Chapter 28 Something big has happened!
The official's face turned bright red, and he looked as if he had just been pulled out of a steamer.
He pointed to his throat, waved his hands frantically, and made gurgling sounds, but couldn't utter a complete sentence.
Grand Tutor Liu, kneeling on the ground, frowned, looking utterly bewildered.
He turned around and looked at his student with disdain.
"Imperial Censor Wang, what's wrong with you? I was merely offering advice for the sake of the country, why are you joining in this nonsense?"
"Why are you looking at me with such strange eyes? What's wrong with everyone in this Golden Palace today?"
The student, known as Imperial Censor Wang, was so anxious that he was almost in tears.
What else can I say?
He wanted to speak, but an invisible force gripped his throat, preventing him from uttering any crucial syllables!
He could only gesticulate wildly, frantically pointing to the numbers one and eight with his fingers, then pointing to Grand Tutor Liu, then to the outside, and finally making a gesture of holding a wine pot and drinking.
He looked as if he were possessed or had epilepsy.
Grand Tutor Liu was furious; his old face turned green with rage.
"You bastard!"
He slapped his thigh and shouted angrily at Empress Dowager Yuanhua on the high platform.
"Your Majesty, look! She's ill! She must be possessed by an evil spirit!"
"Guards! Drag him away right now! Don't let him make a fool of himself here!"
After speaking, as if afraid that the Empress Dowager would not agree, he kowtowed heavily again.
"Please grant the Empress Dowager permission to allow this good-for-nothing to leave the palace immediately for medical treatment!"
Imperial Censor Wang's eyes widened like copper bells, and a desperate cry rang out in his heart.
Master! You're so confused!
My disciple, I'm giving you a heads-up! If I leave, you'll truly be like a turtle in a jar, completely at their mercy!
Who will hear His Majesty's true feelings in the future? Let me remind you!
However, the roar in his heart went unheard by anyone.
Several fully armed imperial guards stepped forward expressionlessly, each grabbing one of his arms and dragging him out.
The movements were swift and decisive, without any hesitation or slackness.
Imperial Censor Wang's legs left two helpless marks on the smooth floor tiles before he finally disappeared at the entrance of the Golden Palace.
Silence returned to the imperial court.
Standing behind Grand Tutor Liu, the Second Prince Yu Jinghong's face had turned pale with fright.
He quietly tugged at Grand Tutor Liu's sleeve, his voice soft and weak.
"Master, how about we talk about it again tomorrow?"
He felt that the atmosphere today was really strange.
The ministers looked at them with eyes full of sympathy and pity.
And an expression of watching a good show!
Yu Jinghong's heart was pounding.
Grand Tutor Liu straightened his back and carefully straightened his slightly wrinkled court robe.
She turned around and glared at the Second Prince with a look of disappointment and frustration.
"You've got guts!"
He lowered his voice, but his tone was extremely stern.
"Now that things have come to this, do you think we have any way out? We've already torn off all pretense of civility. If we can't seize this opportunity and put you on the throne, do you think either of us will live to see tomorrow?"
The second prince's heart skipped a beat.
He thought of his eldest brother, who had been full of vigor just a few days ago, but was now imprisoned in the imperial prison, his fate unknown.
A chill ran through my body.
He gritted his teeth, clenched his fists tightly, and replied in a low voice.
"Yes, everything is up to Master's arrangement!"
Grand Tutor Liu nodded in satisfaction.
He rolled up his sleeves, revealing his thin wrists, and struck a pose as if he would die trying if he didn't succeed today.
Today, I will use my status as a veteran of three dynasties and my full head of white hair to force the Empress Dowager to waver!
He didn't even notice that all the officials in the court were staring at him.
Their eyes were incredibly complex, each one seemingly wanting to say something but holding back, as if they had been constipated for ten days or half a month.
Before Grand Tutor Liu could speak again, that childlike and cheerful voice rang in everyone's minds once more.
Yu Zhaoning swung her short legs, rested her chin on her little hand, and earnestly communicated with the system in her mind.
[System, system! Grandmother once said that Grand Tutor Liu is a model couple in the Great Yu Dynasty, a paragon of marital bliss! Could you have gotten this gossip wrong?]
The system reacted like a cat whose tail had been stepped on, instantly becoming agitated.
[Host! You may question Grand Tutor Liu's character, but you absolutely cannot question my professional abilities!]
[Products from this system are guaranteed to be of high quality! How could there be any errors!]
That huffy electronic voice carried a hint of grievance.
[You don't believe me? Fine! This system will now project the addresses of all eighteen concubines' courtyards into your brain right now! So you can see them clearly and understand them perfectly!]
As soon as the words were spoken, a clear map unfolded in the minds of Empress Dowager Yuanhua, Prime Minister Lin, and all the officials who could hear their thoughts.
The map is marked with eighteen red dots.
Yu Zhaoning nodded her little head curiously and looked at the address carefully.
