Chapter 27 Was it a misunderstanding?
Grand Tutor Liu was so angry that he trembled all over. He pointed at General Weiyuan, his lips quivering for a long time, but he couldn't utter a single word.
He suddenly flicked his sleeve and turned to face the assembled civil and military officials.
"Outrageous! Absolutely outrageous!"
The old Grand Tutor's voice was filled with rage, and his whole body trembled.
"The entire court, filled with high-ranking officials, has fallen so low! Openly mocking a veteran of three reigns in the very imperial palace! Gentlemen, is this your official arrogance? Is this your upbringing?!"
However, someone couldn't help but let out a soft chuckle.
Immediately afterwards, the laughter spread throughout the entire hall.
"Ha ha ha ha!"
"I can't take it anymore, my back is killing me..."
"Grand Tutor Liu is truly a divine being!"
The entire court of officials laughed so hard they almost fell over, some clutching their stomachs, others pounding on the pillars.
Grand Tutor Liu's old face turned a deep purplish-red. He clutched his heart and staggered back two steps.
"People's hearts are no longer what they used to be! People's hearts are no longer what they used to be!"
He looked at Yuan Hua on the high platform with grief and indignation, tears welling up in his eyes.
"Empress Dowager! Did you see that! Did you see everything!"
"This is the disastrous consequence of the Empress's rule! What can a little girl do? She can only cause the court to fall into disarray and turn the century-old foundation of the Great Yu Dynasty into a laughing stock for the world!"
Yu Zhaoning, who was enjoying the gossip immensely, had two question marks on her little head.
She had just been admiring, from every angle, the animated GIF of Grand Tutor Liu crying and running home after being rejected by her lover back then on the system panel.
Suddenly, the entire hall erupted in commotion, and someone even mentioned themselves.
She raised her chubby little face blankly, blinked her big, grape-like eyes, and asked in a childish voice.
"What's wrong? What are you talking about?"
She tilted her little head and looked at Grand Tutor Liu, who was so angry he was about to fly to the sky, with an innocent expression.
"Why is Grand Tutor Liu so angry? Why don't you tell me, and I will stand up for you."
When Grand Tutor Liu saw Yu Zhaoning's indifferent expression, he realized with a start that the little empress hadn't listened to a word he said from beginning to end!
He almost spat out a mouthful of blood.
"You! You!"
He pointed at Yu Zhaoning, his fingers trembling with anger.
"Your Majesty! You are now the supreme ruler, how can you be so disrespectful and inconsiderate of the occasion!"
He reprimanded her with great distress.
"As the ruler of a country, you should have the world in your heart and set an example for all the people! But look at yourself, what have you done?"
"He sits improperly, stands improperly! His legs dangle and sway precariously—what kind of decorum is this! How can such unruly behavior earn the trust of the officials? How can it win the hearts of the people?"
After scolding the younger one, he turned his attention to the older one.
Grand Tutor Liu turned to Yuan Hua, his voice filled with sorrow.
"Empress Dowager! Your humble servant knows that you are devoted to the country, but look at this emperor, how can he shoulder the heavy responsibility of the nation?"
"This old minister is speaking out for the sake of the country, but the entire court is laughing uproariously! If this continues, our Great Yu will be doomed sooner or later!"
He suddenly lifted his robe and knelt heavily on the cold golden palace floor with a thud.
An old minister with white hair, who had served three dynasties, knelt before the crowd, tears streaming down his face.
"For the sake of the Great Yu Dynasty and the well-being of all people! We implore Your Majesty to quickly depose the Empress and establish the wise and virtuous Second Prince as the new ruler!"
The laughter in the hall stopped abruptly.
The officials exchanged glances, their smiles gradually freezing, replaced by a hint of embarrassment.
"Have we gone a bit too far?"
"Although Grand Tutor Liu is pedantic, he is doing it for the good of the Great Yu..."
"Yes, he lived an honest and upright life and never did anything wrong. It's really not good for us to make fun of an old man like this."
Whispers arose, and the atmosphere became somewhat heavy.
On the high platform, Yuan Hua also frowned slightly.
She didn't agree with Grand Tutor Liu's words, but looking at the old man kneeling on the ground, crying his eyes out, she felt a little uneasy.
