The Empress Dowager was helped into the main hall, and all the civil and military officials shouted "Long live the Emperor!" The Emperor also stood up from his dragon throne and personally greeted the Empress Dowager.

"Mother..." Prince Yong's grievances, which had been swirling in his mind, surged even higher after seeing the Empress Dowager. His expression was like that of a neighbor who has candy but I don't, which made the thoughts of all the civil and military officials in the court inexplicably flustered.

The emperor sighed, feeling utterly exasperated by his younger brother, Prince Yong. People say being an emperor is difficult, but he felt being a parent was even harder.

Prince Yong knelt down at the Empress Dowager's feet with a thud, "Your Majesty, I was wrong. Please calm down and do not blame the Duke of Ningguo's mansion or the Xie family. It is all my fault."

"Granddaughter greets Imperial Grandmother. Please do not blame Father. Granddaughter is willing to take the punishment in Father's place," Zhao Shu said, kneeling on the ground with Prince Yong, her voice filled with grievance.

When the Empress Dowager entered, she had a long face. Seeing her youngest son crying uncontrollably and pleading for others, she was both angry and heartbroken.

"Get up! I'm not dead yet. Let's see who dares to bully my son."

Having a son late in life, he was raised to be a prince with nothing better to do than be idle. Now, this prince is not only idle but also a troublemaker. Where is this? The Hall of Supreme Harmony! Can't you see the emperor's face is dark?

The entire court was already sharpening its knives, ready to write an impeachment petition.

This youngest son has never come to the Taihe Hall before. The first time he came was because he was granted the title of prince, the second time was because the late emperor passed away, and this is the third time.

When the palace servants reported to her that they wanted to remove his princely crown, the Empress Dowager, who had dominated the harem her whole life, could no longer sit still. Who had the audacity to remove her son's crown!

The Empress Dowager's sharp eyes swept over Xie Yuan, who was kneeling on the ground. Hearing her youngest son admit his mistake, her heart softened. She snorted coldly, and the entire court fell silent. This Empress Dowager was not someone to be trifled with.

"Your subject pays respects to Your Majesty." The Emperor bowed to the Empress Dowager across from Prince Yong.

"Emperor, what exactly happened? Has your brother rebelled or plotted a treason? Why do you want to remove his crown?" The Empress Dowager was ruthless throughout her life, and compared with previous empress dowagers, she was unique in that she was extremely protective of her own.

Back then, the Consort's son, the Third Prince, now the Prince Xian who was imprisoned, wanted to seize the throne. The Consort said that the First Prince, who is now the Emperor, was an incompetent person. The Empress Dowager, along with Jingwei, wiped out the Consort's residence, and the Consort was beaten and disfigured.

The whole country was in an uproar. Everyone said that the empress was like a shrew from the marketplace and was not worthy of being a mother to the country. They petitioned the Heavenly Court to depose the empress. The empress said that as the head of the household, the concubine was not well-behaved. She was just giving her a small punishment as a warning. She asked, "Do you noble families, scholars and officials, want to spoil your concubines and destroy your wives?"

Instantly, he gained the support of all the matriarchs in the world... Which matriarch would be willing to abandon her legitimate son and support a son born out of wedlock to inherit the family business?

Unless they are not biological children.

Faced with the Empress Dowager's blunt question, the Emperor's headache worsened. He helped the Empress Dowager to sit down next to the dragon throne and said, "Your Majesty, the words about removing the crown were spoken by the eldest grandson of Minister Xie."

After the emperor finished speaking, he gestured to the eunuch standing to the side to show the memorial to the Empress Dowager. The Empress Dowager had already stabbed Xie Yun in the eye countless times. Xie Yun secretly decided that when he got back, he would definitely give those arrogant brats a good scolding.

The Empress Dowager calmed down as she looked at the memorial.

This calm made everyone even more apprehensive, afraid to utter a sound, and even the emperor wanted to lay low for the time being.

The "snap" sound wasn't loud; it was just the sound of placing the memorial on the small table beside him, yet it sent a shiver down the spines of all the officials.

"I was unaware that Young Master Jiang had taken another marriage." The voice was calm and indifferent, as if chatting casually.

The Duke of Ningguo thought to himself, "This is bad! This rebellious son of mine is more trouble than he's worth!" But why did Prince Yong come to the Taihe Hall to complain this time?

He glanced at Zhao Shu without realizing it. Could someone be plotting against him? The more he thought about it, the more he felt that someone was using Prince Yong and his daughter to deal with him.

He stepped out from the crowd, knelt on the ground, and said, "I am guilty for failing to properly educate my son. I beg the Empress Dowager to punish me."

"This is a good thing. Why should I punish you? Jiang Qing, get up. Your Majesty, I will take the liberty of sending a governess from the palace to teach that Qingge girl manners. Although she is from a respectable family, she will need to learn some manners to become the principal wife of the Duke of Ningguo's mansion. Being a principal wife is not something that can be done well just by being able to recite poetry."

The tone was one of negotiation, but the content left the entire court of officials looking at each other in bewilderment, especially the Marquis of Zhiyuan. His fourth daughter was engaged to the fifth son of the Duke of Ningguo. How could a woman inexplicably become the legitimate wife of the fifth son of the Duke of Ningguo? What was the daughter of the Marquis of Zhiyuan?

He was so angry he was about to vomit blood.

The emperor smiled, "Your subject will obey Your Majesty, but Your Majesty..." The emperor's words were melodious and rhythmic, which raised the spirits of the ministers.

"The emperor's only duty is to govern the country; he should refrain from speaking on such trivial matters," the Empress Dowager interrupted the emperor.

At this moment, Marquis Zhiyuan could not hold back any longer and had to stand up and kneel down to report: "Your Majesty, my fourth daughter is already engaged to the Fifth Young Master Jiang. Now the Ningguo Duke's Mansion has committed a breach of faith. I beg Your Majesty to do justice for me!"

Xie Yun had been listening intently, but upon hearing what Marquis Zhiyuan said, he cursed inwardly, "You old scoundrel, stabbing me in the back!"

"Oh? Is that so? This is where the Ningguo Duke's Mansion is in the wrong, Your Majesty. I request an imperial decree from you." How could the Empress Dowager not know about the relationship between the Zhiyuan Marquis and the Ningguo Duke's Mansion? It was she who taught the Emperor the art of maintaining balance among court officials.

The emperor raised an eyebrow, just as Zhao Shu had thought: the Empress Dowager was about to unleash a major move.

"Your subject will obey Your Majesty." The emperor nodded obediently, his face bearing a perfectly measured smile and seriousness.

"The Ningguo Duke's Mansion was in the wrong first, and the Fourth Miss has truly suffered a great injustice. I, Your Majesty, have decided that when the Fourth Miss marries, she will be treated with the rites due to a county princess, and a year's worth of county princess taxes from Qingzhou will be granted to supplement her dowry. That marriage contract will be cancelled, and I will definitely choose a good match for her in the future. What does Your Majesty think?"

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