A series of smashing and looting sounds came from Fengyi Palace.
The palace servants were terrified and trembled, kneeling down in fear.
The emperor stood at a distance with Chen Banjun, and upon his signal, the palace servants dared not go in to inform the empress.
All that could be heard from inside the room was the Empress's angry shouts, "That lowly girl who grew up in the countryside, now that she has gained power, she dares to bully even me! I am, after all, her future mother-in-law. She has thrown all the filial piety and female precepts to the dogs!"
If I had known this would happen, I shouldn't have lowered myself to arrange a marriage for the Crown Prince. That filthy thing from a poor family, if she didn't have me as her backer, how could she, a widow, possibly enter the gates of my royal family?
Without me, could she have single-handedly established a charitable institution and earned such a good reputation?
Ungrateful and ungrateful, now they even instigate the censor's vicious dogs to tear me apart, you lowly foot-washing maid.
Just you wait, I refuse to believe that this vicious and wicked bastard will ever have a good end…
The emperor did not listen any further.
After knowing and loving each other for decades, this was the first time he realized that the empress, who had always appeared gentle and refined, could utter such vulgar words.
Once outside the hospital, he instructed Chen Banjun, "The Empress has been too irritable lately. Have Feng Xing prescribe some calming pills for her."
"You and the inner court will take over the affairs of the harem. The Empress is worried about the Crown Prince, so she will devote herself to Buddhist practices and praying for his well-being."
Upon receiving the order, Chen Banjun turned and returned to Fengyi Palace to deliver the decree.
The reason the Empress was so angry just now was not only because she learned that the officials had impeached her and disapproved of her interfering in state affairs, but also because Ye Zhen had kicked her out of the Charity Hall.
The emperor had promised Shi Yan this, but he hadn't told her, and she only found out today.
He harbored resentment towards the emperor but dared not curse him, so he could only curse Ye Zhen.
Unexpectedly, the emperor has now even stripped her of her right to manage the harem. She angrily said, "I want to see His Majesty."
Chen Banjun advised, "Your Majesty, His Majesty cannot ignore the sentiments of the officials. Please calm down."
If Your Majesty wanted to see the Empress, she has already come out. If the Empress makes a scene again, wouldn't that only annoy Your Majesty?
As the emperor's trusted confidant, he naturally had to find a way to stop it.
The Empress's brows furrowed sharply. "I heard that Ye Zhen found you an adopted son. So, you've received benefits from Ye Zhen and now you're going to help her oppose me?"
"Your Majesty, this old servant has never thought of such a thing, nor would I dare to."
Chen Banjun's eyes showed some displeasure, but her tone remained respectful, "Your Majesty, His Majesty was just outside the palace."
He decided to be more explicit.
The Empress's expression froze.
In other words, the emperor heard all the things she said when she cursed?
She was well aware of how harsh her words had been, and that the emperor must be angry, which was why he was unwilling to see her.
She suppressed her anger and calmed herself down. "I was just angry. I lost Prince Yun and I was afraid that His Majesty and the Crown Prince would be bewitched by Ye Zhen and lose their hearts to me."
She began to complain, “When Your Majesty first ascended the throne, it was so difficult. Your Majesty and I were husband and wife, and we supported each other to get to where we are today.”
As you know, over the years I have been reluctant to let His Majesty be overworked, so I have shared many burdens with him.
But now, the Imperial Censor Wang and his son are leading the impeachment against me for interfering in politics and acting like roosters crowing at dawn. How can I not feel upset?
The Wang family is close to Ye Zhen. I heard that the Wang family mother-in-law and daughter-in-law even went with Da Wei this time. They are all Ye Zhen's people. This matter was clearly instigated by Ye Zhen.
I pride myself on having treated her well before, but she's already trying to suppress me and sow discord between me and His Majesty even before she's married into the family. How can I not be angry?
Chen Banjun lowered his eyes.
The memorial impeaching the Empress for interfering in politics was indeed written by the Imperial Censor Wang and his son, along with the Minister of the Court of Judicial Review.
They were all the Crown Prince's men, and must have been instructed by him to do so. His Majesty did not want the Empress to know, lest the situation become even more tense, so he kept the matter a secret.
But the Empress found out about what His Majesty was keeping from her so quickly.
It's clear that Imperial Censor Wang and the others were right; the Empress was indeed acting out of line and interfering far too much.
Seeing that he remained silent, the Empress poured out her grievances for a few more minutes, and finally said, "That Lady Ping harbors deep resentment towards the court. You may not be able to raise her child properly. Why don't I find you a child from a respectable family?"
"Thank you for your kindness, Your Highness, but this old servant is not worthy of it. I really like that child."
He scoffed inwardly.
It's no secret that he wants to find someone to carry on the family line; if the Empress were so inclined, why would she have waited until today?
When the Empress saw that he refused, she said no more. She had lowered herself to win over a servant, but he was not appreciative, so there was no reason for her to go out of her way to please him.
As for her complaints, she didn't expect Chen Banjun to agree.
It wasn't meant for Chen Banjun to hear, but rather to be passed on to the emperor through Chen Banjun's words.
Chen Banjun did not hide anything and told her everything without missing a single word.
But relaying messages is a skill; tone of voice and pauses, even slight variations in emphasis, can convey entirely different meanings.
Chen Banjun is clearly a master of this art.
Therefore, what the emperor heard was not the empress's complaints, but the empress's grievances against the emperor.
She complained that when the emperor was not in a stable position, he needed the empress's help in everything, but now that he no longer needed her help, she was turning her back on him.
When the emperor thought of the empress's words scolding Ye Zhen for being ungrateful, he couldn't help but wonder if the empress thought the same of him.
He was utterly shocked to hear the Empress cursing with his own ears.
The upright and incorruptible censor was portrayed as a vicious dog in her eyes. What then was the emperor?
After sharing a bed for decades, he didn't understand her at all.
Therefore, the empress did not wait for the emperor to coax her, and threw another tantrum.
The news that the emperor had not seen the empress for ten consecutive days spread throughout the capital and reached Ye Zhen's ears.
She was leading Su Luoqing and Cui Yihuan in fishing.
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