Morning court continued, and Shen Yuxi listened to the officials speak as though they were chanting sutras.
Her head bobbed like a chick pecking grain, her upper and lower eyelids constantly battling.
The system obediently kept quiet. At a time like this, it was best not to disturb its host's sleep.
Emperor Xuanzhao and the officials all noticed that Shen Yuxi had fallen asleep leaning against a nearby pillar.
They were greatly astonished.
The court was full of clamoring voices, and more importantly, Shen Yuxi was still standing. How had she fallen asleep?
Truly a divine talent.
Some tactless officials wanted to impeach Shen Yuxi for openly sleeping in court, only for Emperor Xuanzhao to make a gesture telling them to be quiet.
"Keep your voices down," he instructed.
They must not disturb the little girl's sleep.
Everyone saw Emperor Xuanzhao's attitude toward Shen Yuxi clearly. "Indulgence" alone could hardly describe it.
There had simply never been anything like it before, nor would there ever be again.
And so the officials consciously lowered their voices.
They stopped arguing and stopped hurling insults.
Heaven was great and earth was great, but young Official Shen's sleep mattered most.
The strange atmosphere persisted until morning court ended.
[Host, host, the old emperor's leaving! Hurry and wake up.]
Shen Yuxi blearily opened her eyes. Seeing Emperor Xuanzhao's retreating figure, she hurriedly knelt with everyone else to respectfully see him off.
After court, Shen Yuxi paid no heed to her father and climbed into the carriage ahead of him.
"Daughter, I really have to hand it to you."
Minister Shen clutched his chest and could not help sighing.
"If I had even half your easygoing attitude, I wouldn't have to spend every day with my heart dangling in my throat."
Attending court left him drenched in sweat every day.
Fortunately, His Majesty was unexpectedly indulgent toward his youngest daughter, which eased his anxious heart considerably.
"Father, why do I feel like you're getting stranger and stranger? Especially since I became an official-you've been so jumpy."
"Are you feeling unwell?" Shen Yuxi asked with concern.
"Bullshit! I'm perfectly fine."
Minister Shen could not help swearing.
Shen Yuxi shuffled two little steps away.
Pouting unhappily, she said, "Father, just say what you have to say. Why swear at me?"
"You little brat."
"Driver, go to the Drunken Immortal Abode."
Shen Yuxi gave a little huff and turned to call outside.
"Yes, miss," came the driver's reply from outside.
"What do you mean, go to the Drunken Immortal Abode? Your mother and the others are waiting for us to eat."
"I want the Drunken Immortal Abode's honey-sauced duck."
"Mother likes it too," Shen Yuxi added.
Minister Shen had just been about to tell the driver to turn around and head home, but upon hearing his youngest daughter's words, he immediately shut his mouth.
As they traveled, the carriage suddenly stopped, followed by the driver's voice.
"Master, miss, people are blocking the road ahead. Shall we take a detour?"
"What happened?"
Shen Yuxi pulled back the carriage curtain and craned her neck to look outside.
It was noisy outside, and a crowd had formed a circle, squeezing together to watch the spectacle.
[System, is there some juicy gossip up ahead?]
The system said, [It's Jia Kun's son. He went out to visit a brothel, and his wife caught him red-handed.]
Shen Yuxi let out an "Oho!" Her eyes brimmed with excitement at the prospect of a good show.
"Father, go to the Drunken Immortal Abode and buy the roast duck first. Remember to come back and pick me up later."
After turning to say this to Minister Shen, Shen Yuxi slipped out like a slippery loach.
Minister Shen withdrew the hand he had reached out to stop her and silently sighed.
"Master, should we wait here for the miss or go to the Drunken Immortal Abode first?" the driver asked tentatively.
"To the Drunken Immortal Abode first. Who knows how long we'd have to wait for her to finish watching the excitement?"
He was, after all, the Minister of Rites and Jia Kun's colleague. If he stayed to watch the spectacle and was recognized, it would inevitably be somewhat awkward.
Besides, he was not as fond of watching a commotion as his youngest daughter.
While the two were speaking, Shen Yuxi had already squeezed to the front of the crowd.
"Bastard! You dare lay a hand on me? Have you forgotten who calls the shots in this household?"
Jia Kun's daughter-in-law held her face, her eyes wide and filled with fury.
The look she directed at Jia Kun's son suggested she wanted to devour him alive and skin him whole.
Jia Kun's son refused to back down, his manner and tone utterly vile.
With whites showing above his irises, he glared coldly at her beneath hostile brows.
"Liu Mengnuan, who do you think you are? I usually show you a little kindness, and you really start thinking you're somebody?"
Jia Kun's son spoke with eyes full of mockery. "If our families weren't old friends, and Grandfather hadn't warned me a thousand times over, how could I possibly have put up with you for so long?"
"Look at yourself. How do you remotely resemble a virtuous wife and loving mother, or the mistress of a household? You act like a complete shrew. It's revolting."
The man's words were full of disgust.
"I'm a shrew?"
Liu Mengnuan laughed in fury. "Yes, I'm a shrew. Then who isn't? The sluts you fool around with all day?"
[Damn, this guy is such a turnoff.]
[What woman could stay calm after being slapped by her own husband and called a 'shrew'?]
Shen Yuxi shouted inwardly, [Go on! Don't chicken out! Slap him back!]
Liu Mengnuan was trembling all over with anger when Shen Yuxi's words suddenly reached her ears.
She thought they made perfect sense.
Overcome with fury, she really did raise her arm high and slap the scumbag across the face.
Whew-
Liu Mengnuan immediately felt vindicated, and much of the anger knotted in her chest dissipated.
She looked around, hoping to find the source of the voice, but there were too many people around her. She could not tell who had spoken.
"Bitch, I'll kill you!"
Being slapped in public by a woman was undoubtedly like having his dignity as a man ground into the dirt.
Jia Kun's son gritted his teeth, his gaze filled with hatred.
Liu Mengnuan held her head defiantly, not the slightest bit afraid.
[System, tell me, does Jia Kun's son have a hole in his brain?]
[He's an official's son! Publicly humiliating and beating his wife, frequenting brothels-with so many people witnessing it, is he really not afraid Jia Kun will be impeached?]
The system agreed, [Although Jia Kun's son doesn't have a hole in his brain, he was kicked by a donkey as a child. I wonder if that has anything to do with it.]
The surrounding commoners did not know this conversation was Shen Yuxi's inner voice and merely assumed someone was talking to a friend.
Quite a few people snorted, unable to hold back their laughter.
Jia Kun's son whipped his head around.
Who was speaking? It seemed to be a young woman.
How did she know he had been kicked in the head by a donkey as a child?
Tap, tap, tap-
Suddenly, footsteps sounded, drawing closer from the distance.
Shen Yuxi looked over with everyone else and discovered that the newcomer was actually Lu Song, Chief Minister of the Court of Judicial Review, with a squad of soldiers close behind him.
[System, why is Lord Lu here?] Shen Yuxi asked curiously.
[To make an arrest, of course. The emperor ordered Lu Song to investigate Jia Kun's son's bullying of the commoners. Lu Song learned from the commoners what was happening here, so he brought men from the Court of Judicial Review to arrest Jia Kun's son and take him back for detailed questioning.]