[Wow! No. 3 Cuihua Hutong, right next to Zhang's cosmetics shop! I know that place; last time, Eunuch Li took me there to buy osmanthus cake!]
[And this one, No. 7 Ping'an Lane, isn't that opposite the back door of Wang Taifu's house?]
Her small mouth gaped open, filled with surprise.
[Huh? These addresses seem to form a circle. And the very center of this circle looks like...]
The system's smug voice rang out, tinged with a hint of boasting.
[That's right! The central location is naturally Grand Tutor Liu's own residence, the Liu Mansion!]
[You wouldn't believe it! This old man is incredibly shrewd! He keeps all eighteen concubines near his home! His third concubine is the neighbor to the east, his ninth concubine to the west, his twelfth concubine runs a rice shop to the south, and his sixteenth concubine sells tofu to the north!]
[His harem is even more extensive than the late emperor's! The entire neighborhood is his domain!]
"Cough cough!"
Lin Xiang couldn't help but cough again.
Fortunately, he reacted quickly and covered himself with his sleeve in time, thus avoiding a breach of etiquette in the Golden Palace.
Even so, his face turned completely red from holding it in.
The surrounding officials were also dumbfounded, their jaws nearly dropping to the ground.
Good heavens!
What kind of amazing move is this?
They settled all the concubines as neighbors?
This old Grand Tutor is a real talent!
Yu Zhaoning also covered her mouth, her big eyes filled with shock.
[Wouldn't their casual chats during their visits give them away? For example, if the third concubine went to the ninth concubine's house to borrow some soy sauce and started talking about her husband, wouldn't that immediately expose them? Didn't the legal wife notice anything?]
This question was also the biggest doubt in the minds of all the officials.
They are now completely convinced that Grand Tutor Liu definitely kept eighteen concubines outside the home!
After all, if the address is given so clearly, how could it be fake?
They just couldn't understand how this old fox had managed to deceive everyone, keeping their noblewoman from the Langya Wang clan completely unaware of it until now.
On the high platform, Yuan Hua had begun to deeply doubt himself.
So, the image of that old minister in her mind—solemn and pedantic, yet unwaveringly loyal to his wife—was all an act?
Just how strong must this person's management skills and disguise techniques be to keep eighteen mistresses under his nose and hide them for decades?
Even his formidable wife, who came from the prestigious Langya Wang clan, failed to detect the slightest hint of anything amiss.
Just as everyone was puzzled, the eunuch's shrill voice came from outside the hall again.
"Lady Wang, wife of Grand Tutor Liu and a first-rank imperial consort, requests an audience with Your Majesty!"
The main character has arrived!
Yu Zhaoning's eyes instantly lit up like two obsidian stones.
She clapped her little hands excitedly, waved to the outside, and called out in her childish voice.
"Quickly! Let the old lady in!"
Soon, an elderly lady, dressed in a dark blue robe with pheasant patterns and wearing a gold filigree phoenix crown, with a dignified and upright posture, walked steadily into the Golden Palace, surrounded by a group of palace maids.
Although she was over sixty, time seemed to have been exceptionally kind to her; her face had only a few fine lines, and her eyes remained clear and bright, exuding the unique dignity and poise of a noblewoman.
Upon entering, the first thing she saw was her husband kneeling in the center of the hall, tears streaming down his face.
A hint of heartache flashed in her eyes. She quickly walked to Grand Tutor Liu's side, supported his arm, and only breathed a sigh of relief after confirming that he was alright.
Then, she turned around and respectfully performed a curtsy to the young empress on the dragon throne and the empress dowager behind the beaded curtain.
"Your Majesty, I pay my respects to the Empress Dowager."
Her voice was gentle and calm.
"When I heard from the servants that my husband had fainted in the Golden Palace, I was extremely worried and rushed here. I apologize for disturbing the morning court and beg Your Majesty and the Empress Dowager to punish me."
Looking at this distinguished old lady, Yu Zhaoning's mind was racing with calculations.
She waved her chubby little hand, looking magnanimous.
"Madam, there's no need for such formality. Your concern for me is only natural, and I will not blame you."
"Since we're already here, let's not leave. Let's go to court together!"
"Thank you, Your Majesty."
The old lady responded and stood up beside Grand Tutor Liu.
A pair of sharp eyes swept over the surrounding officials without making a sound.
When his gaze fell on several of his nephews in the crowd, he frowned slightly.
That look in their eyes was telling a story.
What's wrong with you all? We're all family, and you just stand by and watch your uncle being bullied, don't you know how to stand up and say something?
Those officials from the Wang family were utterly speechless with grievances, so wronged they wanted to bang their heads against the wall.
Aunt!
We'd love to help! But we're so shocked by His Majesty's words that we haven't even had a chance to process them yet!
They dared not speak openly, but could only desperately try to signal to their highly respected aunt with their eyes, their mouths moving silently.
The meaning is very clear.
Aunt! Please don't panic!
Listen to this! It's something big! Something incredibly important!