"Xie Jun, do you have any solid evidence for what you say?" The Emperor finally spoke, his voice calm yet imposing, and the entire hall fell silent, awaiting his next words.
The Third Princess's eyebrows furrowed, her eyes flashing with anger, and she rebuked him sharply: "You, Xie Jun, who usually seems so refined, how could you utter such arrogant words? You are simply audacious!"
Xie Jun remained calm and said, "Your Majesty, I have no conclusive evidence, but as long as General Li can be identified, the truth will naturally be revealed!"
Upon hearing this, Duke Qin Yu of Dingguo was even more enraged.
His eyes widened, and he roared, "Insolence! General Li is a pillar of our dynasty. How can we allow you to criticize him so wantonly? Such behavior is utterly treasonous!"
His words, filled with anger, echoed like thunder throughout the hall, revealing his extreme dissatisfaction with Xie Jun's disrespectful attitude.
Xie Jun knelt on the ground, his body motionless.
He earnestly said again, "Your Majesty, everything I have said is true. I hope Your Majesty can see through the truth and allow me to conduct an investigation."
At this moment, the atmosphere inside the hall suddenly became tense.
The ministers looked at each other, pondering the seriousness of the matter; some adopted a wait-and-see attitude, unsure of how to express their opinion.
Qin Xiaolin suppressed his anger and slowly said, "So what if she is a woman? It was with her extraordinary wisdom and courage that she led many brave soldiers to successfully turn the tide of battle against the Red-Clad Army and wipe out the Red Lotus Sect, which had been causing havoc in the region. These are all great achievements that benefit the country and its people."
As the heir apparent of the Marquis of Anning, where were you when the nation faced peril? Are you merely here spouting empty rhetoric?
Upon hearing this, Xie Jun's lips curled into a cold smile, and he replied calmly, "Young Master Qin speaks with great certainty, and I naturally admire General Li's achievements. However, merits and demerits should be clearly distinguished. What I question is not General Li's bravery and ability, but the authenticity of her identity. If General Li is indeed a woman, and the court is unaware of this, the hidden truth concerns the national system, the law, and even the future stability of our great land."
However, Li Xi remained silent in the face of the questions, her expression calm, and simply sat there quietly drinking.
"Which law stipulates that women in our dynasty cannot serve as generals?!" The Empress Dowager glared at him angrily.
It was the retired emperor and the empress dowager who arrived.
Emperor Wenyuan was surprised that they had come. When he sent someone to invite them today, they said they would not go.
Upon seeing this, the eunuchs quickly arranged a seat for the emperor on his right.
Xie Jun bowed slightly, his tone firm and unwavering: "Your Majesty, please calm your anger. I did not mean to offend you. While the law does not explicitly prohibit women from serving as generals, tradition has always held that women should remain in the inner chambers, supporting their husbands and raising their children, rather than appearing in public to lead troops into battle. This is not a denial of individual ability, but rather a respect for the customs and etiquette of our dynasty."
"Customs and etiquette?" The Empress Dowager sneered, her eyes piercing. "If customs and etiquette become shackles that bind talented people, then they lose their meaning."
Prime Minister Lin agreed and slowly said, "What you say makes sense, but times are changing, and people should adapt accordingly. If General Li, as a woman, can achieve great military exploits, wouldn't that be a blessing for our dynasty and a boon for all the people? If we are prejudiced against her because of her gender, wouldn't that be being stuck in our ways and going against the natural order?"
At this moment, Li Xi, who had been silent all along, finally put down his wine cup, his voice clear and firm: "What you all have said is all reasonable. Since the young master is so persistent, then I will show you the truth!"
After saying that, she stood up and immediately unbuttoned her clothes.
Inside the main hall, the air seemed to freeze instantly, and everyone's eyes were focused on Li Xi.
"Impossible, how could you be a man? I clearly heard you talking that day..." Xie Jun's words suddenly stopped, his eyes filled with unspeakable shock.
"Impossible, absolutely impossible! How could you... how could you be a man? I clearly heard you talking that day..." Xie Jun's eyes widened, his face filled with disbelief, and his voice suddenly stopped due to extreme shock.
He stared blankly at Li Xi, his lips trembling slightly, as if he wanted to say something more, but he was too shocked by what he saw to speak.
At this moment, everyone was able to take a closer look at Li Xi.
He was tall and straight, with firm muscles and smooth, natural lines, as if he had been carefully sculpted by a master craftsman.
Such perfect body proportions are simply breathtaking.
The young ladies in the main hall also secretly glanced at it, secretly marveling at it.
They usually saw only gentle and refined scholars or elegant noblemen; they had never seen a man so full of strength and beauty.
Li Xi's eyes were deep and bright, as if they could see into people's hearts, yet they also carried a hint of gentleness that was hard to detect, causing ripples to spread across the hearts of the young girls in their boudoirs.
Even the guards standing by couldn't help but straighten their backs, secretly taking Li Xi as their role model, and a sense of competition arose in their hearts.
Although they were military officers, they had to admit that Li Xi was no ordinary person in the face of his natural and imposing aura.
However, at this moment, Emperor Wenyuan, who had been silent all along, finally broke the silence.
His face was grim, and his eyes revealed obvious displeasure. He spoke coldly, "Marquis Anning, do I really need to personally order you to take your heir away?!"
Marquis Anning Xie Chonghui's face turned pale, and fine beads of sweat instantly appeared on his forehead.
I thought this was going to work out, but I never expected that Li Xi was actually a man.
That day, the father and son clearly heard Li Xi and Meng Zhelan talking about some girlish thoughts. They didn't take it to heart at first, but they never expected that the Third Princess would dare to ask His Majesty to grant her and Li Xi a marriage in public.
His eldest son, Xie Jun, was about the same age as the third princess. They entered the palace to study together from a young age. The two were childhood sweethearts and grew up to be deeply in love.
They thought the two would naturally get together, but who would have thought that Li Xi would suddenly appear out of nowhere!
Now that the Third Princess has actually fallen for Li Xi, how can Xie Jun accept this?
It should be noted that the title of Marquis of Anning in their family ended with his son's generation.
If his son cannot marry a princess, then the wealth and glory of his Xie clan will vanish like smoke.
The Third Princess breathed a sigh of relief; she had truly been frightened by Xie Jun.
Although she thought Xie Jun was talking nonsense, she still dared not take it lightly.
But when she saw her father's extremely gloomy face, she felt even more guilty. So she quickly made up an excuse and hurriedly left.
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