"My lord, news has come from the front! His Majesty, His Majesty..." A palace maid rushed in, her face filled with horror.
The woman sitting at the desk, with a calm, gentle, and elegant demeanor, was startled for a moment, then continued copying Buddhist scriptures.
"How old are you, still so impulsive?" The woman's voice was gentle, with a hint of intimacy in her tone.
"Your Majesty, you must go and see!" The palace maid said with a desperate look on her face. "Xiao Xizi has sent word that some sycophantic servant has arranged for several prostitutes from Jiangnan to be sent onto the Emperor's dragon boat. Rumors are already spreading everywhere..."
"What?!" The woman was startled, and the brush in her hand fell to the ground, the scripture stained with ink, ruining the entire text. "Do you know that slandering the Emperor's reputation is an unforgivable crime!"
"This servant wouldn't dare. If it weren't for the rumors circulating outside, this servant wouldn't dare disturb Her Majesty the Empress." The palace maid knelt on the ground, somewhat speechless.
"..." The woman was stunned.
"You may leave now, Your Highness. This matter hasn't come to light yet, and besides, the Emperor is in a good mood. Why should we do this?!" A nanny came in, looking somewhat worried.
"Haitang, where did this news come from? Is it really... true?"
As the woman finished speaking, her voice inexplicably trembled.
"Yes, Xiao Xizi saw it with her own eyes!" After the little palace maid finished speaking, she looked at the nanny and then at the woman, and hurriedly withdrew.
The woman clutched her forehead and nearly fainted.
"Someone, help me change!" She gripped the table, trembling with rage. "Which servant is so audacious?"
The old woman remained silent and did not say much, but simply arranged for someone to help the woman with her makeup.
After all, the emperor is the Son of Heaven; who can force him to do something he doesn't want to do?
The worst fear is that it's him...
The woman closed her eyes: No way, they've been together for so many years, he's the best man in the world!
Even though things have changed and people are no longer the same.
The woman walked down the road, her usual gentle and quiet demeanor suddenly turning solemn and imposing!
Just as she was about to step onto the dragon boat, the head eunuch, Wu Shulai, came over with a nervous expression and a forced smile to pay his respects:
"This servant greets Your Majesty the Empress. May Your Majesty be blessed!"
The woman nodded slightly and was about to go up.
The eunuch hurriedly stepped in front, forcing a smile: "Your Majesty, the Emperor is busy with state affairs and cannot see you—"
"Your Majesty...hehehe, how annoying~" A few faint laughs of women could be heard from inside.
The woman looked coldly at the eunuch.
The eunuch looked distressed, unsure of what to do.
The woman had already passed him and boarded the boat.
"Her Majesty the Empress has arrived!" With a sharp shout, the room fell silent instantly.
The woman pushed open the door, and sunlight streamed in.
The light spilled everywhere, revealing a hint of decadence.
Several women timidly followed Jinzhong as he retreated.
The woman seemed unable to bear it any longer and walked in with a cold face.
The man inside looked annoyed that his interest had been interrupted.
When he saw the woman, a hint of guilt flashed across his face.
"Why has the Empress come?"
The woman seemed to have a thousand words to say, but in the end, she tried her best to suppress the anger in her chest.
However, his tone was still somewhat stiff:
"Your Majesty, those sycophantic servants should be severely punished!"
"Oh? Is the Empress instructing me on how to do things?" The man's face darkened instantly.
"Your Majesty, I dare not. But as Empress, it is my duty to assist Your Majesty wholeheartedly!" The woman lowered her eyes, afraid that the dissatisfaction in her eyes would overflow.
"Oh? Is that so? The Empress is indeed quite diligent in copying scriptures every day!" The man sneered.
"Your Majesty, I did not come here to quarrel with you. Your Majesty, do you know what rumors are circulating outside—" The woman's chest heaved, and she seemed to know that she was quite angry, but she still tried to calm herself down.
"How could I not know? I am the Son of Heaven! How dare others point fingers at me?!" Now that the country is peaceful and the people are at peace, the emperor, who holds great power, is strong enough and prefers women who are like parasitic vines.
Upon hearing this, the woman swayed slightly, her eyes filled with disbelief.
The man suddenly turned his back and said nothing more.
But that comment about bystanders seemed to have dealt the woman a severe blow…
"Anyone else? How did we get to this point?"
The man may have regretted it a little, but he didn't say anything.
The woman suddenly turned around to leave, while the man behind her looked agitated and uneasy.
But, in that instant.
She thought the two of them were just drifting apart, never imagining that the person had been rotten in her memory.
She is usually gentle and calm, but when she gets really stubborn, nothing can change her mind.
The moment she reached the door, she couldn't help but turn back.
The man thought she was going to apologize and even blamed himself for being too hurtful with his words.
The woman suddenly knelt down, her face showing a look of resignation to her fate.
"Your Majesty, even if you don't want to hear it, I will speak. It's not because I am the Empress, nor because I am your wife. I do not wish for a dignified and majestic emperor to be smeared with filth. You are a ruler of great talent and ambition! If rumors spread that the monarch of a nation has been involved with prostitutes, what will the world think of you? Don't you care about your reputation for centuries to come? You admire Qin Shi Huang and Emperor Wu of Han, but which of them would associate with those filthy prostitutes? You will make the people doubt the true nature of their emperor—"
"Slap!" The man was furious and slapped him across the face.
A clear handprint instantly appeared on the woman's face.
"Ha! Empress, I say you are the Empress, you are the Empress. Without me, what are you? How dare you tell me what to do?!" The man's eyes blazed with anger.
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