Chapter 168

After saying this, Ding Tianming took his leave.

He wasn't in a hurry; he wanted to use pressure to make this mother and daughter come to him.

As for Xie Minjun's identity, Ding Tianming had also investigated it.

Within the territory of the May Tian Ce Dynasty, colluding with demons was a grave crime; not only did the authorities not allow it, but neither did the sect factions.

The largest sect faction in the vicinity, the Zi Xiao Tiangong, also frequently investigated whether any demon clans had infiltrated their sect.

The sect Xie Minjun had previously belonged to couldn't really be called a sect; it was just a small faction of a few dozen people.

To develop and protect themselves, this small faction had worshipped a powerful demon clan member.

They provided resources to this demon powerhouse, and in return, the powerhouse protected them.

But later, the matter was exposed and discovered by people from the Zi Xiao Tiangong.

The Sect Master was arrested, the demon powerhouse vanished without a trace, and the faction naturally disbanded.

Xie Minjun, as an elder of the faction, took a group of disciples and lived in hiding within the Jiang family.

This time, for the sake of revenge, Xie Minjun had naturally contacted that demon powerhouse.

All of this was within Ding Tianming's expectations; he only needed to fan the flames to get what he wanted.

After Ding Tianming left, Xie Minjun's heart began to feel uneasy and restless.

It was all her fault for not being careful enough; not only had she failed to avenge her husband, but she was also going to implicate her daughter and family.

At the very least, in her view, Ding Tianming was truly a good person.

"Madam, what should we do now?" one of her subordinates asked.

"Let's go home and see first." Xie Minjun hadn't originally planned to go back, but now it seemed the situation at the Jiang family was not good.

Jiang family inner courtyard.

Jiang Rong had finished dinner and was preparing to rest in her room when someone knocked on the door.

Opening the door, she discovered it was her mother, Xie Minjun, and Jiang Rong was overjoyed.

"Mother, you're finally back! So many things have happened recently; let me tell you."

Jiang Rong had so much she wanted to say to her mother.

"Good daughter, Mother also has many things she wants to ask you."

Xie Minjun looked at Jiang Rong lovingly, her eyes filled with guilt and apology.

As her daughter, Jiang Rong let her mother ask first.

Xie Minjun asked Jiang Rong if she had encountered any trouble recently.

She wanted to first confirm whether Ding Tianming's words were true; even though she trusted Ding Tianming, some things had to be asked clearly first.

Hearing her mother's question, Jiang Rong recounted everything—from being investigated by the new City Supervisor yesterday to being bullied by the Chamber of Commerce today.

In front of outsiders, she was the pillar of the Jiang family, the Eldest Miss of the Jiang family, and needed to maintain a steady appearance.

Only in front of her mother could she voice her grievances and act like a child.

Upon hearing this, Xie Minjun was furious, not only that her own affairs were known, but that the Chamber of Commerce had also begun to suppress the Jiang family.

If it hadn't been for Ding Tianming's righteous intervention, the Jiang family would already be in dire straits.

After Jiang Rong finished saying all this, she asked her mother if she was truly colluding with demons.

Since it was her own daughter, Xie Minjun knew there was no point in hiding it, so she simply laid her cards on the table and told her everything.

"Many of that guy's disciples died at my hands, but it's a pity he managed to run away."

Xie Minjun was trying to avenge her husband, but she hadn't fully succeeded; the culprit who destroyed the Bitian Sect was powerful and had managed to escape even when facing an attack from a demon powerhouse.

However, that demon powerhouse had already pursued him, and she didn't know the specific situation now.

She had originally planned to wait for news from the demon powerhouse at a hidden spot outside the city.

Ding Tianming's appearance had made her impatient to go home and see.

Only to return and find that things were far worse than she had imagined.

Jiang Rong suggested that her mother leave the Jiang family first to avoid the limelight.

But Xie Minjun felt that if she left, there would be no one to look after the Jiang family, making it even more dangerous.

As they talked, the mother and daughter sighed, and the room fell into silence.

Because both of them had been hinted at by Ding Tianming, they both felt in their minds that they needed to find a backer; only with a backer would the Jiang family have a way out.

Naturally, both mother and daughter thought, why not go and beg Ding Tianming?

The problem was, begging for help also required paying a price; they had to first know what Ding Tianming needed so they could find a way to satisfy him, thereby gaining his protection.

This was perhaps the task they needed to complete tomorrow, and also the problem they needed to think about tonight.

