Tu Qingchen's mouth twitched at what he heard. He knew Chu Siqing was about to stir up trouble again.
If he had not been mindful of the dignity befitting the Imperial Preceptor, he would have shaken her head to slosh all the water out of it.
My dear young lady, why did you have to pick this moment to feast on gossip? Huh? Did you have any idea how serious this was?
We were in court! Could we please be a little more solemn?
Chu Hongle's eyes lit up. He was the sort who never minded gossip causing a bigger stir; all he wanted was to hear his daughter finish the story!
Hearing his niece's thoughts, Emperor Chu Ming could not help growing curious as well.
Every civil and military official in court quietly pricked up their ears.
Having experienced this once at the Holy Maiden's investiture ceremony, they immediately realized that they were hearing the Holy Maiden's thoughts.
That old stick-in-the-mud Wang Dezheng actually suffered from a secret ailment. No wonder he was always like a firecracker, exploding at the slightest spark!
Quite a few officials had been impeached by the Left Censor-in-Chief in court, and they could hardly wait to feast on Old Wang's gossip.
Who told him to find fault with everything all day long, scolding them before His Majesty over the most trivial chicken feathers and garlic skins?
Hearing the Holy Maiden's thoughts declare that he "suffered from a secret ailment," the Left Censor-in-Chief went pale, completely forgetting what he had been about to say.
He desperately wanted to cover the Holy Maiden's mouth, but these were her thoughts. There was simply no stopping them.
The Left Censor-in-Chief closed his eyes in despair.
Then that little, milky voice continued: [A man's chest swelling up like a woman's really must be infuriating.]
[To keep people from noticing anything unusual about his chest, Lord Wang wraps several layers of cloth around it every time he goes out. It still looks a little bulgy today. Did he wrap it too loosely?]
The civil and military officials could not help looking toward Lord Wang, seemingly eager to uncover the secret beneath his robes.
The officials standing beside him had a clearer view. Just as the Holy Maiden's thoughts said, Lord Wang's chest did look a little swollen.
For tall, powerfully built military officers, a bulging chest caused by well-developed muscles was perfectly normal, but Lord Wang clearly did not fall into that category.
He was a thin old man, not a woman, yet his chest bulged. Something was certainly wrong.
One minister after another cast the same deeply meaningful look at the Left Censor-in-Chief.
Wrapping his chest in cloth every day to attend court-wasn't that just like a girl in a storybook disguising herself as a man to become an official?
Old Wang, so your day finally came!
You never spared our dignity before, so today we would laugh you to death! Hahahahaha!
The Left Censor-in-Chief lowered his head in panic and held his court tablet over his chest, wishing he could find a crack in the floor and crawl into it.
He-he did not want to be like this either! This secret ailment had tormented him for years!
Chu Siqing knew nothing of the storm sweeping through the court. She only feasted on the gossip with ever greater gusto.
[Heavens! Just because the Left Censor-in-Chief's chest is swollen, Madam Wang actually refuses to share his bed!]
[Madam Wang is quite a character too. She actually told the Left Censor-in-Chief to his face, "My lord, your bosom is so ample that whenever I see it, I feel ashamed of my own inadequacy. We must never share a bed again."]
Those words instantly stirred towering waves throughout the court!
After all, gossip had its own ranks and tiers, and bedroom affairs were the kind people most delighted in discussing.
The civil officials still owed one another some courtesy, so however painfully they struggled to hold it in, they could barely maintain solemn expressions.
But the military officers whom the Left Censor-in-Chief had impeached in the past could no longer keep the corners of their mouths from rising.
Those warriors kept casting seemingly casual glances at Lord Wang's chest, their mockery plain as day!
The Left Censor-in-Chief was so mortified and furious that he wished he were dead. Just as he was about to unleash an angry tirade, the Holy Maiden's thoughts rang out again.
[No wonder Lord Wang has mammary hyperplasia. As a censor, he must argue with people all the time. What he doesn't realize is that constantly getting angry is what caused his chest to swell.]
[Men have mammary glands too. The angrier you get, the more your chest swells, and the more it swells, the angrier you get. What a vicious cycle!]
The Left Censor-in-Chief's anger instantly lodged in his chest.
Although he did not understand what "mammary glands" were, he understood what the Holy Maiden meant.
His chest had become swollen and painful because he was always getting angry?
At first, Lord Wang dismissed the notion. As a remonstrating official, he naturally had to argue his case with the ministers, and anger was inevitable.
But he suddenly remembered that his figure had still been normal when he was Vice Minister of Justice. Back then, his wife had still been affectionate with him every day...
After his promotion to Left Censor-in-Chief, he had grown angry more and more often. It did seem that, from that time onward, his chest had frequently felt swollen and painful, gradually growing larger.
Later, he had been forced to bind his chest before going out, and his wife had stopped sharing his bed.
Because of this strange illness, the Left Censor-in-Chief had even swallowed his shame, concealed his identity, and secretly consulted numerous physicians, yet none could explain its cause.
Now the Holy Maiden's thoughts told him that his constant anger had caused this strange illness. Did that mean she also knew how to cure it?
Chu Siqing did not disappoint him. Soon, she continued in her thoughts:
[Actually, this is easy enough to treat. As long as he stays cheerful every day and keeps exercising, he'll gradually get better.]
Hearing this, the Left Censor-in-Chief nearly brimmed with tears.
To think that the strange illness which had plagued him for so long would heal on its own if he simply stopped getting angry and exercised more!
The Holy Maiden's thoughts had truly helped him immensely!
Seated upon his dragon throne, Emperor Chu Ming saw every reaction among the officials below with perfect clarity.
Watching the rigidly old-fashioned Lord Wang's expression shift from righteous indignation to panic, then utter mortification, and finally delighted surprise was simply fascinating!
Even the civil and military officials, who were ordinarily forever at odds, now seemed to share an unspoken understanding as they silently feasted on their colleague's gossip.
The corners of Emperor Chu Ming's mouth lifted, and his whole body seemed to feel considerably lighter.
It seemed that allowing his niece to attend court and listen to affairs of state had indeed been an excellent idea!
In the past, listening to his officials quarrel during court had given him dreadful headaches. How could that compare to the fun of feasting on gossip now?
A sudden urge to tease arose in Emperor Chu Ming, and he deliberately asked the Left Censor-in-Chief, "Lord Wang, after everything you just said, are you saying you do not want the Holy Maiden to attend court and listen to affairs of state?"
The Left Censor-in-Chief jolted and instantly came to his senses.
Wasn't he in a fine mess now?!
The Holy Maiden's thoughts had just helped him resolve his secret ailment, yet moments earlier, he had said right in front of her that she knew nothing and should not attend court!
The Left Censor-in-Chief's face instantly cycled through a dazzling array of colors.
However, as a civil official-and a remonstrating official renowned for his eloquence at that-he was certainly no weakling when it came to words.
His thoughts raced, and he quickly replied, "Not at all. What this humble subject meant was that, although the Holy Maiden is young, she was born intelligent and enjoys the protection of good fortune. Her attendance at court will accumulate blessings for our Great Chu!"
His words rang out with unshakable conviction. "The claim that the Holy Maiden's attendance at court would be child's play was merely something I was repeating from others. This humble subject firmly supports the Holy Maiden attending court and listening to affairs of state!"
Chu Siqing's little mouth fell open as she thought in shock: [Why does Lord Wang keep contradicting himself? I'm getting a little confused!]
Before you continue