thefictionvixens Chapter 259 When will the Empress be deposed?
Chapter 259 When will the Empress be deposed?
Shen Shixi snuggled into his arms, laughing like a rooster crowing. Li Yuanke, disgusted, pushed her away, saying, "Go wash yourself!"
"No, I want you to carry me. Li Yuanke, if you dare not carry me, don't touch me again!"
Li Yuanke was furious. "You bastard, how dare you threaten me? Do you even remember who you are?"
Despite his cursing, he resigned himself to his fate, got up, and carried her to the hot spring.
Caiying and the others quickly came in and changed the bedding and opened the window to let in some fresh air.
Soon after, Han Xiao entered the palace to request an imperial decree. His cousin had finally agreed to marry him, and he was overjoyed, like he was drunk, and showed off to Shen Shixi.
"Your Majesty, though I am unworthy, I do have a sincere heart. Fortunately, Lady Du has discerning eyes, which is why I was able to win your hand. Otherwise, if this marriage had failed due to the machinations of those with ulterior motives, I would have regretted it for the rest of my life."
Li Yuanke finally began to govern, and was about to issue an edict. Upon hearing this, he put down his pen and looked at him with sympathy.
Shen Shixi lifted her eyelids and glanced at Han Xiao. "Han Xiao, I always thought you weren't very smart, but I never expected you to be this stupid. Have you taken your beauty home yet? Not yet, right? And you're already showing off. Don't you know the saying, 'Extreme joy begets sorrow'?"
Han Xiao said, "Your Majesty, I don't care anyway. Han Yun has already agreed to marry me, so you can't interfere!"
"Oh, really? Well, you wait here, I'll send someone out to ask. I won't stop you, I just want to confirm if my cousin really agrees. What is she thinking? She just crawled out of one cesspool, and she hasn't even washed the filth off herself yet, why would she want to jump into another fire pit?"
Han Xiao immediately knelt down, "Your Majesty, I was wrong, I shouldn't have been so arrogant. I was just too happy! I swear, I will treat Han Yun well, I will never let her down, if I break this vow, may Heaven punish me..."
"Stop!" Shen Shixi said, "Don't spout this nonsense in front of me. A man's words are deceitful! I don't care what you're thinking, but if you dare to let my cousin suffer even the slightest grievance after she marries you, I can still persuade her to divorce you someday;
"If you dare let any other woman bully her again, I'll make her tear down all the ancestral tablets in your family's ancestral hall, you believe me!"
I believe it, I believe it so much!
After all, to be able to persuade a woman who has been virtuous since childhood to do something like borrowing a man's sperm is simply outrageous!
Han Xiao immediately made a promise.
Shen Shixi didn't take his words seriously. She never worried in advance; she would deal with whatever came her way, and if it didn't, she wouldn't worry unnecessarily.
Li Yuanke issued an imperial decree bestowing marriage upon Shen Shixi, who rewarded him with many gifts. He also instructed Chao'en to go out and speak with the Shen family, explaining that since the Du family disliked his cousin, the marriage arrangements would naturally not need to be handled by the Du family, but by the Shen family.
Li Yuanke also received a reward, and when the Empress Dowager found out, she also gave a reward. The Empress had no choice but to give one as well, so the marriage was a very grand affair.
A second marriage is more glamorous than a first marriage, but what can be done? The Imperial Noble Consort values her highly!
As the bridal sedan chair passed through Xinghua Lane, He Wensi's family was being chased out with their luggage. They had no money to rent a house, so the landlord naturally wouldn't give them a place to live.
"Whose wedding is this? It's so lively!" Old Mrs. He looked at the dowry being carried in baskets, tears of envy streaming down her face.
"Who else could it be but Consort Chenyuan's cousin, remarrying! I heard she married a scholar before, a real scoundrel, who bullied her terribly. Now she's found a perfect husband, the marriage was arranged by imperial decree. Look at this first batch of gifts—a ruyi scepter bestowed by the Empress Dowager, it's really valuable!"
A gust of wind blew by, and the curtain of the bridal sedan chair was lifted a corner. He Wensi saw a profile of his ex-wife, as delicate as a peach blossom. He felt as if he were in an ice cave, and in a daze, he fell straight forward.
Old Mrs. He cried out and rushed to help her son, only to find his jaw clenched and his face as white as paper, as if he were about to die.
He Wensi didn't die from the fall, but he broke his leg. He didn't have the money to hire a good doctor, which delayed his treatment, and he ended up lame.
How could the imperial court possibly appoint a cripple as an official!
Another one with a bad reputation.
The mother and son eventually ended up on the streets, becoming beggars.
The Prince of Jin's wedding was set for June 17th. The Emperor ordered the Ministry of Rites to handle the arrangements. If there were any uncertainties, the Emperor would consult the Empress Dowager. However, the Empress Dowager was not in charge of such matters and naturally left them to the Empress.
