Chapter 1 A Strange Meeting

After the court session, Jiang Chen strode swiftly towards the Xuan Shi Hall.

He waved away the palace maid who came forward to greet him, and as he stepped into the inner殿, he caught a whiff of a rich and captivating fragrance.

This scent... Mei Ruoying?!

Jiang Chen's heart skipped a beat. He rushed into the bedroom and saw a lithe figure in a black dress sitting in front of the Shufei's (Noble Consort) bed!

Snow-white skin, red lips, and a pair of phoenix eyes concealing pride – it was Mei Ruoying.

As if sensing Jiang Chen's gaze, Mei Ruoying turned her head slightly, revealing a surprised expression. She rose and gave a graceful bow, saying, "This concubine greets Your Majesty!"

A flash of coldness flickered in Jiang Chen's eyes. He sized her up, keeping his guard up.

Why is this woman here?

What does she want? Does she want to take the opportunity to harm Yun'er?!

Ever since the assassination attempt, Jiang Chen had been extremely wary of Mei Ruoying. He was fairly certain that the families of those guilty officials in the palace were brought in by Mei Ruoying's machinations! After all, the Mei family would benefit the most from the Shufei's (Noble Consort) death.

Seeing the stern look on Jiang Chen's face, Mei Ruoying's expression immediately changed, and she put on a sorrowful look.

"Your Majesty, why are you so displeased to see this concubine? Has this concubine done something wrong?"

"This concubine came here purely out of concern for Shufei (Noble Consort) . Please don't misunderstand this concubine!"

Hearing this, Jiang Chen frowned, took a few steps forward, and stood in front of the bed, ready to issue an order for her to leave.

At this moment, the Shufei (Noble Consort), who was leaning against the pillows, tugged at his sleeve and explained timidly, "Your Majesty, it was I who allowed Guifei (Imperial Concubine) to visit. She brought me many tonics and apologized for what happened before. We are all sisters in the harem..."

Jiang Chen felt a little helpless.

Yun'er is too kind and doesn't know the sinister intentions hidden beneath Mei Ruoying's gentle face.

He turned to the side and gently tucked the quilt around the Shufei (Noble Consort) with a tender expression.

"Yun'er, you need to rest now. Outsiders coming to disturb you will only hinder your recovery!"

Yun'er? Mei Ruoying's beautiful face instantly changed. Their relationship had become this intimate?

"Mei Fei (Consort), I know your good intentions. I will take care of things here. You may leave," Jiang Chen said indifferently, not even looking at Mei Ruoying.

This dismissive attitude caused Mei Ruoying's delicate face to freeze.

The Emperor's behavior today is completely different from before! Why is he suddenly so cold to me?

Wait! Could it be that something went wrong with the assassination?

Mei Ruoying's heart skipped a beat. Not daring to linger any longer, she obediently replied, "Yes, Your Majesty. This concubine will take her leave."

The Shufei (Noble Consort) did not try to persuade her to stay. After exchanging a few polite words, she signaled the palace maid to see Mei Ruoying out.

After the joint treatment by the imperial physicians, her complexion had recovered a lot. Although the poison in her body had not been completely removed, she was in excellent condition under Jiang Chen's careful care. Her delicate face, like a lotus flower emerging from clear water, was always smiling, so beautiful that people couldn't take their eyes off her.

The Emperor's attention to her far surpassed that of Mei Guifei (Imperial Concubine), which made her very happy.

"Yun'er, when did you become acquainted with Mei Guifei (Imperial Concubine)?"

Jiang Chen stroked the Shufei's (Noble Consort) dark hair as he asked suspiciously.

That scene just now was really strange!

Mei Ruoying had done so many bad things to Yun'er. Normally, Yun'er should hate her to death. The atmosphere shouldn't be so harmonious when they meet.

The Shufei (Noble Consort) lowered her head, her gentle, clear eyes like those of a young deer, looking at Jiang Chen.

"Your Majesty, didn't you say before that you hoped the harem would be harmonious, that all the sisters would be considerate of each other, and not cause you trouble? Yun'er doesn't want to go against your wishes and cause you trouble!"

