Chapter 38 Undercurrents
Chapter Thirty-Eight: Undercurrents
When Su Su dragged her exhausted body back to Yongshou Palace, the sun was already slightly setting in the west, and it was the middle of the afternoon.
Sunlight streamed through the window, casting dappled shadows on her pale face, revealing an undeniable weariness in her eyes. She dismissed the usual palace servants, leaving only Chunlan behind.
"Chunlan," her voice was hoarse with a resolute calm, "bring me what I asked you to prepare last time."
Upon hearing this, Chunlan stiffened slightly, a look of hesitation and worry appearing on her face. She naturally knew what the Empress wanted—it was the contraceptive pills that the Empress had secretly ordered her to obtain through clandestine channels after the Emperor's first unsuccessful attempt to stay overnight at Yongshou Palace many days ago.
"Your Majesty..." Chunlan hesitated before speaking, her voice barely audible, "Why...why do you do this? If you could have a prince, wouldn't that be...wouldn't that be even better? With an heir, Your Majesty's position in the palace would truly be secure."
She couldn't understand why the Empress would so resolutely refuse the opportunity to bear a royal heir.
Su Su leaned back on the soft pillows, closed her eyes, and a bitter, cold smile curved her lips. A child? Didn't she also want a child of her own blood? But…
"You don't understand." She opened her eyes, her gaze fixed on the bright yet languid sun outside the window. "Mu Hanyan is now pregnant with the Emperor's child. Although the Emperor hasn't said it explicitly, once she gives birth to a prince, will there be any room for anyone else in the future Empress's position?"
Her voice was soft, yet chillingly cold: "My child... I don't want him to be born destined to be someone else's foil, living in the shadow of another child, or even... perhaps because of me, unable to grow up safely."
In her past life, wasn't she just the most dazzling supporting character? She gave her all to love that man, only to end up with her father and brothers dying tragically and herself dying with resentment.
She couldn't let her child repeat the same mistake, becoming an unwanted and even feared figure in this cannibalistic palace. If she wasn't absolutely certain she could protect her child, she'd rather not have one at all.
Seeing the deep pain and determination in her mistress's eyes, Chunlan dared not persuade her any further. She could only silently turn around and take out a small pill carefully wrapped in oiled paper from the most hidden compartment of the dressing case.
Su Su took the brown pill and, without hesitation or even water, swallowed it whole. The pill slid down her throat, bringing a slight bitterness, but it was nothing compared to the bitterness she felt in her heart.
"I'll rest for a while. Call me again at dinner time." She stood up, her voice filled with an overwhelming weariness.
Chunlan hurriedly stepped forward to help her change. When she took off her outer and inner garments and saw the purplish-blue marks and ambiguous red marks all over Su Su's fair skin, Chunlan's eyes instantly reddened.
The Emperor... he's far too ungrateful! This isn't a favor, it's clearly an act of venting his anger!
Su Su seemed oblivious, lying directly on the bed and pulling the quilt tightly around herself. The afternoon sun shone through the gauze curtains, casting flickering shadows on her face.
As fatigue and the effects of the medication gradually took hold, she forced herself to fall asleep, hoping that only in this way could she temporarily forget everything that was happening before her eyes.
Meanwhile, the atmosphere in the courtyard where the second branch of the Su family lived was also oppressive and fearful.
Su Maolin and Wang Shi were extremely uneasy. Their original smugness and scheming had long been replaced by immense panic. They never expected things to escalate to this point!
The eldest brother and nephew were actually imprisoned! This was completely different from what they had originally planned: that the eldest branch of the family would lose power and the second branch would take over!
"Master, what... what should we do? If they find out..." Madam Wang's face turned pale, and her voice trembled.
"Shut up!" Su Maolin growled irritably, veins throbbing on his forehead. "What else can we do now? We... we have no way out!" He spoke toughly, but his heart was in turmoil.
"What about Lin Yue?" He suddenly remembered a glimmer of hope and asked urgently, "What did the Zhuang family say? When will Zhuang Zedong come to propose marriage? Our second branch has pinned all our hopes on them!"
