The arrogant imperial concubine arrives, the favorite of the regent

The expressions of the senior officials, led by the Right Chancellor, changed drastically. They couldn't help but worry about Zhong Yue's good regent. The emperor is like heaven, and the subjects are like earth; this time, the emperor's arrival is overwhelming, and the Night King's situation is likely dire!

The Seventh Prince Ye Chufeng, the Fifth Prince Ye Chuhe, the Bone Prince of Nantai, and the two young masters of the Ling family stared intently at the Night King and Yun Mujiu, a hint of worry in their eyes.

Yun Mujiu's relatives and friends, such as Meng Ninglang and the Meng family, Princess Ji Ling, Bai Yanshuang, and Luo Yan, were also staring intently at Yun Mujiu's face. However, Yun Mujiu's expression changed so little that, like everyone else, they couldn't discern what she was thinking.

The expressions of the Crown Prince, the Third Prince, Princess Manji, and Prince Sen were somewhat subtle, even carrying a hint of excitement and schadenfreude. Only Bei Liyi kept a straight face, unusually devoid of any arrogance or acerbic sarcasm; she simply looked at Yun Mujiu with a complicated expression.

The Emperor was still reeling from Ye Xiaohan's retort and remained lost in thought for a long time. He hadn't expected Ye Xiaohan's affection for Yun Mujiu to be so unshakeable, nor had he imagined that Ye Xiaohan would dare to defy him in public for Yun Mujiu's sake.

The Emperor gave a displeased snort, then turned his head and said coldly, "Princess Consort Ye, what do you think?" His tone carried a hint of displeasure.

Yun Mujiu realized that the Emperor was threatening her.

She stood up and said calmly and quickly, "Your Majesty, my relationship with the Prince is harmonious. The Prince is my husband. I fully support whatever the Prince thinks and does, and my thoughts and actions are completely consistent with the Prince's."

In front of outsiders, she would naturally maintain a respectable image for her husband, Ye Xiaohan. When out in public, the couple would wholeheartedly protect each other. Moreover, even in private, they respected, admired, and loved each other deeply.

The Emperor's eyes widened, seemingly unable to believe that Yun Mujiu would be so obedient to Ye Xiaohan, nor did he expect that a mere princess would dare to defy his imperial power.

He pointed at Yun Mujiu and said, "How dare you! How can a woman like you make decisions for the Night King! Your thoughts are irrelevant; this marriage is now ordained by me!"

Just as Ye Xiaohan made a move, Yun Mujiu grabbed his sleeve and turned to the Emperor, saying, "Your Majesty, I did not speak on behalf of the Prince. What I said was exactly what the Prince felt."

The Emperor was speechless at Yun Mujiu's clever retort. He clearly wanted to first accuse Yun Mujiu of overstepping her bounds and meddling in the affairs of the Night King!

Yun Mujiu smiled and added, "It is true that I am a woman, but who in this world was not born of a woman?" Are there any men born of men? Those men who constantly look down on women, do they not know that if there were no women, would they even exist in this world?

As soon as Yun Mujiu spoke, everyone in the room gasped. The Night Princess's extraordinary insight was truly reasonable.

Yun Mujiu continued, "The Empress Dowager is also a woman. Didn't she manage the six palaces well for the late Emperor and raise the two princes under her knees?" It's just a pity that of the two princes, the eldest prince was killed by the Emperor, and the remaining one is the treacherous and vicious Emperor Ye Haolian.

The Emperor now wants to label Yun Mujiu as "a woman who is nothing," but has he ever considered that he was also born of a woman, or that the Empress Dowager was also born of a woman?

Yun Mujiu quickly added, "The Empress, as the mother of the nation and in charge of the harem, is she not also a wise and capable noblewoman? Consort Yu is virtuous and kind, and also a talented woman with many skills!"

"Your Majesty," Yun Mujiu said with a smile, "there are countless women in the world. They are intelligent, capable, and hardworking, but simply because they are women, they suffer everywhere, are not well-liked, and do not receive the respect and appreciation they deserve. I believe that women are in no way inferior to men." She continued, "In fact, in some aspects and to some extent, women are far superior to men!"

