Accidentally dressed as an empress

September 30th, the 22nd year of Xuanyuan

In the evening, as the sun set, the palace gates opened wide, and a woman with gray hair entered the palace under the escort of guards.

Lin Nan was guarding outside the Juanshu Palace. Inside the palace, Yun Se was leaning on the couch, teaching Yi Yuan how to play chess.

Yi Yuan thought for a while, then placed a piece. Yun Se pushed Yi Yuan's hand away and said, "Not here, put it here."

Yi Yuan complained quietly, "Your Majesty, I am too stupid. You are better at fighting with your left and right hands than with me."

Yun Se smiled and said, "It's okay, there is progress."

Lin Nantong, who was standing outside the palace gate, announced, "Your Majesty, Aunt Fang has returned to the palace."

Yunse immediately got off the couch and walked to the door to greet them. Aunt Fang walked into the hall and bowed to greet them. Yunse immediately helped the silver-haired Fang Ru up and asked, "Aunt Fang, is everything okay in the Imperial Ancestral Hall?"

"Everything is fine. Your Majesty sent me here. What's the important matter?"

"I would like to ask my aunt to come out of retirement and temporarily take over the position of Shaofu Ling until a new candidate is found."

"The late emperor took pity on my hard work and allowed me to retire early, yet you still want to use this old man like me."

"Auntie...please help me just this once. Auntie...when I find someone to take over, I will never disturb your peace again."

"Little slippery man."

"There's one more thing. You've spent your whole life serving my mother, the Queen, and have neglected your own affairs. I'll help you find some grandchildren. They're all kind and good children. I'll let you meet them someday."

"I knew that once you set your sights on me, nothing good would happen." Fang Ru pulled her hand away from Yun Se.

Yun Se felt a little guilty and smiled embarrassedly.

Fang Ru saw Yi Yuan standing aside with his head lowered and asked, "Who is this person? Why do you always like this same model?"

"His name is Yi Yuan."

Lin Nan said at this time, "His Royal Highness requests an audience."

"Your Majesty, this is the seal of the Grand Secretary." Lin Hong presented the seal with both hands.

Yun Se took it and handed the seal to Fang Ru, "Aunt Fang, please take over as the Minister of the Imperial Household for the time being."

Fang Ru nodded, looked at Lin Hong, put away the seal, and asked doubtfully: "Where is Cui Ti? Where did she go?"

Yunse didn't answer.

At this time, Cui Ti stood at the entrance of Juanshu Palace, holding the door. "Your Majesty, I am back. Fortunately, I have fulfilled my mission."

Cui Ti actually dared to come back. She was really brave. Yun Se said, "Aunt Fang must have been exhausted from the long journey. Go back and rest first. Lin Nan, take Aunt Fang to Jingming Palace."

"Lin Hong, Xiao Yuan, you go down too." Lin Hong walked out of Juanshu Hall, and Yi Yuan followed him down.

Looking at Cui Ti, Yun Se said indifferently, "Are you back?"

With a thud, Cui Ti knelt down and said, "Your Majesty, I almost didn't make it back. I had an affair with Royal Fellow Lin, and to silence me, he sent someone to assassinate me on the way to the Imperial Ancestral Temple. Your Majesty, please investigate."

Lin Hong, don't even think about staying in the palace as the emperor's husband. The worst that can happen is that both you and him will perish together.

Yun Se's face showed no emotion, she just asked, "When did your affair begin?"

"It was the second day of September, the night of the autumn hunt. I went to Jingxin Palace, and Emperor Lin... seduced me. I was obsessed with him, and I have failed Your Majesty for more than ten years of cultivation. Please punish me, Your Majesty, and kill me to fulfill my loyalty." Cui Ti said with tears in her eyes.

"Only Lin Hong?" Yun Se looked at Cui Ti with a cold look in her eyes and asked quietly, "What about you and Zhang Fan?"

