Chapter 61 Chapter 61 [VIP]
In the Liangyi Hall, the candles had been burning all night, leaving only a faint glow.
There was a faint sound of a child crying from inside, but it only lasted for a moment before being blocked again.
Emperor Yuan Shuo was still young when he became a grandfather, and the crown prince paid little attention to his son. Therefore, he did not love his only grandson very much, and naturally spent very little time with him in his arms. But he could not bear to see the wet nurse so frightened, so he showed this emotion in front of his master while serving him.
He ordered someone to bring the child over, but the Prince of Hengshan had already made a rough assessment of the outside world, and he struggled with his small body, refusing to let the emperor hit him.
Emperor Yuan Shuo saw the child's face flushed with struggle. He was so stubborn, so he stopped forcing him and said calmly, "Tell his mother to hold him."
Yun Liangdi knelt on the ground, struggled to stand up, and took over tremblingly. She was not honest enough to conceal the evidence of the Crown Princess's crime, but once the scandal came out, His Majesty even ordered his most beloved concubine to commit suicide, and the death has been kept secret until now. Although she gave birth to His Majesty's only grandson, it is natural that she is a good son because he can surpass the Crown Prince and ascend to the throne, but after losing the Crown Prince, can her son really get the favor of the grandfather?
The Prince of Hengshan was merely frightened and quickly fell asleep in his mother's arms. He was then escorted back to the inner palace. Yun Liangdi then continued, "It was only after I had been in the palace for many years that I heard a few rumors... His Highness does not favor the Crown Princess. He only proposed to Your Majesty out of spite with Xiuyuan, insisting on choosing a docile woman from a humble family."
Before the Imperial Concubine came to the Eastern Palace, the Crown Princess pretended to be calm and told them that perhaps a sister would move in soon. After the death of Marquis Lingyang, she heard some of these words from the Crown Prince's attendants.
She whispered, "It's rare for me to be close to the Crown Prince. I don't know why His Highness first became distant from the Crown Princess and then became close to her. However, the Crown Princess has only been wearing soft, thick, old clothes lately. She doesn't want concubines to serve her and often locks herself in a quiet room without even seeing the light. It seems that His Highness's attitude towards her has also become a little cold."
After the death of the imperial concubine, the prince was distraught for a long time. Even when he was imprisoned in the Eastern Palace, he never got close to the concubines.
Although the Crown Princess became more and more haggard day by day, her skin was still delicate and beautiful, far better than that of a young girl in her twenties. Such smooth and tender skin brought her a lot of troubles. She cried all day in the prison and her mind was almost insane.
Even if she didn't say it, the palace maids serving the Crown Princess could not withstand the long-term torture. Ordinary flesh and blood bodies were contaminated by evil ways and tried to connect with ghosts and gods to gain greater benefits. Regardless of their status, they were easily backlashed. The wizard from Nanzhao advised the Crown Prince several times when he asked for this technique, but in the end he accepted the Crown Princess's kindness and chose a milder poison for the concubine so as not to hurt the Crown Prince's body.
Although winning by force can bring a lot of convenience to the user, it is also quite risky, and the amount of money consumed may not be something that one person can afford.
The imperial concubine could remember it on her own, and the prince would be able to do the same. Emperor Yuan Shuo had no interest in comforting his daughter-in-law, and ordered the eunuchs to select a palace in the palace for Yun Liangdi and Prince Hengshan, while the prince remained in the East Palace to be treated by the imperial physician.
As for the Crown Princess who had given birth to his granddaughter, Emperor Yuan Shuo showed little leniency, saying indifferently, "Since she wishes to die in this position, let her wish be granted. As for her father and brothers, any male in the clan who is over three feet tall will be beheaded, and the rest will be exiled three thousand miles away. Her daughter will be raised by the Yun family."
His son really despised the Crown Princess. Since he hoped to persuade Yiniang to change her mind, he should not let the women around him know about this.
