Chapter 89 Shameless yet always trying to intimidate others
After publicly reprimanding the Empress, she blurted out an order. But no sooner had she finished speaking than the Empress Dowager, standing nearby, said in a voice that was neither too loud nor too soft:
"The Empress is truly awe-inspiring. In front of me, she tries to frame my grandson. Has she even consulted the Emperor's opinion?"
The Empress Dowager's protection was within the Empress's expectations. She admitted that she had indeed acted impulsively when she spoke. After all, with both the Emperor and the Empress Dowager present, it was actually difficult for her to gain the upper hand.
Upon seeing his elder brother, with his crown and hair cut off and in such a wretched state, a surge of anger rose within him. Combining old and new grudges, he decided to use palace rules to punish Gu Nanxiao.
The Emperor has always harbored the intention to eliminate the Shen family, the maternal clan of the Empress Dowager. In recent years, he has been intentionally supporting the Xu family and using marriage arrangements of his children to create numerous conflicts between the two clans.
He had only wanted to quietly watch the excitement today, but unexpectedly, his mother had singled him out. He could only vaguely reply, "Your Majesty's words are never wrong."
However, all matters in the inner palace are decided by the Empress, and I cannot interfere casually, lest I disrupt the ancestral rules.
The meaning was clear: they didn't want to get involved. The Empress Dowager snorted angrily, while the Empress smiled smugly. She was about to order the imperial guards to arrest the person again when the Crown Prince, standing nearby, weakly spoke up:
"It was my oversight that I agreed to my cousin's sword dance. Since we've already started fighting, accidents are bound to happen. How about we let it go for my sake today?"
After speaking, the Crown Prince waved his hand, and the palace attendants behind him brought over a tray with a string of coral beads on it. Each bead of the lustrous red coral was polished smooth and even, clearly an extraordinary piece.
The eunuch, carrying a tray, approached Yunxi. At that moment, the Crown Prince, seated, coughed twice and said:
"Miss Zhao's zither skills are superb, and the music she composes is even more profound and evocative. Listening to it brings me joy and I feel that even my illness has subsided by three points."
"I wonder if it would be possible to send the musical score to the Eastern Palace another day? This string of prayer beads, blessed by the master of Huguo Temple, can be considered as an exchange for the score."
Upon hearing this, Gu Nanxiao's anger subsided by three points, and he turned to signal Yunxi to accept the reward. Yunxi first bowed to the Crown Prince before accepting the string of prayer beads and putting it on her wrist in front of everyone.
Then, with gratitude in his eyes, he thanked the Crown Prince and promised to send him more musical scores for His Highness to appreciate.
After Yunxi followed Gu Nanxiao back to the table, she felt sorry for the Crown Prince's health once again. She could feel the Crown Prince's kindness, and his gentle and refined nature was like a spring breeze, making people feel very comfortable.
He clearly intended to help Gu Nanxiao out of a predicament, but instead claimed it was due to his own lack of foresight. He clearly wanted to offer a reward, but feared it would lower the other person's status. He even said he wanted to exchange musical scores. It's a pity good people don't live long; one can only say that such is the fate of the Great Yan Kingdom.
After the Crown Prince delivered the rewards, it was clear that the previous matter had been put behind him, and neither the Emperor nor the Empress Dowager spoke again.
As for the Empress and Xu Guojiu, they were left awkwardly waiting, unsure whether to continue their outburst or to back down.
But at this moment, the Empress Dowager was unwilling to let the Xu family off the hook, and said, "There is no first place in literature, but there is no second place in martial arts. They are both generals who have led troops, so how come their skills are so different?"
My dear grandson Xiao'er, with just a single flower branch, can make someone lose their crown and cut their hair. I wonder, if someone with Xu Guojiu's skills were on the battlefield, what would they use to resist foreign enemies?
In my opinion, they have been immersed in the court for too long and have long forgotten their roots. In my opinion, they should go back and hone their skills properly, so that they will not be inferior to others and shamelessly try to use their power to oppress others.
The Empress Dowager's words were both sarcastic and blunt, yet no one dared to say a word. After all, she was the Emperor's mother, and her status and position were undeniable.
Only the Xu family, stupid as they are, think they can compete with the Empress Dowager. Haven't they seen that when the Empress Dowager speaks, even the Emperor keeps quiet and keeps his eyes closed?
After the Empress Dowager finished speaking, the hall fell into a deathly silence. Everyone's gazes were drawn to the Empress and the Imperial Uncle Xu, and they couldn't help but feel that the new Empress was acting too rashly and stupidly.
The Xu family, a newly emerging imperial relative, was indeed arrogant, and deserved their current predicament.
When the Empress saw her brother being ridiculed like this, she first glanced at the Second Prince at the table, and saw that her son was using the act of drinking tea to avoid eye contact with her.
She then turned her gaze to the emperor on the main seat, and her expression revealed a hint of the coquettishness she had shown when she was a favored concubine.
Upon seeing her, the Emperor's face immediately turned cold, and he unconsciously compared her to the late Empress, which instantly increased his dislike for her.
If it weren't for the desire to keep the Empress Dowager's family in check, the Emperor would have truly wanted to depose this foolish woman from her position as Empress. Looking at her like this, where is the dignity of a mother of the nation?
Seeing the embarrassment on Empress Xu's face, the Empress Dowager was satisfied and had a eunuch bring a tray. She then placed the white prayer beads she had been carrying for many years onto the tray. She then said to Gu Nanxiao:
"My dear grandson Xiao'er, your grandmother was overjoyed to see you perform a sword dance for the Crown Prince to celebrate his birthday. So she bestowed upon you this rosary that has been recited with Buddhist chants a hundred million times, wishing it to bless you with peace and good fortune."
If the Empress Dowager's words demonstrated her protection of her grandson, then this reward sealed Gu Nanxiao's fate, concluding that he had rendered meritorious service without any wrongdoing. As a result, no one dared to utter a single word about what had just happened.
Everyone pretended nothing was wrong and continued drinking and enjoying themselves. Only the Empress stood there, her face ashen, too embarrassed to back down.
When the Crown Princess saw her aunt in such a predicament, she not only showed no sympathy in her eyes, but also obvious disgust.
If the Xu family hadn't been unable to send their daughter to the palace, why would they have supported this stupid and vicious old woman? And yet, she was completely oblivious to her own shortcomings.
Since ascending to the position of empress two years ago, she has become increasingly unrestrained, and on every important occasion, she drags the Xu family members down with her, making them lose face.
But as members of a family, their fates are intertwined; one's glory is the other's glory, and one's loss is the other's loss. While others might not care, the Crown Princess couldn't stand idly by. Therefore, she had no choice but to bite the bullet and speak up to defuse the situation:
"Your Majesty, I am not very familiar with these two plays. I don't know which one to choose for this occasion. Perhaps you could help me learn more about them?"
The Crown Princess's words were clearly intended to help the Empress out of a difficult situation, but unexpectedly, she became the Empress's punching bag. Upon hearing this, the Empress turned around, glared angrily at the daughter left behind by her eldest brother, and reprimanded her:
"It's just a play, something so simple, and you don't even know how to choose between it and other things. I really don't know how you manage the affairs of the Crown Prince's Palace on a daily basis?"
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