The Cold King Demands Love and Pleasure

The Empress Dowager glanced at her, her expression indifferent. "If I hadn't come, would you have continued to be so arrogant?"

"What are you saying, Mother?" She's so low-key, how could she be arrogant?

"Since An'er ascended the throne, there has been constant arguing in the court because of you. Before, people said that you were the goddess of Nanye and could not be the empress of Beimin. Now, it is because of you that An'er does not agree to the marriage alliance."

Xia Tongsheng chuckled, "Mother, you know that the empress dowager must not interfere in politics. How could I dare to interfere with the Emperor's intentions?"

"You dare not interfere? That sounds nice, but I think it's you who's been whispering in An'er's ear. Otherwise, why wouldn't he agree when he knows that a marriage alliance is a good thing for the country and its people?" The Empress Dowager pointed at Xia Tongsheng and demanded, "Tell me, what exactly did you ask An'er for?"

"Mother, it really has nothing to do with me."

"I did not agree with the ministers' suggestion to have the Emperor depose you as Empress. You should know your place. There are some things that should be compromised."

It's as if she didn't compromise at all. "Mother, you disagreed with deposing the Empress because you were afraid it would affect the Emperor's image as a man of his word, so you didn't stop it. It wasn't because of me."

"But the result was the same: you secured your position as queen."

“The result is the same, but the essence is different,” Xia Tongsheng said in a flash. “Regarding the marriage, I already spoke to the Emperor last night, and he decided that I would not interfere.”

Consort Jing gritted her teeth and slammed her fist on the table. "If this marriage alliance falls through, I will make sure you can't survive in the palace. We'll see whether An'er will love you more as his wife or value me more as his mother."

Xia Tongsheng let out a long sigh of relief. "Mother, are you threatening me? Please do as you please. If I were you, I would be smarter and wouldn't do anything that harms others without benefiting myself."

"You're insulting me?" The Empress Dowager had never been spoken to like that before, and she stomped her foot in anger. "From today onwards, this palace is either you or me!"

The Empress Dowager left after saying that in a huff.

Xia Tongsheng naturally didn't take the Empress Dowager's words seriously, considering them just a momentary outburst of anger.

Unfortunately, she underestimated the Empress Dowager's temper.

After the Empress Dowager returned to the palace, she wrote an imperial edict and sent Green Ivy to Phoenix Palace. It just so happened that Min You'an was having breakfast with Xia Tongsheng after court.

"Green Ivy, what brings you here? Does the Empress Dowager wish to see me?"

Green Ivy dared not look directly into the eyes of the Emperor, and said with her head down, "Your Majesty, the Empress has issued an imperial decree."

"What imperial edict?"

Green Ivy immediately knelt down, her hands trembling as she held the imperial edict, and said nervously, "The Empress is deposed!"

"Show me."

Min Youan stood up and took the imperial edict from Green Luo. It stated that Xia Tongsheng had committed the seven grounds for divorce for disrespecting her elders and was to be deposed and expelled from the palace.

He turned his head and looked at Xia Tongsheng, who was eating a steamed bun without any distraction.

"Aren't you afraid of being crippled at all?"

"It's just the position of an empress, I don't care about it."

Min Youan was slightly annoyed. Didn't she know how much effort he had put in and how much pressure he had endured to give Xia Tongsheng this position?

But she was so indifferent. Didn't she want to be buried with him in the same bed in life and in the same grave in death?

"Let's go!" Min Youan led Green Ivy to find the Empress Dowager.

The Empress Dowager was also having breakfast at that moment. "An'er, will you come and have breakfast with your mother?"

"Mother, what does this mean?"

"It means exactly what you see," the Empress Dowager said while eating her porridge. "An'er, aren't the ministers in court also proposing to depose the Empress?"

"My son's opinion has always been very clear: he disagrees."

The Empress Dowager said casually, "But yesterday, your Empress openly slandered me in front of the servants, showing me no face whatsoever. For this alone, I can strip her of her title as Empress."

"Your subject disagrees."

"What kind of bewitching drug did she give you? Are you really going to go against the entire court of officials for her sake?"

"Mother, why do you insist on targeting her?"

"It's not that I didn't give her a chance. When everyone was calling for me to be deposed, I didn't say anything. But look at Xia Tongsheng. Taking advantage of your favor, she's become more and more presumptuous and shows less and less respect for me, the Empress Dowager."

Originally, the Empress Dowager wanted to turn a blind eye to the matter of deposing the Empress, but Xia Tongsheng's arrogance aroused the Empress Dowager's dissatisfaction. She had to get rid of Xia Tongsheng, otherwise, if things continued to develop like this, Min You'an would sooner or later be destroyed like King You of Zhou.

"She has always respected you."

"Respect? If she respected me, would she have yelled at me in front of so many servants?"

Min Youan frowned. "That's prejudice. No matter what, your son will not depose the empress. As for your imperial decree, Mother, it's useless."

"Are you planning to take away my Empress Dowager's seal?"

He put his hands behind his back and said, "My son didn't say that. But you can interpret it that way."

"You're quite capable," the Empress Dowager put down her spoon, picked up a piece of satin to wipe her mouth, and said, "Let me tell you this: only one of us can stay. If you choose her, I will spend the rest of my life in a palace in the suburbs."

"Mother, do you have to force your son like this?"

The Empress Dowager splashed the porridge all over Min You'an, "So why are you forcing me?"

Min You'an looked at the grain of rice on his chest and asked calmly, "Mother, your son has just stabilized the realm. Do you really want to accuse your son of filial impiety at this time?"

The Empress Dowager looked at Min You'an with a sorrowful expression, "So, between me and Xia Tongsheng, you choose her?"

"Yes!"

"Alright!" The Empress Dowager stood up. "Green Vine, pack your things, we're leaving the palace."

Green Ivy quickly pulled the Empress Dowager back, "Your Majesty, please don't be impulsive... give the Emperor some time to consider."

"I'm giving you three days. Either you depose me, or I'll leave the palace."

Min Youan frowned. "One month. Give our son one month."

Min Youan thought to herself that a month would be enough for her mother to change her opinion of Xia Tongsheng.

Xia Tongsheng, who had followed Min Youan all the way to the Empress Dowager's palace, overheard their conversation from the doorway.

Although Xia Tongsheng disliked the Empress Dowager, the pressure of securing her position as Empress was immense for Min Youan. She hadn't expected Min Youan to be so persistent for her sake.

Xia Tongsheng returned to Fengqi Palace, where Min Youan had already changed out of his dirty clothes and was playing with Yi Yi.

"Where have you been?"

"Nowhere in particular, just going for a walk."

Xia Tongsheng had been waiting for Min Youan to tell her what had just happened, but Min Youan refused to mention the Empress Dowager's threat to him. Xia Tongsheng couldn't help but ask, "Don't you have anything you want to tell me?"

Min Youan smiled and said, "No."

After Min Youan left, Xia Tongsheng lay alone on the bed in a daze when Yingling knocked on the door, "Miss, Shui Han is here."

Xia Tongsheng got out of bed. "Shui Han, what brings you here?"

“Your Majesty,” Ji Shuihan bowed, “Mo Chen has something important to discuss with you and would like to meet with you.”