When Emperor Jingming asked this question, the ministers’ gazes towards him suddenly became subtle.
The Emperor’s inquiry was rather broad.
Generally speaking, what status could a woman who becomes someone’s mistress have? At best, she might be the daughter of a poor family, but most often, they didn’t come from respectable backgrounds.
In such situations, the focus was usually on how to deal with the man pursuing an official career. Who would care about the background of a mistress?
There was another reason for the ministers’ subtle looks: rumors circulated that the mistress’s surname was Cui, and she was dressed like a young lady. Now there was a theory that the woman was Miss Cui, the daughter of Princess Rongyang.
This rumor was somewhat bizarre, and both the Zhu family and the Earl of Dongping’s household remained silent about it.
But there’s no smoke without fire, right? It might be true.
Of course, whether true or false, they wouldn’t bring up a woman’s identity in such a setting.
Emperor Jingming coldly observed the ministers’ expressions, feeling not the least bit embarrassed.
What’s wrong with asking out of curiosity?
Emperor Jingming ultimately didn’t get an answer, dismissing the court amidst the ministers’ strange silence.
Returning to the Imperial Study, Emperor Jingming sat on the dragon throne, feeling increasingly perplexed as he pondered.
Those old fellows’ attitudes were too strange.
After much thought, Emperor Jingming called out, “Pan Hai.”
Pan Hai quickly responded, “This slave is here.”
“This matter has caused such a commotion, many people must know about it, right? Go and find out the specific details.”
Pan Hai, as the Superintendent of the Eastern Depot, was more than capable of gathering intelligence. He soon returned with an odd expression.
“What is it?” Having been together for many years, not only did Pan Hai understand Emperor Jingming, but Emperor Jingming also understood Pan Hai. Seeing his expression, he knew something was amiss.
Pan Hai hesitated only for a moment before truthfully reporting, “In response to Your Majesty, the woman involved with Zhu Ziyu is the daughter of Cui Xu and Princess Rongyang…”
Seeing Emperor Jingming’s lack of immediate response, Pan Hai thoughtfully added, “Your niece…”
Emperor Jingming nearly grabbed the inkstone from the dragon’s desk to smash Pan Hai’s head.
This bastard Pan Hai, did he think his mind had dulled with age? Of course, he knew that Rongyang’s daughter was his niece!
Emperor Jingming stood up, pacing back and forth in the Imperial Study, angered by this news. Even the story books hidden under the mountain of memorials lost their appeal.
What were storybooks compared to this? Was there anything more shocking than the niece of the Emperor of a great nation entangled with a married man?
If such a story appeared in a storybook, he would have laughed it off as absurd.
“Are you certain?” Emperor Jingming, unable to maintain his composure, pressed further.
Pan Hai kept his head lowered: “Princess Rongyang went to the Zhu family, and someone from the Palace of Compassion and Tranquility went to the Earl of Dongping’s mansion…”
Emperor Jingming was surprised again: “What does this have to do with the Earl of Dongping’s household?”
Recently, the Earl of Dongping’s household seemed to appear frequently in his ears, to the extent that he had a deep impression of this ordinary earl’s family. He even remembered they had a fourth miss who had received his jade ruyi.
He wondered if that unfortunate girl had been married off yet— Emperor Jingming suddenly felt he was overthinking and awkwardly returned to the present.
Pan Hai also had a strange expression when mentioning the Earl of Dongping’s household: “In reply to Your Majesty, Zhu Ziyu’s legal wife is the eldest miss of the Earl of Dongping’s family. After the incident, the Earl brought his daughter back to their mansion.”
Emperor Jingming remained silent for a moment before heading to the Palace of Compassion and Tranquility.
As people age, they become more sensitive to cold. As soon as winter approached, the Empress Dowager would stay indoors where fire dragons burned, no longer venturing outside.
Usually, she would listen to a play, copy a sutra, eat fresh fruits and vegetables unseen outside, living a peaceful and comfortable life. But today, the Empress Dowager’s mood seemed like a gloomy winter day, extremely poor.
