"Yes, let's go. Have a good meal, and then get a good night's sleep. Tomorrow, I will face everything with you."

Cen Xi felt a little itchy from Shen Jinchen's rubbing against her. She didn't know why Shen Jinchen had this habit of always hugging her and resting his head on her shoulder in a coquettish manner.

However, she quite liked this intimate gesture and was willing to let him lean on her.

"Okay!" Shen Jinchen replied and straightened up, relieved of his fatigue, and took Cen Xi's hand to go to Kunde Palace.

The next day, the two dressed in their finest attire and sat together on the dragon throne in the imperial court.

The civil and military officials were astonished to see the very person they had been cursing for days sitting openly with the emperor.

Enraged, an imperial censor, before Shen Jinchen's attendants could even summon him to the morning court, stepped forward and launched into a tirade against Cen Xi:

"You vixen, do you think you're qualified to sit on the dragon throne? Get down right now!"

"Ha! I, the Empress of the nation, have been called a vixen by a mere censor like you? You have no shame! Have you all forgotten the Four Books and Five Classics, etiquette, and sense of shame?"

Cen Xi never expected to be picked on as soon as she arrived. When the other person insulted her, she naturally had to stand up and retort with great force.

"Your Majesty, although Imperial Censor Huang has acted insubordination, you have indeed done wrong. Please leave the council hall. The empress must not interfere in politics; this has been a national policy since the founding of the country, and Your Majesty should abide by it."

After Cen Xi finished her tirade, Ji Changming, the emperor's uncle, stepped forward to stop her. Among all the officials in the court, he was probably the only one who dared to scold Cen Xi so recklessly.

"I have always abided by the rule that the empress must not interfere in politics. For the past three years, I have never been involved in court affairs. But today is different. You are all clamoring to depose the empress. If I don't come out and defend myself, I will be bullied to death by you."

"Since you say I am guilty, then let's talk it out face to face. I want to see what I have done wrong. If you can convince me, I am willing to take off the Empress's phoenix crown and let you play with it as you please. I don't care if I become Empress."

Cen Xi stood up, looked down at the dark mass of civil and military officials below, and raised the corners of her lips in a provocative gesture.

"Cen Xi!"

When Shen Jinchen heard that she wanted to depose herself as empress, his face instantly darkened, and his fists clenched tightly. He couldn't understand why she could always say such things so easily.

"My lord, please calm down. Your Majesty, you only need to state your final decision later. I will handle this matter now. Don't worry, I will not abandon you."

Seeing that Shen Jinchen was extremely nervous, Cen Xi helplessly squeezed his hand to comfort him.

"Very well! I'd like to see what Her Majesty the Empress has to say. If she can explain herself clearly today, then we courtiers will call it a day."

Imperial Censor Huang glanced at Ji Changming, then, with his neck stiff, shouted at Cen Xi, who was about to attack. Today, he had been chosen as the first to act, and he had no choice but to go all out.

"Yes, Your Majesty, no matter what, you have been in the palace for three years and have not even had a princess. The emperor of a country has not even had an heir. This must be your fault. Please tell us the reason."

Ji Changming didn't care about anything else, he only cared about whether this woman could have a child with Shen Jinchen. If she couldn't, no matter how much the emperor liked her, he couldn't indulge her.

"This was agreed upon by His Majesty before the new emperor ascended the throne. His Majesty will personally explain this matter later. Duke Ji, what other crimes have I committed besides this? Tell me in detail, and see if these are enough to depose me as Empress."

Cen Xi glanced coldly at Ji Changming, uttered these words with an air of domineering arrogance, and then walked back to sit with Shen Jinchen, waiting for the civil and military officials below to hurl insults at her.

"You! Your Majesty, the Empress's outburst in the court is extremely disrespectful. Please, Your Majesty, remove her from the court."

Ji Changming was always respected, and even Shen Jinchen had to give him some face. He never expected that this woman would be so arrogant, daring to say such things in front of the court officials.

He immediately said some harsh words.

“Uncle, regarding the matter of offspring, I did make an agreement with her back then, and I will have an explanation before the court session ends today. As the ruler of a country, I have already shown you enough respect by allowing you to curse my woman in court for more than three months.”

"I sent her here today. Aren't you all criticizing her for being unfaithful and causing chaos in the palace? This is a good opportunity to have a proper discussion with her face to face. I am the emperor, and my empress is my wife. If I cannot even protect my wife, I am unworthy of being an emperor."

Seeing Ji Changming pressuring him like this, Shen Jinchen could no longer contain his anger, which he had been suppressing for the past few months. He flew into a rage in court and even broke one of the armrests of the dragon throne.

Seeing that he was quite angry, Cen Xi quickly pulled him aside to comfort him:

"Why are you so angry? These ministers are all learned and knowledgeable men. They would never dare to bully Your Majesty's wife like this. They must have their reasons. I have come here today to clear up their misunderstandings about me. Why should Your Majesty take your anger out on your ministers? Calm down and let's talk things over."

"Very well, very well. Since Your Majesty is so understanding, then I would like to hear what Your Majesty has to say."

"Your Majesty, I have been reckless and beg for your forgiveness!"

Seeing that Shen Jinchen really cared about this woman, Ji Changming didn't say much. He gave Cen Xi a cold glance and offered himself a way out.

"It's all for the sake of the nation and its people. I'm glad you understand, Uncle. If you have something to say, then say it now. If you don't make things clear today, anyone who speaks ill of the Empress in the future will be punished for disobedience, and there will be no leniency!"

Seeing that everyone had taken a step back, Shen Jinchen's anger subsided somewhat. He said something high-sounding and then fell silent.

Since it's Cen Xi's turn to shine today, let her do whatever she wants. Anyway, he'll be there to back her up.

But as soon as he finished speaking, all the civil and military officials below looked at each other in bewilderment, and they couldn't bring themselves to utter those foul words that had been flying everywhere before.

The hall fell silent. Even the Imperial Censor Huang, who had been jumping around at the beginning, didn't say a word.

"Ha! What's going on? You've been arguing for three months, to the point that His Majesty hasn't dared to visit my Kunde Palace for half a month. Why are you all mute now? I'm not an unreasonable person. Speak your mind now, don't hold it in, or you'll suffer internal injuries."

After waiting for a long time, seeing that they were all silent, Cen Xi chuckled and spoke up on her own.

"Your Majesty and Your Highness, please abolish the regulations for women to enter the Imperial Women's Academy. Our ancestors said that a woman's virtue lies in her lack of talent. Now, allowing them to openly study, learn to write, and engage in business has disrupted the established order. Several wives and concubines in the capital have already disregarded the teachings and precepts for women and want to break away from their husbands' families to establish their own households. This is simply chaos. If this continues, I'm afraid the whole country will descend into chaos."