The naive concubine is only interested in being a bad person. Your Majesty, please change your favor

Jiang Wange is not a saint. Just now in the court, they targeted her like this, she wished they would kneel for three days and three nights.

At noon, Xiahou Xuan and Jiang Wange were having lunch. The court officials were still kneeling in the outer hall. They did not dare to stand up without Xiahou Xuan's order.

The news also reached the ears of the Queen Mother. When the Queen Mother learned that Xiahou Xuan made a group of ministers kneel in the court for Jiang Wange, she was very angry and went directly to Longyin Palace to ask for an explanation.

"Get out of the way! I want to see His Majesty!"

"Please forgive me, Queen Mother. Your Majesty has ordered that no one will be seen, no matter who it is. If anyone dares to plead for the kneeling ministers, they will all be punished the same way."

Haidezi lowered his head and told the Queen Mother what Xiahou Xuan had said in person.

"How dare you! I am your Majesty's mother, and your Majesty won't even see me?"

The Queen Mother looked at Haidezi in disbelief and questioned.

"Your Majesty, this is what His Majesty said personally. I dare not forge the imperial decree. Please go back, Your Majesty. The adults outside the gate will be allowed to go back after His Majesty has given them a small punishment or a big warning."

Haidezi's refusal was already very clear, making it difficult for the Queen Mother to save face.

At this time, Concubine Shu arrived late and advised the Queen Mother:

"Empress Dowager, since His Majesty has said so, please do not disturb His Majesty, lest He be displeased. Let's go back to Ci'an Palace to discuss countermeasures."

"Countermeasures? What countermeasures can you have? If I can't see His Majesty today, I will not go back!"

The Queen Mother seemed to be determined to stalemate with Xiahou Xuan to the end.

Seeing that she could not persuade the Queen Mother, Concubine Shu could only walk to Hai Dezi and whispered:

"Eunuch Hai, please inform His Majesty and let him know that the Queen Mother has come. What do you think?"

Haidezi thought about it for a while, then nodded:

"Her Majesty the Queen Mother and Consort Shu, please wait for a moment. I will go and tell them right away."

When Haidezi walked in, the Queen Mother scolded him:

"How dare you, you dog slave, stop me? You are just a eunuch who wants to please His Majesty!"

"Queen Mother, please keep your voice down. Don't let His Majesty hear you. After all, Hai Dezi has been serving His Majesty since he was a child. His Majesty values Eunuch Hai very much."

Concubine Shu looked at the Empress Dowager helplessly. She always felt that the Empress Dowager would become agitated at the slightest disturbance now, and had completely lost her former calm and self-controlled dignity.

"Shut up, it's not your turn to speak here!"

The Empress Dowager scolded Concubine Shu as well, regardless of the fact that she was on her side. Concubine Shu's face immediately darkened and she said nothing more.

After a long time, Haidezi came out again and invited the Queen Mother and Concubine Shu to come in together.

At this time, Jiang Wange had already eaten and drunk his fill and was lying down behind the screen to rest, not saying a word, eavesdropping on their conversation.

"Your Majesty, what do you mean by this? With so many ministers kneeling outside, will your reputation be ruined if it gets out?"

As soon as the Queen Mother saw Xiahou Xuan, she questioned him in a cold voice without asking the reason.

"If the Queen Mother came to see me just to plead for the ministers, she can leave Longyin Palace. I will not forgive these people easily."

Xiahou Xuan raised his eyes and glanced at the Queen Mother, his eyes full of coldness and sarcasm.

"What did those officials say or do wrong that Your Majesty wanted to humiliate them like this? Your Majesty is the king, you should be tolerant..."

"I am meeting the Queen Mother because I don't want her to make a wasted trip, but this doesn't mean I will listen to whatever you say. This world is my world, so the Queen Mother should stay out of it."

"you......"

"Your Majesty, that's not what the Queen Mother meant. As soon as she heard that you ordered those court officials to kneel, she came here immediately. She didn't come to plead for them, but she was worried about your reputation and the damage to the relationship between you and the court officials."

Concubine Shu gently interrupted what the empress dowager was about to say and eased the atmosphere between them.

Hearing this, Xiahou Xuan couldn't help but look at Concubine Shu twice more:

After not seeing her for a few days, this Concubine Shu has grown up and is so smart? She can speak so perfectly?

"I punished them because they were wrong in the first place. When I am no longer angry, I will let them stand up naturally. I will not really let them kneel and die in the court. Queen Mother, can you rest assured about this?"

The corners of Xiahou Xuan's lips rose slightly, his eyes full of mockery.

The Queen Mother felt a little better after hearing Xiahou Xuan's answer:

"Then how long does Your Majesty intend to make them kneel?"

"Just kneel for twelve hours. I won't go too far."

Twelve hours is one day. It’s okay for those who are young and strong, but those who are old will probably faint before they can even kneel for half the hour!

Xiahou Xuan seemed to understand what the Queen Mother was thinking, so he continued:

"Don't worry, I won't let them starve. I will provide them with necessary food and drink during this period. After the morning court tomorrow, I will let them go."

Since Xiahou Xuan had said so, the Queen Mother had nothing more to say and left with Concubine Shu.

After they left, Jiang Wange walked out from behind the screen.

"Your Majesty, do you feel that Concubine Shu is speaking like a different person?"

"You noticed it too? The change is really huge. If it was in the past, Concubine Shu would just fan the flames from the sidelines. She would never be able to make such a flawless and self-justifying statement like today."

"The current appearance of Concubine Shu reminds me of a deceased person... Maybe I am overthinking it. How could they be the same person?"

Jiang Wange just thought of it, but immediately rejected it.

"Who?"

"Xia Qingqian, who died suddenly some time ago, had a very similar tone and pauses when she spoke, but they can't be the same person."

After Jiang Wange said this, Xiahou Xuan became more cautious. He didn't believe that there were such coincidences in the world, so he asked the Xuanyiwei to investigate privately.

At this time, Haidezi had already asked the young eunuchs to bring steamed buns and water to the kneeling courtiers in front of the court. This was a special instruction from His Majesty. Only steamed buns and water were needed to fill their stomachs.

When they saw that His Majesty had specially sent people to bring them food and water, they were very happy, thinking that His Majesty would soon let them stand up and they would no longer have to kneel as punishment!

Unexpectedly, no one came until the evening.

Only then did they realize that His Majesty was serious.

The next morning, the court officials who had gone back yesterday went to court again. When they came in, they saw their colleagues still kneeling on the ground. They did not dare to say a word and each stood in their own position, waiting for the emperor to come.

After a day and a night of devastation, the court officials who were still domineering in the court yesterday were like eggplants hit by frost, and they all wilted.

When Xiahou Xuan went to court, he was very satisfied with their current state.

"Your Majesty, long live Your Majesty—"

"My dear ministers, please stand up. You don't have to kneel anymore."

"Thank you, Your Majesty——"

As soon as Xiahou Xuan said this, the court officials who had been kneeling for a day and a night staggered to their feet, and even supported each other.