Wasn't he supposed to be beaten to death? Why did this powerful cousin love him so much?

Emperor Jingyuan said, "The claim that plays confuse the people and interfere in politics is insufficient to draw conclusions. This matter should be put aside for now, and there is no need to continue the investigation."

Lian Jian was taken aback and immediately stepped forward: "Your Majesty!"

Emperor Jingyuan said displeasedly, "Enough. This matter is unsubstantiated, and the endless back-and-forth only adds to the court's strife. Let's leave it at that."

Having said that, Emperor Jingyuan gave the censors no further chance to speak, saying, "If there is no other matter to report, today's court session is adjourned. Court is dismissed."

These words caused an uproar among the court officials.

Ultimately, she still favors her nephew.

They didn't even bother to investigate.

Lian Jian was filled with resentment, but Emperor Jingyuan had already made the decision, so he could only bow and return to his post in a huff.

The officials bowed in turn and took their leave.

……

The steam from the bath still lingered in the inner room, creating a thin layer of white mist.

Jiang Sese came out wearing a white undergarment, her long hair wet and hanging down her shoulders, with water droplets constantly dripping from the ends.

Hongdou stepped forward with a clean cloth, about to wring out her long hair, when Xie Jue's voice came from behind her.

"You can go now, you don't need to be served here anymore."

Hongdou was taken aback, quickly straightened her clothes and bowed, then quietly slipped out and closed the door behind her.

The room fell silent instantly.

Xie Jue sat on a soft couch covered with cushions and stretched out his hand to Jiang Sese: "Come here."

Jiang Sese blinked and walked over, and Xie Jue pulled her into his arms, making her lean steadily against him.

Xie Jue took the cloth and carefully wrapped it around her soaked long hair, gently wringing out the moisture from the strands, afraid of hurting her by pulling too hard.

This was the first time the eldest son of the Xie family had done such a job for someone else. Although his movements were not very skillful, he was exceptionally patient.

Quietly keeping her company and passing the time like this actually felt quite interesting.

Xie Jue then said, "From now on, there's no need for Hongdou to help with hair cutting anymore; I'll do it all from now on."

Jiang Sese was slightly taken aback, then looked up at him: "You're so busy, how could you have time to do these things?"

Xie Jue chuckled: "Even if I'm busy, I still need to eat and sleep. It's just a matter of taking a little extra time; it's not a waste of time."

Jiang Sese then fell silent.

Does he think it's fun to dry her hair?

Xie Jue didn't think the events of the day were a big deal, but as usual, he told her everything that had happened in court.

Jiang Sese listened very attentively.

Finally, Jiang Sese thought for a moment and said, "The one who tied the knot must untie it; you can't take the blame for me."

Xie Jue frowned: "What do you mean by taking the blame for you?"

Jiang Sese said urgently, "Those scripts were clearly written by me!"

Xie Jue said, "We are husband and wife, and we share joys and sorrows."

"Impeachment has never cared about the truth, only about whether it can find a pretext to attack. Drama is just an excuse."

Court infighting never follows reason, only political stance.

Jiang Sese bit her lip and said, "Well... we can't just let them keep making wild guesses."

Xie Jue said, "It's alright. His Majesty has already put the matter aside, and there won't be any further trouble in the short term. Besides, these rumors and criticisms are nothing to me."

Jiang Sese glanced at Xie Jue, rolled her eyes, and fell silent.

After what happened with Chen Jingang, Xie Jue understood that she actually really wanted to do something for him.

Once Xie Jue understood this, he felt even more heartbroken.

Xie Jue's eyes softened, and he said, "Don't overthink it. I'll take care of everything."

After wringing out his hair, Xie Jue put down the cloth.

Seeing that Jiang Sese was still listless, Xie Jue said, "Since we have nothing else to do, how about we play a game of chess?"

Jiang Sese's eyes lit up upon hearing this, and she immediately nodded: "Okay."

Come to think of it, it's been a long time since they sat down and played chess quietly together since she left the Xie family and then married into it again.

The black and white chess pieces landed on the board with a crisp sound. At first, Jiang Sese was cautious, but she gradually relaxed and her thinking became more open, and her layout was no longer constrained.

Halfway through the game, Xie Jue looked up at her with a faint smile in his eyes: "Your chess skills have improved quite a bit. Your strategy is much more stable than before. You no longer just focus on surrounding and killing, and you also know how to leave room for retreat in your strategy."

His praise lifted most of Jiang Sese's heavy mood from the court affairs: "Really? I thought I had walked very haphazardly these past few steps."