Grand Tutor Liu is getting old. In his youth, he was a renowned scholar in the capital and served the Great Yu for many years.
His relationship with his first wife, Lady Wang, was especially celebrated and became a model of loving marriage in the Great Yu Dynasty.
Yuan Hua herself felt that although the old man was old-fashioned, he was more devoted to his love than many men of her time.
In ancient times, it was truly rare and precious to uphold the principle of one love for life.
But today, this old minister was being made a fool of in the court, which was truly humiliating.
Yuan Hua sighed, just about to say a few polite words to help the old Grand Tutor out of the predicament.
Just then, that familiar voice rang in everyone's minds once again.
[Oh dear, those melons were just an appetizer!]
Yu Zhaoning completely ignored the heavy atmosphere below, clapping her chubby little hands excitedly, her eyes shining.
[Here comes the main course! Well done, system!]
Once the inner thoughts are expressed.
The entire court, including Yuan Hua and Prime Minister Lin, froze.
The officials, who had felt guilty just a moment ago, instantly threw their sympathy to the winds.
One by one, they quietly pricked up their ears, their gossipy eyes shining like a pack of wolves in the night.
Yuan Hua's hand, which he had just raised, froze in mid-air.
She had a premonition that what she was about to hear might once again shatter her worldview.
really!
[Wow, let me see what a shocking piece of gossip this is!]
Yu Zhaoning almost stood up in excitement.
[This Grand Tutor Liu, who constantly proclaims himself a highly respected and virtuous man, actually has an eighteenth concubine despite his advanced age!]
[Tsk tsk tsk, what a disrespectful act for an elder!]
This revelation left all the officials who could hear the truth completely dumbfounded.
Eighteen concubines?
Grand Tutor Liu? The famously henpecked Grand Tutor Liu, the one who was loving and devoted to his wife his whole life?
How is that possible!
[What a pity, this old man's plan was clever, but the other party wasn't buying it.]
Yu Zhaoning's gloating voice continued to ring out.
[His son, born to his second concubine, eloped last night with his newly acquired eighteenth concubine!]
Everyone: "!!!"
The amount of information was too much for them to process.
A second wife? Didn't Grand Tutor Liu only have one primary wife? Where did this second wife come from?
Also, the second wife's son eloped with his father's newly acquired concubine?
Isn't this relationship a bit too complicated?
[The funniest part is that when they eloped, they also took with them a huge jade chamber pot, a family heirloom that Grand Tutor Liu had treasured for many years!]
One official almost fainted on the spot because he couldn't catch his breath.
Jade, a chamber pot?
The civil and military officials were filled with emotion, feeling that their knowledge was being refreshed every day.
One of Grand Tutor Liu's prized students could no longer hold back and stepped forward, his face flushed.
"This, this is absolutely impossible!"
He took a deep breath and said calmly.
"My beloved teacher and his wife were deeply in love and married for over fifty years. He never took a concubine, let alone had a second wife! How could there be…"
Halfway through his speech, the official suddenly found himself gripping the throat as if by an invisible hand, unable to utter the rest of his words.
However, everyone understood what he was trying to say.
Other officials immediately echoed this sentiment.
"Yes! Grand Tutor Liu is a man of high moral character and prestige, a role model for us all. He would never do such an absurd thing!"
"That's right, there's only one Grand Tutor's wife in the Grand Tutor's mansion, and that's common knowledge throughout the capital!"
"Your Majesty, could there be a mistake?"
Not to mention the civil and military officials, even Yuan Hua, who was standing next to the dragon throne, had a hint of doubt at this moment.
She looked at her granddaughter with surprise and uncertainty.
Isn't this a bit too outrageous?
Grand Tutor Liu's reputation for virtue in Dayu was truly well-deserved.
It is common knowledge that he listens to his wife's every word.
People laugh and believe the story that he wrote love poems to woo a female general; after all, it was just youthful folly.
It's quite unbelievable that he secretly kept more than a dozen mistresses behind his wife's back and even fathered sons with them.
Could it be that the system malfunctioned and misread the melon? Did they misunderstand the Grand Tutor?