After marrying a sickly and powerful official, Jiaojiao cries every day

Zhou Yuzhi waved his round fan and smiled softly, "It's not that I'm attracted to it, but I just feel that the chrysanthemums are growing so luxuriantly, they must have competed for a lot of nutrients."

Wen Ranyan was eating a piece of cake with a lazy posture, and it was unclear whether he was listening or not.

Zhou Xuzhi took a peek at her expression, then changed the subject and said, "But there are so many rare flowers and plants in this imperial garden. It's too wild for a wild flower to want to compete with famous flowers for spring."

"If I don't put myself in the right place soon, I'm afraid that one day I'll be disliked by others, or uprooted by the palace maids who prune the flowers. By then, I'll just rot and be buried in the ground, without even a trace of color left."

On the surface, it is talking about flowers, but in fact it is a metaphor for people.

Wen Ranyan understood that she was using the flowers to mock herself, referring to what happened at the banquet yesterday.

People openly and secretly say that she was born a concubine's daughter and had a low status, but she wanted to compete with the noble ladies for the position of queen. She also relied on her husband's favor and became arrogant. She really didn't know her own limitations.

If I don't wake up and put myself in the right place, I'm afraid I'll be killed soon.

Sijin naturally understood what she heard and was so angry that she wanted to scratch her face.

"Madam, do you think I am right?"

After saying this, perhaps because he felt dry in the mouth, Zhou Xuzhi picked up the teacup and took a sip. His every move was elegant and dignified, and his smile was appropriate.

After putting down the teacup, she wiped her hands with a handkerchief and waited for Wen Ranyan's reaction.

Wen Ranyan looked at her for a moment and actually smiled. Her beautiful eyes were rolling and her hair was covered with petals. Her every frown and smile revealed her extremely charming demeanor, which made Zhou Xuzhi feel inexplicably uncomfortable.

Such natural charm and grace made even her, a woman, feel ashamed of herself when seeing her.

In comparison, she was like the bland cup of herbal tea in her hand, even her looks were inferior to it.

No wonder Wen Ranyan could please Feng Qiwu. It turned out to be because of such despicable charm. It was really despicable.

Wen Ranyan's smile deepened, gentle as water, but a faint light flashed in her eyes, "Is this what Miss Zhou thinks? It's a bit one-sided."

Zhou Weizhi looked at her, slightly puzzled: "Madam, what unique insights do you have?"

Wen Ranyan played with the cup and said with a half-smile, "For the flower in the crack to grow so luxuriantly, it must have gone through many hardships. As the saying goes, the barefoot are not afraid of the ones wearing shoes. If it really encountered danger, I'm afraid the sharp thorns growing on the stems and leaves would prick the palace maids' hands until they were bloody and bruised, until they were satisfied."

Although she was in Taohua, when she talked about the sharp thorns that pricked her hands and caused blood and flesh to be blurred, she smiled sweetly, and even the tone of her voice became more lingering and affectionate, as if she was whispering to her lover, very charming.

The wind blew, the petals rustled, and the birds on the branches chirped and flew high.

Zhou Xuzhi subconsciously clenched his hands, his heart tightened, and when he looked into her eyes he felt a chilling coldness.

Wen Ranyan stroked the cup and said in a neither-too-high nor-low voice: "Besides, Miss Zhou, don't you know that even if you pull out these tenacious wild flowers, they will grow back in a few days and become lush again in the blink of an eye. You won't be able to get rid of them all. By then, I'm afraid you will be hurting your mind and hands. If it's as delicate as Miss Zhou, I'm afraid even your hands will rot."

"So, why bother with it?"

The moment she finished speaking, the cup in her hand was crushed into powder, leaving no intact body.

Wen Ranyan pinched the powder while looking at Zhou Xuzhi with a smile on her face. When the light and shadow flickered, her eyes seemed to be frosty and as cold as falling snow.

Zhou Huizhi was stunned and felt a chill down his spine.

