After the wrong flirtation, I became the villain's favorite

"Your Majesty, there is indeed a new tomb in the Xie family cemetery in Chen County. It was built last summer. That is the resting place of Madam Xie." Chen Liang, the supervisor of the East Factory, reported respectfully.

He paused for a moment and added, "I have already inquired about it. It is said that the fire was extremely fierce and burned Madam Xie to ashes. So now there are only a handful of dry bones and some clothes buried in the tomb."

After saying these words, Chen Liang carefully raised his head and secretly peeked at the emperor on the throne. He was secretly curious in his heart, why did the newly enthroned emperor have such a strong interest in the deceased young lady of the Xie family?

What's the hidden secret in this?

Xie Tan's gaze fell on the golden Suanni on the flying eaves and brackets. In the distance, thick clouds gathered in the dome of the sky, giving the Suanni a layer of gold, making it lifelike.

A fire...

It was still a fire that was difficult to put out.

In the eyes of ordinary people, it was a secret gossip on the streets. Promotion, wealth, and death of wife were all caused by the bright and handsome Lord Xie.

In the eyes of the Xie family, Song Nihuan's death was a regret that was caused by the envy of beauty, and Xie Yunji was not even willing to reveal a single word to him.

But he still couldn't believe that Song Nihuan was taken away by a fire like this.

Half a year had passed, and no clues had been found after much inquiry. Xie Yunji's tense and grief-stricken expression seemed to be real.

Chen Liang looked at the new emperor, not knowing what he was thinking about, with sparks burning in his eyes.

The new emperor was also a strange man. He was twenty-five or twenty-six years old and had never married.

If he had a wife, regardless of whether his family background was high enough to qualify him as the mother of a country, the mere fact that he did not have a lover was enough to make all the civil and military officials uneasy.

Wasn't the reason why the previous dynasty fell because the emperor had few children? The emperor had only three sons. The legitimate son died early, the eldest son became a monk, and finally only the youngest son was left, but he plotted a rebellion. Therefore, although the new emperor had been on the throne for only half a year, the officials in the court had already begun to worry about his empty harem.

According to common sense, after usurping the throne through improper means, one would usually work hard in the harem to ensure that the hard-earned kingdom can be passed down for thousands of generations, right?

"Your Majesty, a few days ago, a beautiful lady was sent from the Marquis of Jingyuan's Mansion..." Chen Liang said.

The Marquis of Jingyuan was famous for his love of beautiful women, and the women he presented to the emperor were bound to be stunningly beautiful.

The old man had a fawning look on his face, and vowed that this beauty would definitely satisfy His Majesty.

Before leaving, he also reminded Chen Liang that this beauty had a special fate with His Majesty...

Before Chen Liang could finish his words, Xie Tan interrupted him: "Let her go. What does my harem have to do with these people? Can they manage their own harem well?"

Chen Liang bowed his head and agreed. The East Factory was ordered by the emperor to monitor all officials. How did they monitor them? Of course, they would plant spies in the officials' back houses.

So whoever has a mistress and is discovered by his wife and has her ears twisted and screaming, whoever favors his concubine and neglects his wife and causes unrest in the family, whoever has raised a child for more than ten years and turns out to be the concubine's adopted child, and even whoever has a pair of polished mirrors born out of loneliness in his harem, the East Factory knows all of this.

The emperor could naturally want to know what the Eastern Depot knew.

"Stop staring at my harem! If they send anyone in again, I'll do something to them!"

Chen Liang quickly responded, regretting that he had brought himself into this bad luck.

The new emperor was very diligent in his work, established rules and regulations, and was quite law-abiding. He was also very gentle when speaking to his ministers.

But he is very indifferent when it comes to women. It seems not quite the right word to say so. It's more like his weak spot, which cannot be mentioned or touched, otherwise he will make cold remarks and hit people right in the face.

The helpless thing is that there are so many confused people who rush to fill his harem.

From Xie Tan's cold and hard expression, Chen Liang could get a glimpse of what he looked like when he was on a killing spree.

It is said that the rebels who managed to survive were terrified.

After all this commotion, Xie Tan had already become annoyed, so he sent Chen Liang away, returned to the empty hall, and dismissed his attendants.

He still didn't like being served by others. He had always been a loner since he was a child, and now he was surrounded by people, which made him feel very uncomfortable.

It’s better when he is alone, then he can be himself.

Song Nihuan’s death was like a thorn in his heart, and it seemed that he would never be able to recover in this lifetime.

The name of this thorn is regret.

That night a few months ago changed the trajectory of the rest of his life.

He never imagined that he would become the emperor. How did he sit on the supreme throne?

If he said he had no intention of becoming emperor, no one would believe him.

How did the Northern Army get mobilized to attack Yecheng? How did they arrive at the gates of Yunjing without making any noise?

Who can believe that it is fate and time?

After Xiao Xuan recovered from his injury, he completely lost his fighting spirit and did not want the throne that was within his grasp at all. He became a monk, staying away from worldly troubles and living a free and happy life.

The remaining royal relatives of the Xiao family were gathered together by Xie Tan, given titles of nobility and mansions, and lived in seclusion, isolated from the world.

As soon as Xiao Xuan's son grows up, he will return the throne to him, and the throne will still be inherited by the descendants of the Xiao family.

What if he abdicated now? Everything had just been settled, and if he handed over the throne to a ten-year-old child, the world would probably fall into chaos again.

He tried hard to control his words and actions, and did what he should do, more like an emperor.

But I cannot restrain my own heart.

Another sleepless night.

It was dark deep inside the palace. The candlelight from the Changxin Palace lanterns was dim. Xie Tan stood on the red steps and jade steps. His wide robe hung down to the ground. A strong gust of wind blew by, and his snow-white long hair and robe fluttered in the air.

The more desolate my heart becomes, the more unbearable the night becomes.

Xie Tan's gaze pierced through the air, with a faint smile at the corner of his lips. He seemed to see Song Nihuan as a girl, walking towards him with her skirt lifted.

The fourteen-year-old girl has become slimmer and has a slender figure. In just one year, she will reach the age of marriage, which means she can get married.

But he missed her forever.

*

What happened during this period really made him confused and incomprehensible. It was so bizarre that Xie Yunji felt deeply tired and powerless. He sat in his father's study, his elbows resting on his legs, his long hands crossed, his head lowered, and remained silent.

When Xie Zhihuan came in, he saw his son looking exhausted and weak. His son used to be so handsome and stunning.

Since the death of his daughter-in-law, he looked like a normal person, but his mental state had changed drastically. He even wanted to resign from his official position and return to Chen County.

After much persuasion, and thanks to the civil strife in the imperial court, he did not resign.

Now that Xie Tan has become the new emperor, no one knows what is going on better than Master Xie, but he cannot speak.

Seeing his son so tired and feeling sorry for him, Mr. Xie softened his tone and called out, "Zi Che?"

Xie Yunji took a breath, looked up, and had returned to his usual calm and composed self.

"Xie Tan has transformed himself into a great general, and now he is plotting treason and killing the emperor, and he has even sat on the throne. And your father just watches it happen?!" Xie Yunji said.

Xie Zhihuan looked at his son. His glassy eyes were as white as ice and snow. He was really like his mother, who was always obsessed with getting the truth of everything.

He sat down, took a sip of tea, and said slowly, "Are you here just to continue arguing with me about this?"