“Lord Luo, that’s Her Majesty the Empress,” Zhao Junrui said softly.
The Empress, the mother of the nation, is the only daughter of Prime Minister Hu Shao and the legal mother of Crown Prince Zheng Jincheng.
Out of consideration for Ji Xiaoxiao's various identities, Luo Qing reluctantly sat down.
"Your Majesty, His Highness the Crown Prince is Lord Luo's son-in-law. A son-in-law is like half a son. It is only natural for Lord Luo to worry about His Highness the Crown Prince. Please understand." Zhao Junrui pleaded with Ji Xiaoxiao on behalf of Luo Qing.
Ji Xiaoxiao didn't understand or care about common human feelings.
Luo Qing yelled at her and called her by her first name, which was a challenge to her authority.
"I do not understand, Lord Zhao. What should we do then?"
Ji Xiaoxiao stood up, and Lanxin tactfully made way for her, helping Ji Xiaoxiao down.
Ji Xiaoxiao's unconventional actions left Zhao Junrui momentarily speechless.
After blinking for a long time, Zhao Junrui finally spoke, "Your Majesty, you are a role model for all people under heaven, and you should not be so narrow-minded..."
Before Zhao Junrui could finish speaking, Ji Xiaoxiao slapped him.
"Snap." The only sound in the hall was breathing.
Ji Xiaoxiao curled her lips and said, "I have heard people say that my reputation as a femme fatale who brought ruin to the country came from Lord Zhao. Is this the work of Lord Zhao?"
The affair of the femme fatale who brought ruin to the country was spearheaded by Zhao Junrui, the Minister of Rites, with the secret assistance of other officials who were dissatisfied with Hu Shao. If it weren't for Hu Shao's intervention, the original owner of the body might have been burned as a sacrifice to the heavens before the old emperor's novelty wore off.
"A wicked woman who brought ruin to the country was burned as a sacrifice to the heavens to appease the people and protect the peace of the nation."
Zhao Junrui suddenly knelt down, and said in fear and unease, "Your subject is guilty."
Zhao Junrui deliberately avoided specifying what the crime was. Those present were all seasoned veterans of officialdom, with decades of experience; Zhao Junrui's intentions were immediately clear to them.
This was not a crime of slander, but rather an offense of telling the truth that angered the Queen.
"Go ahead and hit me, curse me, hit me and curse me. You bully others and take advantage of others. Then I can remonstrate with you that you, Hu Miaotian, are not worthy to be the mother of a nation."
Zhao Junrui lowered his head, the shadows obscuring his malicious smile.
Ji Xiaoxiao hated people who beat around the bush. Zhao Junrui had set a trap for her, so why should she be polite to him? Ji Xiaoxiao used her inner strength to kick Zhao Junrui. The weak scholar crashed into a pillar in the hall, coughed up several mouthfuls of blood, opened his mouth angrily, closed his eyes, and fainted.
How could such a person exist in the world?
Zhao Junrui lost face completely in this battle with Ji Xiaoxiao.
Zhao Junrui was hurriedly sent to the Imperial Hospital by the palace servants, leaving the adults behind looking at each other, no longer daring to confront Ji Xiaoxiao.
Damn it, didn't you see that this little woman kicked a grown man unconscious with one kick? Going to cause trouble at this time is just asking for trouble, isn't it?
Of all those present, only Luo Qing was a military officer, possessing unparalleled martial arts skills and standing out from the crowd, unafraid of Ji Xiaoxiao.
Luo Qing pointed at Ji Xiaoxiao's nose and cursed, "Hu Miaotian, you have committed a serious crime by injuring an important court official. For the sake of the country and the people, I, the general, should arrest you and bring you to justice."
That sounds nice, but they just want to take this opportunity to get rid of this vixen.
Ji Xiaoxiao pulled out the golden phoenix hairpin from her hair and casually threw it out. A flash of golden light passed by, and when everyone opened their eyes again, General Luo Qing was nailed to the wall.
His extraordinary martial arts skills terrified everyone.
"Does anyone else have something to say?"
We weren't prepared enough today, but we'll try again another day!
The esteemed guests helped each other leave the Palace of Beauty, arriving empty-handed and leaving empty-handed. Their political enemies will surely laugh their heads off when they hear the news tomorrow.
On the way back, Prince Rong, Zheng Sa, who had been silent in the Yanjue Palace, walked side by side with Minister of Justice Situ Yu, whispering intimately to each other.
"What do you think of what happened today?" Zheng Sa asked.
“The Empress’s temperament has changed drastically; this pawn is probably no longer usable,” Situ Yu coldly analyzed.
Zheng Sa nodded in agreement and said, "Not only has she become a useless pawn, but the Empress may also become the biggest stumbling block to the Crown Prince's ascension to the throne. The Empress holds the title of the Crown Prince's legal mother. If the Empress says that the Crown Prince is morally flawed, it doesn't matter whether it's true or false. What matters is that the people and officials hear it. Three men can make a tiger, and many mouths can melt metal. Rumors can become true."
"Then what?"
Zheng Sa glanced at Luo Qing, who was being carried, and frowned deeply. "We shouldn't have let the Crown Prince marry Luo Qing's daughter in the first place. Although Luo Qing commands 100,000 troops in the Northwest, he is arrogant and always reckless. Apart from the military power he holds, he is otherwise... Hmph."
His words and tone were full of contempt and disdain.
Situ Yu sighed, "What's done is done, there's no point in saying more."
Zheng Sa was well aware of this principle, but it was truly perplexing that a game that seemed like a sure win had somehow ended up in a desperate and precarious situation.
"The Empress dislikes the Crown Prince, so it seems that old scoundrel Hu Shao must be happy."
When Situ Yu mentioned Hu Shao, Zheng Sa was on the verge of tears.
Hu Shaohui supports Zheng Jincheng, and most discerning people know this to some extent. If you don't want others to know, then don't do it in the first place; the affair between Hu Miaotian and Zheng Jincheng cannot be hidden from everyone.
With Zheng Jincheng losing Hu Shao's support, and even facing difficulties from Hu Shao, it's still far from whether he can ascend the throne. Not to mention, Zheng Jincheng's position as crown prince is probably in jeopardy.
Situ Yu and Zheng Sa had both witnessed Hu Shao's methods. If Hu Shao truly wanted to deal with Zheng Jincheng, even if they wanted to protect him, they would probably be powerless to stop him.
"Your Highness, what should we do?"
They've already boarded Zheng Jincheng's pirate ship; even if they get off, they won't be law-abiding citizens anymore.
Zheng Sa did not approve of Zheng Jincheng going to marry Luo Qingshuang, but Zheng Jincheng was determined to marry her. He not only killed his first wife, but also took it upon himself to personally go and propose marriage. Zheng Sa wanted to whip Zheng Jincheng to death. How could a grown man be so petty? A mere Weiyuan General, how could his value compare to that of the Prime Minister and the Empress?
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