Xie Jingyan not only broke his leg and spent two years in a wheelchair, but he was also punished to guard the imperial mausoleum. In everyone's eyes, he had wasted four years of his studies and martial arts. Yet he was still so powerful. The civil and military officials dared not imagine how powerful the Prince of Ling would have become if Consort Chen had not had an accident and the Prince of Ling had grown up step by step.
With the Empress Dowager speaking on his behalf, the Emperor certainly wouldn't be stingy and bestowed upon Xie Jingyan the luminous pearl that Xi Liang had given him as a birthday gift.
Empress Song was so jealous that her internal organs felt like they were being fried in oil.
It's one thing for the Emperor to favor Prince Ling, but the Empress Dowager even spoke well of him.
If it were said that the eldest prince had no hope of becoming crown prince, it would be understandable for the Empress Dowager to take this opportunity to curry favor with Prince Ling. However, the eldest prince has not lost any power at the moment, so the Empress Dowager has no reason to do so.
After thinking for a long time, Empress Song concluded that the Empress Dowager was afraid that Prince Ling would ask the Emperor for the luminous pearl, which would affect the Emperor's mood, so she simply let the Emperor bestow it upon him first.
But this indulgent attitude made Empress Song even more unhappy.
The Crown Prince of Nanyi sat down and saw the Second Prince of Donglie drinking opposite him. He said, "I've heard that the Second Prince of Donglie is a master archer. Would you like to show off your skills?"
The Second Prince of Donglie, Tuoba Che, laughed and said, "The Emperor of Great Chu's own nephew is known as a 'divine archer,' but I, the prince, would not dare to show off my skills in front of an expert."
There's only one archer in the Great Chu, so it's not shameful to be inferior.
The Second Prince of Donglie was eloquent, and his words pleased the Emperor, the Empress Dowager, and Princess Huyang, among others.
The Emperor instructed the eldest prince, "You are about the same age as the Crown Prince of Xiliang and the Second Prince of Donglie. It is a rare opportunity for them to come to our Great Chu. You should show them around and fulfill our duty as hosts."
The eldest prince stood up and agreed.
The birthday banquet continued.
The dancers took to the stage to perform, their music delightful, and the courtiers rejoiced.
The entire birthday banquet lasted for two and a half hours. The Empress Dowager was old and could not sit for that long, so she returned to Shou Kang Palace more than half an hour early.
The birthday banquet ended only after the emperor had grown tired.
Shen Wan wanted to go out and admire the lanterns in the evening, so she didn't linger in the palace. As soon as the birthday banquet ended, Xie Jingyan took her out of the palace.
After Shen Ying was sent out of the palace, Xie Jingyin was left with only Fu Shu by his side. As soon as they left the Taihe Hall, a palace maid came to invite Xie Jingyin and Fu Shu, but Fu Shu made an excuse and did not go with them.
The Duke of Zhongguo and his wife came over and said, "The Empress must have something to discuss with you. Prince Jin's injuries haven't fully healed yet, why didn't you go with him?"
Even if the Prince of Jin's concubine can no longer cause trouble, you must not let your guard down.
Fu Shu had no mood to accompany Xie Jingyin. Her mind was full of what Shen Wan had told her. She was absent-minded throughout the entire birthday banquet and couldn't wait to leave the palace to find a doctor to take her pulse.
Fu Shu's eyes reddened, and the Duchess of Zhongguo asked, "What's wrong? Who wronged you?"
Fu Shu shook her head, "Mother, let's go back to the Duke of Zhongguo's mansion first."
What is this supposed to say to them?
For no apparent reason, Lady Zhongguo felt a sudden unease.
Fu Shu followed the Duke and Duchess of Zhongguo back to the Duke's mansion.
Upon returning to the Duke of Zhongguo's residence, the Duchess of Zhongguo asked, "What happened? Don't frighten your mother."
Fu Shu didn't speak, but then a maid's voice came from outside the door, "Your Highness, the doctor has arrived."
Duke Zhongguo and his wife exchanged a glance.
Why would you need to see a doctor for no reason?
Lady Zhongguo asked anxiously, "Is there anything wrong with your body?"
Fu Shu shook her head, "My daughter doesn't know yet..."
