Disguised as a man, she became the biggest villain in the book.

Chapter 244 Is there really no other way?

Chen Tongyu didn't intend to continue arguing with Chen Xianlin, and simply said, "Think about it carefully yourself!"

After saying that, Chen Tongyu turned and left, leaving Chen Xianlin standing there alone.

Chen Xianlin closed her eyes tightly, let out a long sigh, and ultimately did not respond to Chen Tongyu's words.

On the other hand, Xue Huaiyu was a little unsure of Chen Tongyu's intentions because Chen Tongyu had suddenly sent him a lot of beauties. After all, he didn't know that Chen Tongyu would send his daughter rivals.

Later, Chen Tongyu explained to him that these beauties were only there to relieve the emperor's worries and boredom, and had no other deeper meaning. Xue Huaiyu nodded and accepted it.

Then, she learned from the servants that the Empress and Chen Tongyu had parted on bad terms. Someone saw that Chen Tongyu looked unwell after leaving the Empress, so they knew that the conversation had ended badly.

Xue Huaiyu knew Chen Xianlin, and Chen Xianlin certainly didn't want so many women around her. It was probably her father who took it upon himself to send them to him.

Ultimately, Chen Tongyu's sudden offering of beauties to him was definitely not just a simple matter of relieving his worries. It was most likely because the Empress was unable to have children, which led to this desperate measure. Although Xue Huaiyu accepted these beauties, he was not so blinded by lust.

..........

Prime Minister's Mansion

Today, Zheng Luoqi was enjoying a rare moment of leisure. He was sitting in his own courtyard, with an exquisite tea set in front of him, savoring the fragrant tea.

He was in a good mood at the moment because things were going very smoothly with He Jin.

Previously, Zheng Luoqi had only given the Zhang family a few simple instructions, and the Zhang family, as trusted confidants of the Prime Minister's Mansion, naturally knew how to act.

Therefore, Zhang Zhiyuan quickly dispatched people to handle the relevant matters, and He Jin's matter was resolved in a short time. A new prefect was also selected in Yangzhou to temporarily take over the post.

Officials like Cao Yan, who were corrupt, accepted bribes, and oppressed the people, were actually quite common in officialdom.

The seasoned veterans in the court were already used to this; they were just waiting to see when these people would be exposed.

Now that "righteous people" have stepped forward to expose Cao Yan's crimes one by one and have obtained conclusive evidence, and with both witnesses and physical evidence available, there is no need for others to dwell on this matter any further.

I was only slightly surprised when I saw the petition written in blood by thousands of people, and then nothing more.

During the morning court session, after hearing about Cao Yan's affair, those seasoned veterans first feigned surprise in the court, and then they began to use this matter to express their loyalty to the emperor.

After the whole process was completed, the officials began to flatter the emperor, saying, "Your Majesty is wise! Your Majesty's insight is so profound, it is truly a blessing for our dynasty!" The morning court session ended hastily in this atmosphere.

As for the matter of He Jin, even when the news reached the capital, it initially caused some ripples.

But before long, it was like a pebble thrown into a lake, creating only a few ripples before quickly returning to calm and being forgotten by people.

Although some people felt there was something fishy about the matter and secretly speculated that it might not be as simple as it seemed, they only made a few verbal analyses.

In reality, no one would actually reinvestigate the matter, since no one knew the ins and outs and didn't want to get themselves into trouble.

Moreover, Cao Yan was serving as an official in Xuzhou and did not have many close relationships with the officials in the capital.

In this way, no one will bother to investigate the matter.

Even so, the Prime Minister's Office would not let its guard down and allow anyone to go to Yangzhou to investigate He Jin's affairs. After all, the Lin family and the Pei family knew that Cao Yan had previously worked for the Prime Minister's Office.

Although the Lin and Pei families are gone now, it's possible that officials from their former party are unaware of this matter.

They might suspect it was related to the Prime Minister's residence, but they wouldn't expect it to be the Prime Minister's residence that did it.

After the incident, He Jin was silenced by Zheng Luoqi.

"My lord!" Just then, Boyu and Zisang slowly walked over from a distance.

With steady steps and upright posture, they stopped when they approached, clasped their hands in a fist and bowed, saying, "Greetings, Your Excellency!"

Zheng Luoqi raised his head slightly, his gaze sweeping over the two people in front of him, and casually asked, "How did things go?" His voice always carried an imposing aura.

"Reporting to you, sir, everything is normal!" Boyu and Zisang replied in unison.

As soon as she finished speaking, Zisang suddenly hesitated, as if she had some concerns but was unsure whether to speak.

His lips parted slightly, as if he wanted to say something but hesitated, his eyes glancing at Zheng Luoqi from time to time, as if waiting for her instructions.

Seeing this, Zheng Luoqi put down her teacup, waved her hand gently, and said with a smile, "Please speak freely, there's no need to be so reserved."

As she spoke, Zheng Luoqi picked up her teacup, took another sip, and kept her gaze fixed on Zisang, signaling him to continue.

"My lord, what if two babies are born on the same day? Which one should we choose?" Zisang asked, puzzled.

With so many pregnant women and their due dates so close, it's entirely possible that two babies could be born on the same day. Zheng Luoqi had never really thought about that.

Zheng Luoqi lowered her head and thought for a while before replying, "Let's talk about it later. Have you chosen the Empress's birthday gift yet?"

Chen Xianlin's birthday is coming soon, and Zheng Luoqi hasn't chosen a gift yet. This is Chen Xianlin's first birthday as empress, so she has to give her a big surprise.

"Which temple is Chen Ruoyao in again?" Zheng Luoqi suddenly asked, her eyes revealing a hint of doubt and contemplation.

"Reporting to you, sir! It seems that Lord Chen has sent someone to look for Miss Chen the Second!" Boyu, who was standing to the side, quickly stepped forward and answered respectfully.

Upon hearing this news, Zheng Luoqi, who was about to drink tea, paused slightly, her teacup hovering in mid-air.

He gently shook his head, a faint smile playing on his lips, and murmured to himself, "Just as I expected..."

Chen Tongyu sent a large number of beauties to the palace to serve the emperor, and many officials in the court had already heard about this.

Chen Tongyu definitely wanted one of his offspring to be of royal blood. Moreover, since the emperor had no children, if this child were raised by Chen Xianlin, he would very likely become the future emperor.

However, Chen Xianlin is unable to have children now, while the children of the concubines in the harem are gradually born.

Then the status of the Chen family will definitely be much lower than before. Without royal offspring, the Chen family will have no support in the future, and their decline is only a matter of time.

So he wanted to send some obedient and easily controlled people into the palace to help Chen Xianlin.

But how can the children born to others compare to those born to one's own family? Now that his youngest son is gone and Chen Xianlin has also lost her fertility, the only one the family can rely on is Chen Ruoyao, who has been sent to a life of seclusion.