Chapter 1 Taking Hostages

The mountain road was steep, and the carriage swayed on the winding bluestone slabs, the curtains rippling from time to time.

Fearing being spied on, Mei Ruoying leaned out, her jade hand gathered the curtain, and then leaned over to look at Xu Jiaying, who was tied up tightly beside her.

She smiled beautifully and said, "Sister Xu, you will see your lover in a while. Are you looking forward to it? Are you happy?"

Looking at the dazzling smiling face in front of her, Xu Jiaying felt a blockage in her heart and glared back unwillingly, as if she was about to explode in the next second.

However, her bound body and gagged mouth only allowed her to utter a few painless whimpers, which made Mei Ruoying even more delighted.

She chuckled, "Oh dear, I forgot that sister can't speak yet. I was negligent."

"Anyway, the destination is almost here, so I'll help sister take the cloth strip out of her mouth... But sister, you'd better be smart and don't do anything you shouldn't do!"

"After all, the killers accompanying the carriage won't have any sympathy for you. If they hurt your pretty face, my dear sister will feel sorry for you."

After speaking, Mei Ruoying raised her hand and tore off the silk scarf from Xu Jiaying's mouth.

"Cough...you ungrateful bitch, I saved your life, why did you do this?" Xu Jiaying's eyebrows stood on end, her eyes full of questioning.

Mei Ruoying met her gaze directly, and said calmly, "Saved my life? It was just mutual use!"

"You don't want Jiang Chen, that dog emperor, to have a good life, but you don't have the ability to take revenge yourself, so you put your hope on me, wanting to use the Mei family to help you take revenge."

After a pause, Mei Ruoying's eyes were tinged with sarcasm: "Or rather, when you let me out of the Cold Palace, you were thinking of letting the Mei family fight with the dog emperor, causing both sides to suffer, right?"

"You clearly have a bellyful of calculations, and you still have the face to claim to be my savior. Sister, you have such thick skin."

Exposed, Xu Jiaying stiffened for a moment, her beautiful eyes subconsciously dodging.

But soon, she stabilized her mind, regained her indifferent expression, and said indifferently: "Whether it is or not, it doesn't matter anymore."

"I am now just an escaped prisoner, being hunted down by the emperor himself. It's a complete waste of your time to catch me. Jiang Chen, that tyrant, won't compromise for a traitor."

Sensing Xu Jiaying's low mood, Mei Ruoying curled her red lips, smiling noncommittally: "Is that so? That's not necessarily true."

"After you left the palace, the dog emperor was quite anxious. He sent several waves of imperial guards to look for you, and even issued a special decree requiring local officials to cooperate unconditionally."

"Looks like he hasn't given up on you."

Hearing this, a momentary daze appeared on Xu Jiaying's pretty face, seeming somewhat moved.

But thinking of the blood feud between the emperor and the Xu family, her wavering heart quickly became firm again.

Xu Jiaying, you must not forgive the tyrant because of a moment of tenderness. Hundreds of members of the Xu family are still waiting for you to avenge them. You cannot let them down!

Xu Jiaying took a deep breath, her pretty face regained its indifference, as cold and hard as a jade sculpture, without any emotional fluctuations.

Seeing this, Mei Ruoying thought highly of her.

Being able to firmly believe in her beliefs and not be moved by the dog emperor's small favors, she can be considered a promising talent.

At the moment, she softened her tone and said: "Sister Xu, I have always believed in a saying, the enemy of my enemy is my friend."

"Since you and I both have a feud with the dog emperor, and we both have chips to contain the dog emperor, we can completely cooperate and deal with..."

Before she could finish her words, she was interrupted coldly by Xu Jiaying.

"Cooperation? I'm just an orphan, what capital do I have to cooperate with you?"

"People who seek skin with tigers have never had a good ending since ancient times... What's more, you are a more dangerous venomous spider than a tiger, I dare not provoke you!"

Although she was being sarcastic, Mei Ruoying was not angry.

She does have a bad temper, but she has always been very patient with people she likes, or rather, with prey she has identified.

Curling her red lips, Mei Ruoying pretended to be regretful and said, "Okay, since sister is unwilling, then I won't force it."

"It's just that going to Mount Tai is very dangerous, so I may have to wrong sister a bit. I hope sister doesn't hate me."

While speaking, she decisively struck Xu Jiaying's slender jade neck, causing her to fall into slumber.

Afterwards, she ordered coldly: "The time for the fengshan ceremony is approaching, hurry up!"

"If anyone makes a mistake in this mission, I will skin him alive!"

The gentle and bloody tone made the people outside the carriage feel a chill rise from the soles of their feet.

Although they were all born as bandits and killers, as soon as they thought of the methods of the beautiful woman in front of them, they couldn't help but feel their scalps tingle, and they didn't dare to retort at all.

They bowed their heads respectfully and said, "Yes, this subordinate guarantees to complete the mission!"

After handing over the unconscious Xu Jiaying to her confidants, Mei Ruoying changed into a light dress and sneaked into the Mount Tai Palace alone.

She was skilled and had lived in the palace for many years. Mixing in the ranks of the court officials, she was like a fish in water, arousing no suspicion at all.

Looking at the scouts shuttling through the palace, Mei Ruoying curled her red lips, but a grim malice arose in her beautiful eyes.

Jiang Chen, I'm back!

This time, I will repay the humiliation you gave me a hundredfold!

…

As the auspicious hour approached, the entire Mount Tai Palace was in a state of chaos.

Countless officials and members of the imperial clan were busy preparing, constantly checking the details to avoid any mistakes in any part of the fengshan ceremony later.

They had been reprimanded by Jiang Chen last night, and now they were in a state of tension, daring not to make any mistakes.

"Your Majesty, it's getting late, let's set off quickly, or we'll miss the auspicious hour." Minister of Rites Shi Ping whispered a reminder outside the door.

At this time, Jiang Chen had already put on the nine-layered fur crown belonging to the emperor, majestic and luxurious, making people dare not look directly at him.

The Noble Consort Shu followed closely behind, wearing a noble consort's dress, beautiful and dignified, with a dignified air.

The two standing together can be said to be a perfect match.

The clan ministers who had been waiting at the door for a long time also took out the respect they treated the empress with to serve the Noble Consort Shu.

Although she had not received a formal canonization, judging from history books, only the empresses of past dynasties could stand shoulder to shoulder with the emperor on this occasion.

Everyone present was an expert, and they could figure out this little trick.

Just as the group was heading towards the altar for the fengshan ceremony, Jiang Chen, who was at the very front, suddenly stopped.

The bewitching fragrance that suddenly filled the air made him frown subconsciously.

This smell…it's so familiar.

Vague, yet extremely domineering, once you smell it, you can never forget it…Mei Ruoying!

A charming figure instantly appeared in Jiang Chen's mind, enchanting, proud, and extremely beautiful!

He suddenly turned his head to look around, his muscles tensed, wanting to catch that cunning vixen.

The inexplicable behavior made the people behind him suspicious...