Just as this mother and daughter were distressed by the crisis facing the Jiang family, the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law next door had already reached a state of blissful self-forgetfulness, as if the various crises of the Jiang family had no impact on them at all.

Jiang Ningyue and her daughter-in-law were now single-mindedly focused on trying to play their roles well and please Li Chen.

It formed a stark contrast to the gloomy and distressed atmosphere next door.

On the morning of the fourth day, Jiang Ningyue came to the hall to prepare breakfast for Li Chen, just so that he could eat a sumptuous meal the moment he woke up.

She was very attentive when it came to serving Li Chen.

A hundred times better than how she used to treat her husband.

Just as she arrived at the hall, Jiang Ningyue saw Jiang Rong and her mother.

"Sister-in-law, you're finally back." Jiang Ningyue came over to greet Xie Minjun.

"Mm, thank you for your hard work with the house recently." Xie Minjun managed to squeeze out a smile.

Looking at Jiang Ningyue's cheerful and joyful expression, she felt a little envious.

Envious that Jiang Ningyue knew nothing, which was why she was so happy.

Xie Minjun had considered it all night and knew that with Ding Tianming's strength and status, it would be difficult for her to provide the material things he wanted, and Ding Tianming seemed interested in her, just without saying it outright.

Perhaps she would only be able to protect the Jiang family by humbling herself.

This was the reason Xie Minjun was so miserable when she got up this morning.

She loved her husband very much and was someone from a sect, so she valued chastity highly.

Even after her husband's death, she didn't want to do something that would betray him.

But as a woman without a backer, she had no other way.

Jiang Rong still had to be busy with the shop and finding the Sun family's raw material supply, so she ate a little and left the residence.

Jiang Ningyue saw that Xie Minjun was burdened with worries and asked what had happened.

Xie Minjun felt that as the head of the Jiang family, Jiang Ningyue did have a certain right to know, so she recounted the whole situation.

However, she just mentioned it in passing; in such a desperate situation, she felt Jiang Ningyue couldn't help much either.

She even regretted saying it afterward, feeling it only added unnecessary worry to the family.

But after listening, Jiang Ningyue said casually, "I thought it was something major; it turns out to be such a small matter."

This sentence made Xie Minjun's eyes widen; she wondered if Jiang Ningyue's brain had burned out—the Jiang family was facing such a huge crisis, and you're calling it a small matter?

Noticing her sister-in-law's gaze, Jiang Ningyue saw through what she was thinking and explained, "Actually, it's not a big problem, because the current Emperor of our May Tian Ce Dynasty has come to our Shanghe City incognito and is currently staying at our Jiang family residence. We can just ask him for help."

From this sentence, it was clear that if Xie Minjun hadn't revealed the crisis, Jiang Ningyue would have wanted to keep enjoying the exclusive benefits with her daughter-in-law.

Even if she knew she couldn't become Li Chen's woman, she was happy for every extra day she could serve him.

But this sentence gave Xie Minjun quite a fright.

"What!? You're saying the Emperor is at our Jiang family residence?"

Xie Minjun had seen the late Emperor back in the day and knew the powerful privileges of the royal family, let alone the Emperor himself.

If that were truly the case, then there was indeed a way to solve the Jiang family's crisis.

No wonder Jiang Ningyue looked so unbothered; it turned out she really did have a way.

"Are you sure you're not lying to me?" Xie Minjun's eyes were excited, yet filled with anticipation.

"Rest assured, sister-in-law, the Emperor and the Imperial Consort will be coming over for breakfast in a moment," Jiang Ningyue replied solemnly.

Upon hearing that the Emperor was coming, Xie Minjun suddenly became a bit uneasy; she was colluding with demons—what would happen if the Emperor found out?

Jiang Ningyue told her to be at ease; colluding with demons was neither a big nor small matter, but the final power of interpretation lay with the Emperor.

After waiting nervously in the hall for a while, a heroic and extraordinary person arrived.

The moment she saw Li Chen, Xie Minjun immediately knelt.

"This commoner pays respects to Your Majesty! Long live Your Majesty!"

At the time, she hadn't reacted to why the young wife, Dong Zhiqing, was following Li Chen so closely, her attention entirely on Li Chen.

Li Chen had been at the Jiang family for four days and had finally seen other female family members.

"Rise."

Following Li Chen's words, Xie Minjun stood up.

Just this one movement of standing up caused a significant sway in her figure, which Li Chen found very satisfying.

Today, Xie Minjun was wearing a white long dress that outlined a graceful and beautiful figure; perhaps because it was overly full, it stretched the dress taut, and the deep cleavage was thought-provoking. Her beautiful oval face and exquisite features were simply a perfect gift from the heavens.