The audience was stunned. Some wanted to applaud, but they held back for the time being.

The Emperor's face darkened, and he couldn't think of a reason to refute Yun Mujiu for a moment. He said angrily, "I am discussing matters with the Night Prince. Why do you need to interrupt?"

"Didn't Your Majesty ask the question first?" Ye Xiaohan and Yun Mujiu said the same thing at the same time.

The Emperor rose, flicking his wide sleeves. Having already lost face, he could no longer dwell on the topic of "accusing Yun Mujiu of interrupting."

He glared at Yun Mujiu with hatred, and threatened again, "Princess Consort of the Night, I have bestowed a marriage upon the Night Prince. Do you have any objections?"

Yun Mujiu stuck to her previous statement, but changed it to a more immediate and appropriate expression: "In my heart, I support Your Highness in doing what you want to do. If Your Highness doesn't want to do something, I don't want to support it, much less do it!"

Yun Mujiu did not directly answer the Emperor's threatening question about whether he had any objections, but expressed her attitude through words and actions.

She only stands by Ye Xiaohan! What others say is all nonsense!

The Emperor laughed in anger, and the others shrank back in response. The Seventh Prince and the Fifth Prince couldn't help but speak up, "Father."

"Shut up, all of you!" The Emperor glared angrily, not giving the Seventh Prince, the Fifth Prince, Princess Ji Ling, and the others who wanted to help the Night King and his wife a chance to speak.

The Emperor glanced at Yun Mujiu, whose expression remained calm, and his own face darkened further.

"Whether you agree or not is not up to you." He is the emperor, and what he wants to do must be done; no one can stop him!

Turning to look at Ye Xiaohan, she coldly said, "I am about to issue an imperial decree to grant this marriage. Does the Prince of Ye intend to defy the decree?"

"Your Majesty, the marriage between my brother and the Princess Consort was also bestowed by you." In other words, putting aside the fact that the Emperor had maliciously arranged the marriage between him and Mu Jiu, the key point is that the Emperor decreed that he and Yun Mu Jiu should become husband and wife, and now he wants to issue another decree to arrange the marriage in order to separate and sow discord between them. Isn't this just contradicting himself?

"So what if it is?" The Emperor could no longer hold back, fearing that if the situation dragged on any longer, it would become increasingly unfavorable for him to carry out his subsequent plans. Now, Ye Xiaohan and Yun Mujiu had gained too much of an advantage, and their explanations were reasonable, while he seemed to have fallen into a disadvantageous position, with the public's support already shifting towards Ye Xiaohan and Yun Mujiu's side.

The Emperor revealed his ugliest side, unable to keep up the pretense any longer, and roared, "Your Highness, you have no choice but to accept these marriages, whether you like it or not!"

"Your Majesty, I only acknowledge Mu Jiu, and I cannot comply." Ye Xiaohan showed no sign of backing down, and secretly shielded Yun Mu Jiu behind him. This was a situation where he was facing the Emperor directly, and naturally, he would protect his woman.

"Bang!" The crisp sound of shattering porcelain rang out. A female guest in the audience screamed in fright, but quickly fell silent.

The emperor smashed a teacup and sneered, "It seems you won't change your mind."

"Ye Xiaohan, how dare you defy the imperial decree!"

"Guards! The Night King disregards the dignity of the royal family, refusing to have offspring or increase the royal bloodline. He has even defied the imperial decree, disobeying the emperor's orders and bullying his superiors!"

The Emperor's face was ashen as he said fiercely, "Issue my decree to strip the Regent of his title, strip him of his power and military authority, and demote him to commoner status along with Yun Mujiu!"

The room erupted in uproar, everyone's expressions changed drastically, and most people were nearly scared out of their wits! What kind of scene was this? It was a hellish spectacle that happened only once in a century!

Ye Xiaohan opened his indifferent, aloof, glass-like eyes, his face cold, and said in a low voice, "Royal brother, are you sure you want to do this?"