Student Xiao D was taken aback for a moment, Tiantian changed the subject way too quickly.

It was a bit of an idiot, oh no, an intelligent assistant, and it didn’t react in time.

After quite a while, Student Xiao D finally understood what He Tiantian meant, "Little, little dark room? Tiantian, no way, you, you’re going to lock me in a small dark room?"

No way, it was Tiantian’s closest little buddy.

How could she lock it in a small dark room?

This was too heartless, too shameless, too unreasonable!

Student Xiao D felt so wronged, it wanted to cry.

He Tiantian’s expression was indifferent, with a look that said, "If you dare cry, I’ll throw you into the small dark room immediately."

Student Xiao D:... Boo hoo, Tiantian, you don’t love me anymore!

He Tiantian:... Damn, really addicted to acting huh.

Student Xiao D sensed He Tiantian’s displeasure and didn’t dare to clown around anymore, obediently shrinking into a corner.

Hmph!

Bullying me again!

I won’t tell you about Lady Hu’s conspiracy, letting you be caught off guard at the Holy Birthday Feast!

He Tiantian was satisfied to see Student Xiao D finally calm down, nodding in approval.

But a gleam flashed in her eyes —

Lady Hu?

And Emperor Yongcheng, they were plotting something together for the Holy Birthday Festival!

Clearly, this was a conspiracy against "Empress Dowager He."

But, what could they stir up?

The day of the Holy Birthday Festival came quickly, and He Tiantian’s doubts soon had an answer.

In the Taiji Palace, all the officials were present, the women were fragrant and elegant, laughter and voices filled the air, making it very lively.

He Tiantian was dressed in festive finery, sitting high up in the main seat, watching all this with a smile.

Just as everyone began to officially celebrate the birthday, a small eunuch came running, shouting along the way to report—

"To report to Your Majesty, someone outside the palace is beating the Dengwen Drum!"

The Dengwen Drum?

Someone wants to file a lawsuit?

No, that’s not the point!

The Dayuan Dynasty is so vast, with tens of millions of citizens.

The number of wronged people is countless.

Although not every wronged person would come to beat the Dengwen Drum, over a few months, or a year or two, there would always be one or two poor people filing lawsuits.

The point today was that someone beat the Dengwen Drum, and it was brought up at the Holy Birthday Feast.

This... is very intriguing indeed.

Wang Yuan and a few other old foxes looked as usual, only their hands holding the wine cups slightly tightened — the little Emperor was up to something again!

Feng Shou had a bad premonition, he looked worriedly at "Empress Dowager He," and also used his eyes to remind the little Emperor.

Your Majesty, please don’t act foolishly!

Don’t rely on being the Empress Dowager’s only son to crazily test the Empress Dowager’s limits.

"Empress Dowager He" although full of loving heart for her son, she truly isn’t a Holy Mother who repays grievances with virtue.

Think about the late Emperor back then, tsk tsk, the two were still husband and wife, yet he was, he was—

Feng Shou’s heart was pounding wildly, yet he kept tossing glances to Emperor Yongcheng, who deliberately pretended not to see.

Feng Shou:...

His heart almost dropped to rock bottom, it seemed, the little Emperor really intended to do something foolish.

"Mother, someone beat the Dengwen Drum, there must be monumental grievances—"

Emperor Yongcheng saw that He Tiantian wasn’t speaking, as if she hadn’t heard the little eunuch’s shouting, nor noticed the frantic glances of the ministers and women.

He was anxious inside, worried that "Empress Dowager He" would try to muddle through, so he purposefully reminded with difficulty.

"Oh? So according to the Emperor, we should try a case at my birthday feast?"

He Tiantian didn’t leave Emperor Yongcheng any face, directly tearing apart his hypocritical facade.

The ministers all looked at Emperor Yongcheng with somewhat strange expressions.

Indeed, even if someone beat the Dengwen Drum, even if that person suffered great injustice, things should be prioritized in order of importance.

This was not some urgent military report from eight hundred miles away, delaying a day or two wouldn’t cause huge losses.

It’s merely a complainant, waiting a day or two, even ten days or half a month before trial wouldn’t matter.

Today happens to be the birthday of the Empress Dowager.

On such a grand day, suddenly a person filing a lawsuit pops up, and it’s causing trouble at the birthday feast...

Tsk tsk, no matter how you look at it, this matter seems somewhat related to the Emperor.

And the Emperor, as a son, could cause such a mess at his own mother’s birthday feast, which indeed shows his "pure filal piety!"

Emperor Yongcheng:...

He wasn’t blind nor stupid, naturally feeling the questioning, even disdainful eyes of everyone.

He originally felt some guilt towards Empress Dowager He, feeling he had wronged her.