Even without striking a seductive pose, Xie Minjun exuded a unique, mature charm.

No matter what she did, it seemed like she was seducing Li Chen.

While Li Chen was observing Xie Minjun, Xie Minjun was also secretly observing Li Chen.

At first glance, she saw a divine and refined face.

The contours of his face were distinct, the lines firm; he was so handsome he didn't seem like a mortal.

His tall and straight posture displayed the demeanor of an emperor in every gesture.

Even though Li Chen didn't do anything, that sense of dignity that didn't require anger made Xie Minjun feel a few inches shorter.

Xie Minjun also had some experience, but she had never seen a man who could be perfect to this extent.

Facing the powerful pressure from Li Chen, she even felt a bit breathless.

!

But it was still too early for her to be breathless; there would be plenty of opportunities to be breathless in the future.

As Li Chen sat down, today's breakfast officially began.

During the meal, Li Chen also briefly inquired about matters in Shanghe City, and Xie Minjun answered everything she knew without reservation.

At this moment, she was trying hard to think about how to beg the Emperor to help the Jiang family overcome their difficulties.

Actually, Jiang Ningyue could have directly asked Li Chen for help; after all, she and her daughter-in-law had been working hard to serve Li Chen for so long, so she wouldn't have been embarrassed to speak up.

But Jiang Ningyue could see that Li Chen was very satisfied with her sister-in-law.

Since that was the case, it would be better to let her sister-in-law speak up herself and beg the Emperor.

If the Emperor knew this was handled by her, he would surely feel she was sensible and reward her.

Thinking of this, Jiang Ningyue began to secretly plot how to get her sister-in-law to serve in the bedchamber.

After breakfast ended, Jiang Ningyue followed Li Chen to his room and said, "Your Majesty, wait for me a moment; I'll arrange a surprise for you."

Li Chen thought Jiang Ningyue had come up with some other nice outfit to serve him in, so he waited there for a moment.

He didn't think that a woman like Xie Minjun, who looked very chaste and knew her place, would take the initiative to serve in the bedchamber.

It was like the feeling he had when he first saw Lady Youlan.

Unless she had some leverage in his hands, or was begging him for something.

Jiang Ningyue left Li Chen's room and went to the hall.

Seeing her come over, Xie Minjun asked anxiously, "How is it? Will the Emperor agree to help?"

Jiang Ningyue didn't say it directly, only hinting, "Sister-in-law, if we just beg the Emperor like this, wouldn't it be impolite? If he doesn't agree, we have no way, so we can only find a way to make the Emperor happy—for example, whispering in his ear—only then will the Emperor not refuse."

She was already very subtly telling Xie Minjun to go serve in the bedchamber.

Xie Minjun loved her late husband very much and also placed chastity in the primary position.

If Jiang Ningyue had said this a few days earlier, Xie Minjun would have definitely refused directly.

But she had thought about it all night; the Jiang family was already at a dead end, and this was indeed the only way.

While she still had some beauty, perhaps she could use it to help the family; this was the last thing she could do for the Jiang family.

Upon hearing this, Xie Minjun said with some unease and shyness, "I have no problem with it, but will the Emperor find me attractive?"

Jiang Ningyue felt that this sentence was underestimating her own charm.

If I can receive the Emperor's favor, why can't you?

And the Emperor just happens to like this type; this is actually a plus for you.

To ensure Li Chen had a good experience, Jiang Ningyue said earnestly, "That depends on sister-in-law's skills. Whether our Jiang family can get through this hurdle and how our future development goes is all a matter of one word from the Emperor."

"But, but..." Xie Minjun couldn't say anything; she was a very traditional woman and didn't really know how to serve people.

Her husband was just an ordinary merchant, and his physique was weak, so it was only for a few moments.

She was afraid she would make the Emperor unhappy—what would she do then?

"What is there to 'but'? Just listen to the Emperor," Jiang Ningyue hinted repeatedly.

But this sentence made Xie Minjun roll her eyes at her; this was serving in the bedchamber—how could it be as simple as she said, making it sound like you've served in the bedchamber yourself?

And Jiang Ningyue's expression seemed to say: How do you know I haven't served in the bedchamber? Do you know how I've spent these past few days?

In the end, Xie Minjun made up her mind; she couldn't provide anything else to Li Chen, the Emperor, and perhaps, as her sister-in-law Jiang Ningyue said, only by serving the Emperor herself was her only chance.

At the very least, compared to begging Ding Tianming, Xie Minjun preferred Li Chen.

