It turned out that the person seated in the seat of honor was none other than Yuan Xujing's first wife, now Empress Chen Shuang'er.
Her face remained expressionless, showing no trace of joy, anger, sorrow, or happiness. Even when scrutinized by the palace concubines, she did not show any anger.
The Imperial Concubine secretly glanced at the Empress several times, her jaw nearly dropping in astonishment.
What's wrong with the Empress? Isn't she usually the one who cares most about her image?
Why isn't your right cheek covered up with rouge and powder when it's so red and swollen?
Now look what's happened! With so many concubines seeing this, where is the Empress's dignity?
Although the concubines did not know who had hit the Empress, the Emperor had come to the Empress's palace last night and the two had a fight. When they came to pay their respects today, they saw the injury on the Empress's face.
Those who survive in the harem are not fools; they can guess who did it!
Who else could it be but that man!
The Empress is so pitiful!
This was the consensus among the concubines. In the past, they would engage in palace intrigue when paying their respects, but today no one had the leisure to fight amongst themselves.
Even the usually arrogant and domineering Consort, who relied on her family background to disregard the Empress, was sitting quietly drinking tea below today.
Upon seeing this, a hint of sarcasm flashed in Chen Shuang'er's eyes.
Her former mortal enemies all knew that she could not lose her imperial dignity, but her own husband disregarded her dignity and beat her face until it was red and swollen.
The last vestige of affection in her heart vanished the moment he slapped her without hesitation.
From now on, she and he will go their separate ways.
Even if the country were to fall, she would not want to lie in the same tomb as him, nor would she care about the dignity of an empress and commit suicide to meet him in the afterlife.
Even if she lost all face, she still demanded a divorce agreement so she could return to being a daughter of the Chen family.
In the Sizheng Hall, Yuan Xujing threw a tantrum. The palace maids and eunuchs rolled on the ground, not daring to make a sound, for fear of displeasing the emperor and having them executed.
It's really unfortunate. In the past, serving in front of the emperor was something that others would beg for.
But now it has become a place that everyone fears. This month, Yuan Xujing has killed no less than a hundred palace servants.
Those with money and connections were willing to empty their pockets and be transferred away from the Sizheng Hall.
Nowadays, nothing is more important than life, no matter how much power or wealth one possesses.
If you lose your life, no amount of money will help you.
"A bunch of useless trash! All of you are useless trash! You're all good-for-nothings who just eat rice and do nothing! Get out! Get out of my sight!"
Upon hearing this, the palace servants hurriedly bowed and kowtowed, then rolled out.
Looking at the comical palace servants in front of him, Yuan Xujing felt even angrier!
He clutched his chest and coughed several times, his mind racing as he considered how to deal with Zhu Yuan.
The assassins he sent out earlier haven't received any news, so they must have been exposed.
Yuan Xujing's eyes turned cold. He gritted his teeth and pulled out the imperial edict from a hidden compartment under the dragon throne.
This was the most important thing for every emperor. With this, he could command the emperor's personal guards.
These secret guards were supported by emperors throughout history, and each of them was a top-notch expert selected from hundreds.
He was lucky, actually; he found it by accident a few days ago when he was smashing a chair.
He sneered and muttered to himself, "Zhuyuan, even if you have three heads and six arms, and are surrounded by experts, I can't do anything to you, but your wife and children are another matter!"
Yuan Xujing seemed to already see the scene of Zhu Yuan's unbearable grief after losing his beloved wife and children, and he laughed sinisterly.
"So what if you defeat me? You'll still lose your love forever! Hahahaha... How satisfying!"
Outside the hall, Eunuch Quan, who had been silently steadfastly holding his post, blinked and lowered his head even further.
Just before the palace gates were about to close, Eunuch Quan passed by unharmed.
Outside the palace, the Prime Minister's residence was the most bustling place, with most of the officials gathering there without prior arrangement.
"Prime Minister, Prince Jing is about to attack the capital. Please give us some advice!"
The prime minister had a shrewd and calculating face. At this moment, he casually stirred the tea leaves and took a sip at a leisurely pace.
Looking at the crowd below, their emotions running high and their faces contorted in a panic, he frowned slightly.
"Look at the state you've all become! If that outsider sees you, you probably won't even have time to wait for Prince Jing to arrive before the things around your necks are removed!"
Everyone then realized that they had indeed been too hasty, but who wouldn't be anxious in their situation?
Upon seeing this, the Prime Minister shook his head. Truly foolish! Who was watching them all along?
Even if they had extraordinary abilities, they wouldn't dare to defect to the enemy camp at this time; that would be asking for trouble!
However, since these people had followed him for many years, he kindly advised them: "Go back and stay put, do what you're supposed to do! Even if the Heavenly King himself descended to earth and wanted to be emperor, there's no emperor who's just a commander without troops!"
"Does the master mean we should just sit here and wait to die?"
Everyone looked at the Prime Minister, trying to see his expression.
The prime minister glared at the person who asked the question, giving him an expression that said, "Are you an idiot?"
"What I mean is, you are officials appointed by the imperial court. Throughout history, when dynasties changed, the officials of the previous dynasty were never all killed!"
"Go back and do your jobs well. There are countless official duties to attend to. The new emperor wants to put these positions in his own hands as soon as he ascends the throne. It will take some time!"
As for what happens after this period, if you fail to achieve merit and are demoted or otherwise suffer other consequences, he has no say in it.
The only thing I can do for them is to offer a few more words of advice.
He lacked confidence in himself, but one should always look forward and believe that things will work themselves out.
The Prime Minister frowned, feeling deeply troubled at the thought that his daughter was still in the palace.
In the past, they sent their daughter to the palace for the sake of the family's glory; now, for the sake of the family's lives, they must abandon her.
After the officials left, the prime minister went to his wife's quarters and asked her to spend more time in the palace with her daughter during this period.
Although the Prime Minister's wife was puzzled, she obediently nodded, as she hadn't seen her daughter for a long time.
Before entering the palace tomorrow, she will go to the street to buy her daughter the pastries she loved most before she got married.
To everyone's surprise, when she returned home the following evening, the Prime Minister's wife burst into tears.
The prime minister rushed over and, after asking around for a long time, learned how miserable their beloved daughter was now.
Madam Chen burst into tears and threw herself into Prime Minister Chen's arms, sobbing, "My lord, please save our Shuang'er! Her face, her face..."
Madam Chen dared not continue speaking, for both thunder and rain were acts of imperial grace.
What can a woman like her do besides cry a few times for her daughter?
If only I knew why she was so foolish as to send her daughter to the palace to suffer.
The prime minister gritted his teeth in hatred, his eyes were bloodshot, he was filled with hatred too!
Tonight, Prime Minister Chen sat until dawn, and finally moved when the sky was just beginning to lighten.
An inconspicuous servant pushed a bucket of manure out of the Chen residence through the side gate.
Once he realized that no one was following him, he suddenly appeared in a very ordinary house.
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