A concubine's fall from favor could be tolerated, but a woman in the inner palace might not have much foresight if she was about to be ousted from her position as Crown Princess. Using these unorthodox methods, she could still enjoy her glory for a while, perhaps hiding until the Crown Prince ascended the throne or died. But without these methods, she would immediately become the first wife of this dynasty to be divorced by a Crown Prince.
Zihui also studied the history of Jin Dynasty. Emperor Xiaowu played with a beautiful woman and ended up being killed. He was mean to his partner, so how could he not have expected that the Crown Princess, who always obeyed his orders, would also be influenced by the bad company and want to take some shortcuts?
Matters within the palace weren't handled by the Dali Temple, as they involved the imperial family. Even the outsiders knew the emperor might not be willing to accept advice at this moment. Chen Rongshou spoke cautiously, "Your Majesty, the head of the inner guards reported that the commoner He, diagnosed by three imperial physicians, appears to be pregnant, but the pregnancy is too early. If we can wait for half a month, the physicians will be more confident. He also raved in prison, saying that if the crown prince left her, she might not survive long."
The inner guards had followed Emperor Yuan Shuo for many years and had probably guessed the fate of the Crown Princess. However, royal heirs have always been precious, so even if there was a slight possibility, they would not dare to take any risk.
Sure enough, Chen Rongshou saw the emperor's hesitation at that moment.
There were also many royal women who temporarily saved their lives because of pregnancy, but Emperor Yuan Shuo was not thinking about the Crown Princess who was imprisoned.
Yi Niang didn't love him, but she was still willing to take the initiative to seduce him and devote herself to him, just to save her life.
The Crown Prince and Marquis of Lingyang also had her long-lasting tenderness, but she had no attachment to him at all and was just a guest.
, worried that she would encounter danger after leaving Beijing, and would not bow down and beg for the love of a cold-hearted man.
The emperor should not pay so much attention to a commoner girl under his rule.
That thought only distracted him slightly. He came to his senses and resumed his stern demeanor of recent days: "I don't need this grandson yet."
This sealed the fate of the Crown Princess. As for the Crown Prince, although Emperor Yuanshuo didn't quite believe in such sorcery, he wasn't ready to wish his son dead. "I've written to the Meng family, asking them to select a few talented individuals to come to Chang'an for an audience. The Empress Dowager is celebrating her sixtieth birthday and would like to see some new and unusual stunts."
Chen Rongshou agreed, but he was still worried about the prince in his heart. A few years ago, the Six Kingdoms invaded each other's territory. At that time, the wizards of the defeated side hoped to enter the palace of the Central Plains dynasty, teach the secret art of longevity, and become the imperial teacher.
However, Emperor Yuan Shuo had no interest in pursuing immortality. In view of the fact that few Nanzhao kings had lived beyond the age of seventy and there was much chaos in southern Xinjiang, he looked down upon these people's so-called magic that could bless the world with good weather and good harvests. So this man approached the prince and plotted against him in the future.
Even if Your Majesty doesn't believe what the Crown Princess said, the envoy has traveled thousands of miles to deliver the imperial edict. If something bad happens to the Crown Prince... Your Majesty may not take it to heart.
Fortunately, Zhao Yuelai brought the imperial concubine's letter of thanks in the evening.
The Imperial Concubine's words were extremely sincere and respectful. Even though she would soon leave Chang'an, she would always be grateful for the Emperor's grace. Although there was nothing special about them, at least they would not offend anyone. Chen Rongshou lowered his voice and asked, "Does the Imperial Concubine have any other personal words for His Majesty?"
The memorial was drafted by the Empress's female official. Zhao Yuelai shook her head and whispered, "The lady said that since her relationship with His Majesty is over, there's no need to waste any more words. The Emperor's moods are unpredictable, and it would be disastrous to be accused of collusion between the inner and outer realms. However, she has a request for the General Manager. I wonder if you would be willing to help her."
…
I don’t know if it was the effect of the memorial of thanks, but only three or four days after it was submitted, Shen Huaian appeared in Cuiwei Palace, exhausted.
