Hearing their words, Wang Fugui became even more agitated. He looked at the two of them contemptuously, his eyes filled with disdain.
"Didn't you two get any benefits when we did those things together back then? Now that things have been exposed, you just want to push me out. You're really good allies of mine."
The two of them blushed and got angry at his words, but it was the truth.
Seeing that they didn't continue to refute, Wang Fugui still stuck to his previous words.
"Your Majesty may as well just kill me. Anyway, without this official hat on my head, there's no point in my living."
Just as the young emperor was at a loss, suddenly a clear female voice came from outside the door.
"I'd like to see where Lord Wang got the audacity to repeatedly defy the Son of Heaven."
Everyone turned around in unison and saw a familiar figure standing at the door of the main hall.
Everyone knelt on the ground to pay their respects, surprised by the sudden appearance of the Empress Dowager.
Wang Fugui had heard before that this Empress Dowager was not someone to be trifled with. Now he didn't want to fall into her hands. When he saw her appear, his face changed immediately.
After thinking for a moment, he came up with an idea and brought up the laws of the Great Liang.
"It's inappropriate for the Empress Dowager to barge in during the court discussion. The harem has always been forbidden from interfering in politics. Are you going to ignore the ancestors' rules?"
Shi Muyuan had lived for decades in two lifetimes. How could she be intimidated by such a small official?
The corners of her mouth curled up slightly, and she laughed boldly and enchantingly. "You'd better look at yourself first before saying such things. A man who is about to become a prisoner has no right to question how I do things."
Hearing this, Wang Fugui's face turned green and then white. But the Empress Dowager's words were impeccable, and he couldn't find a single word to refute.
Other officials who had also wanted to say the same thing saw Wang Fugui being refuted into silence and could only retreat silently to one side. They couldn't afford to offend this Empress Dowager for the time being.
Moreover, it seemed that the Empress Dowager had come today to relieve the emperor's worries. As long as she wasn't causing trouble for them, they were happy to see it.
The young emperor saw Wang Fugui being refuted like this and a smile appeared in the corners of his eyes. "Are you still going to say nothing? If so, then you'll really have to lose your life here today."
Wang Fugui lowered his head and said nothing. Obviously, it was just as the young emperor had said.
The young emperor was about to say something else to persuade Wang Fugui, but this time his words were interrupted by the Empress Dowager. She seemed to have a better idea.
"It's okay if you don't want to say. I heard that you have a favorite concubine who is now pregnant with your child. That's why you're so eager to take the money and leave, isn't it? It's not easy to have a shrew at home."
Some things were just hinted at. Wang Fugui was able to cause so much trouble under the emperor's nose, which proved that he was smart.
Sure enough, as soon as he heard this, his face changed immediately.
"No! I did all these things myself. It has nothing to do with them. Moreover, she and the child in her womb are kind-hearted..."
Before he could finish, Shi Muyuan impatiently interrupted him.
"If that concubine were really kind-hearted, she wouldn't have secretly fallen in love with you. And after knowing all the evil things you've done, she never tried to stop you."
Although this might sound a bit harsh, it was the truth. Everyone present was a smart person, and some officials began to mock.
"Maybe she came from a brothel. After all, which good girl would be willing to be a concubine these days?"
"The women in the Beauty's Delight are good at using such tricks. I almost got deceived once."
As soon as these words were said, the surrounding officials burst into laughter. The originally solemn atmosphere was thus enlivened.
Shi Muyuan hated these people who didn't take those women seriously. As a modern woman who had traveled through time, she wished she could use her current power and status to close all the brothels in the Great Liang.
However, this was just a thought.
Some things had taken root deeply in a certain place, and it was absolutely impossible to change them easily.
If she wanted to solve the problem of brothels, she had to be prepared to face the opposition of 80% of the men in the Great Liang.
She cast a cold glance at the officials beside her, and they immediately shut up.
Even though they knew that this Empress Dowager, being in a high position, didn't care about the lives of those brothel women at all, they still felt that there seemed to be a hint of disgust in her eyes just now.
After the surroundings became completely quiet, Shi Muyuan changed the topic.
"You probably don't want your wife to find out where your concubine lives, do you?"
Wang Fugui's face darkened. Shi Muyuan was sure that if it weren't for the people around him holding him back, he would probably rush forward and tear her to pieces the next moment.
"The Empress Dowager is indeed as ruthless as the rumors say. You don't even blink an eye when it comes to human lives."
"I'm just taking advantage of the situation. I'm sure your wife will be happy when she knows that she's about to have a son. I heard that you two have wanted a son for many years but have been unable to have one."
Of course, he knew that his wife favored sons over daughters and had wanted a son for a long time. However, definitely not in this way.
If his wife knew about the existence of the concubine, Xiaoqian would surely lose her life, and his unborn son would also die.
After thinking carefully for a while, Wang Fugui's face turned pale. Finally, he had no choice but to write down everything the young emperor wanted to know.
Ji Heng nodded in satisfaction and then ordered people to take the few people in the hall away for further disposal later.
After the court was adjourned, the three of them walked into the imperial study together.
Cui Qizhou looked thoughtfully at the mother - son pair. "Your Majesty has grown up so well. Today's interrogation in the court was something I've never seen before. I wonder where you learned it from?"
The young emperor didn't hide it and looked at Shi Muyuan proudly.
"I owe it all to the Empress Dowager. Otherwise, I wouldn't have been able to turn the situation around at the most critical moment."
Cui Qizhou actually had a guess in his heart. Now that he got the confirmation, there was a glint of interest in his eyes.
"I didn't know when the Empress Dowager learned this trick. I also don't know what this trick is called."