Soon the imperial physician arrived at the imperial study. After examining the young master, he said to the emperor, "Your Majesty, young master Cui has suffered a severe blow to his lower body. He must avoid sexual activity in the future and be more disciplined in his daily life, otherwise he may become a cripple."
These were all pre-arranged statements by the Empress, intended to force Xu Yuehuai to submit.
Upon hearing this, Cui Zige started shouting and making a scene, "I'm a cripple, all thanks to you!" After saying that, she stood up and prepared to hit Xu Yuehuai.
The emperor gestured with his chin, and immediately guards pulled Cui Zige away. Although he was pulled away, he continued to bar his teeth and claws at Xu Yuehuai, making Xu Yuehuai wonder in her heart if her kick back then was really that powerful.
"Your Majesty, this time you must give the Cui family an explanation no matter what. Even if Cui Zige made a lewd move on Xu Yuehuai, she can't just kick him into a cripple, can she?" the Empress said indignantly.
"Empress, are you joking? Your Cui Zige is a human being, but I am not? What do you mean that even if he makes a lewd move on me, I can't kick him into a cripple? His manhood is important, but my chastity isn't?" Xu Yuehuai sneered and retorted after hearing the Empress's ridiculous remarks.
"I didn't say that, don't make things up." The Queen immediately realized that her words were inappropriate and hurriedly defended herself.
"I'm just spouting nonsense? Your Majesty, weren't you quite eloquent just now? How come you've become mute now?" Xu Yuehuai continued to press on, giving the Empress no room to breathe.
The Emperor frowned. It seemed that the Empress wanted to use the fact that Cui Zige had become a cripple to force Xu Yuehuai to submit. Whether she was really crippled was still uncertain, but the intention to coerce was obvious. What was the difference between this and forcing a good woman into prostitution?
He was also in a dilemma. Although Cui Zige was in the wrong, he had also become a cripple. What should he do?
"Actually, it's not a big deal. You two can just get married, and the matter will be resolved. Couples often quarrel and then make up. The fact that he became a cripple because of you is nothing," the Empress said, waving her hand dismissively.
"Your Majesty has really thought this through. If it hadn't been your nephew who had taken liberties with me, but some ordinary street thug, I wonder if Your Majesty would still have said those things?" Xu Yuehuai showed no mercy to the Empress. She could see that the Empress was trying to use this incident to pressure her and force her to submit. She would never give her that chance.
For a moment, neither side could convince the other, and the situation became tense.
The Empress looked at the Emperor, the Emperor looked at Cui Zige, Cui Zige looked at Xu Yuehuai, and Xu Yuehuai looked at the Emperor.
No one spoke again.
Just then, a eunuch's voice came from outside: "Your Majesty, His Highness the Regent and Princess Yinshan are outside requesting an audience."
"Send it over." The Emperor's brow immediately relaxed a little.
He was initially hesitant about how to handle the situation, but unexpectedly, his helper arrived instantly.
...
Meanwhile, the prime minister walked out of the palace gate in a daze.
Once upon a time, he was a figure of great prestige walking this road, but now he is forgotten and even his life is in danger.
He leaned against the wall for a while, and finally gave a bitter laugh, muttering: In the end, I've become the kind of person I used to despise the most.
After saying that, he started walking towards the Ningyuan Marquis's residence, ultimately having no choice but to try and please him.
Inside the Marquis's residence.
"My lord, the Prime Minister requests an audience outside the gate," a guard announced cautiously, as the Marquis of Ningyuan was taking a nap and he didn't want to risk offending him.
"Oh?" Marquis Ningyuan opened his eyes upon hearing this, but closed them again after a moment, casually patting his knee as he asked, "Did he come alone?"
"He came alone, and he was the one who knocked on the door," the guard replied respectfully.
“Alright, go to the door and tell him right away,” Ning Yuanhou sat up, a smile playing on his lips. “Just tell him I’m taking a nap and he doesn’t dare wake me. Tell him to wait for me at the door for half an hour.”
"Ah? My lord, that is the current prime minister. Isn't it rather inappropriate to act like this?" The guard was startled and stood there for a moment to confirm.
"I ask you, who am I? Whose house is this? Whose orders do you take? Who will take responsibility if something goes wrong?" Marquis Ningyuan asked, raising an eyebrow.
"You are the Marquis of Ningyuan, this is your residence. We will follow your orders. If anything goes wrong, you will be held responsible," the guard replied respectfully.
"Go ahead," said Marquis Ningyuan, waving his hand.
The guards immediately went to inform the Prime Minister.
"What? You want me to wait half an hour? Do you even know who I am?" The Prime Minister was furious upon hearing this and was about to explode in anger.
"I don't care who you are, but don't forget who you're here to see," the guard said coldly, having already received a clear instruction from Marquis Ningyuan.
"You!" The prime minister was immediately enraged and wanted to lash out, but he held back after thinking of his own life.
...
Half an hour passed in the blink of an eye, and the guards led the Prime Minister into the mansion. He had been in the sun for half an hour and was now hot and thirsty. To make matters worse, the maids in the mansion poured him a cup of scalding hot tea, which made him feel extremely uncomfortable. However, since he needed their help, he had to endure it and patiently wait for the tea to cool down.
Unexpectedly, after the tea cooled down, before the Prime Minister could even take a sip, Marquis Ningyuan came out apologetically and said, "I'm sorry, Prime Minister, the Duke of Zhou insisted on playing chess with me, and I accidentally slept in a little longer. Please forgive me."
After speaking, he accidentally knocked over the tea on the table. His expression immediately changed, and he scolded the maid beside him, "How can you serve the Prime Minister cold tea? Quickly pour him another cup. You really don't know any manners." After saying that, he spilled the tea in the cup on the ground.
The Prime Minister's face turned pale and then red; it was clear that Marquis Ningyuan was deliberately humiliating him.
First, he was made to stand in the sun at the door for half an hour. After entering the mansion, he was not given water to drink. He could only stare blankly at the scalding hot water. When it finally cooled down, he spilled it on the ground.
He could no longer contain himself and stood up, shouting, "Marquis Ningyuan, don't go too far!"
"Can't take it already? The worst is yet to come. Want some water? Want to live? If you want to live, then do as I say," Marquis Ningyuan said with a sneer. As he spoke, he took a cup of cold tea from the maid's hand and casually put it on the ground, saying, "You lie on the ground and bark like a dog twice, and this water is yours, and so is your life."
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