All the officials bowed in greeting, but the emperor and the empress remained motionless, with indifferent expressions, as if Zhao Ji was not their mother/mother-in-law.
Chu Yuening looked at the famous Zhao Ji in history secretly. With her snow-white skin and well-maintained face, it was impossible to tell that she was over forty years old.
Zhao Ji half closed her beautiful eyes, enjoying the beauty of power. After a while, she spoke slowly.
"My dear ministers, please stand up."
"Zheng'er, it's been a long time since we last met. Mother misses you so much!"
"This must be my daughter-in-law, she is truly a beauty!"
It has to be said that Zhao Ji was quite good at dancing with long sleeves and had superb acting skills. She walked up to the two of them with a kind face and a caring tone, just like a loving mother.
But Ying Zheng knew that all this was just her disguise, and he just nodded lightly in response. Chu Yuening smiled back, but also did not greet him warmly.
No matter how versatile Zhao Ji was, her smile froze at this moment because of the indifferent attitude. The corners of her upturned eyes drooped, and an imperceptible coldness flashed across her eyes.
She has been pampered for many years, and has always been flattered by others. How could she ever lower herself to be humble?
So she put away her smile and remained silent.
For a moment, the atmosphere became tense. Even though it was a warm spring day, the ministers and palace maids shuddered suddenly.
In order to prevent the situation from becoming deadlocked, Prime Minister Li Si gritted his teeth and spoke out to smooth things over.
"Your Majesty, how about we go into the palace first?"
"Um."
Ying Zheng nodded in agreement, took Chu Yuening and walked towards the hall, and the others followed.
A trace of embarrassment flashed across Zhao Ji's face as she fell behind the emperor and the empress. Her sharp nails dug into her palms, but the piercing pain still couldn't cover up the anger in her heart.
No matter what, she is the Queen Mother of the Qin Dynasty and his mother. It would be fine if he was cold-hearted, but he even humiliated her in public. He is indeed a cold-blooded and ungrateful person.
A group of people rushed into the hall. Zhao Ji looked around and her mind was immediately attracted by the luxurious and noble phoenix chair at the top. In an instant, greed appeared in her eyes.
Perhaps driven by desire, or perhaps out of jealousy, she quickened her pace and headed straight for the Phoenix Chair that symbolized supreme power. Unexpectedly, when she was only one step away, she was stopped by Ying Zheng.
"This is the Queen's Phoenix Chair. I think my mother is confused."
"Zhao Gao, why don't you go get a chair for the Queen Mother?"
"Yes, Your Majesty!"
This was the first sentence Ying Zheng had said since Zhao Ji returned to the palace for a long time, but the words he uttered were extremely cold, without any warmth between mother and son.
The continuous cold treatment had already made Zhao Ji's anger accumulate to the peak, and there seemed to be a voice in her heart constantly tempting her.
Under the combination of the two, she could no longer bear it, pointed her finger at Chu Yuening and cursed.
"Okay, okay! My good son, are you really going to disobey me for her?"
"You relied on your alluring looks to seduce Zheng'er, didn't you? You persuaded him to become estranged from me and my son... You are truly a demonic concubine who brings disaster to the nation!"
"I will never acknowledge you as my daughter-in-law. You are just a merchant's daughter, not worthy of being on the stage..."
“Bang!”
Ying Zheng suddenly slapped away the insulting finger, his face as cold as ice, his sharp phoenix eyes flashing with endless chill, and his terrifying aura enveloped the entire hall.
He stared fiercely at the face that was three-quarters similar to his own, and answered word by word in a cold tone.
"Haven't we already separated long ago? Why blame Yue Ning for something we both knew?"
"As for whether Yue Ning is a demon concubine or a virtuous queen, even someone with an eye disease can tell the difference. How can you slander her with just a few words?"
"Besides, whether you admit it or not, Yue Ning is my beloved wife, my queen, and the mother of the Great Qin."
These words were so powerful that the officials watching from the sidelines did not dare to interfere in the royal affairs, but they could not help but secretly agree with them in their hearts.
The Queen Mother is really slandering others. The Queen has made great contributions to the prosperity of the Qin Dynasty in just three years. Which of her achievements will not be passed down through the ages and be famous for thousands of years?
Even Li Si's faction, who disagreed with the Queen's political views, secretly criticized her. The Queen Mother must have lost her mind, insulting the Queen as soon as she returned to the palace. His Majesty, who loved his wife dearly, must be furious.
Chu Yue stared at the tall man who was protecting her, her bright eyes gleaming with joy. She was deeply moved by her lover's firm choice and protection.
Among the people present, only Zhao Ji turned pale and was speechless.
She looked up at her tall and mighty son and suddenly realized that the little boy had grown up to be the powerful and domineering Qin Shi Huang.
He was no longer the child who allowed herself to be manipulated by her.
Zhao Ji looked into the cold and heartless phoenix eyes, and her heart sank. She realized belatedly that something precious had completely slipped away from her.
She suddenly collapsed to the ground, put down her ridiculous airs and delusions, covered her face and cried, begging in a sad voice.
"Zheng'er, your mother just spoke without thinking..."
"Empress, I lost my mind for a moment and offended you..."
Heartfelt apologies echoed in the hall. Everyone looked at the empress dowager who had lost her composure with different expressions. Seeing that the situation was not good, the people of the Zhao clan hurriedly followed suit to plead for mercy.
"Your Majesty, the Queen Mother was exhausted from the journey and was in a trance, so her nonsense is understandable!"
"Your Majesty, Your Majesty, the Queen Mother is ultimately your biological mother..."
"His Majesty......"
Ying Zheng looked coldly at the weeping woman and the officials who were pleading for mercy, his face expressionless and unmoved.
It was not until Chu Yuening tugged at his sleeve that he spoke coldly to end the farce.
"Help the Queen Mother up."
No matter what, Zhao Ji was the Queen Mother of the Qin Dynasty and represented the royal family's reputation. If she hadn't insulted Yue Ning, Ying Zheng wouldn't have wanted to make things so embarrassing.
As noon approached, the palace servants began to serve delicious meals.
As the glasses clinked, it seemed as if everyone had forgotten the previous farce, and everyone was chatting and laughing, drinking and having fun.
People from the Zhao clan came to toast the Queen Mother with the purpose of comforting her. There were still traces of tears in the corners of Zhao Ji's eyes. She forced herself to maintain a smile and drank cup after cup of sake.
The cold and clear wine poured into his mouth, slid down his throat, and flowed into his stomach, but it could not extinguish the anger and hatred in his heart.
She couldn't understand how she, the queen mother of the Qin Dynasty, could have fallen into such a miserable state?
Lao Ai, who was standing beside her, lowered his head and poured wine for the Queen Mother while quietly looking around. When he saw the beauty sitting above him, he was immediately stunned.
The beautiful woman with jade-like bones and icy skin nestled in the man's arms, with black eyebrows, a delicate nose, red lips, white teeth, beautiful eyes, and a charming smile. She looked so radiant that she seemed like the moon fairy. Even the noisy palace seemed to have turned into the fairyland of Penglai.
Ying Zheng was gently coaxing his young wife not to drink when he suddenly caught a peculiar look in his eyes. He raised his eyes abruptly, his gaze cold and scorching.
Caught off guard, Lao Ai's obscene look was caught, and an angry roar came from the leader.
"presumptuous!"
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