Accompanying the Emperor were Emperor Wei and Wei Tiancheng.
After Empress Qi stepped forward and paid her respects, the Emperor frowned and glanced at her. He then gestured for Emperor Wei to take a seat, and he sat down beside him.
Empress Qi, abandoning her previous arrogant demeanor, bowed and said:
"Your Majesty, I have some minor matters to attend to, so I must take my leave now."
Clearly, she didn't want to alarm the Emperor and the Wei Emperor.
The Emperor waved his hand impatiently.
"I have heard that the Crown Prince's residence failed to come out and pay respects to the Empress's imperial decree, which displeased the Empress so much that she came in person to question him. Tell me what happened, and I want to see who is right and who is wrong."
His words carried a hint of dissatisfaction, which made Empress Qi somewhat uneasy.
Even though her family held immense power in the court and she could control everything in the harem, the emperor was still the emperor. She dared not offend him easily and was afraid that he would seize any leverage over her.
Empress Qi frowned slightly and replied with her head lowered:
"As Your Majesty commanded, I issued an imperial decree to the Crown Prince's residence to bestow a marriage upon him. In order to ensure that everyone knew about this decree, I specifically instructed Granny Zhen to have everyone in the Crown Prince's residence come out to receive it. However, there are some who are blind to my intentions and refuse to listen to me, hiding in the backyard and refusing to come out. This clearly shows that they do not take me seriously. I beg Your Majesty to do justice for me."
The more the emperor listened, the more his brows furrowed.
The Wei Emperor felt that Empress Qi was making a mountain out of a molehill; such a matter was nothing in his Southern Yuan Kingdom.
Wei Tiancheng also said that this matter was very boring. It was just that no one came out to receive the imperial decree. Was it necessary to make such a fuss?
However, they only know one side of the story and are completely unaware of the other.
If this person has nothing to do with Luo Zhiwan, then of course it's not a big deal.
However, this person and this matter are related to Luo Zhiwan, which is a matter of utmost importance, and Empress Qi must treat this matter as a major issue.
The Emperor raised his hand.
"In that case, let the Empress handle this matter here, and let Emperor Wei see just how strict the laws of our Celestial Empire are."
Clearly, the Emperor was reminding her not to act recklessly and not to give Emperor Wei a good look.
However, Empress Qi was determined to kill Luo Zhiwan and punish her. Even at the risk of being punished by the Emperor, she was determined to seize this opportunity to teach Luo Zhiwan a lesson.
Thinking of this, she bowed slightly and replied:
"I know."
After saying that, she waved her hand and said, "Bring the person up."
In no time, Luo Zhiwan and Luo Zhiruo appeared in the main hall, with Yiming following beside them and Granny Zhen haughtily following behind.
Upon seeing the people below, Wei Tiancheng's brows furrowed instantly, and his previously calm face became turbulent.
He could hardly believe his eyes. The woman he had been longing for day and night was actually here, and with Luo Zhiwan no less!
Is she Ruo'er?
He confirmed it again and again; she was Ruo'er, the woman he had been searching for all along.
However, she has gained weight; she has really gained a lot of weight.
Could it be that the woman's back he saw earlier was Ruo'er?
Is it really her?
He didn't dare to go up and acknowledge her, nor did he have the courage to do so. He feared that even if he did acknowledge her, it wouldn't change anything, and might even cause her greater harm.
"Luo Zhiwan, why don't you take your sister and kneel down to pay your respects to the Emperor?"
No matter how inconvenient Zhiruo's body is now, kneeling and bowing to the Emperor is something that is inevitable.
She pulled Zhiruo to kneel before the Emperor. The Emperor frowned slightly, then raised his hand and said, "Get up and answer."
Zhi Ruo clumsily got up from the ground. Empress Qi seemed to have noticed something and suddenly questioned her sharply.
"Luo Zhiwan, your sister, why does she look like she's pregnant?"
As soon as she asked that question, everyone present looked towards her stomach.
Zhiruo shrank back in fright, her nerves on edge.
Zhiwan blinked a few times and replied:
"This seems to have nothing to do with Her Majesty the Empress summoning us here."
The fact that she didn't directly deny it means that this woman is indeed pregnant.
As far as she knew, Luo Zhiwan's younger sister was not yet married, so this sudden pregnancy...
She suddenly revealed a wicked smile.
"Could it be that your sister isn't just fat, but also pregnant before marriage? Tsk tsk tsk, your Luo family girls are really something. If it weren't for the fact that you're carrying Chen'er's child, Xiang'er would definitely be called a bastard for the rest of his life..."
Her words were laced with sarcasm and disdain.
Zhiruo's eyes began to redden, and Zhiwan frowned slightly, raising her voice to reply:
"Whose child she is carrying is none of the Empress's business. The Empress summoned us here, so please speak freely."
"Hmph! I sent Granny Zhen to convey the imperial edict jointly drafted by me and the Empress Dowager. Why did you let your sister hide in the room and not come out? Are you deliberately showing contempt for the dignity of the Empress Dowager and me? Don't think that just because you gave birth to Chen'er's child, you can act lawlessly. You are still a concubine, no matter what."
Empress Qi's words were harsh, and Leng Chuchen couldn't bear to listen anymore.
“Mother, Luo Zhiruo did not come out to receive the decree because she is not a member of the Crown Prince’s household. She was just a guest at the Crown Prince’s household temporarily. This does not constitute any crime. If you insist that this is disrespectful to you and the Empress Dowager, then I can only say that this is sophistry and fabrication.”
"presumptuous."
Empress Qi's face showed a hint of anger.
"You dare to speak to your mother like that? You must have been instigated by this woman. Regardless of whether she is from the Crown Prince's residence or not, she is a citizen of the Celestial Empire. She has disregarded the imperial edicts of the Empress Dowager and me. This is an act of insubordination. I beg Your Majesty to do justice for me."
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