Jiang Jiuniang and Lu Baichuan's mood also plummeted to rock bottom at this moment. Regardless of whether this was the emperor's intention or not, since someone had started to bring it up, the voices would not easily fall silent.
Moreover, the emperor merely told the man to shut up without offering any explanation or offering any defense of them.
Indeed, the phrase "his achievements overshadowed his master" was perfectly exemplified at this moment.
Jiang Jiuniang sat back down with a sullen face, radiating anger. Although Sun Shi didn't quite understand what this meant, she knew it was bad for their family. She wanted to ask Jiang Jiuniang what was going on, but Old Man Lu pulled her back and whispered, "We'll talk about it when we get home."
Then Sun realized that there were too many people around and it was inconvenient to talk, so she quickly shut her mouth.
The Empress, sitting above, felt uneasy seeing Jiang Jiuniang's state. She wondered if today's events were a coincidence. If it was Lord Zhong's own idea, that would be fine, but if it was at the Emperor's behest, then she truly felt sorry for Jiang Jiuniang.
She glanced at the emperor beside her, chatting and laughing with his courtiers, and felt a strange, indescribable feeling.
Has he changed so much in just one year since he ascended the throne?
After the banquet ended, Jiang Jiuniang left quickly. If it were before, she would definitely have gone to chat with the Empress. The Empress originally planned to explain to her when she went over later, but she didn't expect her to leave directly with her family.
On her way home, Mrs. Sun still asked herself the question that was puzzling her: "What exactly happened? Although that person said some very rude things, you didn't have to get so angry. Is it something very serious?"
She didn't know much about court affairs, and her desire to understand wasn't because she was particularly gossipy; she simply wanted to clarify things so she could have a better understanding in the future and avoid making mistakes.
Jiang Jiuniang understood what she meant, and even though she was very annoyed, she still explained to her, "If it was just that person's disgusting words, I would let it go. But I'm afraid it's the emperor's intention. The one who really wants things is the emperor, or rather, the one who wants to take away the power in our hands is the emperor."
"What really angers me is that if this was truly at the Emperor's behest, then all these years we've been helping an ungrateful wretch. I personally went to the border to do so many things, and even brought the Empress along on business trips. What did I gain from all this? Did I think I was the reincarnation of a saint?"
At this point, Jiang Jiuniang sneered. She had decided to help them because she thought the couple could still get along, so she tried to help as much as possible. And this was already like this in such a short time. What would happen in the future?
It's best not to push her too far. If you push her too far, she'll just take her whole family and move to Dongting for refuge. Who's afraid of who?
If the Eastern Court royal family can't handle those messes, she wouldn't mind helping them. Who knows, she might even become an empress herself.
But that was just wishful thinking; she wasn't really interested in that position.
Hearing her say this, Madam Sun realized that things were getting serious, and it took her a long time to finally speak: "You mean, the Emperor is becoming estranged from us?"
Sun was a clever woman, but no matter what, she still had the simple, rural mindset of a rural woman who believed that if she treated others well, they would treat her well in return.
Previously, they had close ties with the Emperor's family, and she treated them like her own relatives. Knowing that the Empress liked her family's pickled vegetables, she would send some to the Empress every few days. Who would have thought that they would fall out so soon?
She didn't quite understand; wasn't it better to do things the way they did before?
Jiang Jiuniang shook her head: "It's not certain yet. These are just my guesses. We need to see what the emperor's attitude is."
After all, this was someone she had helped wholeheartedly, so Jiang Jiuniang didn't want to jump to conclusions easily. In her heart, she didn't want to think of the emperor as such a bad person.
Madam Sun nodded and said, "You're right. We need to find out the specifics of the matter before drawing conclusions. We can't just wrong someone."
It was already late at night, but the Empress was reluctant to go to sleep in her palace.
"Your Majesty, the Emperor is still busy. Why don't you rest first?"
The palace maid beside her tried to persuade her, but she was also somewhat worried.
After returning from the banquet, the Empress seemed preoccupied. She didn't even hug the little prince when he cried. Instead, she sent someone to find the Emperor and say that she had something to say and asked him to come over after he finished his business.
The Emperor has been busy with matters lately and occasionally stays overnight there, so the Empress hasn't reacted much. Why does she insist on having the Emperor come over tonight?
"Go and rest, I'll wait a little longer."
The Empress waved her hand, and the palace maid knew that her mind was made up, so she didn't say anything more. She just stood silently by her side and waited. Her mistress hadn't rested yet, so how could she go to sleep?
The emperor didn't arrive until late at night. After the banquet, he went back to handle some matters. The empress sent someone to say she needed to speak with him, but he wasn't in a hurry to go back. He figured she was tired and would go to sleep first, and they could talk about it tomorrow.
When he arrived, he found the Empress still sitting and waiting for him. Feeling a little guilty, he quickened his pace and walked forward.
"Why isn't Xin'er asleep yet?"
The empress did not answer him, and tried to get up to curtsy, but he stopped her: "We've been married for so long, what are you doing?"
He frowned and gestured for the palace maid standing beside him to leave.
After the palace maid left, only the two of them remained. The Empress then said, "Now that His Majesty is like this, I am too apprehensive to even think about forgetting the rules."
That simple sentence made the emperor's heart skip a beat, and he felt even more guilty.
"I don't quite understand what you're talking about."
His guilty conscience was obvious, and even the Empress didn't want to expose him.
But she couldn't leave it unexposed, since she had been waiting for him tonight specifically for this matter.
So she took a deep breath and said directly, "Then I will speak frankly. What Lord Zhong said at the banquet tonight, was it at His Majesty's behest?"
"Why do you say that, Your Majesty? Am I...am I that kind of person?"
The emperor raised his voice, trying to cover up his guilty conscience.
The Empress twitched the corner of her mouth: "Your Majesty just said that after all these years of marriage, do you think I wouldn't see through Your Majesty's attempts to cover things up?"
The emperor remained silent, which clearly meant he acquiesced.
The Empress sighed softly, not intending to play games with him, and said directly, "Although I shouldn't interfere in court affairs, Your Majesty's actions tonight were not gentlemanly!"
"Your Majesty knows very well that without Jiu Niang and her husband, Your Majesty would not have achieved this so quickly. I still vividly remember how much suffering you endured at the beginning. In my heart, Your Majesty is a good emperor who is wholeheartedly for the people and treats your court officials very well. Sincerity begets sincerity, which is why so many people serve Your Majesty."
"During the border war, Jiu Niang developed new weapons, which reduced our casualties and helped us achieve victory ahead of schedule. She even went to the border herself to help the people there live a better life. All of this was because she knew the Emperor was a good emperor and deserved it. But why did the Emperor do this tonight? Does the Emperor want to hurt the sincerity of his loyal minister like this?"
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