"Yun An, you've gone too far this time!"
Emperor Chongde casually tossed the memorial aside, looked down at the person below him, and said with disapproval in his eyes: "Shen Ci is, after all, the third-ranked scholar appointed by me. Your humiliation of him is a disgrace to the entire court of civil officials!"
He was not just talking about verbal and written criticism; even he had to show some respect to historians. But Yun An was different; he directly trampled on people's faces!
Princess Yun'an pouted: "Father, I was merely testing him to see if he was qualified to be the prince consort! How can this be considered an insult?"
Emperor Chongde's face turned cold, and his tone was meaningful: "I do not wish for such a thing to happen a second time. Furthermore, I advise you to refrain from provoking Shen Ci!"
At such a young age, he can endure what ordinary people cannot. This shows the character of the young master of the Shen family. With Yun An's abilities, he is probably no match for him!
Yun An, however, did not take it seriously and replied perfunctorily, "Father, I understand."
Emperor Chongde had little hope for her anyway, and waved his hand, deciding to ignore her: "Alright, you may leave!"
After Yun An left, Eunuch Fu came in from outside, looking strange: "Your Majesty, news just came that Scholar Chi and Vice Minister Chi got into a fight in the street!"
"Oh? Aren't these two family members?" Emperor Chongde narrowed his eyes, a hint of interest in his expression. "Do you know why?"
Eunuch Fu frowned, his tone cautious: "It could be because of Young Madam Chi. It's said that Young Master Chi was pulling and tugging at her in the street, and Scholar Chi saw it."
"The Shen family's daughter?" Emperor Chongde's eyes added a hint of intrigue. "This Shen family's daughter does have some ability, managing to provoke two of my beloved ministers into a fight."
Throughout history, those considered femme fatales have rarely met a good end.
Eunuch Fu's heart sank, but he smiled calmly: "Your Majesty may have forgotten that Miss Shen almost married Minister Chi, but it was all by chance. Perhaps Minister Chi regrets it now."
"Now that you mention it, I do remember."
——
Does it hurt?
Shen Tangning was applying ointment to Chi Yan, her brows furrowed.
He was actually quite concerned about saving face at this moment, and said in a nonchalant tone, "It doesn't hurt, it's just a little injury, it's nothing... Ouch! Be gentle!"
His composure crumbled instantly; his voice suddenly rose, and he let out a scream.
She slowly withdrew her hand, her tone ambiguous: "Didn't you say it didn't hurt?"
Chi Yan thought to herself, "That can't stop you from going all out!"
He blinked, forced a smile, and said cautiously, "If Madam could have used a little less force, it wouldn't have hurt so much!"
"How will you learn your lesson if you go easy on him?" Shen Tangning snorted, paused, and looked at him thoughtfully. "I didn't suffer any loss, so why did you insist on fighting him today, especially in front of so many people?"
She wasn't blaming him, but he was on the rise and many people were watching him. Wasn't this just handing someone a handle to use against him?
Chi Yan rested his chin on his arm, turned his head upon hearing this, and said with displeasure, "He dared to pull and shove you in front of so many people today, and it just so happened that I was there. What if I hadn't been there?"
Shen Tangning was taken aback; she hadn't really considered that.
Thinking about it carefully, Chi Jingyu is a man, and he has also been reborn. If he were to do something to her in a desperate situation, she might not be able to handle it on her own.
“Well… even if you’re unhappy, you could have secretly beaten him with a sack!” After saying that, she coughed awkwardly and frowned. “Now look what’s happened. His Majesty will definitely question us at the morning court tomorrow.”
A mocking smile played on his lips: "Do you think His Majesty would trust a flawless minister more, or a minister who would risk everything for a woman?"
Shen Tangning's eyes widened, her tone incredulous: "You did this on purpose?"
"No, that's not it." Chi Yan touched his nose guiltily.
"..."
Beating up Chi Jingyu was indeed a spur-of-the-moment decision, but he considered the consequences halfway through.
Compared to Chi Jingyu, he had no family background to rely on, no good reputation to back him up, and was a newcomer with no connections whatsoever.
Such a knife would be perfect for an emperor, and if it were to reveal any flaws, Emperor Chongde would feel even more at ease.
Therefore, he will most likely not be punished at tomorrow's morning court session, and even if he is, it will be insignificant.
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