"Minister Tang fainted!!"
Minister Tang closed his eyes heavily, his head spinning, and he fainted.
"Quick! Call the imperial physician!"
The emperor was also panicked. Why did he faint out of nowhere? This is a good minister of Daxia. He came to court even though his health was so poor.
Officials who had always opposed Chen Miaoyi seized the opportunity to smear him, saying, "Minister Tang must have fainted because of Minister Chen's crime!
Chen Miaoyi, you are so unforgivable that you even made your colleague faint!"
What he said was righteous and eloquent. Since Minister Tang was not awake yet, he could just let him talk freely.
"What you said is true. Someone was trampled to death by a horse at Caishikou today. The horse must have been under your instruction, right?"
Chen Miaoyi retorted bluntly that even Minister Tang’s fainting was related to her, don’t be too outrageous!
"It must be you! You made Minister Tang faint with anger! Your crime is even more serious! Your crime is unforgivable!"
"Minister Tang has never had a good relationship with you, but now he's been so angry about your crime of deceiving the emperor that he's practically fainted! Chen Miaoyi, you've committed a grave sin!!"
"Your Majesty, please punish Chen Miaoyi severely and avenge Minister Tang!"
"First you deceived the emperor, and now you're endangering your colleagues. You simply cannot be allowed to stay!"
The minister pointed at Chen Miaoyi and cursed her, while Minister Tang was carried to a side hall. The imperial physician came to treat him, but he was speechless.
"This is ridiculous! Nonsense! Is it possible that all the accidents that happen to everyone in the world are related to Minister Chen?
You are all important officials of Daxia, yet you actually say such baseless words! It really makes me feel cold!
As an official, you serve the country and the people. You actually ask me to remove Minister Chen from his position just because of your gender. Do you think your political achievements are inferior to others?
So you want to plot to harm your colleagues?"
The emperor was angry, so no one dared to say anything more. They believed that knowing when to quit was the way of an official, but they did not dare to say this and could not answer it.
The first bird to stick its head out gets shot; no one responds.
They all hung their heads and pretended to be cowards, trying to guess the emperor's intentions all the time. If the emperor indulged them, they would make trouble. If the emperor had made up his mind, they would stop while they were ahead.
"Let's adjourn the court. I'll go see how Minister Tang is doing."
Withdrawing from the court means that the matter has basically become a foregone conclusion and there is no possibility of reversal.
The ministers were furious. Minister Tang fainted in such a timely manner, but they couldn't use him to their advantage! Damn it, why didn't you refute him before fainting? Don't you love to go against Chen Miaoyi the most?
In the side hall, only the emperor, Chen Miaoyi, and the lying Minister Tang were left.
"Imperial Physician, how is Minister Tang doing?" the emperor asked worriedly. Could it be that he was really frightened by the news that Chen Miaoyi was a woman?
"Your Majesty, Minister Tang is not seriously injured. He fainted due to a sudden attack of anger, which caused the blood and qi to rush up. I see that he has some qi stagnation in his body, which seems to be stagnant in his heart. I will prescribe some medicine for him. He will be fine after taking it for a few days."
The imperial physician said respectfully that Minister Tang was quite dizzy, so he didn't have to pay for the medicine and could also cure his chronic illness.
After the imperial physician left, the emperor and Chen Miaoyi watched over Minister Tang with concern.
"Is it really because of me?"
The emperor pretended to be unhappy and said, "I have said that family members are not allowed to call each other subjects. There are only you and me, no monarch or subject."
"Okay, I'll pay Minister Tang a visit someday. When I left Beijing, it was he who spoke up for me and gave me warm clothes. I still remember this kindness!"
Chen Miaoyi was quite emotional. It turns out that the one who cares about you the most is your enemy! Heroes appreciate heroes!
"You can go tomorrow when you have a day off. You can't go today. Cang'er and Jing'er are waiting for us to go back for dinner." The emperor rubbed her head lovingly. Finally, they didn't have to be separated by thousands of miles.
But he was within reach of her and could touch her with his hand.
No one noticed that Minister Tang's eyelashes trembled slightly, almost imperceptibly.
*
Time passed quickly and it was the next day. Chen Miaoyi came to the Tang Mansion with many valuable gifts. This was her first time visiting a colleague's home.
"Is Minister Tang feeling better?" Chen Miaoyi asked. Minister Tang didn't look very well.
"Thank you for your concern, Lord Shangshu. I am much better now."
Minister Tang's attitude was respectful and impeccable, but Chen Miaoyi was a little dazed. He had once been in a tug-of-war with her in the court.
Now he said, "Your humble servant."
It feels a bit like Runtu and the master, things have changed and people have changed, but no one can say anything is wrong.
"Minister Tang and I have become quite distant. He even dared to point his finger at me and scold me back then!"
Chen Miaoyi said this jokingly, and Minister Tang seemed to recall the memories, and his smile became more genuine.
"Now everyone in the court is saying that I made you faint from anger. Look, I came to visit you with many gifts."
She spoke in a casual manner and the atmosphere became much better.
"Husband, has Minister Chen arrived?" A woman's soft and beautiful voice came.
She is a woman holding a child, wearing a green dress, with a soft and gentle face.
"Is this the wife of Minister Tang?" Chen Miaoyi greeted her. Since she was a woman and everyone knew her, there was no need to avoid suspicion.
"That's right, I heard that Lady Chen is a woman, yet she's able to hold the position of Minister of Personnel. We truly admire her. As a woman, Lady Chen is truly a heroine!"
Mrs. Tang sat there holding the child, talking to her warmly, her attitude was better than Minister Tang's.
But Minister Tang felt as if his fig leaf had been lifted. He was ashamed, inexplicably ashamed of his love for Chen Miaoyi, ashamed that he had married and had children while harboring such love for her.
He felt guilty about this relationship, but who could he blame? He had only ever thought of Chen Miaoyi as a man!
"Is this Minister Tang's child? He's so cute. It's a pity I didn't bring him a gift today. I'll make it up to him another day."
With Mrs. Tang around, the atmosphere suddenly became much more lively. The only one who felt uneasy was Minister Tang.
He was in agony every minute and every second, as if his wife had seen through his secret love deep in his heart.
But who knows whether he called out the name of the person he secretly loves in his sleep late at night, and whether he let the person next to him hear it?
Mrs. Tang may be the smart one. She does not respond sharply, but uses a gentle and subtle way to remind her husband to remember his identity and protect his marriage.
Whether in the harem or in the court, women should not be underestimated.
Chen Miaoyi's identity issue was resolved in this way. Apart from a few ministers who were secretly angry and asked for leave not to attend court, there was no major disturbance.
As for those who had been on leave for a long time, the emperor would use the excuse of being old and weak to allow them to rest at home and recuperate, and take the opportunity to give important positions to his confidants.
Everyone thought that the matter was settled and there would be no more twists and turns.
In a blink of an eye, the emperor announced that he would appoint a crown prince.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com