After their minds were read, the entire court trembled with fear.

Chapter 18 Good heavens! Someone actually beat the petition drum!

The male favorites of Prince Duan, the Sixth Princess, and the Eighth Princess were thrown into the military camp.

Upon hearing this news, the Prince of Duan smiled wickedly, dismissing it with disdain. "A man's clothes are just clothes," he thought, "a change of clothes is all it takes."

The Sixth and Eighth Princesses pretended to plead for a few days, but in the end, the old emperor severely punished them by confining them to the palace for several days. There weren't even any eunuchs in the palace, and the two of them behaved themselves.

However, the Sixth Princess and the Eighth Princess also donated a considerable amount of silver, especially the Eighth Princess, who was practically ripped off by the old emperor.

Oh, poor little duckling, skinny and weak, groaning and moaning in the barracks, hahaha, he can't even do a sit-up.

[Haha, everyone around you has eight-pack abs, and you're just a skinny chicken.]

Others can run dozens of laps, but you can't even run half a lap? Are you even a real man? You're not even as good as me.

[This male concubine doesn't seem capable at all; he's even inferior to the old emperor. So I can understand why the second prince likes him. What are the sixth and eighth princesses after? This male concubine seems to enjoy taking baths quite a bit.]

Thinking of this, Shen Zhiyi chuckled in a low voice, but after laughing, she became listless again.

it's here.

Nobody understands her jokes.

There seemed to be many people around her, yet it was as if she were all alone.

The old emperor, who was happily eating, suddenly found himself in complete silence.

This is not normal.

Wherever Shen Zhiyi is, you'll never have a moment of peace.

Her little mouth probably started babbling.

The old emperor secretly glanced at Shen Zhiyi out of the corner of his eye and noticed that she sighed and groaned like an old man from time to time.

He put down his chopsticks, coughed lightly, and tried to get Shen Zhiyi's attention.

Is this old man crazy? He suddenly coughed so loudly.

Chen Decai closed his eyes, instinctively wanting to kneel down, but the old emperor kicked him in the knee, forcefully straightening him up.

“Minister Shen, you are so young, why are you sighing like this?”

Shen Zhiyi, who was singled out by the old emperor, felt just like being called out by a teacher in class or by her boss at work, and she panicked.

She immediately stepped forward, bowed, and said with an embarrassed smile, "I have disturbed Your Majesty. Please punish me."

[Hurry up, hurry up and take off my official hat. I don't want to work another day of this lousy job.]

The old emperor chuckled. "Trying to leave? Not a chance!"

"Punishment? Yes, punishment, twenty strokes of the cane?"

Shen Zhiyi's legs trembled, and her face turned as bitter as a bitter gourd.

"This, this isn't appropriate."

My small frame can't take it, unlike that old lady.

Auntie, what auntie?

The old emperor pointed to the table: "Shen Zhiyi, come, eat with me."

Shen Zhiyi's eyes widened in surprise.

"No, not anymore."

This seemingly good thing might not actually be a good thing, so give it to her good colleague, Zhang Sheren.

Zhang Sheren lowered his head. He couldn't see me, he couldn't see me.

"Don't you really want to eat? We have crystal dumplings, lotus seed eight-treasure duck, grilled shrimp, phoenix fetus, shredded lamb skin, cheese fish, scallion and vinegar chicken, and mini pastries..."

That's enough, that's really enough.

Shen Zhiyi swallowed hard.

[Can you even finish all this? Get out of the way, let me eat!]

The old emperor opened his mouth, just about to have the palace maids pack these things and send them to Shen Zhiyi's room, when Shen Zhiyi's grief-stricken voice made his ears hurt.

[Aaaaaaah, old emperor, don't tempt me! You won't be able to eat anymore anyway, that old lady has already gone to beat the drum of petition.]

【Eh? Why is the old emperor actually standing up? There's no need to be so polite, you won't get any anyway.】

The old emperor snorted coldly, picked up his chopsticks, and quickly stuffed food into his mouth like a whirlwind.

In the blink of an eye, the "Clean Plate Campaign" was launched.

[At noon on the third day of the tenth month of the twentieth year of Emperor Taizong's reign, the emperor resembled a starving ghost reincarnated—well, that's not a good way to describe it, but it really did look like him. Oh well, let's give the old emperor some face. The emperor was like a glutton, devouring a table full of food in a whirlwind, leaving nothing behind, as if he hadn't eaten for a month.]

The old emperor was silent for a moment, then said, "Is this how you write it?"

Forget it, he should get used to Shen Zhiyi's level. That's it, he's hopeless.

[They knocked, they really knocked.]

[Huh? They beat the drum to petition but don't use a clapper? That's not how it's portrayed in TV dramas!]

Shen Zhiyi was dumbfounded, and so was the old emperor.

When ordinary people come to beat the drum to appeal, they must have suffered a grievance. If the victim is then punished with a cane, are they even human?

If the petitioning drum system, which is meant to help those seeking redress, is first used to punish those seeking redress, then the system itself becomes meaningless.

The old emperor washed his hands and led Chen Decai and Shen Zhiyi to the Meridian Gate.

The previous dynasty's Dengwen Drum was located in the Dengwen Drum Courtyard, but the old emperor moved it to the Meridian Gate.

However, since the Dengwen Drum was moved, no one has dared to step forward and strike it.

This is related to the previous dynasty's neglect of the petitioning drum system, which was seen as useless by the common people.

The petition drum was set up in the Petition Drum Court. If the Petition Drum Court did not accept the petition, one had to go to the Petition Inspection Court. If the Petition Inspection Court did not accept the petition, one had no choice but to find a way to see the emperor and file a petition.

In the previous dynasty, he died directly at the Dengwen Drum Court, never reaching the emperor, and the previous emperor didn't want to see him either.

Over time, the Dengwen Drum was abandoned.

Upon hearing the sound of the Dengwen Drum, the old emperor, though seemingly calm, actually strode quickly to the Meridian Gate and had Chen Decai bring him a chair to sit on.

It's so windy and chilly today, I'm cold even if you're not.

The old emperor looked up at the weather today and noticed it was indeed a bit chilly. He raised his hand, and Chen Decai immediately understood what he meant.

"Who is beating the drum to appeal?"

Why does this old emperor seem so excited? Has no one ever knocked on his door after all these years on the throne?

Girl, you've hit the nail on the head.

The Minister of Justice, who had rushed over, was still panting.

"Your Majesty, it is an old woman."

[What kind of old woman is she? Doesn't she know how to speak properly? She should be called "elder sister," or at least "auntie." Can't she have any common sense?]

The Minister of Justice remained silent. He couldn't bring himself to call her "elder sister" or "elder aunt" when he saw her with her full head of white hair.

The old emperor turned slightly to the side and pointed downwards.

"Bring people here."

"Yes."

At this moment, a young eunuch handed a cloak to Shen Zhiyi.

Shen Zhiyi widened her eyes, feigning composure, but inwardly she was...

[Oh my god, what is the old emperor doing?!]

[Are you trying to bribe me? Let me tell you, no way. In my line of work, you're supposed to write things down truthfully. I have to write down every single bad thing you've done.]

【for example……】

"Ahem, old man, why are you beating this petition drum? If you have any grievances, just speak them out loud, and I will stand up for you."

"Oh dear, how dare you call someone 'elderly' when you're so old? People have to accept getting old."

The old emperor's lips twitched.

He was wrong. He shouldn't have given her the cloak; he should have given her charcoal and stuffed it in her mouth.

Wait a minute, this old lady's reason for beating the petition drum is really bizarre!