Otherwise, once Elder Mr. Shen caught a handle on her, her image would be ruined, and there would be no possibility between An Qiuyan and Shen Mingjue.
Jiang Ling sat quietly, a faint gleam flashing in her eyes.
The two sat and chatted for nearly an hour before Elder Mr. Shen had to leave due to an urgent phone call.
Jiang Ling came out of the tea room but did not return immediately. Instead, she found a bank nearby, rented a safe deposit box, and sealed the jade bead necklace that Elder Mr. Shen had given her.
The original owner had indeed been of great service to the Shen family, but this favor had been settled with Shen Mingjue compensating the major brands for the exorbitant breach of contract fees on her behalf.
Now, she and the Shen family had no further ties, and she was not qualified to accept such a valuable gift from Elder Mr. Shen.
Once all matters were settled, this item would have to be returned.
However, she feared that something might go wrong before then, damaging the item and making it difficult to return. Therefore, storing it in a bank's safe deposit box for valuable items was undoubtedly the best choice.
Having successfully sowed seeds of doubt in An Qiuyan, Jiang Ling received the rent from the property management company.
The building she owned in Jinjun Garden was favored by white-collar workers in Shanghai due to its good location, new renovation, and favorable contract terms, which allowed for early termination without penalty.
Jiang Ling had initially estimated that the monthly rent, after deducting various expenses, would be around 1.3 million.
Unexpectedly, this month's rent was a full 1.8 million, a full 500,000 higher than estimated.
Jiang Ling was overjoyed.
Indeed, being a landlady was the most satisfying, with a steady income regardless of the season. She could simply lie back and collect money each month without doing anything.
As Jiang Ling eagerly anticipated, "The Reign of Empress" successfully premiered on satellite television.
Given that Wang Jianzhong had previously directed many excellent works with a great reputation, and that Yuan Li was playing the female lead, Wang Zhengjun, this time.
A few months prior, Yuan Li had trended on hot search for her sheep placenta injections, becoming the subject of ridicule for countless netizens.
Many viewers, upon hearing that she starred in this drama, were curious to see what she could deliver and tuned in.
The first episode of "The Reign of Empress" was a grand spectacle, depicting concubines jumping to their deaths from the city wall, landing beside the heavily pregnant Empress Xu, who was startled and injured, affecting her fetus.
Madam Huo, the mother of Huo Chengjun, bribed a physician to tamper with the production medicine in order to help her daughter become empress. This resulted in Empress Xu suffering from difficult labor and hemorrhaging, leading to her death.
Emperor Xuan of Han discovered the suspicious circumstances and, in his fury, ordered a thorough investigation. Wang Zhengjun's mother and the female villain Fu Yao's mother were both implicated and executed.
Fu Yao mistakenly believed that her mother's death was caused by Wang Zhengjun's mother, thus planting the seeds of hatred.
More than a decade later, both girls grew up and entered the palace as families. The seeds of hatred sprouted, and the terrifying palace struggle commenced.
Wang Zhengjun's pure and resilient demeanor contrasted sharply with Fu Yao's biased and narrow-minded yet alluring and captivating charm, drawing the attention of many viewers to the two female leads.
Furthermore, with Jiang Ling featured in the promotional poster, many male fans who admired her beauty and the "old perverts" who enjoyed watching her cry also eagerly anticipated the drama.
This resulted in "The Reign of Empress" achieving quite good ratings upon its premiere.
Every beginning is difficult, but Wang Jianzhong, seeing the drama get off to a good start, finally felt his anxious heart relax.
However, as the episodes continued, the audience gradually became impatient.