The noble lady who grew up in the boudoir had never seen such a scene.

She originally thought that Wen Ranyan was also a weak woman, and because of her family background, she would definitely feel ashamed to be spoken of in this way.

I never thought that she was not only eloquent, but also skilled in martial arts. It seemed that she could kill me without leaving any body behind while chatting and laughing.

"Miss Zhou, what do you think of my opinion?" Wen Ranyan looked at Zhou Huizhi who was still in a daze and quickly returned the words to her.

"..."

Zhou Xuzhi was stunned when his name was suddenly called, and his back of clothes was already wet with cold sweat.

She was so frightened that her face turned pale, and her hand holding the cup was shaking so much that she almost dropped it to the ground.

Seeing that she was frightened like this after just a few words, Wen Ranyan immediately lost interest: "I feel a little tired, go back to the bedroom and take a nap."

She stood up as she spoke, and before leaving, she glanced at Zhou Yuzhi and said with a smile, "Miss Zhou, please do as you please."

Hearing her eerily soft voice, Zhou Xuzhi shuddered again and broke out in a cold sweat.

"It's a scorching sun, Miss Zhou, don't look too much or you'll catch a heat stroke." After saying this, Sijin felt secretly happy, and even her footsteps became a lot lighter.

The steaming heat baked the pavilion inside and out like a steamer, and the pearl lamp niches on both sides were also baked to a dazzling brightness.

It should have been scorching hot, but Zhou Huizhi felt icy cold. No matter how hot the sun burned, her face was still pale and her body was shivering. She sat in the pavilion for a long time and did not get up for a long time.

He was obviously frightened.

The imperial study has bright windows and clean desks, with curling sandalwood incense and fine mist rolling like a dream or dust.

The ministers of the aristocratic families knelt on the ground trembling with fear. The atmosphere in the study was solemn. Even the breathing was deliberately lightened so as not to make too much noise.

Feng Qiwu sat at the top. The bright yellow throne highlighted his status and exuded majesty. He leaned back comfortably, tapping the table from time to time with his hands, looking lazy and distracted.

But there seemed to be a poisoned blade hidden in his phoenix eyes. When he looked at the ministers of the aristocratic families, the restrained murderousness and sharpness flowed freely, and the curve at the corner of his mouth was very beautiful.

"What did you just say? I didn't hear it clearly. Why don't you say it again?"

Hearing this, the ministers of the aristocratic families shuddered and broke out in sweat. They remained silent for a moment, but some still mustered up the courage to make suggestions.

"Your Majesty, the country cannot be without an heir for a day. Moreover, Your Majesty has just ascended the throne and there is no one in the harem. You should fill the harem as soon as possible to have children. Without an heir, the country will not be stable and the society will not be at peace."

If a ruler of a country has no offspring, the country will have no one to succeed it and will inevitably decline or even be destroyed.

These ministers kept saying the same things over and over again, and Feng Qiwu's ears were almost callused from hearing them.

Did Helian Xiao hear the same annoying words when he was in power?

Feng Qiwu was annoyed by what he heard, and the gleam in his eyes was too sharp to be looked at directly: "I will say it again, I have a wife who is married to me through formal marriage, and she is the only one who can be my queen. I have made up my mind, and no matter how much you say, it will be useless."

"Your Majesty, you must not do that, Your Majesty——"

"Your Majesty, please take back your order."

"Your Majesty, the selection of the empress is a matter of great importance. Every move represents the royal style and the national style of a country. There cannot be any mistakes. How can a concubine like Wen Ranyan lead the six palaces and become the master of the harem?"

"The position of queen should be held by a noble lady with a distinguished family background and good moral character, not a little concubine's daughter. If this story gets out, others will laugh their heads off."

The ministers' incessant chatter was like the buzzing of flies, giving people a headache.

Feng Qiwu listened with one ear and let it out with the other, glancing at it out of the corner of his eye.

Wen Ranyan was seen standing under the eaves outside the imperial study, among a cluster of intoxicating flowers.