Chapter 4 Chapter 4
"Did Her Majesty the Queen really say that?"
With the cool and refreshing Jade Beauty Peach Blossom Powder applied on her face, Shen Youyi felt drowsy and her words were somewhat lazy: "Your Majesty, you won't pay any attention to me?"
Tan Rui's face showed worry. "Not only that, the messenger said that the Empress just mentioned my wife's name, and His Majesty stormed out. The Empress Dowager, knowing that His Majesty had returned to the palace in the rain, scolded the Empress."
Like the Imperial Concubine, she thought that regaining the Emperor's favor would not be difficult. She could just pretend to be heartbroken and win the Emperor's favor. However, she didn't expect that after such a long time, His Majesty had completely forgotten about the Imperial Concubine.
"Everyone in the palace is used to changing their attitude according to the situation. Once they see the emperor's will, they will become even more perfunctory in their requests. If it weren't for the queen's care for you, I'm afraid even food and clothing would be cut back."
Tan Rui was thinking worriedly, but she saw the lazy and comfortable beauty on the couch open her eyes, prop up half of her body and move closer. The powder on her face couldn't hide the smile on her face, which frightened Tan Rui: "My lady, what are you doing..."
Shen Youyi suddenly recalled the handsome face of the prince. Although the Shen family hoped that she would have a place by the prince's side, they did not want her to actually lose her virginity or even get pregnant before marriage. Whenever the prince wanted to take a step further, she would find ways to refuse. Sometimes he would be understanding, but after too many times, he would inevitably get angry and turn against her.
——There were many maids in the Eastern Palace, and he didn't have to vent his feelings on her. The favor and affection that others longed for were rejected by her again and again. It was not interesting for a prince to force himself on a girl, so he simply broke up with her and even returned the token of love and cut it into pieces.
But in the end, the prince still came back to find her awkwardly.
If you don't like her at all, you can just leave her aside and let her fend for herself. Why make such a fuss and only make things more obvious?
"Tan Rui, you used to serve the Queen, so you must have seen the Crown Prince... and the Second Prince. Do His Majesty and the two Princes look alike?"
Tan Rui patiently advised, "Why is your wife talking about the two princes for no reason?"
Shen Youyi said confidently: "I just fell out of favor, why do you bother me for just a few casual chats?"
Tan Rui's brows furrowed in thought at the Imperial Concubine's wandering thoughts. How could this concubine still be in the mood to care for the prince at this moment? "How dare this servant contradict you? I was just anxious for a moment. His Highness the Crown Prince is handsome and graceful. Although he has some of the charm of Your Majesty in his youth, he will not talk to a servant like me. The Second Prince's appearance and temperament are more like the Empress. He is elegant and calm. People say that the Second Prince is kind, filial and tolerant. The medicine you often took recently was sent by him. He told this servant to serve you well."
Shen Youyi thought of the medicine that she often secretly poured away. The taste of the medicine was still fresh in her memory. Every time she smelled it, it was so bitter that her heart would jump a few times.
The more noble a person is, the more they can torture their body. She didn't feel anything wrong when she adapted to Concubine Wei's body. Why did she drink those bitter juices every day?
But I didn't expect that the medicine was sent by the second prince.
Shen Youyi's brows gradually furrowed. In her memory, the Second Prince treated her kindly and politely. Even when she treated him as a young master attending a banquet, he did not get angry when she asked about the Crown Prince's whereabouts. He just looked unwell. His skin color was whiter than the girl next to her, and his appearance was more delicate and pretty. It was said that it was a weakness he had from birth.
He had already met the daughter of the Shen family, so didn't he find it weird when he interacted with Concubine Wei in private?
She was not sure which of the two princes, Duke Yan and the Wei family, she favored more, but Tan Rui was the head maid sent by the Queen to Wei Lanzhen, and the medicine she often used was secretly sent to her by the Second Prince. Wei Lanzhen obviously got along better with the Queen's faction.
Shen Youyi was a little frightened. She hoped that the Second Prince was only filial to the Empress and also cared about his concubine mother. Otherwise, if Emperor Yuan Shuo knew that his concubine was not only colluding with the Second Prince, but also took away his soul and was once the Crown Prince's favorite woman...
If she were the emperor, she would definitely throw both the Wei and Chen families into the frying pan!
When mentioning His Majesty, the Empress, or even her current predicament, the Imperial Concubine always looked calm and composed, her expression fluctuating even less than when she mentioned the two Highnesses. Tan Rui felt a slight headache and asked tentatively, "Madam, do you want the Second Highness to intercede for you?"
Shen Youyi lay back down and said listlessly, "What's the use of them? No one cares if I live or die, so I'll just continue to pretend to be sick."
Tan Rui suppressed her impatience and was about to offer some more advice when she saw the imperial concubine blink: "Your Majesty, be kind. I'm already so ill. Copying two less volumes of Buddhist scriptures is not a big deal, right?"
…
The wind blows through the bamboo forest, attracting bursts of cicadas' chirping. The green bamboos are vigorous, and the tender leaves are wet with dewdrops from the recent rain, which are about to drip, leaving a refreshing green shadow on the gauze window.
The eunuch in the distance brought an ice mirror, and the prince wiped the sweat from his forehead imperceptibly. Even though he was the crown prince, he was still trembling with fear and treading on thin ice every time he went to the Western Inner Courtyard to accompany his father in martial arts practice.
As the imperial concubine rose and fell out of favor, this awe evolved into fear, following him like a shadow and becoming a sword hanging over his head.
