"Your Majesty, the young master of the Shen family is outside requesting an audience."
Emperor Chongde paused at Eunuch Fu's words, his expression darkening: "Has Yun'an caused trouble again?"
Shen Ci entered the palace at this hour not for any other reason than to have something to do with Yun An.
Eunuch Fu chuckled awkwardly and didn't respond. Emperor Chongde rubbed his forehead, looking slightly tired, and raised his hand to indicate, "Alright, let him in."
Shen Ci bowed as he entered, and Emperor Chongde looked up to examine him. Seeing his melancholy expression, he feigned incomprehension and raised an eyebrow: "Why does Minister Shen look like that?"
A look of struggle flashed across Shen Ci's face. Suddenly, he knelt down with a thud, his knees slamming heavily onto the ground.
This display of power caused Emperor Chongde to frown slightly, and even Eunuch Fu was startled.
He clasped his hands in a fist salute, his expression filled with indignation: "Your Majesty, I have something to say that I must get off my chest. Please forgive me!"
For Yun An to be so angry, his behavior this time must have been quite excessive. The emperor felt a terrible headache, but his heart remained largely unmoved: "Tell me first, what exactly happened?"
Shen Ci pursed his lips tightly, his jawline clenched so tightly that it seemed he was trying his best to control his emotions: "Your Majesty, I know that the princess is the apple of your eye and has been pampered since childhood. Therefore, even if the princess occasionally does something excessive, I have always tolerated it. But this time, I really can't bear it anymore!"
Upon hearing this, Eunuch Fu couldn't help but break out in a cold sweat for him. Young Master Shen was indeed too young. To talk about the princess's shortcomings in front of His Majesty was tantamount to slapping His Majesty in the face.
Emperor Chongde remained expressionless, tapping his fingertips lightly on the armrest a few times, his eyes thoughtful: "Oh? What outrageous thing has this girl done this time to make Shen Qing so angry?"
Shen Ci seemed to have thought of something, and a humiliated expression appeared on his face: "The princess invited me to her residence today, and I was overjoyed to accept the invitation, but I never expected to see that the princess had summoned a lot of entertainers to make merry."
Emperor Chongde paused. He was not entirely unaware of Yun'an's private lifestyle, but in his opinion, it was not a major problem. It was better to associate with actors than to form cliques and engage in private affairs.
As long as it doesn't escalate to the public, it's fine to turn a blind eye.
But this girl is really outrageous. She is so unrestrained in front of Shen Ci. Isn't she just handing over a ready-made handle to him?
He frowned, but that wasn't the worst of it. Before he could speak, Shen Ci continued, "Not only that, the princess also wants me..."
His face flushed red, and he seemed unable to speak, squeezing out a sentence with difficulty from between his teeth: "I, too, must serve the princess's amusement, just like those actors!"
Grandpa Fu took a deep breath and stared in astonishment.
The princess is so foolish!
Shen Ci was, after all, the third-ranked scholar appointed by His Majesty, a proper court official. How could he be so servile as an actor?
Isn't this trampling on the dignity of all civil and military officials?
Emperor Chongde's face also darkened abruptly, and he slammed his hand heavily on the imperial desk: "Insolence! I have spoiled her too much in the past, which has led to her becoming so lawless!"
Fortunately, Shen Ci came directly to him, so he was able to cover it up a bit. If the censors and their ilk found out about this, he couldn't even imagine how chaotic the morning court would become!
Seeing that His Majesty was angry, the palace servants in the hall knelt down tremblingly.
Shen Ci looked as if he wanted to say something but hesitated. Seeing this, Emperor Chongde raised his hand and said, "Don't worry, Shen Qing. The fault lies with Yun An. I will definitely punish her severely and give you an explanation!"
That being said, Shen Ci didn't believe deep down that His Majesty would actually do anything to Yun'an. Every time, it was all bark and no bite; at most, His Majesty would just give him a verbal lecture.
Ultimately, the matter simply wasn't blown up big enough.
His eyes suddenly flashed, and the face he had seen at the princess's residence that looked exactly like his cousin, the crown prince, appeared in his mind. Shen Ci's mind suddenly stirred.
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