Fu Shu was anxious to know the result, so she didn't go into the inner courtyard. Instead, she had the doctor take her pulse in the side hall of the outer courtyard. Apart from her trusted maid, only the Duke of Zhongguo and his wife were there.
The doctor carefully took Fu Shu's pulse, and only let go after a long while. The Duchess of Zhongguo asked, "Is there anything wrong with my daughter's health?"
The doctor hesitated, as if he wanted to say something but then stopped.
Fu Shu said, "Doctor, please speak frankly."
The doctor didn't know how to start the conversation. Seeing the doctor's hesitant expression, Fu Shu's heart sank. Clinging to her last glimmer of hope, she managed to ask, "Please tell me the truth, doctor, can I still have children?"
The doctor was surprised that Fu Shu already knew, and he looked troubled. "The princess suffered a miscarriage last time, which damaged her health. I'm afraid she'll be..."
Almost instantly, tears welled up in Fu Shu's eyes.
Lady Zhongguo swayed, and if Fu Shu's maid hadn't caught her in time, she would have fallen to the ground.
Lady Zhongguo's face turned deathly pale. "How could this be..."
"How could this be?!"
"Doctor, please take my pulse again carefully!"
The doctor shook his head.
No matter how many times you try, the result will be the same.
The Duke of Zhongguo's expression was no better. "After the accident last time, we saw several imperial physicians, and none of them said that I couldn't have children anymore..."
At this point, Duke Zhongguo realized that Empress Song and Prince Jin must have issued a gag order to the Imperial Hospital.
The doctor, realizing he was incapable of helping Fu Shu, told them to find someone more skilled and then took his medicine box and left.
Lady Zhongguo, feeling sorry for her daughter, said, "How could this be? How did you know?"
Fu Shu choked up as she said, "Today I went to see Princess Ling, wanting to join forces with her to deal with Shen Ying. She asked me if I had thought about why the Empress wanted the Emperor to restore Shen Ying to her position as the Empress's principal wife, and she also told me to find a reliable doctor to take her pulse, so that I wouldn't end up doing all the work for someone else..."
Fu Shuyun's neatly trimmed nails dug into her flesh beneath her sleeves. She had always regarded Shen Wan as an enemy and was always at odds with her. Later, when Shen Wan married Prince Ling, she also targeted Princess Ling in order to please Empress Song and Princess Shouchun.
But what was the result?!
The people she helped harmed her and deceived her. If it weren't for Princess Ling telling her about this out of sympathy, she wouldn't know how long she would have been kept in the dark!
If she can't have children, what's the use of her being the Princess Consort of Jin? In the end, she'll just be a stepping stone for someone else!
Lady Zhongguo felt as if her heart was being torn apart, and hatred welled up within her. "The Empress failed to harm Princess Ling, but instead harmed my daughter. She kept saying that even if the child was lost, she could conceive again. The Duke wholeheartedly supported Prince Jin. Is this how they, mother and son, deceived my Zhongguo Duke's Mansion?!"
She had previously thought that Empress Song's attitude towards Shen Ying was strange, but she never thought it was because her daughter could not have children. Empress Song wanted Prince Jin to have a legitimate son, so that no one could shake her daughter's position as the principal wife. If Prince Jin remarried in the future, she could only be a concubine, and the child she gave birth to could only be a son born out of wedlock.
The Duke of Zhongguo's face turned ashen. No one could be happy to be deceived. Fu Shu cried, "Mother, what am I going to do now?"
The sight of her daughter's helplessness was more painful for the Duchess of Zhongguo than being stabbed. No wonder Princess Ling would rather marry a man with a broken leg than Prince Jin. Their Zhongguo family treated Prince Jin like a treasure, but sent their daughter into a wolf's den.
But now that their daughter has married the Prince of Jin, they have no way back.
Zhong Guogong said, "Let's find a doctor to treat it first; perhaps we can still have children..."
If all else fails, the only option is to adopt a son born out of wedlock and raise him as their own.
But who would be willing to accept that?
He gambled the entire Duke of Zhongguo's mansion and wholeheartedly supported Prince Jin, only to end up benefiting someone who had no blood relation to his daughter or the Duke of Zhongguo's mansion.
Duke Zhongguo felt as if his ambition had vanished all at once.
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