The emperor intends to make Xue Gui the crown prince.
These words were like a knife plunged into King Chen's heart, causing him to bleed profusely.
He used to look down on his younger brother, but now that he knows his brother has managed to get a position he could never reach through sheer luck, he is filled with anger and hatred.
His fingers tightened on Shen Muyu's body, and he gritted his teeth, saying, "That coward Xue Gui, what makes him worthy of being the crown prince?"
Shen Muyu's skin was pinched hard and hurt, but she endured the pain and obediently lay down, saying in a low voice, "I heard that the Emperor has been assigning many tasks to Prince Shou these days, and Prince Shou has done a good job... It seems that the Yang family is also interested in forming a marriage alliance with Prince Shou."
"These opportunistic fools, I will kill them one day!" Thinking of Princess Yang Chun, who abandoned him without hesitation, Prince Chen became even more furious, and the evil fire burning in his heart could not be extinguished.
Seeing his already ugly face twisted with anger and jealousy, becoming even more ferocious, Shen Muyu disgustedly avoided looking at him. She pinched the sachet at her waist and said in a softer, gentler voice, "I am waiting for that day."
Xue Zhan was pleased with her, so he pulled her up and touched her smooth, soft face, asking, "Have you had your period this month?"
Seeing Shen Muyu nod, he touched her lower abdomen with some disappointment and said, "Then Yu'er needs to work harder and try to have a child as soon as possible..." His eyes flickered slightly as he imagined, "Once we have a child, our situation will not be so passive."
Shen Muyu thought of the child she was forced to abort, and a mocking glint flashed in her eyes. She thought to herself that Xue Zhan probably didn't know that he would never have a child in his life.
However, she still gently agreed and slowly said, "These days... Her Majesty often summons Consort Zhou to the palace."
Upon hearing this, Prince Chen frowned and said with displeasure, "Since Zhou Zhenrong married into the family, she has not made any contribution whatsoever. Now that I am trapped in the mansion, my mother is quite affectionate towards this niece."
Shen Muyu said softly, "I injured my body before, so it's always been more difficult for me to get pregnant. Your Highness, why don't you invite Consort Zhou along as well? With one more person, there's always a better chance."
Chen Wang's eyes flashed, revealing a look of hesitation: "Now, apart from you, I have no interest in anyone else..."
Shen Muyu said, "Perhaps the problem isn't with Your Highness, but with those beauties..." She subtly teased Prince Chen, softly enticing him, "Where there's a will, there's a way. Your Highness should give it a try; it might work. Even if it doesn't, there are always concubines..."
Prince Chen was indeed moved by her words and held her hand affectionately: "Indeed, you are the most sensible. If I ascend the throne in the future, you will be the Empress."
Shen Muyu happily thanked him and spent a while with him tenderly before going to call Zhou Zhenrong.
Once outside, she straightened her clothes, suppressed the disgust on her face, and then slowly made her way to Zhou Zhenrong's courtyard.
Zhou Zhenrong was a concubine of Prince Chen and the Empress's niece. After Prince Chen committed a crime and was imprisoned, she lived a relatively comfortable life behind closed doors. Especially recently, the Empress had been summoning Zhou Zhenrong to the palace for talks every few days, and she would receive many rewards each time she returned. Perhaps her life was even better than Prince Chen's.
However, this was not what Shen Muyu cared about. She deliberately dragged Zhou Zhenrong into the mess in front of Prince Chen today to confirm a guess.
She led Dongqing into the courtyard and saw Zhou Zhenrong warming herself by the fire in the pavilion. Her gaze subtly swept over Zhou Zhenrong's abdomen, and she smiled and said, "Sister Zhou, you're having a very comfortable time."
Zhou Zhenrong rolled her eyes when she saw her and said disdainfully, "Why aren't you trying to please the prince? What are you doing here? You're just making a mess of my place."
Shen Muyu smiled and said, "Naturally, it's to tell my sister the good news." Her smile was malicious: "The prince has summoned my sister to his bedchamber."
Zhou Zhenrong's expression changed. She felt disgusted just thinking about Prince Chen's face now, and she really couldn't understand how Shen Muyu could endure serving Prince Chen. Especially after how Prince Chen had tormented her before, she had shamelessly taken the initiative to go to him again.
Whenever Zhou Zhenrong talked about it with her maids, she felt that Shen Muyu was a truly shameless person. The more they tormented her, the more shameless she became. She was actually a perfect match for the now disfigured Prince Chen, saving him a lot of trouble.
If she hadn't found this godforsaken place unbearable, she wouldn't have agreed to her aunt's absurd plan.
Zhou Zhenrong subconsciously protected her lower abdomen and gritted her teeth, saying, "I'm not feeling well. Please tell the Prince that I won't be coming over, so as not to pass on my illness to him..."
Shen Muyu shook her head, revealing a fearful and timid expression: "I dare not say these things to the Prince. Even if Sister Zhou is unwell, she should at least go and apologize to the Prince herself. The Prince these days is not as kind as he used to be..."
She gave me a look that said, "If you're going to do something stupid, don't drag me down with you."
Zhou Zhenrong's expression changed, and she knew that what she said made sense.
Ever since her cousin was disfigured, he has become somewhat eccentric and unpredictable. Everyone outside says that the King of Qin is cruel, but she thinks that the current King of Chen is no less so.
After hesitating for a moment, Zhou Zhenrong got up, pretended to be sickly, and went with her maid to the Banana Garden to apologize to Shen Muyu.
In the Banana Garden, Prince Chen was lying on the couch with his robe open and legs bent.
Incense burned in the Boshan incense burner next to it, its sweet and warm fragrance spreading in the air, inexplicably giving rise to a decadent feeling that made one's blood boil.
When Shen Muyu first made the suggestion, Prince Chen hesitated, but now that Shen Muyu had left, he leaned against the couch alone and found himself becoming more and more interested, feeling a long-lost sense of eager anticipation.
He remembered Shen Muyu saying that perhaps it wasn't him who was incapable, but rather those women.
That's not entirely without merit.
Footsteps sounded outside. Prince Chen staggered off the bed. After recognizing Zhou Zhenrong and Shen Muyu's voices, a sense of urgency crawled through his body like insects.
He was so excited that he immediately felt something.
He was slightly out of breath, hidden in the shadows behind the door. After Zhou Zhenrong came in, he suddenly grabbed her from behind and eagerly pulled her onto the bed.
Shen Muyu swiftly closed the door and bolted it, shutting Zhou Zhenrong's maid out.
Then he turned around and saw Zhou Zhenrong screaming and struggling incessantly, but today she had doubled the amount of pills, and Prince Chen was so engrossed in his interest that he ignored her.
She first sifted through the incense ash in Boshan Road to make sure the pills had burned to ashes and left no residue before slowly approaching.
Zhou Zhenrong was still struggling, but she was, after all, a woman and not as strong as a man. Seeing her unwillingness, Prince Chen was aroused and his ferocity was immediately replaced by brutality.
Shen Muyu watched from the side until she saw bloodstains on Zhou Zhenrong's skirt, confirming her guess.
She curled her lips into a smile, then covered her mouth and gasped in disbelief, "Your Highness, Sister Zhou... she's bleeding..."
King Chen, caught up in the moment, stopped what he was doing, looked down, and his expression immediately changed.
He had seen women miscarry before, so he knew what that meant.
He grabbed Zhou Zhenrong by the neck and cursed through gritted teeth, "You slut, how dare you have an affair?!"
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