The seductive princess is no longer being pursued; the aloof prime minister is facing a crematorium.

Chapter 202 It's time to choose a prince consort.
Jiang Jinshuang was not one to passively accept her fate.

It seems everyone thinks she should be here today to apologize and repent.

But why?

It's not like she got out of prison voluntarily.

Although it sounds harsh, the truth is that Pei Du brought her out, but His Majesty did not hold him accountable. Instead, he wanted to blame her for the incident.

very funny.

Jiang Jinshuang had never been an emperor, but she could roughly guess the status of imperial power in the court.

Everyone says that the emperor on the throne is supreme and has boundless power.

But that's not the case.

Throughout history, there have been countless court officials who aspired to become pillars of the court and even have numerous followers.

To be honest, some ministers, thanks to the accumulated power of their families and the influence of their ancestors, held a position that was even more noble than that of the new emperor.

Take the Si family of Jiangnan as an example. If the head of the Si family, Si Beihuan, had not voluntarily withdrawn from the court and only worked as a royal merchant, rarely going to the capital, the connections and power accumulated by this head of the Si family might be much heavier than that of the current emperor.

When an emperor ascends the throne, balancing the relationships between various court officials and their families cannot be achieved solely through the power of life and death.

In other words, in order to maintain a balance of power in the court, the emperor's power was actually limited.

If this limit is exceeded, not only will the remonstrating officials die for their cause, but the mere spittle of the civil and military officials will be enough to make the emperor wary.

Therefore, even the emperor has to be selective in his criticism of people.

Look, Pei Du has gained power and risen rapidly. His position, which was already above ten thousand people, is now unparalleled, leaving the court officials far behind.

If he were to be punished now for some “trivial matter”, not only would the court officials be unhappy, but the people of the capital would also not let it go.

Jiang Huayan was certainly aware of this.

It should be said that Jiang Huayan was well aware of this, so his blame did not fall on Pei Du.

—But it fell on her instead.

Punishing her would not only demonstrate the inviolability of the royal family's authority, but also serve as a warning to Pei Du, urging him not to do anything outside the bounds of power.

For Jiang Huayan, this is indeed the most appropriate course of action at present.

But no.

Jiang Jinshuang thought it wouldn't work.

She's so well-behaved and hasn't done anything wrong, so why should she be punished?

Everyone thought that she came to see Jiang Huayan today to apologize.

But Jiang Jinshuang never felt that she had done anything wrong.

There is no crime that needs to be explained.

Whether she's willing to be used as a stepping stone to criticize others depends on her own willingness.

"Insolence!" Jiang Huayan slammed his hand on the table, his brows furrowed. "Zhaoming, have I spoiled you too much that you've forgotten all manners?!"

Jiang Jinshuang raised an eyebrow, her smile unchanged: "Father, there is no need to be angry. Your subject simply does not understand and wishes to ask you for guidance."

Jiang Huayan sneered: "Pei Du guarded the border for the country and repelled the enemy army of Beihuai. Even if he made some minor mistakes, there is no need to be overly critical."

Upon hearing this, Jiang Jinshuang's smile faded slightly.

Her gaze turned cold, and her tone became heavy: "What about Uncle Wang?"

In an instant, the already quiet study became even more deathly silent.

Kang Gonggong, who had been listening with his head down, suddenly looked up when he heard Jiang Jinshuang say this, his eyes widening as he gestured for Jiang Jinshuang to stop talking!
Jiang Jinshuang did not look at him.

He simply stared at Jiang Huayan, his tone cold and stern: "Father said that Pei Du's merits outweigh his faults and there is no need to be harsh on him. What about Uncle Wang?"

"Uncle Wang has guarded the border for over ten years, his hands are calloused and he suffers from many ailments. Why won't Father be more lenient with him?" "Jiang Jinshuang!"

When Jiang Huayan called Jiang Jinshuang's name, he was clearly angry!
He stared intently at Jiang Jinshuang and said, word by word, "Prince Ruiyang, Jiang Buhuo, covets my throne, plots rebellion, and wreaks havoc on the court. How do you expect me to be lenient?"

