Chapter 953: Chapter 953 Everything is a Coincidence_1

The Emperor seemed to have grown impatient, frowning as he interrupted Huang Ren: “Lower your voice! It’s giving me a headache!”

Huang Ren’s impassioned retort abruptly ended, and he quickly knelt down, “Your servant accepts his mistake.”

The Emperor’s annoyance with the loudness was secondary, he knew the Emperor didn’t want to listen anymore.

At this point, Jiang Ning lifted her skirt and stepped over the threshold, “Your child pays her respects to Father Emperor.”

She deliberately ignored the Empress.

This was completely against the rules and highly disrespectful.

Huang Ren was somewhat surprised, looking twice at Jiang Ning.

Everyone knew that the current Princess Consort was extremely witty and smooth. She would never act rudely without reason.

Unless, she did it purposely.

Had the infighting in the harem reached such a brazen point?

This was happening right in front of the Emperor and his courtiers!

Huang Ren was undeniably shocked.

Jiang Ning noticed Huang Ren’s gaze, unhesitatingly stared back directly, almost laughing. It was as if she saying: “If you dare, impeach me here and now!”

Huang Ren quickly lowered his head, not daring to look again.

While the Princess Consort’s beauty was indeed striking, those eyes of hers that seemed to see through everything, often carried a hint of ridicule and disdain, making it hard for others to meet her gaze.

At this moment, Huang Ren still completely didn’t understand why, when Monk Jieming committed a crime, the Emperor required the Empress and Princess Consort to appear simultaneously.

He vaguely knew that the Empress and the Princess Consort were at odds, but he didn’t expect that today’s incident was completely instigated by them.

By the time he realized all this, he would understand why every time he listed Monk Jieming’s crimes, the Empress’s complexion got worse.

There is no love without reason in this world, nor any hatred without cause.

The Empress’s poor complexion was unlikely because of sympathy for a greedy and lustful old monk.

The Emperor casually lifted his hand, dismissing the etiquette of the Princess Consort, but he didn’t give her a pleasant expression, his tone was blunt, “Princess Consort, the Emperor heard that you asked the Prince of Wutong for help to search the Lingshan Temple?”

Jiang Ning’s heart jolted, she hurriedly explained, “Reply to Your Majesty, your daughter just happened to…”

“Just happened? How so?” the Empress interjected.

“As everyone knows, my mother’s birthday is in a few days,”

Upon saying this, Jiang Ning paused, and clearly saw the Emperor’s expression stiffen, then continued, “I heard that the signs at Lingshan Temple are the most effective, so I wanted to go and burn some incense, get a sign for my mother’s blessings. Who knew that I would unintentionally discover Monk Jieming’s misconduct? My brother and I, being weak scholars, dared not argue with the monks. We worried that if we were too late, the lives of the two women would be endangered. So, out of necessity, we asked Prince Wutong for help. If your daughter did anything wrong, please let Father Emperor punish me.”

After she finished speaking, she raised her skirt and knelt down.

With that one set of words, every well-planned move was reduced to mere coincidence.

She knew the Emperor knew she was deliberately opposing the Empress.

However, she couldn’t let the Emperor believe she had the power to mobilize the capital’s officials at will.

The Emperor could ignore the infighting of the harem, but if a Princess Consort possessed such power, it would signify she had the ability to threaten the safety of the Imperial City.

A common man will be in trouble if found with a precious jade.

The crux of the matter was not whether she had any rebellious thoughts, but if she had the ability.

Jiang Ning had to make the Emperor understand that the reason Prince Wutong agreed to help her was because he owed her a small favor. Secondly, it was to eliminate a menace for the Emperor and thirdly, because she and Jiang Yi offered benefits to Prince Wutong.