Those sitting next to Shang Xiye were the Empress above and high-ranking officials below. But it's human nature to gossip, even for the Empress and these officials and their families.

Upon hearing the bandit say that he had seen something he shouldn't have, everyone immediately perked up their ears to eavesdrop.

"Hmm?" Shang Xiye looked at Ji Fengyao with a serious and puzzled expression.

Ji Fengyao gulped down a large glass of water without any regard for her image, and said while panting heavily, "I was tired from my walk just now. I passed by Wuying Palace and saw that it was decorated very beautifully, so I thought I would like to go in and sit down and rest my feet."

Who knew that the Emperor was having sex with five, six, seven, eight, or nine naked women inside? The woman the Emperor caught seemed to be lifeless. It was terrifying!

After Ji Fengyao finished speaking, she patted her chest with her small hand, looking quite startled and playful.

The Queen and other officials, who were eavesdropping nearby, exclaimed: "...!"

Listen to your grandpa's gossip!

Is it too late to cut off my ear now and pretend I didn't hear anything?

"Your Highness, please stop talking," Shang Xiye gently covered Ji Fengyao's mouth with his hand, his tone and actions tender and affectionate.

"What's wrong? I haven't finished speaking yet," Ji Fengyao blinked her big, bright eyes and innocently added, "The clothes of those women that I recognized, they seem to be from the Gaoqi Kingdom... Hmm? Hmm!"

Shang Xiye "quickly" pulled her into his arms, awkwardly turning his head left and right, and nodding apologetically to the Empress and the other officials.

Empress: "..."

Your Excellencies and their Families: "..."

What are you watching them for?

Wouldn't it be better to just let them pretend to be invisible?

Why do we have to make sure everyone knows what we're doing, so it doesn't create an awkward situation for everyone?

The Empress Dowager heard the gossip from her subordinates and sent people to Wuying Palace to look for him. Sure enough, Emperor Shang Xiche was still there, indulging in debauchery.

The Empress Dowager was so angry that her face turned pale.

Her emperor son is good in every way, except when it comes to women; he just can't get past them.

Although she said that it didn't matter whether she attended today's birthday banquet or not, the important thing was to get people into the Ninth Prince's mansion so that everyone would know that the Emperor and the Ninth Prince were still brothers with a deep bond and were an unbreakable alliance, so that the Crown Prince and the Chen family would also be more wary.

But the emperor, not only did he disrespect her, he also took the person who was supposed to be given to the Ninth Prince!

Even with the deep bond between mother and son, the Empress Dowager felt a sense of weariness, as if she were a hopeless case.

What the Empress Dowager was unaware of was...

At this moment, Emperor Shang Xiche was even more desperate. He thought Chu Ling was just asleep, so he touched her.

Who knew that after he regained consciousness, he checked Chu Ling's breathing and found that she was exhaling more than inhaling, and was about to die!

The emperor was truly wronged beyond belief.

After being limp for so long, I finally got to eat something, and it killed me!

Is she made of paper?

So fragile, what kind of marriage is she trying to have?

Isn't this deliberately trying to harm someone?!

Shang Xiche was so angry that his chest heaved violently, and he felt like he had stabbed Shang Xiye hundreds or thousands of times in his heart.

He knew that Chu Ling's presence in Wuying Palace and his inexplicable loss of control must be related to the Ninth Prince, because Chu Ling was originally someone he had brought in to scheme against the Ninth Prince!

"Fine, Ninth Brother, you've outsmarted me this time." Shang Xiche clenched his fist and pounded the couch beside him, gritting his teeth as he said, "You won't listen to reason, so you'll have to drink the penalty cup. Since the soft approach won't work, I'll use the hard one. You just wait!"

"Your Majesty, this..." Upon hearing the noise inside the hall, Eunuch De came in to serve, only to find a woman lying unconscious on the floor. He was momentarily stunned.