"It looks chaotic, but it's actually intricately linked." Xie Jue nodded. "You can tell he put a lot of thought into it."

Jiang Sese smiled, pursing her lips.

Looking at her through the candlelight, I could only see that her eyes and brows were clear and bright, and her complexion was beautiful, like a splash of vibrant color in the twilight.

……

The next day, in the Wenhua Hall, Emperor Jingyuan summoned Xie Jue and a few cabinet ministers, as well as Lian Jian and other censors from the Censorate to present their memorials.

Lian Jian still refused to budge, continuing to press for the true identity of the immortal, insisting that Xie Jue had written the article under an alias.

Emperor Jingyuan, however, summoned Jiang Sese over.

Early this morning, Jiang Sese wrote a note to Emperor Jingyuan, which was sent by someone from the Princess's residence to the Imperial Secretariat, and then delivered to the Emperor by the eunuch in charge of writing.

This is one of the advantages of being a member of the royal family.

For ordinary people, getting an audience with the emperor was as difficult as climbing to heaven.

Members of the imperial family, however, could request an audience at any time.

Xie Jue looked at Jiang Sese, who smiled brightly at him, and Xie Jue immediately lost all his temper.

But actually, he didn't have much of a temper to begin with.

Since he told her, he knew that given her personality, there was no way she would do nothing.

Everyone glanced at Jiang Sese, and if the stunning beauty they had imagined a thousand times was indeed like this, no one felt the slightest disappointment.

With such a beauty, it's no wonder Xie Jue was willing to agree to this marriage.

Jiang Sese stepped forward and bowed to the throne, showing no sign of timidity.

Emperor Jingyuan raised an eyebrow, feeling that Jiang Sese now looked more like Danxia.

Jiang Sese: "My lords, there's no need to make things difficult for my husband any further. I am the one who wrote these plays."

As soon as the words were spoken, everyone in the hall paled in shock.

Lian Jian's expression brightened, and he immediately stepped forward, saying, "Princess! Your Highness is of noble birth, yet this is being circulated in a common folk play; it is surely a breach of etiquette and proper conduct for a young lady—"

"Your Excellency Lian is mistaken. The reason my plays have spread throughout the capital and are sung by the people is not because I deliberately seek to please them, but simply because they depict loyalty, righteousness, and a benevolent heart, resonating with human nature and reason. That is why they have won the hearts of the people. If my writing were morally offensive or contrary to propriety, how could the people genuinely love it?"

Jiang Sese isn't afraid of a verbal battle.

Reading so many novels wasn't for nothing.

Jiang Sese said, "It is elegant for literati to write lyrics and compose poems to express their feelings and aspirations. But when women write about their joys and sorrows, it is considered a violation of virtuous conduct. Such a double standard is too biased. I have never used drama to interfere in politics. I only write in my spare time to express my feelings. I do not believe that I have overstepped any boundaries."

Upon hearing this, everyone's faces immediately darkened.

Before Lian Jian could launch an attack, Jiang Sese continued, "Imperial Censor Lian, please don't rush to criticize me. I have two questions for you gentlemen to answer."

"First, sages write books to record human joys and sorrows, and historical biographies recount the love and affection between men and women. Why is it considered elegant for scholars to write poems and lyrics about romance, but wrong for me to write about human separations and reunions? Literature carries the Way, not in its style or vulgarity, but in the heart and mind. 'The Butterfly Lovers' praises love and loyalty, and 'The Legend of the White Snake' exhorts people to do good; neither contains any words that are immoral or corrupt. If plays are guilty, why do so many officials and nobles in the capital privately have their servants perform them?"

"Secondly, thanks to His Majesty's favor, I have established the Qingyu Workshop to research and produce effective medicines, benefiting countless people. Even when I write in my spare time, it is merely a matter of leisure and refined taste; why make such a big deal out of it?"

"If you all feel that women should be criticized for having even a little leisure time for writing, then isn't it a constraint of the world that women work hard to make a living but are restricted in every way? I have not broken the law, nor have I harmed anyone, and I have a clear conscience."

The hall was completely silent.

Several ministers who wanted to offer advice on etiquette and rules found their words stuck in their throats.

The play contains no vulgar language, and Princess Chenjia herself has genuinely rendered meritorious service to the people.

Using the excuse that women cannot be written into plays to attack them only makes them seem narrow-minded.

Emperor Jingyuan spoke slowly at the opportune moment, "What Se Se said is fair. The play is just a piece of light reading and contains no rebellious words. From now on, the court must not stir up any more trouble over this matter."