Chapter 413 (2/2)

Hearing the rising chorus of voices, Ji Man desperately held onto the reins . She was scared that the horse would fling her off . Fortunately, this horse was relatively docile, and Zhao Zhe wasn't going too fast .

When the billowing clouds of dusts had settled, she had disappeared from the military camp with the army .

”Your Highness,” a servant girl quietly called out to Shen Youqing, who was standing by the entrance of the tent .

Shen Youqing turned her head back and said with her eyes lowered . ”Never mind, let's take off my hair accessories . ”

”Understood . ”

The rioting common people were a G.o.dsend golden opportunity for Zhangjun's army to break into the capital . Sure enough, having control over the grain supply was the same as having a chokehold on the capital . The families of officials could stave off starvation because they had their own supply of grain, but it was different for the commoners . The common people didn't care who the emperor was . They only cared about having enough food to eat .

Zhao Zhe had personally led the army this time because he had determined that his army would break through the capital's gate today .

Shen Youqing had been by his side since he had been a crown prince as his princess consort . And so, she thought that they would be able to share this moment of glory together . Her hair had been done up in a style that was befitting an empress, and she had on a golden xiapi .

(T/N: Below is a picture of a golden xiapi . )

Ch 413 - xiapi . png

However, he pulled another woman onto the horse .

Back then, Shen Youqing hadn't been able to understand why Zhao Zhe would allow a rice merchant to enter his household and become one of his advisors, or why he had been willing to so simply lend Zhangjun's grain to that person . She had felt even more confused on why Zhao Zhe had been so happy when he heard that person was coming back to Zhangjun .

Shen Youqing had felt puzzled right until that moment when that person took off the mask, then she finally understood everything .

Nie Sangyu .

Zhao Zhe had once jokingly said to Nie Sangyu, ”If I become emperor, I would want a woman like you as my empress . ”

Zhao Zhe had said plenty of things in jest before, but this was the only thing that she brooded over . When she had first heard these words from her personal servant, she had stared blankly at her in response .

(T/N: Zhao Zhe's original wording was, “Nie Sangyu, you're truly a woman that's suitable to be the empress . ” in chapter 99 . It was a conversation between him and Nie Sangyu/Ji Man, which was eavesdropped by Ning Mingjie and Shen Youqing's servant . )

So, she had remembered Nie Sangyu's name .

Was her worry going to become reality? Her greatest fear was that he would arrogantly smile as he embraced a new woman after taking over the throne . She had already given her best years to him .

Her fingers slightly tightened up . Shen Youqing tried to calm herself down . She had to remain calm . She was someone that weathered through countless women . How could she possibly lose to a divorced woman that had already been thrown away once?

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Ji Man repeatedly sneezed while riding the horse . Fortunately, the surrounding sounds of the horses' hooves were very loud, so no one noticed . This stretch of road to the capital was desolate and uninhabited, but when they got near the capital's gate, they could hear the bellowing voices of the people . It sounded like a cauldron that was boiling over .

”Let us out!” The shouts of thousands of people became increasingly loud . It sounded as if they were going to crash the capital's gate at any moment .