After being reborn, I went on a killing spree in the imperial court.

Xue Xiqiong, as if she had found a powerful backer, stood arrogantly in front of Cao Yuan and said, "Princess, you've come at the perfect time. They were just laughing at me, and at Xinian too! They clearly don't respect you at all!"

"Everyone says that Princess Huayang is spoiled and arrogant because she holds the tiger tally. It seems to be true. She just gave away the position of a third-rank official like that."

"This is truly disheartening for those students who have studied so hard for so many years!"

She is the wife of the Prime Minister.

Born into a military family, she always hated evil and spoke frankly, enjoying high prestige among the women in the court. Cao Shang had calculated this point, which is why he dared to let Xue Xiqiong cause trouble.

In doing so, Cao Yuan would inevitably offend the Prime Minister's faction in order to protect the Xue family, and Cao Yuan's reputation among the court officials would be tarnished by accusations of favoritism and bias.

In her previous life, she was impeached quite a few times!

"This Princess Huayang, relying on her tiger tally, has even extended her influence into the imperial court."

"Who told the princess to have her maternal clan backing her up!"

"The princess's maternal clan guards the border; they can't compare to us!"

"How could the late Crown Prince, such a good person, have such a morally corrupt younger sister!"

"The late Empress died young, otherwise she would have been driven to her death by anger!"

Everyone said it in turn.

Cao Yuan smiled slightly. In her previous life, Cao Shang and Xue Xinian had ruined her reputation. This time, she was determined to take it all back.

"How could I possibly control an official position? However, Madam's lesson is correct. I will certainly be more careful with my words and actions in the future! I will also properly discipline my husband's family."

"Sister, this is the Prime Minister's wife, quickly apologize!" Cao Yuan looked at Xue Xiqiong.

"!!!"

An apology? Impossible!

Princess Cao Shang, sitting opposite, turned pale and gripped her teacup tightly in her hand.

The princess, who is usually arrogant and doesn't care about anyone when it comes to Xue Xinian, is unusually willing to bow down today.

"Mother, what happened?"

Cao Yuan's eyelashes trembled slightly as she looked up to see a young guard pushing a wheelchair to the Prime Minister's wife.

The boy in the wheelchair was just as handsome as in his previous life. His pure black eyes shone like the bright stars in the night sky. His relaxed expression was like a gentle breeze. Beneath his high and straight nose, his thin lips were slightly upturned, forming a faint smile. He wore a red official robe with a jade belt around his waist, and he still held that familiar folding fan in his hand.

He was Chu Yan, the Minister of the Court of Judicial Review and the adopted son of the Prime Minister.

That short-lived bastard!

Cao Yuan remembered that he had been rescued from the battlefield by the Prime Minister. He suffered from a leg ailment and had been in a wheelchair for many years. Last year, he was promoted to Minister of the Court of Judicial Review because he solved a corruption case.

During his tenure, he handled nearly a hundred unsolved cases.

Unfortunately, he died young, passing away from illness in the third year after Cao Yuan's marriage. That means he had only three years left to live.

What a pity.

Later, when the new emperor ascended the throne, the prime minister was also accused of treason and imprisoned; none of his family members met a good end.

"Madam Prime Minister, with such a venomous tongue, you deserve to have a cripple as your own son!" Xue Xiqiong spoke arrogantly, seemingly oblivious to the seriousness of the matter.

"This guy is really fearless!"

"How dare you say the Minister of the Court of Judicial Review is crippled!"

"Looks like he won't live much longer."

Everyone in the capital knows Chu Yan's ruthless methods. No criminal he has arrested has ever escaped unscathed. These women are terrified of him, so who would dare to provoke him to his face? Only Xue Xiqiong is fearless.

"You scoundrel! Who are you calling a cripple! Say it again! I'll tear your mouth apart!" The Prime Minister's wife stood up and shouted.

“I said your son is disabled! Disabled!” Xue Xiqiong raised her head, without the slightest bit of apology.

Upon hearing the word "crippled," the Prime Minister's wife reacted like a lit firecracker, standing up and slapping Xue Xiqiong.

