Although Wu had given birth to two children, she was still quite pretty, with the plump figure of a mature woman and a natural beauty between her eyebrows and eyes.
"Your Majesty, long live the Emperor."
Her voice was sweet and charming, and she held a tea tray in her hands, with her long fingers raised in an elegant orchid shape.
Xuan Ling glanced at her, and those fox eyes were boldly full of affection, which made him feel disgusted.
Empress Duan saw through Wu's evil intentions at a glance, but because she was her sister-in-law, she could only try her best to change her mind.
"Your Majesty, I will ask my sister-in-law to come to the palace to take care of the childbirth."
Xuan Ling is majestic without being angry, and is used to being solemn and dignified, like a jade sculpture of a king.
Half a year ago, Emperor Xuanwu took a young widow as his concubine, which was a hot topic among the people. This time, when Wu entered the palace, she also learned that the young widow fascinated the emperor.
She thought to herself, they are both married women, and if Miss Sheng can do it, why can't she?
She stood up boldly, placed the tea tray on the low kang table next to her, twisted her slender waist and slightly raised her plump buttocks, then knelt in front of Xuan Ling and presented him with a yellow-glazed teacup.
"Your Majesty, please try some ginseng tea. I brewed it with ginseng, Ophiopogon japonicus, and Schisandra chinensis. The Shennong Herbal Classic states that ginseng nourishes the five internal organs, calms the mind, relieves anxiety, eliminates evil spirits, improves intelligence, and prolonged consumption can help prolong life."
She held the teacup with her hands full, so that Emperor Xuanwu could touch her hands when he took the teacup, thus having physical contact.
But then the emperor said solemnly: "The Minister has been in the Ministry of Revenue for too long, it's time to transfer his position."
Wu was overjoyed. It seemed that the beauty trap was extremely effective. The emperor was going to promote her husband's official position.
Empress Duan knew that she was going to be demoted, so she quickly removed the brocade quilt covering her body, stood up and knelt respectfully on the couch.
"Your Majesty, please forgive me. My words are rude. I will punish you severely."
When Wu heard this, she looked up at Xuan Ling again. The emperor's face was calm, and it was impossible to tell whether he was happy or angry, but he exuded the oppressive feeling of being the supreme ruler.
Suddenly, he was so nervous that he couldn't hold the teacup steady in his hand, and the porcelain lid made a trembling sound as it shook.
The atmosphere in the palace was terrifying, and even Le Wen was so scared that he hid beside Queen Duan with a timid look on his face.
Xuan Ling said majestically, "Come here."
Eunuch Fu ran in and listened respectfully.
"Issue this order: Minister Duan Jingqi has neglected his duties and abused his power for personal gain. Effective immediately, he is dismissed from his position as Minister of Revenue and demoted to the position of Magistrate of Yazhou."
Wu Shi didn't dare drop the teacup in her hand. Her arms were shaking. She just opened her mouth and said, "Your Majesty..."
Qingdai quickly snatched the teacup from her, and she and another palace maid pulled her away and made her kneel in the distance.
Xuan Ling got down from the couch, and Eunuch Fu hurriedly put on his dragon boots.
Empress Duan did not dare to plead for mercy. She analyzed the content of Emperor Xuanwu's edict and concluded that her brother Duan Jingqi had been impeached and there was even irrefutable evidence. It was only because the Emperor was about to give birth that he suppressed the charge.
At this time, Wu's outrageous words and deeds broke the last bit of kindness in the emperor's heart, so he simply dealt with the matter.
"Farewell, Your Majesty."
Everyone inside and outside the hall knelt in unison, and Xuan Ling strode out of Jingren Palace.
As the imperial carriage approached, Eunuch Fu asked cautiously, "Your Majesty, do you think we should return to the Yangxin Palace or go to another palace?"
Xuan Ling sat upright and solemnly, without saying a word.
Eunuch Fu understood and shouted, "Return to the Yangxin Palace."
In Jingren Palace, Empress Duan was so angry that she felt uncomfortable in her stomach.
Qing Dai hurriedly shouted, "Go and ask Court Judge Wang to come over."
Empress Fuduan leaned back and sat down.
Wu glanced at the palace entrance and realized that Emperor Xuanwu had left, so she quickly walked to Queen Duan.
"Your Majesty, please think of a solution quickly. You can't let me become a county magistrate. A county magistrate is a sixth-rank official, right? A vice minister of the Ministry of Revenue is a second-rank official. How can we compare?"
Empress Duan glared at her fiercely and scolded her, "You still say that, don't you feel disgusted by your imitation of the ugly woman just now?"
Originally, Emperor Xuanwu kept this matter to himself. If she could give birth to a prince, she might plead for mercy after giving birth. Even if her brother could not work in the Ministry of Revenue, he would not be demoted several levels.
Wu said stubbornly, "I didn't do anything. I just offered tea to the emperor. I wanted to leave a good impression on him and bring more blessings to our family."
Empress Duan angrily said, "Kneel down!"
Wu was stunned for a moment, and Qingdai scolded her: "The Queen asked you to kneel, and you dared to stand? Have you forgotten the hierarchy?"
Wu knelt down, muttering indignantly,
"Your Majesty, I am telling you the truth as a family member. You must find a way to win over the Emperor. I have been in the palace for half a month. This is the first time the Emperor has come to see you, right? How can this be allowed? No wonder I was demoted."
Empress Duan threw the jade cup in her hand to the ground and cursed, "Get out of here! Leave the palace immediately! I don't need your care."
Wu stood up and said, "Your Majesty, please don't be angry. It's not good for the dragon fetus. You must strive to give birth to a prince, so that I can be transferred back to the capital."
Empress Duan touched her chest and said, "Please keep all the gifts you have received from the palace these days. Do not take any of them out of the palace."
Wu opened her mouth but didn't say anything, and left the main hall in a rage.
As she was packing up her things in the side hall, she noticed how dark it was and muttered, "I came to the palace to serve and yet something went wrong. I'm incompetent, so who can I blame? No wonder my father-in-law said she was a weakling who didn't know how to fight for the interests of her family."
In the palace, Empress Duan hugged Le Wen and cried. Qing Dai comforted her, "Your Majesty, don't be sad. The Emperor is not angry with you for the matter, but for the person."
Empress Duan had a premonition that this was Emperor Xuanwu's first move against the force behind her, and that things would become even more difficult in the future.
In Guanju Palace.
Sheng Xiyan had just finished painting a portrait of Xuan Ling.
Hua Xia said, "My lady, Xiao Zhuozi said that the emperor has returned to the Yangxin Palace. Do you want to take the portrait to see the emperor?"
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