Yi Zexuan smiled helplessly: "Whatever you say."
"But now that this has happened, I don't know if it will delay the autumn hunt."
"No matter what they do, the autumn hunt still needs to be done for outsiders, so it won't be delayed."
"Okay, I thought I could slack off for a while."
Upon hearing this, Yi Zexuan sighed softly: "I thought you would see this as a chance to relax."
Yuan Ruo shrugged: "However, no. When I participated with the prince a couple of years ago, I was either hunting or on my way to hunt. I never had a moment of peace. It was good enough if I wasn't exhausted."
"That's really unfair to you."
Yuan Ruo said with an arrogant expression, "Who told me to be so meticulous and hardworking?"
"Alright, alright, if you keep talking, you'll start to feel like you're floating on air."
Meanwhile, at Su Lixia's place...
Su Lixia was very embarrassed. She had just told them that she would wait until the Princess's Mansion was finished before going back. If she suddenly went back now, they might think she was crazy!
Su Lixia rubbed her head speechlessly and muttered to herself, "Isn't it just that you're sick? You didn't take the chance when I gave you one, and now that you don't have another chance, you're getting anxious?"
After saying that, he sighed again, lay down on the couch with a thud, and sighed once more.
That night…
Su Lixia tossed and turned on the couch, unable to sleep. She woke up at the crack of dawn, half-asleep and half-awake, having barely slept a wink. Once awake, she felt incredibly sleepy, closed her eyes, and quickly fell into a deep sleep.
Meanwhile, inside the palace…
The ministers waited outside the gate for the court session, whispering amongst themselves. Suddenly, a loud voice rang out, and they fell silent instantly, lining up and entering the hall in an orderly fashion.
The lord looked haggard, with dark circles under his eyes, and seemed to have no strength in his body. He sat on the dragon throne, supporting his drooping head with one hand, without even lifting his head.
He said to himself, "If you have anything to report, please do so. Five matters, and the court will adjourn."
Unexpectedly, several ministers appeared at once, and all they were talking about was the Empress.
Upon hearing this, the lord abruptly raised his head: "What did you say? Say it again."
"So the leader said it again."
"Guards! These men have slandered the Empress and have no morals whatsoever. Throw them in jail!" The lord shouted these words with a heart-wrenching voice, and soon two soldiers entered the room.
"What can the two of you do? Go and call a few more people!" the lord roared.
"Wait," a deep voice called out to them.
Yi Zexuan's voice has always given people a cold feeling, let alone such a deep and powerful voice.
The panicked adults immediately calmed down.
"I have also heard about this rumor. Although it is Your Majesty's own family matter, it is ultimately the Empress's doing. I naturally do not believe that the Empress would do such a thing. However, I would like to assure you, gentlemen, whether she can shoulder the responsibility of being the Empress. Moreover, I suppose the Emperor's father-in-law is also very curious about this."
Upon hearing this, the father-in-law was already on edge when he suddenly heard Yi Zexuan call his name, which startled him.
In fact, the emperor's father-in-law was furious when he first heard them talk about his daughter like that, but when he saw the emperor's strong reaction, he became uneasy.
"It would be good if it could prove my daughter's innocence."
Hearing him say the same thing, the lord sat slumped in his chair, uttering weakly, "Go and summon the Empress."
The father-in-law was slow to react and didn't realize that he was being called. Suddenly, the master looked up and glared at him. After realizing what was happening, the latter immediately left.
The Empress had been feeling unwell for the past two days, so she stayed in her palace and didn't go to that person's residence. Moreover, it was as if she had blocked out all outside information, as she hadn't heard a single word about it.
As her father-in-law approached, she leisurely lay on the chaise lounge, with palace maids doing her nails on the floor.
"Why is Father-in-law here so early in the morning?"
Seeing that she didn't seem to know about this, the father-in-law relaxed a bit and said as usual, "His Majesty wishes to see the Empress and has sent us to invite her."
The Empress was somewhat puzzled: "Isn't this the time for the morning court session? What business does Your Majesty have with me?"
"In the morning, since no one had anything to report, the morning court session was adjourned."
The Empress sat up and confidently said, "I understand. These ministers are really clueless."
The father-in-law chuckled awkwardly twice: "Your Majesty is right."
"Alright, let's go first. We can fix the nails when we get back. The Emperor's side is more important."
"Yes." So the palace maid finished packing and left.
"Please wait a moment, Your Excellency, while I tidy my clothes."
The father-in-law nodded and said, "Your Highness, take your time, there's no need to rush."
My father-in-law waited anxiously at the door, his forehead beaded with sweat from nervousness.
When the Empress came out and saw him like this, she couldn't help but frown and tease him, "It's not even a hot day, how can you still be sweating so much, Eunuch? Your health is getting worse and worse, you'll have to have a doctor take a good look at you later."
"Thank you for your concern, Your Majesty. I have indeed been feeling unwell these past few days, but it's nothing serious."
"Alright, alright, let's hurry up and go. The sooner we get there, the sooner you can get some rest."
So the two of them hurried over.
Upon reaching the outside of the main hall, the Empress suddenly sensed something was amiss and asked softly, "Wasn't it said that the ministers had already left the court? But why do I see quite a few people still inside?"
Someone inside the room turned their head and saw the Empress, and immediately shouted, "Your Majesty is here! Your Majesty has finally arrived!" This person had been waiting for a long time, and their legs were aching from standing.
Hearing the sound, the Empress panicked even more and tugged at the eunuch, asking, "What's going on?"
"Guards, bring the Empress in," the lord said helplessly.
Soon after, people came and carried her inside.
The Empress was somewhat flustered. She glanced at her father, whose face was full of worry, and then at her lord, whose brows were furrowed and whose face was ashen. She asked, "I wonder what mistake I have made to deserve such treatment?"
"You must already know the rumors about you in the palace. If you tell the truth yourself, instead of having it exposed by others, I will spare your life out of consideration for our years of marriage."
Upon hearing this, the Empress immediately knew what it might be about. She knelt down, raised her hand in a gesture of swearing, and said with a sincere expression, "This concubine has truly not heard any rumors, nor does she know what wrong this concubine has committed?"
"Everyone in the palace knows about it. I don't believe you haven't heard a thing." He was naturally disappointed to hear the Empress say that, since almost everyone in the palace knew about this scandal.
"I really don't know. Did someone deliberately fabricate some rumors and spread them to bewitch people and mislead Your Majesty? Your Majesty can send someone to me to find out if anyone knows about this. That way, you can find out if someone deliberately prevented the people in my palace from knowing about it, and that's how this happened."
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