Xue Xiqiong seemed stunned again; the Prime Minister's wife's strength was no less than Cao Yuan's.

"If you dare hit me, I'll fight you to the death!"

Chu Yan closed his fan, his eyes narrowed slightly, and his well-defined hand had just landed on the handle of the wheelchair when Cao Yuan kicked Xue Xiqiong's leg.

It's unclear whether Chu Yan's brows relaxed upon seeing him kneel.

"Ouch! You kicked me!" Xue Xiqiong's legs went weak and she knelt on the ground.

"The Emperor has arrived!"

Everyone stood up, bowed their heads and knelt in worship. The noise from before suddenly quieted down, and Xue Xiqiong followed suit and knelt on the ground to pay her respects.

"Be flat!"

On the dragon throne, the emperor surveyed his surroundings with piercing, profound, and majestic eyes. His voice was deep and resonant, and although his tone was calm, it exerted an invisible pressure on the officials and their families present.

"My dear subjects, today is a family banquet. Please feel free to relax and enjoy yourselves to the fullest!"

"Yes!" everyone answered in unison.

The Prime Minister's wife stepped to the center and knelt down, saying, "Your Majesty! Today is your birthday, and I should not spoil your joy! But Princess Huayang's in-laws, relying on Princess Huayang's protection, just humiliated my son! My son is the Minister of the Court of Judicial Review, personally appointed by Your Majesty. When has he ever been humiliated like this! Please, Your Majesty, do justice for my son!"

Xue Xiqiong was so frightened that she knelt on the ground and kept kowtowing, "Your Majesty, Your Majesty, I didn't mean it, I spoke recklessly!"

"Your Majesty, please forgive me!" Xue Xinian appeared out of nowhere.

Xue Xinian glanced at Xue Xiqiong, who was lying on the ground trembling. "Xinian, save me! Please have the princess save me!"

"It was my elder sister's lack of manners that disturbed the Prime Minister's wife and Lord Chu. It was my fault, and if anyone should be punished, it should be punished!"

The Prime Minister's wife then said, "Lord Xue, you flatter me. You are both the Prince Consort and the future Vice Minister..."

Upon hearing this, the emperor immediately slammed his fist on the table and loudly rebuked, "Absurd! The candidate for Vice Minister of Rites has not yet been decided. Who promised him the position of Vice Minister!"

The emperor was furious, and everyone present knelt down.

"It was Lord Xue's elder sister who told us that Princess Huayang had made the arrangements. Everyone present heard it."

Everyone nodded.

"It was the princess who said it, it was the princess who said it. Your Majesty, spare my life! Your Majesty, spare my life!" Xue Xiqiong kept kowtowing on the ground.

The emperor smashed the teacup beside him to the ground. Cao Yuan had indeed mentioned this matter before the marriage. The emperor also felt that Xue Xinian was capable of serving as a vice minister. However, mentioning it in advance made it seem as if his imperial decree still had to be obeyed by a princess like Cao Yuan. Since she and Xue Xinian had been together, there had been countless memorials impeaching her.

“Father, please calm down! The selection of the Vice Ministers was conducted through open selection, how could I possibly interfere?” Cao Yuan rose and knelt with them.

"It was all caused by your in-laws. How should this matter be resolved?"

"Although the eldest sister of the imperial consort is a commoner, her outspokenness and disruption of palace order should be severely punished according to palace rules as a warning to others!"

Cao Shang's heart clenched; she was afraid that Xue Xiqiong, that brainless woman, would betray her.

"Your Majesty, please understand! Princess, you cannot sever ties with me like this just to escape responsibility! It was clearly you who told us this! Xinian, tell me, did she say it or not!" Xue Xiqiong said anxiously, regretting that she shouldn't have listened to Cao Shang.

"Speak, Xue Qing!" The emperor awaited his answer.

Xue Xinian kept his head down and hesitated to reply.

"Xi Nian, tell me quickly!"

Xue Xiqiong kept reminding him from the side.

“薛卿！”