“Princess, she is Empress Yide. At first, we thought she was a river monster,” Xiao Guozi said in a low voice.
Su Xiu rolled her eyes at him. "Didn't you just say you were a water god? Why are you calling yourself a river demon now?"
The somber atmosphere lightened considerably because of these two sentences.
Empress Yi didn't seem particularly angry about Huo Baichuan's attitude. This was her cleverness; she wouldn't argue with the ministers. The emperor could deal with the ministers himself, while she would deal with the women.
"Since Lord Huo has shown mercy, I will let them off the hook and not pursue the matter further. However, you should know that trespassing on my forbidden area and disturbing my meditation is a capital offense." Her words were very polite, but they were nothing more than words spoken to the soldiers to salvage her dignity.
But Zhao Shu gave her no chance at all. "Auntie, you haven't said which concubine you are yet. Don't keep calling me 'this palace' all the time. You should know that it's not a good thing for concubines to be living among the common people. After many years, who knows if you will still be qualified to be a concubine in the palace!"
This statement has many implications.
Yi De was not angry; her expression remained unchanged, calm and composed. Zhao Shu's words seemed to hit cotton, unable to hurt her in the slightest.
Whether she was qualified to be an empress or not was not up to Zhao Shu to decide, but up to Emperor Mingde, so she didn't need to answer at all.
"I've heard that Princess Jun is domineering, but I didn't believe it. I thought that although your mother was a bit flamboyant, she was a good person, and you shouldn't be too bad. In fact, you should call me 'Uncle-Master,' but since your mother passed away early, there's no need to discuss that. It's better to address me according to the palace rules."
Zhao Shu hated it most when people brought up Jiang Ying, and immediately wanted to retort, but Huo Baichuan interrupted, "Whether she's domineering or arrogant, she's still pampered. There are people willing to tolerate her arrogance and arrogance, like... me." He finished speaking and made an ambiguous eye contact with Zhao Shu, uttering the words "me" very softly, still considering Zhao Shu's reputation. However, he received only a glare in return. "Although she's a bit domineering and arrogant, what she says still makes a lot of sense. My lady, you've been out of the palace for many years, and you really need to investigate whether you're still qualified to be a pure and virtuous lady in the palace."
The word "wife" made Zhao Shu burst out laughing. Yi De's expression finally changed, her face turning as cold as ice. "Huo Baichuan, how dare you insult me! We'll see!"
She turned and left with a flick of her sleeve, while Zhao Shu shouted behind her, "Except for my wife, arrest everyone on the island for me!"
Anyone with eyes could see that Huo Baichuan was on Zhao Shu's side. Moreover, what he said earlier made it very clear: this woman had been out of the palace for many years, so who knew if she was still clean, if she had cheated on the emperor, or if she was a genuine princess and a powerful minister, making her more reliable?
Therefore, at Zhao Shu's command, the soldiers all moved.
"Zhao Shu, you'll regret this!"
"What do I have to regret?" Zhao Shu laughed sarcastically. "You should reflect on yourself. It's pathetic that you've stooped to the point of arguing with me."
It's truly pathetic. She could have been a respected elder, but she failed to seize the opportunity to fight against Zhao Shu, a junior. That only lowered the level of her enemy. Women in the harem should fight within the palace. Once outside the palace, well...
"I just hope you won't cry when the time comes." With a tremor of her hand, she produced an imperial edict and proclaimed, "The imperial edict is here. I'll see who dares to lay a finger on the people on the island."
The soldiers were all intimidated by the imperial edict.
"Little Fatty, read the imperial edict for the lady, otherwise we will not know whether it is true or false," Huo Baichuan said.
Little Fatty was skilled and had few rivals. In an instant, he rushed to Yi De's side, snatched the imperial edict from her hand, and said, "By the grace of Heaven, the Emperor decrees that Wang Jize, the Right Commander-in-Chief of the Nanyang Navy, shall escort my beloved concubine back to the palace."
The reading was announced without warning; everyone had just knelt down when it was finished.
Zhao Shu looked at Yi De with amusement. Emperor Mingde cleverly avoided mentioning her identity, referring to her as his beloved concubine. It was obvious that there could only be one empress, and it would be difficult for Yi De to live to become empress.
Men are indeed lustful. Although the rank of Yide was not specified, the fact that a naval force was used to escort her shows how extravagant it is. Poor Wang Jize, he has worked hard to train his troops for many years, only to have them used to escort a woman who is of no use to the common people!
"Everyone heard it. His Majesty only said to escort the Lady back to the palace. He didn't mention anyone else. Guards, search the island!" Zhao Shu spoke again.
This time the soldiers made a move. Wang Jize, who had been holding his breath and had nowhere to vent his anger, immediately led his men into the island to arrest people.
When the so-called Hermit Jiecao was brought before Zhao Shu, she was stunned.
She never imagined that the hermit Jiecao was so close to her, having spent many years together.
"Granny Guo?" She was a little unsure. The figure was very similar, and the face was also similar, but the overall temperament was different.
She approached Zhao Shu and looked her over. "Your Highness has made something of yourself." She removed her mask, revealing her true appearance, which, judging from her features, was indeed that of a graceful woman.
"You were faking it, Granny Guo?" Zhao Shu knew that Granny Guo had deliberately revealed this secret in front of her for some ulterior motive, but she wasn't afraid.
The hermit Jiecao laughed loudly, "Hahaha, if I hadn't told you, I'm afraid no one would have known about this."
No wonder, no wonder I was taught to behave that way in my past life.
“Granny Guo should have died long ago,” Zhao Shu said coldly.
“I know, the princess was truly ruthless back then. Except for a few exceptions, no one in the entire household survived. I can’t help but suspect that the princess is no longer the innocent princess she once was. Speak! What kind of monster are you!”
So that's how it is. You wanted to expose her? Too bad, she's nobody, she's just herself.
"Since you knew no one would survive, you shouldn't have revealed anything. Men, throw them into the lake!"
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