"Shall we offer up the entire Jin Dynasty with both hands?"

With a soft laugh, Jiang Jinshuang shook her head: "Father is right. Brothers are nothing compared to the Wan Jin empire."

"Jiang Jinshuang, stop being so temperamental," Jiang Huayan said in a deep voice. "Have you forgotten everything I taught you before?"

Jiang Jinshuang took a deep breath, tugged at the corners of her mouth, straightened her posture, and looked at Jiang Huayan: "Your Majesty's teachings, I dare not forget."

Jiang Huayan: "Now that Prince Ruiyang's body has been placed in the Imperial Ancestral Temple, you should put away all your thoughts."

With the tiger tally gone, the trump card is gone too.

In the past, Jiang Huayan might have been wary of the "Tiger Tally" on Jiang Jinshuang's body and treated her more gently.

Now, after the rebellion of the Prince of Changping, it is clear that Jiang Jinshuang did not possess the tiger tally at all.

Jiang Huayan no longer needed to be afraid of anything.

If I absolutely must express any sense of apprehension...

Jiang Huayan frowned slightly, and the image of Pei Du appeared before his eyes.

But it was only for a moment. He snorted coldly, his eyes filled with fierceness as he looked at Jiang Jinshuang: "Zhaoming, you've reached the age where you should start looking for a husband."

After a pause, Jiang Huayan lightly tapped the table with his fingertips, his tone cold and stern: "Now that the Beihuai army has been defeated, they intend to re-sign an alliance with our dynasty, and they should not invade our borders again in the next few years."

Therefore, there was no need for Wan Jin's princess to marry into the country and safeguard peace between the two nations.

Jiang Huayan's tone was cold: "I will have Eunuch Kang prepare some candidates in the next few days. Your marriage should be arranged as soon as possible."

Jiang Jinshuang smiled.

"I will put my marriage aside for now. There is something I would like to ask of you, Father Emperor."

"What's the matter?"

“Shen Huaihe, the Vice Minister of the Court of Judicial Review, spoke a few words on behalf of your son in court. Your Majesty was angry with him at the time. Now that the truth has come out, Your Majesty should lift his confinement.”

Jiang Huayan paused slightly, first looking down at the memorials on the table, and after a long while, finally let out a cold laugh.

He looked up and met Jiang Jinshuang's gaze.

"So, you came here today because of Shen Huaihe?"

“Of course,” Jiang Jinshuang said sincerely, “Now that I have been proven innocent, then Minister Shen should not be punished.”

Jiang Huayan's lips pressed into a thin line, his tone cold and stern: "Zhaoming, are you blaming me?"

Jiang Jinshuang smiled and said, "Why would Father Emperor say that? I just feel that a subject should not be disheartened."

Jiang Huayan said in a deep voice: "Although your crime has been cleared, Shen Huaihe has defied the emperor and used harsh words, so he should be punished."

Jiang Jinshuang smiled, but her eyes narrowed slightly. She said slowly and deliberately, "If saying a few words that Father Emperor doesn't like is considered disobedience, then all the remonstrating officials and historians of this dynasty would have been killed ten thousand times over."

"He is the Vice Minister of the Court of Judicial Review, not a censor."

"If only officials can offer advice, then why doesn't Father Emperor exempt him from morning court sessions and just listen to their advice all day long?"

"Shen Huaihe's public defiance is a blatant disregard for the dignity of the royal family!"

"The dignity of the royal family is not demonstrated by confining ministers who offer honest but unwelcome advice!"

"Zhaoming! Are you deliberately trying to talk back to me?"

Jiang Jinshuang stared intently at Jiang Huayan, saying slowly and deliberately, "If something is inappropriate, it must be clearly stated to correct it."

In an instant, Jiang Huayan's pupils contracted slightly, and he frowned as he looked at her.

Jiang Jinshuang's expression remained unchanged: "Father, this is what you taught your son."