"..."
Chen Mo looked slightly awkward.
Not knowing how to respond, he simply turned around and left the bedroom.
Watching the back that seemed like it was fleeing, Chu Yanli couldn’t help but smile, her bright eyes curving like crescents, and a charming dimple appearing on her pink cheeks.
Even when she had pinned him down back then, he had never been this flustered...
She reached out to tug open her collar, gazing at the slowly healing scar above her heart, with a faint blush sweeping across her cheeks.
"Back then, Yuchan entered the palace for my sake, wasting her prime years in this palace. I owe her that."
"It’s hard enough to have someone she likes. If I can help a bit, it can somewhat make up for it..."
"But he’s bold enough to even flirt with the Empress..."
"Hiss—"
"The pinching was so hard, it’s a bit swollen. This guy definitely did it on purpose..."
...
...
"What on earth is up with this woman?!"
Chen Mo quickly left Changning Pavilion, his expression dark as water.
Chu Yanli’s previous demeanor had made him believe briefly that she was just a straightforward brute, but on further thought, having grown up in this scheming environment, could she really be simple-minded?
"In the end, paper can’t wrap up fire. My relationship with the Empress can’t be hidden forever. I just didn’t expect it to be exposed so quickly."
"Although Chu Yanli doesn’t seem malicious, who can fathom her thoughts?"
"This concerns the reputation of the Imperial Family. Does she really not care at all?"
Chen Mo’s emotions were turbulent, feeling that he had to discuss this with the Empress, at least to mentally prepare her.
He walked through layers of the palace, heading towards Zhao Hua Palace.
According to routine, at this hour, the Empress should still be handling state affairs.
Just as he reached the palace entrance, before the palace attendants went to announce his arrival, Sun Senior Palace Lady came out to greet him.
"Mr. Chen, you’re here."
"Greetings, Senior Palace Lady."
Chen Mo nodded in greeting, "I have something to report. Is Her Highness inside?"
Sun Senior Palace Lady nodded, "She is, but Her Highness is currently receiving a guest."
"Receiving a guest?" Chen Mo asked curiously, "May I ask who it is?"
"Not a court minister, it’s Her Highness’s cousin..."
Sun Senior Palace Lady hesitated for a moment, then said softly, "But judging by Her Highness’s demeanor, she doesn’t seem very keen to meet him."
The Empress’s cousin?
A figure flashed in Chen Mo’s mind. He frowned. Why did he come?
At this moment, footsteps approached from afar, and a tall figure emerged from the main hall.
Wearing a long robe as white as snow, with a face like jade, shaking a folding fan in his hand, he looked quite the elegant and refined scholar.
It was Jiang Wangye, whom Chen Mo had a fleeting encounter with at Prince Yu Mansion back then.
A smug smile hung at the corner of his mouth, clearly satisfied with the conversation he just had with the Empress.
Chu Yanli had previously said that the relationship between the Empress and the Jiang Family was very bad. Chen Mo narrowed his eyes, a cloud of darkness covering his pupils.
When Jiang Wangye saw Chen Mo, his expression was also somewhat surprised.
"Chen Mo? What are you doing here?"
Chen Mo shook his head, "See, you’re getting anxious... Even if I did, so what? She should thank me."
"Chen Mo!!"
Jiang Wangye was thoroughly enraged, stepping forward, his clothes flapping loudly.
This was exactly the moment Chen Mo was waiting for, a flash of green in his eyes, as his energy surged violently.
Jiang Wangye suddenly felt darkness falling over his vision. Looking up, he saw a porcelain white hand descending from the sky, exuding an aura of extinction and desolation, erasing even the void along its path!
"What is this?!"
Jiang Wangye’s heart trembled violently, filled with shock and horror.
Under the crushing force of this higher-level power, his body gradually became hunched, joints cracking, until finally his knees gave way, and with a "thud," he knelt on the ground.
The immense pressure left him unable to move a single finger, offering no means to escape, forcing him to watch helplessly as that terrifying hand approached.
Slap—
The hand landed on his shoulder.
Jiang Wangye shivered all over, instinctively closing his eyes.
However, after a while, nothing happened.
Opening his eyes, he found everything normal, with no massive hand covering the sky, and the void unscathed.
Sun Senior Palace Lady looked at him oddly, "Mr. Jiang, what are you doing..."
"Hmm?"
Jiang Wangye collected himself and realized he was kneeling straight in front of Chen Mo.
Chen Mo patted his shoulder, smiling, "Not bad, Jiang Buyi has finally learned to speak with me while kneeling. You’ve made progress."
Jiang Wangye: "..."

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