Chapter 156 Threat
She frowned and said coldly, "Raise your head and let me take a good look at you."
Tao Tao blinked, slowly raised her head, smiled faintly, and looked obedient and docile.
The Queen stood up and walked up to her, circling around her suspiciously.
She doesn't look particularly special, but she gives off a very comfortable feeling. She looks obedient and easy to manipulate.
She likes innocent and harmless little girls like this, no wonder Heng'er likes them.
If she had known he liked them this way, she would have sent them earlier, so he wouldn't be refusing to touch any of them now.
But... she still looks so familiar. Could it be that she's seen her somewhere before? Perhaps this young lady resembles someone she's met before.
Unable to figure out whose empress she was, I could only tell myself that.
"Murong Tao? Sit down."
She gestured with her chin, indicating that Tao Tao should sit in the lower left seat.
After nodding her thanks, Tao Tao walked over and sat down, calmly waiting for her to continue.
The Empress asked, "Did you and Heng'er know each other before?"
Upon hearing this, her heart skipped a beat, and her fingers unconsciously curled and clenched.
"We have never met before; Huaimin has never seen the Crown Prince."
She was referring to herself, but the Empress probably hadn't had a chance to ask the Crown Prince yet, otherwise she wouldn't have asked herself that question.
A hint of surprise flashed in the Empress's eyes. Was it that Heng'er had taken a liking to this young lady first?
"The Crown Prince has feelings for you. I'm sure you noticed that night. I'll be frank with you. Now that the Crown Prince is in trouble, would you be willing to help me rescue him?"
Tao Tao immediately showed a look of panic, hurriedly got up, and knelt down on the ground with a thud.
“Huai Min is terrified. What merit do I have to earn His Highness’s favor? Now that we consider him to be my cousin, I am naturally willing to help His Highness in times of trouble.”
"But... but I'm afraid that Huai Min, a mere county magistrate, is willing but unable."
Her brows were furrowed, her face full of regret and frustration at her inability to do anything about it.
Upon seeing this, the Empress smiled and quickly went over to help her up, holding her hand tightly and patting the back of her hand to show her friendliness.
"As long as you have the will, I will tell you how to do it."
Her fearful and apprehensive demeanor was noticed by the Empress, whose smile deepened.
She was convinced that Tao Tao was an easy person to manipulate. As long as she was obedient and sensible, it would be fine to let her be Heng'er's concubine. The title of county princess was barely a match for her son.
Moreover, her father was the Prince of Yingzhou, a prosperous land. Even though the Prince of Yingzhou did not have real power, the annual income from that fiefdom was immeasurable.
Such a valuable person will be of great help to Heng'er in the future.
"You saved the current emperor, and for this reason he has bestowed upon you the title of county princess. Now you must go to the emperor to express your gratitude, but when you do so, you may say something that is favorable to the crown prince."
Tao Tao opened her bright eyes wide and asked in confusion, "What did you say?" Her soft, white face was full of innocence.
"You and the Crown Prince were in love. That night, when the Crown Prince saw that you were injured, he panicked and took you away directly."
"His Majesty harbors resentment because Heng'er, as the Crown Prince, neglected him, the ruler of the land. You, on the other hand, saved His Majesty's life. If you explain yourself clearly, His Majesty will surely release the Crown Prince out of consideration for you."
"After the Crown Prince is released, I will ask His Majesty for a favor and grant you two a marriage, and bestow upon you the title of the Crown Prince's Consort."
The Empress smiled warmly and was very kind and gentle to her, but what she said was quite surprising.
Tao Tao saved the Emperor, and that's why he bestowed upon her the title of County Princess, as a way of repaying her life-saving grace.
If she were to actually plead for the Crown Prince before the Emperor, it would be that she is ungrateful, taking advantage of his kindness, and trying to exploit his favor for personal gain.
The fact that His Majesty would imprison the Crown Prince for such a trivial matter proves that this person is narrow-minded and petty. It also shows that the Crown Prince truly has no favor with the Emperor.
Under such circumstances, the empress was clearly telling her to go to her death, thinking that if it succeeded, it would succeed, and if it didn't, she wouldn't lose anything.
What, her son's life is a life, but hers isn't?
That heartless empress, she's infuriating!
Tao Tao was inwardly cursing, so angry that her injuries started to ache, but outwardly she appeared meek and submissive.
"But Your Majesty, His Majesty has already bestowed upon me the title of County Princess. If I were to use this favor to ask His Majesty to release the Crown Prince, wouldn't he kill me?"
As soon as she finished speaking, she knelt down and kowtowed, saying timidly, "Your Majesty, Huaimin really wants to help my cousin, the Crown Prince, but Huaimin also really doesn't want to die. Huaimin can't do what Your Majesty asked, please forgive me."
"you!"
The Empress's expression changed drastically, and she glared at her with her beautiful eyes, filled with anger.
She took a few deep breaths, trying to calm herself down, and forced a smile.
“Huaimin, His Majesty is kind-hearted and benevolent. How could he possibly kill you? But if you do not do as I say, I cannot guarantee your safety.”
The blatant and undisguised threat reached Tao Tao's ears directly.
The Empress's meaning was clear: if he didn't do as she said, he wouldn't be able to leave the palace alive.
She actually scoffed at this. If the Crown Prince of the Celestial Empire could be so easily imprisoned for such a reason, how much importance would the Emperor have on the Empress?
She had only recently been granted the title of county princess and was the emperor's savior. She entered the empress's palace in full view of everyone.
If something really happened to her in the Empress's palace, would the Emperor think that the Empress was provoking him?
But she was Qi Heng's mother. That night, when he carried her out and took her to the East Palace, she leaned against him and could clearly hear his frantic heartbeat.
Even in front of the emperor, he prioritized her life; no matter what, he truly cared about her as a friend.
Tao Tao looked up at her in shock, her eyes gradually reddening, looking extremely frightened.
Her voice became stammering: "Your Majesty... Your Majesty, I... yes, Huaimin knows."
In the end, he seemed to have given in and nodded in agreement with great embarrassment.
Upon hearing her agree, the Empress regained her gentle and kind demeanor, bending down to help her up.
"Don't blame me. I was just desperate to save my son. If His Majesty hadn't been so angry, I would have gone to plead for him myself. If I were to go now, it would only make things worse."
She only has this one son, and Heng'er must take that position in order to strengthen the Qiu family and prevent them from being constantly suppressed by other aristocratic families, unable to even lift their heads.
Whether it's Qiu's honor or her position as Empress Dowager, both can only be realized if Heng'er takes that position.
Tao Tao obediently lowered her head and said nothing.
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