Accidentally dressed as an empress

Changning Palace

At the foot of the palace wall, a group of young servants were whispering, "Have you heard? There's an evil spirit in the palace that's going to harm people."

"How is it possible? Your Majesty has divine power, how could he not discover it?"

"Even gods sometimes nap. The evil spirit took advantage of Your Majesty's inattention and wreaked havoc. Those who disappeared were all harmed by the evil spirit."

"Those missing people, weren't they all released from the palace?"

"No, they're all missing!"

"Did someone intercept your money and kill you?"

"Where can they get the money? The little money they have is not even enough for medical treatment."

"I have peach charms here, evil spirits, stay away."

"Stop it, stop it, it's too scary."

"I feel creepy on my back. I won't dare walk alone at night anymore."

"Gone, gone."

"It's gone, it's gone."

For the past ten days, rumors of an evil spirit wreaking havoc in the palace have been rife, causing widespread panic. Everyone in the palace is saying that all the people who have gone missing in the palace were the work of the evil spirit.

Yun Se heard this from Cui Ti, and asked her to immediately bring Yun Ji, who had just been released from confinement, to Yunji Palace.

Seeing that Yun Ji had been confined for half a month and still behaved as usual, Yun Se frowned and said, "Yun Ji, your coming-of-age ceremony is in August? After the coming-of-age ceremony, you will leave the palace and set up your own residence."

"Mother Queen, my son's birthday is in November."

Yun Se's voice rose, "That's also in August when he leaves the palace and sets up his own residence!"

Yun Ji's face turned stern, and he knelt down on his knees: "I beg you, Queen Mother, to allow me to stay in the palace."

"Do you think you can still stay in the palace?" Yun Se's anger suddenly erupted: "There's an evil spirit in the palace! If that evil spirit isn't you, then it must be me! Twenty-seven lives, and I'm going to take the blame for you? Let the whole world call me cruel and inhumane?"

"Those twenty-seven lives were lost due to the strict palace rules and the beatings in the court. If anyone should be blamed, it should be the palace rules and the cane, not me!" Yun Ji retorted with his neck stiff.

Yun Se was furious and smashed the teacup on Yun Ji's head. "Okay, okay, it's not your fault. I made the palace rules, blame me... it's all my fault. I blame you for not strangling this evil child to death the moment you were born! You and your father are so alike. It's always others who are at fault, never you."

"Yes, that's right, I'm a bastard. Because my father was born lowly, I was born lowly too! When I was little, even the palace servants looked down on me. When I grew up, even the sons of the aristocratic families dared to mock me. If I hadn't been so fierce in fighting, would I have been able to grow up safely until now?"

"Those of low status deserve to be bullied." Yun Ji raised his head and continued, "In the garrison, commoner women are bullied by women from aristocratic families. In the palace, lowly servants are beaten, and there's not even a female doctor to call. They have to endure it if they can, and die if they can't. Because their status is determined from birth, their lives are worthless!"

"Hahaha... Your Majesty has nothing to say? What Your Majesty cares about is not their worthless lives, but your reputation for holiness and benevolence!"

Yun Se's eyes were red and she gnashed her teeth, "Tomorrow, you will get out of the palace!"

Yun Ji stood up, shook his sleeves, saluted, turned around and left Yunji Palace.

Yun Se's expression was still irritated. With a flick of her sleeves, she swept all the bamboo slips on the table to the ground. Her fingers trembled slightly, "This is outrageous."

"Your Majesty, calm down." Cui Ti hurried over to calm His Majesty. "Your Majesty, please don't take it to heart."

"She wants to overturn this Yunji Palace, overturn the ancestral temples and the altar of state, and turn the Yun Kingdom upside down. Quickly complete the New Year's ceremony and wedding for Yun Ji, and send him to his fiefdom in the north. He will never be allowed to return to the capital without a summons."

Yun Se rubbed his temples, his head aching, and said to Cui Ti, "Call Yi over."

Yun Se favored Yi in Yunji Palace. Yi was shaking like a red-eyed rabbit and begged Yun Se in every possible way, but Yun Se was only concerned with venting his anger on him.

Yunxiu turned off the melon-eating system screen.

Rumors had already begun to spread, and the incident of twenty-seven people missing from the palace had become a big deal.

Those who died are a fact.

In fact, the number of young servants dealt with in the palace every year is far more than twenty-seven, but this time, twenty-seven of them were claimed by their families.

Now, the palace servants dared not travel alone at night. Some of them were frightened to tears by the patrolling garrison troops.

The way to make everyone lose face is to publicize the matter widely, let all the teahouses and restaurants in Lingyun City talk about the disappearance of the palace attendant, and expose this matter to the sun.

But Yunxiu was inspired by His Majesty's last sacrifice to heaven for rain and changed his mind to the theory of ghosts and gods.

Your Majesty is very careful about your reputation and will not allow your sanctity to be damaged in any way.

Now, there are spots of mud on your Majesty's white feathers, and these spots cannot be wiped off.

Second day

Yun Se summoned Cui Ti and Li Min, the Grand Court Judge, and said to them, "The punishments in the palace rules are too severe. We will reduce them as appropriate. With the exception of crimes like embezzling palace property and committing adultery, fifty will be reduced to thirty, thirty to ten, and caning will be reduced to flogging."

"Superiors must not oppress, beat, or scold their subordinates without reason."

"Allow the palace attendants to go to the Imperial Hospital to seek medical advice from the apprentice female physician."

After Yun Se finished speaking, he fell ill.

Yunxiu could neither enter the palace nor go to visit. It was the Queen's own fault.

Her words came true.

The Queen fell seriously ill.

Yun Ji has now been driven out of the palace and will be going to her fiefdom soon. She left Lingyun City earlier than herself, so Yun Xiu has one less competitor.

Yunxiu was not very happy, because Zhong Yi was not by her side now.

But Yunxiu held back and didn't go looking for Zhong Yi. She shouldn't have gotten involved with him. She couldn't protect too many people right now.