"Your Excellencies, if you believe what this official speaks is utter nonsense, then would you dare to swear a solemn oath before His Majesty and all the civil and military officials?
During His Majesty's reign, your daughters and female relatives shall not enter the palace in any form.
Anyone who violates this will be dismissed from office, and their entire family exiled.
I wonder if any of you dare to swear such an oath to prove your innocence, and thus highlight my own contemptible act of judging a noble person with a petty mind?"
Facing the ravenous gazes that seemed intent on skewering him, Lin Qingge smiled, revealing eight perfectly aligned small white teeth.
The aforementioned officials found themselves in a predicament, caught between a rock and a hard place.
If they refused to swear, it would implicitly admit they were indeed as this person claimed.
But if they swore…
After careful consideration, and seeing the new Emperor's increasingly displeased gaze, the officials had no choice but to kneel and swear the oath to prove their innocence.
"My lord, your strategy of advancing by retreating is truly brilliant!"
Yan Tinghao said, giving a thumbs-up of admiration. However, he then added with some concern:
"My lord, by disrespecting the officials so openly at the banquet, aren't you afraid they will conspire against you and report you?
Also, I always thought you and your cousin were irreconcilable, but I didn't expect you to defend him so vehemently tonight.
Could it be that you… have feelings for your cousin…"
"Stop right there!"
Lin Qingge, fearing some heart-wrenching remark from this simpleton, quickly made a stopping gesture.
"Constable Yan, you need to understand, I am not helping your cousin. What I have been helping, from beginning to end, is the Empress.
As for being targeted by them…
As long as your cousin sits on that throne for one more day, I will be able to rest easy."
Just for raising the new Emperor's child for several years, Lin Qingge could have overturned the entire banquet hall and still emerged unscathed.
Moreover, she had just spoken for the new Emperor and dealt with all those old fogies who tried to send their daughters into the palace to compete for favor.
The new Emperor was grateful to her, not resentful. How could he possibly allow those old fogies to cause trouble for her?
But honestly, the new Emperor's infatuation was more than just severe; it was almost to the point of lowering his intelligence.
If you like someone, you like them. But to declare in front of all the civil and military officials that you only dote on the Empress, isn't that like pushing the Empress into the fire?
Those who know understand it as deep affection, but those who don't might think he had a grudge against the Empress!
Putting aside the Empress Leng Ningyue's own formidable strength, does this foolish individual believe he has the ability to protect his Empress?
Feeling both tired and a headache coming on, Lin Qingge chose to remain silent. However, someone else had no intention of letting her off the hook.
"Your Majesty, Lord Lin has meritorious service in raising the imperial prince, but there are distinctions between men and women.
Lord Lin, being a man, and knowing the Empress's identity, displayed unreserved and intimate behavior, which is truly indecent.
This humble subject believes that if Your Majesty tolerates this, it will not only encourage such perverse behavior but also lead to irreparable disaster.
Therefore, I still suggest severely punishing Lord Lin as a warning to others!"
General Xu maintained his righteous demeanor, as if it were a crime against heaven not to bring someone to justice immediately.
The Empress, unable to bear it any longer, brushed off the crushed peanut shells from her hand and then picked up another handful of peanuts.
Meanwhile, Hua Jinrong, fanning himself, spoke first:
"General Xu, regarding this matter, it is also a beautiful misunderstanding~"
With that, he gave a signal to the eunuch standing beside the new Emperor. The eunuch immediately let out a high-pitched, reedy voice:
"Announce the arrival of Princess Changle!"
The new Emperor: ???
Lin Qingge: ???
The bewildered duo exchanged glances, each seeing profound confusion in the other's eyes.
Princess Changle was a persona created by the new Emperor at the Empress's request, allowing Lin Qingge to appear openly in female attire.
But now, Lin Qingge was huddled in a corner as an observer, so where did Princess Changle come from?
Just as Lin Qingge was filled with bewilderment, a familiar yet strange figure entered her sight.
She found the person familiar because their build and appearance were exactly like hers.
She found the person strange because their demeanor was proper, like that of a true noble lady, gentle, generous, and graceful.
But these words, when applied to Lin Qingge herself, felt inexplicably out of place.
"Changle pays her respects to His Majesty and the Empress."
The overly sweet, affected voice almost sent Lin Qingge, the original, to her demise.
Good heavens!
What kind of demon was this, daring to distort her into this ghastly appearance?
Lin Jingxing?
The name flashed through her mind, but Lin Qingge quickly dismissed it.
Because she personally cremated the bodies of her elder brother and his wife, there was no room for doubt on this matter.
So, the deception was the face that was disguised as her?
At the same time, Hua Jinrong's infuriating voice sounded again:
"As everyone can see, Princess Changle and Lord Lin are twins, their builds and appearances as if cast from the same mold.
The Empress and Princess Changle hit it off immediately and often traveled together. However, because they were both so exceptionally beautiful, they were often harassed by undiscerning scoundrels. Thus, Princess Changle began to wear male attire.
Although this deterred many admirers, it unexpectedly brought greater trouble.
As General Xu has brought this matter up, Princess Changle has sought my help, wishing to use this opportunity to clarify things~"
"This… how is this possible?"
"It's no wonder General Xu is so surprised. When Princess Changle approached me in male attire, I thought Lord Lin had finally had a change of heart and wouldn't abandon this flower for just one tree~
Who knew it was all in vain~"
The civil and military officials, feeling the information overload, all felt a bead of sweat trickle down their foreheads.
Simultaneously, they recognized a fact once again:
Lord Lin Jingxing, the Prefect of Shuntian Prefecture, not only owed a debt of gratitude to His Majesty and the Empress, but also had the protection of the Right Chancellor, the Tenth Prince, a twin sister who was ennobled as a princess, and a constable subordinate known as the King of Zhennan.
How desperate must General Xu have been to provoke this Lord Lin?
Just as the civil and military officials made a silent resolution to stay as far away as possible from this unconventional Lord Lin from now on, the new Emperor waved his sleeve, announcing the end of the banquet for the night.
As for General Xu and others, since they had merely offered their advice, the Emperor had the kneeling officials each pay a fine of one hundred thousand taels of silver for disaster relief before letting them leave.
Meanwhile, Lin Qingge looked at the fiend who kept calling her 'elder brother,' her mouth twitching violently.
Only after returning to the Empress Dowager's Longevity Palace did she finally voice the question that had been weighing on her mind:
"Big brother, who are you?"