After dressing up, Murong Qing looked even more radiant and beautiful than during the day.

He glanced smugly at Empress Bai Qian and sat down directly next to Ye Jingchun.

Bai Qian didn't say anything, just smiled slightly, and sat down on the other side of Ye Jingchun.

However, such an overstepping of the bounds only made many ministers more dissatisfied with Murong Qing.

"Your Majesty! The Princess of Northern Yan is merely a concubine, yet she has taken the position of Empress. This is contrary to propriety!"

"Your Majesty! In my humble opinion, the Northern Yan princess's actions are a deliberate provocation of the Empress!"

…

Ye Jingchun frowned slightly when he heard the advice from the conservative ministers, but a cold smile appeared on his lips after hearing the advice from the radical ministers.

"Your Majesty, I humbly request that you execute the Northern Yan Princess! The Northern Yan Princess has corrupted Your Majesty's heart and deserves to die!"

"Your Majesty, I agree! The Northern Yan sent this enchantress with ill intentions. Your Majesty must not be bewitched by her!"

…

Cholera Emperor's Heart?

Bewitchment?

Ye Jingchun naturally understood the meaning behind the ministers' words.

snort!

He's the emperor; does he need these people's permission to favor his concubines?!

"Today is the day I receive the Northern Yan delegation. The Northern Yan princess has come from afar to arrange a marriage alliance, and she has brought great sincerity. However, judging from the expressions of Minister Liu and Minister Wang, they do not want to accept peace and want to reignite the flames of war!"

"In that case, my two ministers, go and see the northern frontier. Without my summons, you are not to return to the capital. Depart immediately!"

The two were merely minor censors from the Censorate, and their sudden exile to the northern frontier had little impact on political affairs. Therefore, Ye Jingchun's actions were simply a warning to others, which was evident to everyone present.

However, Xie Chi, as the Imperial Censor, still had to step forward and offer his advice.

“Your Majesty, a bronze mirror can straighten one’s clothes; history can reveal the rise and fall of dynasties; and people can serve as a mirror to understand one’s gains and losses. Today, Your Majesty is infatuated with the beauty of the Northern Yan princess. I am deeply worried and fearful that the Northern Yan will disrupt the order of our court. Therefore, I risk my life to offer my remonstrance.”

"We implore Your Majesty to refuse the Northern Yan princess's entry into the harem!"

Xie Chi knelt down and bowed deeply, his eyes resolute, looking as if he were ready to die.

Following Xie Chi's lead, all the censors knelt on the ground.

Looking at the group of censors in front of him, Ye Jingchun was furious, but he couldn't just demote them all at once.

Just then, Ye Zerui stepped in to help.

"I think all of you ministers are worrying unnecessarily. Others may not know my father's character, but surely you, Lord Xie, know it well? My father is wise and mighty, devoted to the country. How could he possibly ruin the country by indulging in beauty!"

“Even when two countries are at war, they don’t kill their envoys. How much more so when the Northern Yan princess has come to marry into the country and has brought ample sincerity. For you gentlemen to order the Emperor to kill her without any explanation is far too arbitrary.”

"Although our Qi Kingdom has won a battle and has the war god Prince Yong'an in charge, the people of Qi Kingdom still need to recuperate, especially the people in the northern frontier, who have been affected by war for many years and must be living a miserable life."

"You gentlemen have lived in the capital for a long time, and I suppose you are unaware of the suffering of the people in the northern frontier. The reason why the Emperor sent Lord Liu and Lord Wang to the northern frontier is probably to let you two understand the people's plight."

Upon hearing this, Ye Jingchun spoke up, "Indeed, Minister Liu and Minister Wang shall go to the northern frontier for me. Along the way, they shall exercise their power to monitor all officials. If they discover any corrupt officials in the court, they shall report to me immediately!"

Originally exiled to the northern frontier, he has now become the emperor's agent to understand the people's conditions and supervise local officials.

