“Bai Jinyao sincerely regrets her actions. She exposed the Fourth Prince’s conspiracy at a critical moment and can continue to serve as the head of the armed guards,” Ruan Qiu said after some thought.

“Jiang Yan merits recognition for eliminating traitors and enemies. Regardless of past grievances, he shall return to the royal family. Qi Yingying shall be promoted to a first-rank court lady, no longer under the command of the Empress Dowager. Xue Wu’s contributions to quelling the rebellion deserve recognition; he shall be granted the title of Prince. As for Ye Xingyu, for concealing information and participating in the rebellion, and for performing Buddhist rites with the Empress Dowager, she shall be forbidden from intervening in court affairs again.”

Everyone knew that this was the best arrangement, and it was reasonable. They nodded in agreement, and there were no objections from the courtiers.

Ruan Qiu glanced around at everyone and clasped her hands together, “Thank you all for distinguishing loyalty from treachery tonight and for your contributions to protecting the throne. You’ve made the right choices. I also thank everyone for their efforts tonight. Tomorrow, I will send rewards to each of you. It’s already late; everyone, please go back and rest.”

Others were pleasantly surprised and quickly bowed to Ruan Qiu, “We are grateful for the Emperor’s generosity and blessings!”

Although Xue Wu really wanted to leave with Ruan Qiu as before, his current status was no longer suitable. His place to stay was no longer the Emperor’s bedchamber but the guest rooms prepared for the Prince. He stood in front of Ruan Qiu, bowed his head, and said, “Goodnight, see you tomorrow.”

Ruan Qiu hesitated for a moment, then smiled, “Hmm… see you tomorrow.”

The crowd slowly dispersed and returned to their accommodations for the night.

[Sigh, Ruan Qiu treats Xue Wu differently indeed.]

[Is it just me or did Ruan Qiu’s smile and pause just now seem a bit off?]

[Xue Wu’s attention to detail is really on point, especially touching, I’m still shipping him and Ruan Qiu.]

[But Jiang Yan’s performance in this episode is just too enticing. I’m thinking, if the Fourth Prince succeeded, and Jiang Yan became a puppet Emperor, wouldn’t he be able to forcibly take Ruan Qiu… hehehe.]

[Forcibly taken? Is this what I can see in the Green River live stream?]

The fanbase for the CP of Ruan Qiu and Jiang Yan skyrocketed, and they even engaged in a back-and-forth fight with the Xue-Ruan CP fans in the barrage.

In the scene, Ruan Qiu picked up the decree and tossed the sword in her hand to the armed guard behind her, then strode toward the Emperor’s chamber. Her former Godson, an eunuch, hurried to catch up, anxiously whispering, “Your Majesty, I…”

“Oh, right,” Ruan Qiu turned around and said to the eunuch, “You are now the new chief eunuch, just refer to yourself as ‘this servant’. What’s your surname?”

“This servant’s surname is Li,” the eunuch quickly replied.

“Good, Eunuch Li,” Ruan Qiu nodded, “I have something for you to do now.”

“Your Majesty, please instruct, this servant will do everything to fulfill your command,” Eunuch Li bowed.

Ruan Qiu smiled at him, “No need to risk your life. Go to the dungeon and see Empress Wan, bring her out and send her back to the Cold Palace.”

Although puzzled, Eunuch Li still bowed and said, “This servant understands, this servant will go immediately.”

“Wait,” Ruan Qiu suddenly asked, “In the harem now, is Empress Wan the only one left?”

Eunuch Li replied, “Your Majesty, not quite, the other consorts are still there, they just usually stay hidden.”

Implicitly, there were no other actresses prepared to play the role of consorts.

“Do you remember why Empress Wan was sent to the Cold Palace? What was her family’s official position?”

“Your Majesty, this servant remembers clearly. Empress Wan was sent to the Cold Palace because she suddenly went insane and harmed His Majesty. She was actually deposed long ago. Empress Wan’s family is not prominent; her father was just a minor attendant, and her entry into the palace was all thanks to the Empress Dowager’s favor.”

“I see.” Ruan Qiu nodded, “You may go.”

Eunuch Li immediately ran in the direction of the dungeon. Ruan Qiu watched him leave, then glanced at the armed guards and Imperial Guards behind her, before continuing toward the Emperor’s chamber.

[Why bring Empress Wan back to the Cold Palace?]

[Isn’t Ruan Qiu the Emperor now? There’s no need for Empress Wan to exist, right? Is Ruan Qiu planning to “kill” Empress Wan?]

[It’s unlikely. Maybe Ruan Qiu doesn’t know how to deal with Empress Wan and thinks it’s not right to keep her in the dungeon, so she sent her back to the Cold Palace?]

[It can’t be that Ruan Qiu has feelings for Empress Wan and wants her to continue being the Empress, right…?]

[Damn it, now Ruan Qiu has to deal with the mess left behind by Xue Wu. Xue Wu, you’re not helping! (Pointing fingers)]

In the scene, Ruan Qiu appeared calm and content as she walked into the palace with the Imperial Decree. She dismissed the surrounding palace maids and eunuchs, then instructed the armed guards and Imperial Guards to leave and continue dealing with the rebels elsewhere.

Viewers in the live stream saw Ruan Qiu place the decree on the desk, seemingly contemplating for a moment before moving it aside. Then, she picked up a piece of white paper and shifted it to the other side of the desk.

Whether intentionally or unintentionally, this stack of white paper conveniently blocked the camera, preventing viewers from seeing Ruan Qiu’s actions on the desk no matter how the camera angle changed. They could only speculate based on her movements and the tools she used.

The chat began clamoring for the director to hurry up and show what Ruan Qiu had written. The director turned to the filming crew and demanded they move faster. However, the crew leader rushed over, sweating profusely, and apologized, explaining that this area wasn’t a focal point of the shoot, so there was only one camera, and the other camera was positioned in front of the screen and couldn’t capture this scene.

The post-production team quickly apologized on the chat, explaining the limitations of the camera, but as expected, they were met with criticism from the viewers.

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