Cui Ti quickly said, "Your Majesty, Zhang Fan once offered me his sex life in exchange for his services, but I didn't like him, so I found a nanny to replace him. He did ask me to help him deal with the High Prince, but I only spoke ill of him in front of Your Majesty."

"How much do you know about Zhang Fan's connection with the Rong people?"

"Your Majesty, I truly know nothing about this matter. On the night of the second day of September, I... I was with Royal Madam Lin the entire time..."

"Heh..." Yun Se sneered. Cui Ti was just that capable, being obsessed with a man she didn't want.

"What about the handsome man from the Caixiu Palace? Who is the aunt they are talking about? Is it you?"

"It was my maids who were dishonest. Your Majesty has already killed them. I failed to discipline my subordinates. Please punish me, Your Majesty."

Yun Se dispelled some of his doubts, "It's good that you are willing to be honest."

"No, Your Majesty, I am guilty." Cui Ti fell to the ground and said, "Huangfu Lin is no longer the same person he used to be. He holds great power and is in charge of the Ministry of Finance, second only to the emperor. He has used this matter to threaten me time and time again, and even made me do things against my will."

Yun Se frowned, "What did he ask you to do?"

"When he was handling government affairs on behalf of His Majesty in Yunji Palace, he asked me to bring him the memorials from the past five years." Cui Ti paused, "Specifically, he instructed me to look into the appointments and dismissals of officials from the previous dynasty."

Cui Ti hadn't lied. During His Majesty's illness, Lin Hong had monopolized power. At night, after the ministers had left, they were alone in the Yunji Palace study. At that time, she had been so lost in love, so willing to help him, that she had let her guard down, and he had bitten her back.

A storm was brewing in Yun Se's eyes as he said to the guards outside, "Call Emperor Lin over!"

Lin Hong returned to Jingxin Palace and had not yet sat down when he received a message from the servant and returned to Juanshu Palace.

As soon as he entered Juanshu Palace, Yun Se said, "Lin Hong, Cui Ti confessed that you seduced her on the night of the autumn hunt. Now that the whole thing is known, she's asking me to punish her."

Yun Se stared at him coldly, "Lin Hong, you really can't judge a person by his appearance. You are in charge of the harem, do you remember the palace rules? What is the punishment for those who commit adultery in the palace?"

"Those who commit adultery within the palace shall be punished with one hundred strokes of the cane and expelled from the palace," Lin Hong replied calmly. "On the night of the autumn hunt, Young Master Cui came to Jingxin Palace to seek me out, attempting to coerce me. I had no choice but to agree to her request in order to leave the palace to rescue Your Majesty. If this is a crime, then I plead guilty."

Yun Se pinched her brows. She had to consider the importance of the Lin family and the contribution of him and Lin Nan in leading troops to the rescue.

Yun Se stared at Lin Hong intently for a long time before she let out a breath. "The Lin family is full of talented generals. It's a waste of your talent to keep you in the palace. Lin Hong, are you willing to go to Nanling to accompany Lang'er?"

Lin Hong's eyes were heavy, and he could only lower his head and said, "I am willing to go."

"As for Cui Ti, he will be beaten with a stick 100 times tomorrow and exiled to Beiling." As Yun Se finished speaking, Wu Han walked in and handcuffed Cui Ti.

Lin Hong looked at Her Majesty, somewhat puzzled. She had fought and killed all her life, yet she suddenly became kind.

Yun Se lowered her eyes. She had committed many murders in her life, and now she felt very uncomfortable.

Cui Ti felt a little relieved. She was really lucky to have encountered the rare kindness of His Majesty.

"Your Majesty, I bow to you and thank you for sparing my life." Cui Ti prostrated herself on the ground, then raised her pale face and asked, "Your Majesty, would you like to enthrone Xiao Yi as your Imperial Consort?"

Yun Se mused, "Not for now."

Cui Ti's words reminded her, Yi Lan and Yi Yuan, who were they really? Gu Zezhi had checked and found they were just decent people with clean backgrounds. But a clean identity didn't mean they couldn't be bribed, so she couldn't trust them completely.

"You all, please step back."