After all, Ding Tianming couldn't compare to Li Chen in terms of status, appearance, or physique.

"Fine, I'll try, but if the Emperor doesn't find me attractive, there's nothing I can do."

If she were facing other men, Xie Minjun would have some confidence.

But that was Li Chen, the Emperor of the May Tian Ce Dynasty—such a perfect man that she felt a bit inferior and uneasy.

Holding the mindset of just trying, Xie Minjun went with Jiang Ningyue to change clothes.

In the best room on the east side of the Jiang residence, Li Chen waited for a while before seeing a woman wearing black sheer lace walking in slowly.

He thought it was Jiang Ningyue, but looking at this figure, it seemed even fuller and more alluring—wasn't this Jiang Ningyue's sister-in-law, Xie Minjun?

Could the surprise Jiang Ningyue mentioned be this?

Li Chen thought to himself, did I misunderstand? We only ate one breakfast together, and she's taking the initiative to serve in the bedchamber? This progress is too fast; even "giving it away for free" doesn't happen like this.

But when Xie Minjun knelt before him and begged for Li Chen's favor, Li Chen knew that the Jiang family had given away another one for free.

Up to now, Li Chen felt he hadn't done anything; he had just come to the Jiang family and revealed his identity slightly, and the women of the Jiang family were all throwing themselves at him.

Li Chen wasn't the type to be polite; since you've taken the initiative to come, I can't waste it.

However, Li Chen didn't know that this was just the beginning!

Meanwhile, at the City Lord's Mansion.

Ding Tianming was very excited; according to his plan, he felt it wouldn't be long before Xie Minjun came to beg him.

What kind of demands should he make when the time came? Should he go for it all at once, or cultivate feelings and take it slowly?

Thinking of Xie Minjun's figure, he was quite excited.

After craving her for so many years, he had finally caught an opportunity.

What Ding Tianming didn't expect was that the trap he had plotted for so long had been snatched up by Li Chen.

If he hadn't set the trap, Xie Minjun, with her personality, wouldn't have taken the initiative to humble herself before a man.

Ding Tianming had turned down many social engagements today, just wanting to wait for Xie Minjun.

But after waiting all morning, there was no movement.

This made him feel a bit strange, but considering Xie Minjun's loyal and chaste personality, he had to let her think about it a bit more.

Ding Tianming waited until evening without seeing any sign of Xie Minjun.

He had even sent subordinates to scout, and they said Xie Minjun had never left the Jiang residence.

Receiving this news, Ding Tianming began to suspect if he had miscalculated—even if the Jiang family suffered a blow, Xie Minjun was unwilling to compromise.

Actually, he hadn't miscalculated; Xie Minjun had just found a better target to compromise with.

"I'll give you one more night to think about it. If you don't come by tomorrow morning, don't blame me for being heartless."

Ding Tianming was still waiting; he felt Xie Minjun might not find it easy to go out during the day.

If Xie Minjun didn't come tomorrow, he would have people provide the evidence and clues to Lin Yue'e.

Then Lin Yue'e would send people to the Jiang residence to make arrests.

When that time comes, if you come to beg me, I won't agree so easily!

Ding Tianming was thinking about all the ways to torment Xie Minjun in his mind.

But what he was thinking about was exactly what Li Chen was doing.

Inside the Jiang residence, after Xie Minjun entered Li Chen's room, she didn't come out until dinner.

Even the young wife, Dong Zhiqing, was sighing that the Eldest Madam was truly amazing.

This was heard by Xie Minjun, who happened to be coming out of the room, and she glared at her.

It scared her so much she stuck out her tongue in fear.

Jiang Ningyue took her sister-in-law Xie Minjun's hand and said, "See? I told you so."

Xie Minjun rolled her eyes at her and said, "So you had already served in the bedchamber; the Emperor told me!"

She felt like she had been deceived.

Jiang Ningyue said sneakily, "Don't talk to me about that; just tell me if you liked it."

Xie Minjun: "..."

Her skin wasn't thick enough to say such things, and she was also curious about how her sister-in-law had become like this—who had trained her?

Jiang Ningyue secretly whispered some things into Xie Minjun's ear, and Xie Minjun kept nodding after hearing them.

Jiang Rong, who had returned to the Jiang residence, finally saw the guests in the residence on the evening of the fourth day.

She never expected that the guest staying at the Jiang residence was actually the current Emperor!

And at this moment, Li Chen looked at Jiang Rong kneeling before him, thinking: Is this one going to give it away for free too?

(End of chapter)