Chapter 155 Old Madam Shen Loses Her Temper

Living close by has its advantages; in less than half an hour, Shangguan Jin and Madam Shen arrived at the Zichen Hall where officials held court.

Emperor Xiao Jing remained seated on his throne.

The Crown Prince and the King of Qin stood on either side of him.

In the short time that just passed, Emperor Xiao Jing quickly dealt with other matters.

After finishing those matters, Emperor Xiao Jing waited patiently for Shangguan Jin to arrive.

As soon as Shangguan Jin and Madam Shen entered the Zichen Palace, Emperor Xiao Jing sat up straight.

Oh, the old lady is here too!

This is going to be interesting; the old lady has a sharp tongue...

Emperor Xiao Jing sighed as he looked at Minister Zhang, who had been isolated by everyone.

Why would this pedantic old man provoke the people of the Duke of Dingguo's mansion for no reason?

She had unknowingly owed the Duke of Dingguo's mansion three years' worth of salary, and she was still able to chase after it for it. Yet this old man actually had designs on her daughter...

Emperor Xiao Jing brought this matter up in court to handle it, hoping to save himself some trouble after court.

Otherwise, once the news gets out after the court session, the Duchess of Dingguo will definitely chase after the Empress and cry to her.

Then Xiaoqi would angrily mutter to herself...

This situation probably can't be resolved without Xiaoqi taking a few treasures from the warehouse.

So, every wrong has its perpetrator, and every debt has its debtor. I'm giving you the chance to vent your anger. Go ahead and do your best to do so!

As long as you don't come to see me at other times...

"Your Majesty, I pay my respects. Long live the Emperor!"

Upon entering the Zichen Palace, Shangguan Jin and Madam Shen immediately knelt down and performed a grand salute.

Upon seeing this, Emperor Xiao Jing hurriedly said, "Lady Shen, I will excuse you from the formalities."

Shangguan Jin remained silent and, together with Madam Shen, insisted on completing the formal ceremony.

After exchanging greetings, the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law stood up and looked at Minister Zhang, who was standing alone in a line.

"Is this the Vice Minister of Rites?" Shangguan Jin asked in a deep voice.

Minister Zhang straightened his back and was about to stroke his beard and say, "It is indeed I..."

Suddenly, Old Madam Shen raised her cane and struck out.

"So it was you, old man, who wanted to send my granddaughter out of Dayu!"

Are all the people in your family dead? Why are you targeting us orphans and widows instead of your own family?

Have you lost your conscience? Instead of being a good official, you're always thinking about harming other people.

"You're worse than pigs and dogs..."

Before Zhang Shilang could react, Madam Shen struck him on the head with her cane.

This punch made the other side of his forehead swell up.

Madam Shen first hit him on the forehead with her cane, and then used the cane to hit him all over.

While they were fighting, they also verbally insulted Zhang Shilang's entire family, including his ancestors for eight generations...

The people in the court frowned. Although they felt that Madam Shen was being unreasonable, they wisely kept quiet.

The person above hasn't even spoken yet, why should they speak?

Shangguan Jin tried to comfort her mother and tell her not to be angry.

In reality, she was helping Old Madam Shen chase after Vice Minister Zhang, running all around the Zichen Palace.

She would also occasionally help Mrs. Shen by supporting her cane, so that Mrs. Shen could save some energy.

While calling out "country bumpkin" to himself, Vice Minister Zhang ran around aimlessly.

And every now and then he'd blurt out, "Only petty men and women are difficult to deal with..."

Emperor Xiao Jing finally spoke when Madam Shen was already out of breath.

"Alright, Madam, let's talk this out. Why do you have to resort to violence?"

Madam Shen finally stopped, panting heavily.

Shangguan Jin quickly took out a pill from her purse and gave it to Old Madam Shen to swallow.

At this moment, Vice Minister Zhang was in a sorry state.

His forehead was swollen, his official robe was torn in one corner, and most importantly, while he was dodging, he accidentally twisted his ankle and was now limping...

Not a single official in the entire court helped him.

The military officer looked down on him from the bottom of his heart.

The civil officials, on the other hand, felt ashamed of him.

There are certain reasons why this person has remained stagnant in one position for fifteen years.

"Your Majesty..." Minister Zhang felt utterly humiliated and immediately knelt on the ground, ready to lodge a protest.

Old Madam Shen would never give him that opportunity.

After catching her breath, Madam Shen immediately stepped forward.

First, she spat at Minister Zhang, and then Old Madam Shen continued to curse.

"Are you fit to be an official? No, you're not even fit to be a human being."

Sending girls to marry foreign rulers? And they call that the best strategy?

Even cats and dogs know how to protect their offspring!

And you? You don't know that saying you're worse than a pig or a dog is an insult to those pigs and dogs.

Pigs can be slaughtered for meat, dogs can guard the house, what can you do?

You're just wasting food. Just because you're wearing an official robe doesn't mean you're a human being.

What kind of behavior is this?

This is like your neighbor bullying you, and they come knocking on your door.

And you, instead of grabbing a stick and hitting back, you...

Instead, they'll smile and tell the people who bullied you and tried to steal your things, "Why don't you just stop fighting?"

I'll have my daughter sleep with you, and that'll be the end of it.

Or, isn't one daughter enough to sleep with you? I'll call my second daughter over too.

If that's still not enough, then I'll have my old woman come and sleep with you too...

"Scholars, indeed! If all scholars are like you, then the Central Plains will once again fall under the rule of the barbarians..."

Madam Shen was practically pointing her finger at Vice Minister Zhang and cursing him.

Shangguan Jin, who had been a little worried, was relieved.

The old lady is alright; she's clear-headed, doesn't just throw tantrums, and knows when to back down. I don't need to worry about her anymore...

Emperor Xiao Jing and his court officials nodded in agreement.

It's something that even an old lady in the countryside knows, but Vice Minister Zhang doesn't.

Although Old Madam Shen's words were somewhat crude, the underlying principle was sound...

"You... I'm doing this for the sake of Dayu, for the sake of the people of Dayu..." Zhang Shilang said, his face flushed as he tried to argue.

"Pah!"

You? You think you're considering the well-being of Chongqing? Considering the well-being of the people of Chongqing?

Where were you when the soldiers of Dayu were fighting a bitter battle with the enemy on the border?

Where were you when the people of Dayu were worried about the soldiers not having enough to eat or wear?

Can you honestly say you have no selfish motives?

Isn't your only thought to be to see if you can find a loophole, make a contribution, and climb the ranks?

"If the officials of Dayu were like you, it wouldn't be long before the barbarians invaded again!" Old Madam Shen spat on Vice Minister Zhang's face again.

Some officials wanted to offer advice, but then they remembered that Madam Shen was a woman...

Forget it, there are so many people here, and if no one is offering advice, why should I?

Upon seeing this, the aloof Emperor Xiao Jing hurriedly ordered Wu Youde to take charge.

"Wu Youde, quickly bring a chair for the Lady Protector of the Nation."

Seeing the officials starting to whisper among themselves, Shangguan Jin knew it was time for her to step in...