Emperor Yuanshuo was frugal and extravagant, and he was not the kind of monarch who would easily demote his subjects and slaves for trivial matters. The heart of a sage is a mirror for heaven and earth. A monarch is supported by the world and should not be obsessed with women, nor should he disrupt state affairs with personal feelings. He should be strict in his dealings. As the eldest son, he naturally had to make every word and action meet his father's expectations.
Because of this, even though his father did not explicitly limit the number of his concubines, his grandmother and mother were dissatisfied with his small number of offspring. Five years after his marriage, there was only one Crown Princess and two Consorts in the Eastern Palace, and no more than three concubines.
Although he tried his best to do what Yi Niang had asked him to do, after thinking it over and over again, he still did not have the courage to speak to his father about it.
Unexpectedly, by some strange coincidence, Yi Niang, who had been obsessed with him day and night, changed her appearance and became his father's most beloved Concubine Wei.
Your Majesty, father, probably doesn't know the origins of Concubine Wei yet, but what if one day he suddenly feels like finding out?
After the imperial concubine fell out of favor, he wanted to send people to Tangquan Palace several times to inquire the reason, but was stopped by the guards. At the same time, his father's rule became increasingly strict, and even the crown prince was no exception. A few days ago, because he was a little slack in his studies, he was merciless and scolded him in front of several teachers.
His father's abnormal behavior made him think of Yi Niang - perhaps his father already knew about his previous affair with Concubine Wei, but was reluctant to publicize the family scandal due to the royal family's reputation, yet he was eager to expose it.
Such speculations were like the cold rain from the eaves of the palace, hitting his chest drop by drop, day after day, lingering in his soul and dreams, so heavy that he could hardly breathe.
There were times when he even wanted to speak to his father on his own initiative. Even if the emperor was furious, it would be a relief.
The arrow left the string, and with a loud sound, it broke through the air. The iron tip was embedded in the target, only an inch away from the center of the target. The force did not penetrate the skin, but only left a lingering sound.
This was the fourth time he had missed the target. Even though he was slightly exhausted, his father, who was sitting next to him, showed no sign of fatigue. He was still young and did not dare to stop, for he was worried that he would be scolded by his father.
Emperor Yuan Shuo did not speak. The eunuchs held several iron arrows at his side. He concentrated his mind and gathered his strength, his posture was upright and steady, and he drew the bow like a full moon, as if holding a feather in his mouth. As soon as the arrow left the string, it carried a force of ten thousand pounds, and the head of the arrow pierced through his heart, leaving only the tail feathers deeply immersed in the crimson spot.
Without waiting for the waiter to change the target, Emperor Yuan Shuo had already taken another arrow and put it on his bow. He fired it rapidly, and the arrow tip split the feathers several times, and the end was embedded in the bow.
Emperor Yuan Shuo did not stop until the first arrow landed.
The prince felt a little ashamed, but even more uneasy. Only when he saw Emperor Yuan Shuo place the giant bow on the table did he dare to open his mouth and praise: "Father, your power is divine. My son is far behind."
He heard that although his father had the strength to shoot arrows through seven pieces of steel and to penetrate a bow with a weight of six jin, he seldom boasted about it. The Zhou Li said that one should not shoot at the target. In ordinary riding and archery competitions with his ministers and royal family members, the emperor seldom shot through the target. Just now, he fired arrows in succession, as fast as lightning, as if he was fighting for his life on the battlefield or meeting an enemy. It was more like a silent catharsis.
"Everyone has their strengths and weaknesses, so why should you be so modest?"
Emperor Yuan Shuo glanced at his eldest son. The prince grew up in the palace and had not seen much cruelty. Even though his hair was wet from riding and shooting, he was still a young man with a bright and handsome appearance. In the past two years, his temperament has become much calmer and he has some of the bearing of a monarch.
He has conquered the world and unified the country. After all, the successor monarch is his blood. As a monarch and father, even if he has high expectations for the crown prince, he does not want his eldest son to have the same hardship as he did, or even to be better than him in everything.
The prince breathed a sigh of relief and admitted his mistake with a smile: "My son will diligently practice archery etiquette when he returns. Every day after the teacher's lecture, he will practice archery with his attendants."
Chen Rongshou brought two cups of tea. Emperor Yuanshuo took them and thought for a moment before saying, "I remember that there were several young men in your family who were good at archery in the early years. One of them seemed to be named Xiao."
The Crown Prince's expression suddenly changed, and Chen Rongshou smiled and said, "In reply to Your Majesty, I remember there was a young man named Xiao Che who served as Your Highness's study companion. His father, the Marquis of Lingyang, died young, and Xiao Che inherited his father's title..."
Suddenly, silence fell all around. Chen Rongshou suddenly realized how shocking his words were. He hurriedly fell to the ground and begged for mercy: "Your Majesty, I have spoken without restraint. Please punish me!"
Emperor Yuanshuo showed a hint of displeasure, but he looked at the Crown Prince nonchalantly: "What do you think of the former Marquis of Lingyang?"
The smile on the prince's face froze slightly. Xiao Che had died in the battlefield three years ago. At that time, his father sympathized with the Xiao family's lack of descendants, and specially ordered a distant branch of the family to adopt a son who recognized Xiao Che as his father, to carry on the family line, and to teach him to live with honor and die with sorrow. However, this name had become an unspoken taboo in the palace, and no one had mentioned it for a long time.
...Who doesn't know that the current emperor's new concubine, Wei Lanzhen, was once the wife of the Marquis of Lingyang?
However, what General Manager Chen said was not wrong. Among the ministers of the Eastern Palace, there was no other Xiao Langjun who was as good at shooting.
Why is my father asking about Yi Niang’s ex-husband out of the blue?
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