At the same time, there was an unexpected guest.
The second prince actually came with him, but he came to pay his respects to the queen.
Shen Youyi was very happy to see her brother suddenly. She subconsciously wanted to throw herself into her brother's arms, but she was too late. Her parents occupied her brother's arms first.
They were not biological siblings, and her mother even intended to teach her to marry her own brother.
To her, the brother who was once very special was more like one of those men who wanted to marry her. Although the brother had always been very good to her, once the blood relationship was gone, she had an extra layer of woman's reserve and could not openly touch his skin with hers and express her longing for him after separation.
Shen Yupu, Bai Shi and their children have not seen each other for a long time, especially their adopted son who is imprisoned. The current emperor can let Yi Niang go, but according to this killing method, Shen Huaian, who has repeatedly assisted Yi Niang and walked between the king and his beloved son, may not be able to keep his life.
Shen Huaian talked with his parents for a while, and seeing that his worried sister was still standing far away, he said softly: "Don't worry, Yi Niang, my brother is fine."
After saying this, she coughed twice. Mrs. Bai ordered someone to get pine, cypress, and mugwort leaves to ward off bad luck. She was surprised by her daughter's strange attitude and said with a smile, "Aren't you and your sister always the best of friends? Why are you acting so distant today?"
Shen Youyi naturally cares about her brother, but she was not yet born when her father-in-law adopted her brother. They were accustomed to this kind of relationship, but she was a little unhappy. Before the age of fifteen, when they were very close and her brother was picky about those men, was he really choosing men for her, or did he regard those men as rivals in love?
She always felt that the love between parents and brothers was purer than the love between men and women, but her brother had thought about marrying her.
Those intimate memories lost their color in an instant.
"Mother, you're worrying too much. I've been feeling lazy these past few days and I sweat every time I move. My brother likes cleanliness, and I have this self-awareness. I don't want to go up and offend him."
This was not false. Emperor Yuan Shuo didn't know what he had put in the wine. Ever since she woke up, her appetite had not been very good. She could only eat more by drinking some appetizing soup. She was also a little sleepy. The queen obviously did not forbid her from any lively activities, but she did not want to swing or practice dancing to lighten her body.
Perhaps there was some emotional impact as well. Although the past could not be regretted and she did not feel that she was wrong, she still felt a little melancholy occasionally in the past two days.
If she had been willing to humble herself and beg, and not speak so cruelly, she would still be her imperial concubine. However, Emperor Yuan Shuo never told her about these things. How could she have foreseen that he would actually be willing to spare her life... She didn't even need to use sweet words to accept the past of her father taking his son's concubine!
A man who wanted to control her from head to toe had long stopped looking into her past.
She lost the love that an elderly emperor might have had, and even if she looked for another man in the future, she might not be able to find a stronger man who would suit her better. When she thought of this, her appetite inevitably declined.
But most of the time he's fine, and there's nothing special about him.
Now she is just a little sad about what she will lose after making the decision. She can't see the bright future for herself for the time being. Maybe after some time, she will put this loss behind her.
Or maybe she will return to the place she is familiar with, but this possibility is slim.
Mrs. Bai also felt a little worried when she thought of this: "Yi Niang has been feeling unwell recently. I'm afraid she's been lying on the bed for too long and worrying too much, so she's become ill. She can't even eat a bowl of rice at each meal."
But the child is no longer the same as before. She no longer has the status of a concubine, and she prefers to keep out of trouble. She refuses to ask the imperial physician for treatment, saying that she is just in a bad mood and that she will be able to recover after some time.
But the flesh on this little face was gradually reduced, so she could only cook more local dishes to coax her daughter to eat more. However, Yi Niang had been hungry for too long, and she felt uncomfortable every time she ate too much, so the couple did not dare to force her.
Shen Huaian showed concern on his face, and then he thought of something, his expression slightly gloomy. He looked at Shen Youyi's slightly tired face and said softly: "Yi Niang, you...are you pregnant?"
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