The Empress was very busy.
The silkworm-raising ceremony was approaching, and this was an important matter. The Empress dared not be negligent and had to make preparations in a great hurry. On that day, she had to be very dignified in her attire, including what clothes and jewelry she wore, so as not to lose face.
Li Fude arrived and delivered the Emperor's decree that this year's silkworm-raising ceremony would be presided over by the Imperial Noble Consort. The Empress was stunned and didn't react in time.
Granny Qu said, "Did Eunuch Li misunderstand? This matter has always been handled by the Empress, how can it be entrusted to a concubine?"
Li Fude laughed and said, "His Majesty is also considerate of the Empress, who is always ill. There are not many princes and princesses in the palace now, and His Majesty is always looking forward to having a legitimate son and is also busy with the marriage of Prince Jin."
The ceremony was quite elaborate, and the Emperor was worried that the Empress might get tired. Besides, the Imperial Noble Consort was no ordinary concubine, and the Emperor had changed some of the rituals and rules this year. He was afraid the Empress wouldn't be able to learn them all at once, so he decided not to trouble the Empress further.
If in the past the Empress had always hoped that she could give the Emperor a legitimate son, at this moment, the word "legitimate son" made her very annoyed.
"I'm going to ask the Emperor when he's going to depose me!" the Empress cried.
Granny Qu stopped her, "Your Highness, you must not give the Emperor any leverage over you! You know perfectly well why the Imperial Observatory set the date of the Silkworm Ceremony on the Imperial Noble Consort's birthday. If you really question him, the Emperor will have something to say."
Looking back, the Emperor's words, "The Empress has requested to be deposed," left even the most capable Prime Minister Pei powerless to reverse the situation.
That's truly courting death.
Even the Empress was afraid!
All I could do was sob and cry.
Three days before the silkworm-raising ceremony, Shen Shixi fasted and bathed.
On that day, dressed in undyed cotton clothes, like a peasant woman, with a simple cloth hairpin in her hair, she set off from Zhaoyang Palace to Fuyou Hall.
This was completely different from the empress's attire for the silkworm-raising ceremony in the past, where the empress wore elaborate makeup according to her rank.
But Shen Shixi's outfit made her seem approachable.
In the past, the emperor did not pay attention to this, but this time, he led all the civil and military officials to watch the ceremony, and the ladies of the court and the nobility were also present.
When Shen Shixi appeared, everyone was amazed.
Who wouldn't want to shine in a moment like this? But this person not only didn't wear any makeup, but was also dressed so shabbily.
But it must be said that even in this attire, the Imperial Noble Consort still radiated beauty.
When all artifice fades, true innocence is revealed.
When she saw Li Yuanke, she raised her eyes and smiled, a smile that surpassed even the most dazzling stars.
Li Yuanke's heart trembled as he recalled the scene of her lying on top of him, and he found it difficult to control himself.
That bastard, at a time like this, he's still trying to seduce him!
This made him think that if he and she had not been born into an imperial family, but into an ordinary family, she would have been doing housework, spinning and weaving, and that would have been her life!
Inside the hall, a yellow table had been set up with a fasting plaque on it. The gold and silver hooks, baskets, and other items needed for picking mulberry leaves had also been arranged in the hall. After Shen Shixi inspected them, a special person carried them to the place where mulberry leaves were picked, which was the mulberry grove in the northern suburbs.
Shen Shixi left the palace and arrived at the Altar of the First Silkworm Goddess to offer sacrifices to the First Silkworm Goddess.
The Goddess of Silkworms was Leizu, the principal wife of the Yellow Emperor. Legend has it that Leizu taught people how to raise silkworms, reel silk, and make clothes, which is how clothes came to be worn.
Under the watchful eyes of everyone, Shen Shixi ascended the altar to offer sacrifices. At this moment, she was very devout and performed the ritual of kneeling and bowing three times.
Next, we will pick mulberry leaves in the mulberry grove.
The mulberry grove was newly decorated, with colorful flags fluttering everywhere. Shen Shixi, accompanied by ladies of noble birth, waited for the auspicious hour to arrive. The eunuchs beat drums and sang mulberry picking songs.
Shen Shixi picked mulberry leaves with a golden hook and a golden basket, and picked a total of three mulberry leaves.
This is called the Gongsang ceremony.
After picking the mulberry leaves, Shen Shixi would go up to the Mulberry Viewing Platform to watch the ladies of the court and the women of the palace picking mulberry leaves. He would then hand the picked mulberry leaves to the silkworm mother, the female official in charge of silkworm affairs, who would then use them to feed the silkworms.
This concludes the entire ceremony.
This time, Shen Shixi added a ritual: while the ladies of the inner and outer courts were picking mulberry leaves, she had two pieces of equipment brought up, which immediately attracted everyone's attention.