Looking at the beautiful woman in front of him, trying her best to please him, Jiang Chen's anger subsided slightly.

Knowing fear meant there was still room for subjugation.

The Lü family was, after all, a large clan, and Empress Dowager Lü had been in the palace for many years, holding a high prestige among the imperial family. Rashly taking action and tearing apart all pretenses would only put him in a passive position.

Tonight, he would let her off for the time being.

Thinking this, Jiang Chen leaned over, pinched Empress Dowager Lü's chin, and chuckled, "Empress Dowager, weren't you just saying that you've always strictly adhered to feminine virtues and never engaged in illicit affairs?"

"Why are you suddenly stripping naked to seduce me? Aren't you afraid of the matter being exposed and known by the court officials?"

Empress Dowager Lü's eyelashes trembled slightly, avoiding Jiang Chen's burning gaze, seemingly unable to bear the humiliation. She pursed her red lips tightly, not uttering a word.

However, her pair of slender hands, which were originally hanging at her sides, tremblingly climbed onto Jiang Chen's waist, a subtle and silent temptation.

Despite the inner struggle, for the sake of her child, she could endure even the most humiliating insults!

"Your Majesty, haven't you always wanted to get close to me?"

"I've thought about it for a long time these days and am willing to obey any of your orders… As long as you don't mind, I can serve you every night."

Hearing this, Jiang Chen raised an eyebrow, not expecting her to compromise to this extent, but he wasn't moved.

He merely curled his lips, pinched one of the peaks covered by the vermilion fabric, and stood up, saying, "No need. Rather than coercion, I prefer mutual consent."

"Besides," he picked up the dress on the ground and wrapped it around Empress Dowager Lü, confidently saying, "I believe that before long, you will submit and kneel to beg me!"

"From tonight onwards, Empress Dowager, you will stay in Chang Le Palace to recuperate. Without my order, you are not allowed to step out of the palace gate!"

"Also, I will reassign palace servants to take care of you, and the surrounding guards will also be replaced. Don't worry if you see new faces in a few days."

After speaking, Jiang Chen directly flung his sleeves and left, leaving behind an extremely indifferent figure.

Empress Dowager Lü, draped in her clothes, slumped weakly by the bedside, her beautiful face filled with fear and bitterness.

Killing someone with a chop of the head was still a kind of relief. If Jiang Chen had dealt with her just now, it would have been a release.

But the Emperor only humiliated her and kept her under strict surveillance… It would have been better to take action against her directly, saving her from having to live in fear and suffering every day.

However, perhaps this was precisely the dog Emperor's intention, to use this method to force her to submit!

In the dim bedroom, a layer of haze clouded Empress Dowager Lü's eyes as she clutched her robe and sat blankly for a long time…

Two days later.

Jiang Chen had solved nearly 90% of the accumulated political affairs of the court.

The court, which had nearly come to a standstill due to the Mount Tai Fengshan ceremony, was running smoothly again.

But beneath the calm surface, the seemingly prosperous imperial capital was already surging with undercurrents!

The news of the bloody words appearing during the Mount Tai Fengshan ceremony had spread, and Noble Consort Shu was branded as a disasterous enchantress. In just a few days, the Xu family had become the target of public condemnation.

Even Xu Changqing, who commanded the four battalions of the imperial capital and had made great military achievements, was affected by the rumors. The residence bestowed upon him by the Emperor was splattered with feces, and the words "traitorous villain" were written on the walls.

For a time, the entire court's attention once again converged on the Xu family!

And Jiang Chen naturally wouldn't sit idly by and watch his woman and subject be wronged. He immediately ordered a thorough investigation, mobilizing the magistrate of Jingzhao Prefecture, the Five City Garrison, and the three forces of the Dark Guards.

Soon, there were results!

"Your Majesty, after my investigation, those spreading rumors and slandering the Consort and the General are all martial artists from the pugilistic world, and they are highly skilled and extremely elusive!"

"Moreover, these people are not only causing trouble in the imperial capital, but also in the south, northwest, central plains, and other places… Now, the people of Great Wei have a great misunderstanding of the Consort and the General."

"If we don't stop it, I'm afraid, I'm afraid something will happen…"

After the magistrate of Jingzhao Prefecture finished speaking, he knelt down directly, not daring to breathe loudly, for fear of igniting Jiang Chen's anger.

He could sit in this position, naturally not a fool, and could see that what these rumor-mongers really wanted to slander was Jiang Chen!

The content of the bloody words on Mount Tai was extremely rebellious. The officials who knew about it did not dare to reveal a single word, for fear of incurring the disaster of beheading… But now it was raging.

It even spread to various parts of Great Wei, causing controversy among the people. How could His Majesty not be angry?

Jiang Chen also saw this, put down the memorial, and said gloomily, "Have you found the source?"

"I want to throw all the audacious vermin into the Imperial Prison and turn them into Jingguan (a mound made of the heads of enemies)!"

The magistrate of Jingzhao Prefecture felt a chill down his back, and the hand attached to the ground was trembling: "Reporting to Your Majesty, the leader of these pugilistic people, if there are no accidents, should be the criminal Mei Ruoying."

"In the process of investigation, those who were caught would commit suicide by poisoning, and nothing could be asked… But according to the coroner's autopsy, this poison is unique to the Mei family!"

"And the only remaining bloodline of the Mei family is Mei Ruoying, so I dare to guess that this conspiracy was also done by this woman!"

Hearing this, Jiang Chen's expression became even more ferocious.

Earlier, the spies had reported Mei Ruoying's whereabouts, saying that she had sneaked back to the south.

Therefore, Jiang Chen did not associate this rumor with her.

But now it seems that this woman's ability is really not small, thousands of miles away, she can still stir up the situation, and let the dignified Noble Consort and Great General fall into a trap.

Extremely poisonous and terrible!

"Mei Ruoying went to the south, with her scheming, she should be going to plot against the Zhenhai Regional Commander… If these two people join forces, Great Wei is afraid that there will be another storm!"

As soon as this remark came out.

Song Xun, who was on the side, frowned instantly: "Your Majesty, the south is an important place for the court's tax revenue, and it must not be messed up!"

"I beg you to order that the Zhenhai Regional Commander and the criminal Mei Ruoying be arrested immediately, otherwise, if you delay for a long time, there will be endless troubles!"

Jiang Chen also understood this truth, but he was still rational and weighed the situation: "No! The Zhenhai Regional Commander has been entrenched in the south for many years, and his foundation is deep. Rashly taking action will only force him to rebel."

"As for Mei Ruoying, this woman is as cunning as a fox, and is not easily caught. In addition, the various aristocratic families in the south have old relationships with the Mei family, and she has people to borrow strength from, so it is even more impossible to submit."

"For the current plan, the best way is to separate the two of them and defeat them one by one!"

Saying that, Jiang Chen's eyes lit up, and he had a plan in mind.

He stood up and said: "Pass on my decree, two months later will be the Empress Dowager's birthday, I will hold a grand celebration and host a banquet in the palace to entertain the officials."

"At that time, all the ministers of Great Wei must come to participate in the birthday celebration, and the regional commanders from all over the country are no exception."

"Those who disobey the decree and are absent will be regarded as treason!"

As soon as the voice fell, everyone present brightened their eyes.

This decree is wonderful!

His Majesty's golden words must be obeyed by the ministers.

If that Zhenhai Regional Commander dares not to obey the order, the whole world will label him as a rebellious minister and traitor. At that time, the court will have a legitimate excuse to send troops and take down the entire south!

"Your Majesty, I will draft the decree immediately, and I guarantee that this decree will be spread throughout the world within three days!"