“His Majesty the Emperor arrives—”
The announcement immediately made the Empress Dowager, who had been resting with closed eyes, open them.
Emperor Jingming strode in.
“Was Mother Empress resting?”
The Empress Dowager composed herself and smiled, “Please sit, Your Majesty.”
Emperor Jingming sat next to the Empress Dowager, picking up the thin blanket that had fallen to the ground and draping it over her knees.
Even in this room as warm as spring, during winter, the Empress Dowager’s knees couldn’t withstand the cold.
Emperor Jingming remembered why.
Back then, when he was still a prince without support, he had angered his father due to a treacherous concubine’s words and was punished by kneeling in the ice and snow.
The Empress Dowager, then still the Empress, rushed over upon hearing the news and knelt beside him, pleading with his father. She knelt for a full hour before finally persuading his father to change his mind.
But from then on, the Empress Dowager suffered from leg ailments.
Thinking of this, Emperor Jingming swallowed his questions and gently massaged the Empress Dowager’s legs.
“Why has Your Majesty come at this time?”
“No reason just missed Mother Empress.”
Hearing this, the Empress Dowager’s long eyebrows relaxed, and smile lines appeared at the corners of her eyes.
In the end, Emperor Jingming didn’t mention anything. He sat with the Empress Dowager for a while before leaving.
As soon as Emperor Jingming left, the Empress Dowager’s relaxed brows furrowed, and her expression darkened.
A mother knows her child best. Although the Emperor wasn’t her biological son, she had raised him since he was young. For him to come at this unusual time, neither early nor late, neither on a special day nor festival and leave without saying anything significant, there must be something amiss.
The Empress Dowager thought briefly and realized the reason.
The Emperor must have heard about Mingyue’s matter.
Thinking of Cui Mingyue, the Empress Dowager’s face frosted over.
This girl was truly too audacious, and utterly disappointing!
“Empress Dowager, Princess Rongyang, and Miss Cui seek an audience.”
The Empress Dowager waved her hand, coldly saying, “Send them away.”
Princess Rongyang had always entered the palace without announcement. This was the first time she had been turned away without seeing the Empress Dowager.
Upon returning to the Princess’s mansion, Princess Rongyang immediately flew into a rage. She grabbed a nearby teacup and hurled it at Cui Mingyue, angrily scolding, “Look at what you’ve done!”
Fortunately, the teacup was empty, and no tea splashed on her.
Cui Mingyue endured the pain, crying pitifully, “Mother, I truly know I was wrong. Will Grandmother never want to see me again?”
Princess Rongyang glared at her daughter hatefully, “After causing such a scandal, you still expect the Empress Dowager to treat you like a precious pearl? Give up such delusions and stay in the mansion from now on, stop embarrassing us!”
Cui Mingyue bit her lip hard, finally regretting her actions.
If only she had stayed behind the scenes, like when she secretly encouraged Yang Houcheng and Jiang Zhan to meet. It would have been much safer than taking action herself.
“Daughter was momentarily confused. Who knew that a man appearing so refined and reliable would deceive people…”
A cold light suddenly flashed in Princess Rongyang’s eyes. Thinking of the Zhu family being impeached by multiple censors, she finally suppressed the violence in her heart.
At this moment in the Zhu mansion, after receiving the imperial edict, a pall of gloom descended.
Upon hearing the edict of “lifelong disqualification from official service,” Zhu Ziyu fainted on the spot, lying as stiff as a dead fish on shore under the sun, emitting an unpleasant fishy odor.
No one bothered to help him up.
Madam Zhu suffered from angina, clutching her chest as she slowly slid to the ground, causing her maids and old women to cry out in alarm.
Lord Zhu walked to Zhu Ziyu’s side in a daze, kicking him hard but still feeling unsatisfied.
Demoted two ranks, his promising son’s official career ruined, the Zhu family had become the laughingstock of the entire capital…
What sin had he committed to give birth to such a wretched son!