Lin Huan was still combing her hair when Mu Zhi walked in and said: "Your Ladyship, Jiang Cairen has come to request an audience."

  Lin Xiao looked at the sky outside and said: "It's so early? Even if it's a courtesy visit, there's no such time as this."

  The imperial concubines had the habit of visiting Changkun Palace every morning to pay their respects. After Lin Xiang's illness, the rules in the palace were changed, and it became a rule that they only needed to visit Changkun Palace on the first and fifteenth days of each month to pay their respects. After Lin Daiyu entered the palace, she also didn't bother with the daily bickering or watching the bickering among her husband's women, so this rule was also implemented, and they only needed to come to pay their respects on the first and fifteenth days of each month.

  It's just a courtesy visit, and there isn't anyone who comes to pay respects at dawn either.

  "Please ask her to wait in the side hall for a moment."

  As he spoke, he suddenly thought of something and looked at the emperor who was still sleeping inside, separated by a screen - if the emperor wanted to attend an early court session, he should have gotten up by now, let alone the fact that the emperor was diligent in governance and rarely missed an early court session, but because today was a day off from court duties, he naturally slept in later than usual.

  Lin Yi couldn't help but smile to herself, and shook her head in resignation. "In that case, let's just invite her directly to the outer palace of the imperial residence."

  Lin Yan combed and washed up after makeup, walked out of the inner temple.

  Jiang sat outside for a while, she was still calm and composed, with a gentle expression on her face. Her eyes were fixed in one direction, without even glancing at the palace maids of Changkun Palace or looking around.

  Lin Xiao glanced at the tea on her desk, full, and didn't move.

  Jiang saw Lin Daiyu being surrounded by palace maids as she walked out, and he stood up, slowly knelt down on the ground, and calmly said: "Greetings to Your Majesty the Empress."

  Lin Xiao sat down in her original position and then asked: "Jiang Cai, why did you come to Changkun Palace so early? Is there something urgent that can't be delayed?"

  "The words 'urgently' made Jiang Xi's ears feel somewhat piercing, but she didn't say anything. Instead, she also politely and calmly said: "Your Majesty, I have come to ask for punishment."

  Lin Daiyu sighed and said, "What crime has Jiang Cairan committed?"

  Jiang Xie said: "Yesterday, Miss Lin Liu and Wu Wunangzi had a dispute with Ning Yu County, and I happened to pass by the Imperial Garden. Originally, I wanted to mediate, but unexpectedly, the more I advised Ning Yu County and Wu Wunangzi, the more they got angry, and in the end, they even started fighting, which also injured Ning Yu County." As she spoke, she seemed to have just thought of something and asked anxiously: "Is Miss Lin Wu okay? I heard that Miss Lin Wu cried for a long time yesterday too."

  Jiang Xi continued: "Yesterday, I thought about it over and over again, and I feel that the quarrel between the young ladies yesterday was probably due to my own carelessness. I am extremely anxious about this, and I couldn't sleep all night, so I came early today to apologize to Your Highness."

  She knelt down and said: "Please forgive me for my unintentional mistake."

  Lin Xiao looked at her with a hint of a smile and said, "Jiang Cairen, if you don't know how to speak, then don't speak."

  Jiang Xi raised his head in surprise and looked at Lin Xiao, saying: "Your Majesty......" As if he was surprised that she would speak like this.

  Lin Xiang looked at her, thinking that as the empress, even if she was unhappy in her heart, since she had already come to apologize, she should put on a generous and magnanimous appearance.

  "If someone knows they can't speak well but still insists on speaking, that's not unintentional, it's intentional."

  Jiang Xi really didn't expect the empress to make a scene on the spot, but she thought to herself, this is even better.

  Jiang Xi's face was stern, and she said: "Your servant indeed made an unintentional mistake."

  Lin Xiang didn't care about her own reputation and continued, "Jiang Cairen, do you know what the seven grounds for divorce are according to the Book of Rites? They are: having no children, being licentious, not serving one's parents-in-law, having a sharp tongue, stealing, being jealous, and having a loathsome disease. The sage included 'sharp tongue' in the seven grounds because it can cause estrangement and harm family harmony. Although you are an imperial concubine, this rule still applies to you."

  Jiang Xi raised her eyes and looked at the empress, meeting her gaze.

  Lin Daiyu said: "Jiang Cairn, you can go back now. Remember to copy the article 'Benming' from 'Da Dai Li Ji', so that you will understand what you should do and what you shouldn't do."

  Jiang Xi was helped up by the palace maid, and quietly looked at Lin Xiang sitting at the top for a while. She finally slightly bent her knees, then turned around and walked out.

  But after taking two steps, she turned back, standing tall and majestic, as if inviolable, with a half-clear and half-wronged expression, saying: "I always thought that Her Majesty the Empress was a magnanimous and discerning person, but unexpectedly..."

  She held back this half sentence and didn't say it out loud, but her eyes told others that the empress in front of her was narrow-minded and lacked maternal dignity.

  Lin Yan said: "This palace has been taught since childhood, with 'virtue' and 'morality' as the standard. Even if I was appointed as the empress by the emperor, I have always thought that my words and actions are in line with the standards of the ancients, without any fault. If Jiang Cairen thinks that this empress is not doing things right and wants to teach me how to be an empress, then wait until you become the empress yourself."

  That was already a very serious remark. Jiang Xi lowered his head, his face slightly red, as if he had suffered great injustice.

  She stole a glance at the shadow of a man in the bedroom behind the screen, saw that he was unmoved, felt disappointed in her heart, and had to bend her knees again, then held the palace girl's hand and left the Changkun Palace.

  After Jiang Xi left, the emperor, who was still wearing his inner clothes under a single outer gown, lifted the curtain and walked out from behind the screen.

  Lin Xiang looked up and smiled at him, with a half-coy and half-cunning tone, asking: "Will Your Majesty blame me for being too harsh on your little beauty?"

  The emperor walked over and sat down beside her, tapping her face with his finger, smiling: "I think you're doing it on purpose."

  Lin Yanxin said, "It sounds like others are not intentionally doing it."

  Lin Xiao walked over, smiling and holding the emperor's arm, saying: "I thought Your Majesty would come out to appreciate the beauty of the ladies."

  I'm afraid even Jiang Xi thought so too.

  "It's a good thing the Emperor didn't come out, otherwise I would have lost face."

  Jiang still hadn't taken the pulse of the future emperor, and he was already showing mercy to her. But the emperor wouldn't humiliate a palace concubine in front of the empress, so she deliberately followed her script. She would tell him that having the emperor's favor didn't mean having everything, especially with an emperor who had a clear head.

  "The Emperor smiled and said: 'When have I ever lost face in front of you?'"

  The emperor and empress must be of one mind, so that the government is peaceful and the palace harmonious. In front of the hall, teach your children; by the bedside, teach your wife. Even if the empress has faults, you should privately instruct her in detail, rather than publicly humiliating her in front of others, which would make it difficult for her to manage the palace staff.

  Just thinking of Jiang Cairen, he has a lot of disappointment in his heart.

  Although similar in appearance, she lacked the elegance and openness of heart that Qiangniang possessed.

  Lin Xiang knew what the emperor was thinking, but didn't say it out loud. Instead, she said: "Your Majesty hasn't even washed up yet, let me help you with that."