As they were talking, Su Linyue walked in from outside with her head down, her expression showing a hint of panic and unease.
"Lin Yue, you've come at the perfect time!" Madam Wang immediately grabbed her daughter. "What exactly did Young Master Zhuang say? Is there any confirmation regarding the marriage proposal?"
Su Linyue bit her lower lip, her eyes flickering: "Young Master Zhuang said... said he's already making preparations, and told us to be patient."
She was also filled with unease. On the night the eldest son was imprisoned, she secretly went to a secluded pleasure boat to meet Zhuang Zedong. Upon meeting him, she urgently pressed him for an answer: "Zhuang Lang, didn't you say that letter was only meant to resolve the misunderstanding between Uncle and your father? Why... why are Uncle and my brother now imprisoned?"
Zhuang Zedong held her close, reassuring her in a relaxed tone, "Silly girl, if your uncle doesn't go to jail, how will your second branch ever get ahead? Do you want to be forever overshadowed by the first branch? Don't worry, my father will take care of everything. Once things calm down, I'll marry you in a grand and glorious way."
His words seemed to have a magical power, temporarily calming her unease. Then, as usual, he kissed her eagerly, his hands expertly roaming over her body. Su Linyue half-heartedly resisted, and as he undressed her, she couldn't help but murmur, "Then...when will you come to propose?"
"It'll be soon, it'll be soon, my mother is already preparing the betrothal gifts..." Zhuang Zedong mumbled in response, then pushed her down onto the table covered with brocade cushions in the inner room of the flower boat and began to do the deed roughly.
She bit her lip hard, but still managed to let out suppressed and broken moans. Looking at her submissive appearance, Zhuang Zedong felt a surge of triumphant control. These daughters of the Su family were indeed easily fooled fools.
Meanwhile, in the study of the Zhuang family mansion, Zhuang Shijie, thinking himself clever, was immersed in the joy of the successful implementation of his plan.
He stroked his beard, a cold glint in his eyes. Su Mufeng and his son were already in prison; if he added fuel to the fire and confirmed their crimes, the Su family, this great tree, would surely fall.
At that time, I can not only take this opportunity to eliminate a potential political enemy, but also gain favor in the southwest and avenge my daughter. Su Mufeng's daughter dares to block my way in the palace, so don't blame me for being ruthless to her too.
He cautiously summoned a trusted confidant and whispered, "Go, contact our people in the southwest. Tell them we can proceed to the next step. Be extremely careful; leave absolutely no trace!"
However, Zhuang Shijie never expected that his supposedly secretive actions had already fallen into the sights of the ever-present secret guards.
Just as his trusted confidant quietly left the mansion to make contact at a seemingly ordinary warehouse in the south of the city, several dark figures sneaked in silently like ghosts, not only intercepting the secret message that was about to be sent out, but also catching both parties at the meeting red-handed.
That evening, the imperial study was brightly lit with candles.
Night Shadow knelt on one knee and presented the secret letters and evidence he had gathered: "Your Majesty, Zhuang Shijie indeed could not restrain himself and attempted to contact the remaining forces in the southwest to frame Su Mufeng and Su Jizhi for treason. He also intended to send us a map of our border defenses. We have both witnesses and physical evidence. Please take a look, Your Majesty."
Li Qianche took the thick file and secret letter, his face growing increasingly grim as he read. The letter's contents were vicious and meticulous; had he not been prepared, Su Mufeng and his son would likely have died unjustly! And Zhuang Shijie dared to collude with foreign enemies and leak military secrets—this was not merely framing a loyal official, but a heinous crime of treason!
"Good! Good indeed, Zhuang Shijie!" Li Qianche slammed the dossier onto the imperial desk with a loud bang, his chest heaving violently with rage, his eyes churning with a terrifying storm. "What a veteran of two dynasties! I think he has been harboring evil intentions for a long time! Does the Zhuang family want to turn the Li family's empire into their own?!"
The air inside the hall seemed to freeze. Shen Gaoyi and the others were so frightened that they dared not breathe and knelt deeply on the ground.
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