appeared pale and looked frightened. Upon seeing Pang Wan, he pretended to cry and said, "General, I dreamed of Prince Saint Jia last night."
Saint Jia was the title given by Qi after Yan Dan's death. Every time he thought of San Chun, he felt embarrassed; how could she deserve such a "holy" title? When he had previously discussed this matter with Uncle Qi and suggested changing it to something else, he had replied nonchalantly, "You can change it when you truly die."
One cannot genuinely wish for their own early demise just for a title, so she had no choice but to give up on that idea.
The king often spoke about this prince; Pang Wan had long since grown accustomed to it. He pretended to advise, "Your Majesty should not be disturbed; this must be a case of daydreaming leading to night visions. You must have been thinking about the prince too much lately, which is why you encountered him in your dreams."
Qi shook his head. "No, I often feel as if the prince is right beside me, here in this sleeping chamber."
His sleeping quarters were already eerie, especially with a coffin placed inside. As soon as these words were spoken, it immediately sent chills down people's spines.
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