A trace of pity appeared in Jiang Chen's eyes, and he leaned over and kissed her forehead.

Then, he looked at A Zhen beside him, "Go and check everything Mei Ruoying brought to see if there's anything unusual! After you're done, you don't have to send it back. Just find a place to dispose of it."

"Yes!"

A Zhen cupped her fist and quickly left the hall.

She was the person Jiang Chen sent to protect the Shufei (Noble Consort). Among the entire Dark Guards, only she and Jing Yue were women. Who else but her could protect the Imperial Consort so closely?

The Shufei (Noble Consort) watched Jiang Chen quietly without saying a word.

Her experiences during this period always made her feel unreal, like a beautiful dream.

After that, Jiang Chen personally fed the Shufei (Noble Consort) medicine, accompanied her while he handled official documents, and chatted with her from time to time.

Time flowed by in such a warm and peaceful atmosphere.

The next day, as dusk approached, the evening colors gradually deepened.

Jiang Chen sat in the Qin Zheng Hall, reviewing official documents and learning about the situation at the grassroots level in Da Wei, quite busy.

As a transmigrator, although he had a lot of knowledge and insights far beyond this era, if he wanted to use his knowledge to its full advantage, he still had to adapt to local conditions and make decisions based on the actual situation. Only in this way could he truly solve problems and improve the lives of the people of Da Wei.

Seeing that the sky was getting dark, the palace maids standing on both sides lit candles for Jiang Chen.

At this moment, an unfamiliar, beautiful woman came forward with a food box, timidly saying,

"Your Majesty, Shufei (Noble Consort) has sent me to serve you your meal, and instructed you not to overwork yourself and to take care of your dragon body."

Jiang Chen paused and looked at the pretty woman beside him, lost in thought.

Judging by her attire, she's obviously not a palace maid... Could she also be one of my consorts?

Jiang Chen had many concubines in his harem. Even if there weren't three thousand, there were at least three hundred, so he naturally couldn't remember them all.

He signaled the woman to put down the food box and said indifferently, "Who are you? What is your relationship with Yun'er?"

A hint of disappointment flashed in the woman's eyes, and then she said softly, "Your Majesty, this concubine's maiden name is Fu'er. I am a concubine that Shufei (Noble Consort) brought with her. After entering the palace, you conferred upon me the title of Meiren (Beauty)."

In Da Wei, wealthy families would prepare concubines as dowry when their daughters married, to marry into the husband's family together. If the daughter was inconvenient, the concubine could take her place and serve the master of the house.

Jiang Chen had inherited part of the original owner's memory and didn't remember this custom for a moment, so he nodded and said,

"Okay, Fu'er, right? Put down the food box and go back to report. Oh, and tell Yun'er that I'll go back to see her in a while."

Hearing this, Fu'er frowned and stood still, hesitating to speak.

"Is there anything else?" Jiang Chen frowned.

Fu'er's breathing hitched slightly, and her delicate body trembled. The two handfuls of snow-white flesh she could barely contain also trembled, swaying with alluring curves.

After a long while, she tentatively said, "Your Majesty, the mistress sent me here to serve you, instructing me to relieve your worries tonight..."

As she spoke, a blush appeared on her fair face, and her big, grape-like eyes shyly glanced at Jiang Chen.

Feeling a little hot under the gaze, Jiang Chen put down the pen in his hand.

Since practicing the Qiankun Guiding Art, he had felt his energy growing stronger day by day. Now that he hadn't released it for a long time, his body did feel a little suppressed.

However, with the court affairs so busy, and disasters occurring in various places, the memorials that came up could pile up into a small mountain, he really didn't have the time to think about these things.

Looking at the pure and lovely little beauty in front of him, Jiang Chen shook his head regretfully and said,

"You may leave for now. Just tell Yun'er that it was my decision. I'm too busy with court affairs and can't spare the time for now."

Fu'er was stunned when she heard this, and said blankly, "Yes, this concubine will take her leave."

Just then, Feng Jin suddenly entered, his face serious...