Upon hearing this, Lord Liu and Lord Wang hurriedly accepted the order and expressed their gratitude, no longer mentioning the matter of killing Murong Qing.

Because of Ye Zerui's words, the other ministers stopped mentioning the matter.

Just as Ye Zerui said, they knew the emperor's character well. He valued imperial power highly and should not have been bewitched by a princess of Northern Yan, thus ruining the country for the sake of beauty.

Another point is that on the very first day the Emperor summoned the Northern Yan delegation, they demanded that the Emperor kill the Northern Yan princess, which was indeed inappropriate.

The official who had just spoken up secretly thanked Ye Zerui. If it weren't for the Second Prince's timely intervention, they might have been demoted as well.

They acted impulsively.

The palace banquet officially began, and no one mentioned what had just happened again.

Murong Qing sat in the Empress's seat, her eyes filled with smugness.

These ignorant fools actually want to kill her?

Watch how she deals with them after she gains a foothold in the harem!

Seeing Ye Jingchun's protection of her, Murong Qing's ambition grew even greater.

She not only wanted to be the Queen of Qi, but also the Empress of Qi!

She wanted to trample all the people of Qi under her feet and turn them into slaves!

Especially Ye Zeyu!

"Your Majesty, why does Prince Yong'an always wear such a frightening mask?"

Murong Qing spoke softly, her eyes filled with curiosity, but she didn't notice that Ye Jingchun's gaze gradually turned cold because of her words.

Ye Zerui chuckled inwardly. This Northern Yan princess was indeed very beautiful, a real beauty, but she was a bit stupid. Before he even had a chance to mention Ye Zeyu, the opportunity had already arrived!

"Your Highness, Consort Shu, has never seen what my elder brother looks like?"

As she spoke, she looked at Murong Tian and asked, "Sixth Prince, you haven't seen him either, have you?"

Murong Tian felt a slight tension in his heart, unsure of Ye Zerui's intentions.

From the moment their younger sister said she wanted to enter the palace as a concubine, they canceled their deal with the Bai family, stood on their own side, and became the Bai family's enemies.

Therefore, Ye Zerui's question was definitely not well-intentioned.

Murong Tian pondered for a moment, then simply shook his head slightly without saying a word.

Murong Qing, unaware of the details, spoke up: "Not only my elder brother and I, but no one in Northern Yan has ever seen the true face of Prince Yong'an. Could it be that Prince Yong'an wears a mask because he's afraid the wronged souls of my Northern Yan soldiers will come to haunt you?"

"If that's the case, Prince Yong'an can rest assured. I've brought a letter of state with me, and from now on, our two countries will be on good terms for generations to come. I think the Northern Yan soldiers who died at your hands will also be eager for peace and abandon all their grievances."

"Therefore, Prince Yong'an might as well take off his mask. If he always avoids showing his true face, people will mistakenly think that Prince Yong'an is ugly and frightening!"

Ye Jingchun's gaze grew even colder. He put his arm around Murong Qing's slender waist and asked meaningfully, "My beloved concubine is curious about what Prince Yong'an looks like?"

Murong Qing was determined to embarrass Ye Zeyu in front of everyone, so she didn't think too much about it and nodded.

Just as he was about to speak, Murong Tian interrupted him.

"Your Majesty, actually I am curious about what Prince Yong'an looks like. I have dealt with Prince Yong'an for many years, but I have never seen his true face."

Having said that, he looked at Ye Ziyu and asked, "Would the Prince of Yong'an be so kind as to remove his mask and let me see his true face?"

The younger sister initially insisted on marrying Ye Zeyu, but now she says she's curious about Ye Zeyu's appearance. Ye Jingchun is bound to be unhappy about this.

Some men may seem generous, but they are actually quite stingy, especially in this regard.

No man would allow his woman to have feelings for another man!

She just hoped Ye Jingchun wouldn't overthink it, after all, her sister couldn't possibly like that ugly guy Ye Zeyu.