Chapter 293: Chapter 290 Wickedness"The Emperor’s words are at fault," Jiang Chongyu retorted, "The will of the people cannot be defied."

    He Ying scoffed coldly, "I believe, My decision, cannot be defied even more so."

    Jiang Chongyu wanted to say something—

    A Ministry of Rites official beside him tugged at him and spoke out, "Mr. Jiang, as the Saint said, the pure will remain pure, and the impure will remain impure. How could the Empress, a lady of such noble birth, be compared to a female healer? Besides, that female healer comes from a place of filth yet has learned excellent medical skills, and is practicing medicine in Luozhou, leaving behind the reputation of being a brothel’s famous doctor, she is not just anybody."

    He had a round and plump face, with very fair skin and a ruddy complexion, looking the picture of affluence.

    "Yes, indeed! Lord Huang is right!"

    "Since ancient times, a hero’s origins have never mattered. It should be the same for women."

    "To judge Doctor Luo solely by her background is rather unfair."

    ...

    The entire Ministry of Rites stood firmly on the Emperor’s side.

    The Hanlin Academy regarded this as a disgrace.

    Even more so, some radical officials cursed loudly, "You flatter and curry favor with those above, disregarding Da He’s reputation, nothing but vile scoundrels!"

    This was like stirring up a hornet’s nest.

    The Ministry of Rites officials all ganged up on him:

    "Lord Yu, you must watch your words! This is a great disrespect!"

    "We are loyally serving our country; what is your intention with such words, Lord Yu?"

    "You are sowing discord between monarch and subjects; your heart should be condemned!"

    ...

    Another round of incessant arguing ensued.

    He Ying listened until he was weary, massaged his temples for a while, then slammed the Dragon Table and shouted angrily, "Enough! The wedding will proceed as usual. No matter what happens, I will not change it. Dismissed."

    His face was cold and he waved his hand irritably, then stood up to leave.

    It was clear he had run out of patience.

    Officials from the Hanlin Academy still wished to kneel and stop him—

    The affluent-faced Huang Wei stretched out his arms, and his portly body blocked them like a mountain, then smilingly said, "Ah, Mr. Jiang, the Emperor’s decree cannot be defied, why must you persist in causing His Majesty displeasure?"

    He was a peacemaker, always muddling through whenever factions in the court quarreled.

    With this talent, he secured himself the position of Assistant Minister of Rites.

    Jiang Chongyu disliked him and, seeing the Emperor leaving, he was even more displeased, "Lord Huang, as the Assistant Minister of Rites, you allow the Emperor to marry a woman of ill repute as Empress. Where do you place the etiquette and rules of Da He?"

    His words were very pointed.

    Huang Wei still wore his smile, "Mr. Jiang, there you go wrong, the Emperor himself is my etiquette and rules."

    Jiang Chongyu’s face darkened upon hearing this, "So it is said that you all flatter those above!"

    He flicked his sleeve angrily and left the Imperial Study.

    Outside, the night was deep. Sёar?h the N?vel?ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    He raised his head to glance at the cold moonlight, unsure how to face such an awful situation—the Sang Family’s daughter really should not be the Empress!

    *

    He Ying hurried towards Qingning Palace.

    Rows of eunuchs carried lamps to illuminate the path ahead, casting a cold, white light on the road.

    Walking along, he instructed Pei Muyang at his side, "As for the public’s opinion, do not let it reach the Empress’s ears."

    As an imperial eunuch, Pei Muyang was keenly attuned to the Emperor’s thoughts.

    "Your Majesty, rest assured, I’ve already warned the others. Nothing that occurred in the Imperial Study today will reach the Empress’s ears, not a single word."

    "Mm."

    He Ying nodded, a trace of satisfaction flashed across his eyes, but soon his expression turned dark again, "These pedantic scholars of the Hanlin Academy are truly foolish from all their reading! They even dare to oppose Me! Do they think because I haven’t executed anyone for a long time, they can take Me lightly?"

    In the court, either the monarch is strong and the ministers weak, or the monarch weak and the ministers strong.

    Since meeting Sang Yan, He Ying’s temperament had softened quite a bit; he became more pleasant and accommodating in the court.

    Clearly, this had emboldened them!

    "Your Majesty, calm your anger."

    Pei Muyang softly advised, "The Empress’s virtues are acknowledged by everyone within the palace, but those outside the palace are not as well-informed. Those officials from the Hanlin Academy are just using the common people’s words, and many of the common people just echo others, how would they know what kind of person the Empress is? I think it’s better to guide than to block, Your Majesty should let the Empress appear in public, to interact closely with the common people and build a good reputation."

    He Ying listened, frowning, speaking displeased, "You want the Empress to ingratiate herself with those commoners?"

    A bunch of ignorant fools worthy to meet his Empress?

    He immediately rejected the idea, "Impossible! Pei Muyang, you really have come up with a great idea! Don’t ever bring it up again!"

    He would never let Sang Yan be subjected to such humiliation.

    For Sang Yan to become the Empress of Da He was Da He’s good fortune, not hers!

    Upon seeing the Emperor displeased, Pei Muyang quickly knelt to beg for forgiveness, "Please forgive me, Your Majesty! I was presumptuous!"

    "It’s not that you were presumptuous; it is that your words lacked consideration."

    He Ying looked down at the kneeling man, his face stern and coldly said, "You should know that she chose Da He, it is not Da He that chose her."

    Pei Muyang: "..."

    Alright.

    His mistake.

    His words did indeed lack consideration, severely overlooking the Emperor’s love and grandeur—he had put the Empress on a pedestal!

    "Yes. I will keep that in mind."

    "Enough. Stand up."

    He Ying let it slide, considering his loyalty, and didn’t hold this small misstep against him.

    Otherwise, a beating would be unavoidable.

    "Thank you, Your Majesty."

    After thanking him, Pei Muyang stood up and cautiously attended at his side, following him back to Qingning Palace.

    On the way,

    He happened to bump into Little Guizi.

    "Greetings to Your Majesty—"

    Little Guizi quickly came forward to salute.

    Seeing him, He Ying frowned and asked, "Why have you come here? How is the Empress?"

    Little Guizi was also a clever one and quickly responded with a smile, "There is nothing wrong with the Empress; she is just waiting for Your Majesty to return, looking ever so expectant, so she sent me to see when Your Majesty would be back."

    His words sounded pleasant.

    He Ying, hearing this, was very pleased, "Did the Empress say anything else? Since I wasn’t back, how did she manage her evening meal? What did she eat? How much? What was her mood at the time?"

    Even though they had only been apart for a few hours, even though they were about to meet again, he still had many questions to ask.

    Whenever it concerned her, he was never lacking in curiosity.