Chapter 164 Surrounded by tigers and wolves, I trust no one.
Su Xiaoyu knew that His Majesty wanted her to show her loyalty.
She kowtowed again, her voice firm; "Your Majesty, the Marquis and the Heir Apparent will not give up easily, and they must be actively trying to find a solution. Perhaps I can become Your Majesty's ears and eyes, helping to gather information. Or perhaps..."
"If Your Majesty has any orders, this servant is willing to risk her life to try and deliver your message."
The emperor remained silent for a long time, his sharp gaze sweeping over Su Xiaoyu as if assessing every word she spoke.
Finally, the emperor spoke slowly, his voice still hoarse, but less cold and unapproachable.
"You're a sensible person... and you're quite honest too."
"But I am now like a tiger fallen into the plains, surrounded by Chu Yan's dogs, with tigers and wolves all around me. I can't trust anyone."
"Including you."
Su Xiaoyu sighed inwardly. Indeed, emperors have always been suspicious.
“But I can give you a chance,” the emperor added.
Su Xiaoyu gave him a questioning look, but the emperor kept her in suspense, saying, "You'll find out soon enough."
Just as Su Xiaoyu was wondering what was going on, she heard a guard announce from outside: "Greetings, Your Highness the Imperial Concubine."
Immediately afterwards, two footsteps sounded outside, one light and one heavy, approaching from afar.
Soon, Consort Rong, dressed in a crimson brocade palace gown, slowly walked in. Her hair was tied up in a high bun, surrounded by pearls and jade, and her makeup was exquisite. The corners of her eyes and brows no longer showed her usual gentleness and obedience, but rather a seductive charm.
Behind her followed a tall, beardless eunuch with his head down, his face obscured.
Su Xiaoyu quickly retreated to a corner, keeping her eyes down and focusing on her inner thoughts.
However, she still noticed the eunuch behind Consort Rong out of the corner of her eye, and with just one glance, she felt that this person was somewhat strange.
The main thing was that this eunuch's shoulders seemed broader than those of ordinary palace servants, his posture was also more upright, and there was also his frame and the aura he exuded...
He didn't possess the effeminate demeanor often associated with those who spent years immersed in the palace; instead, he had a masculine silhouette. His hands, hanging at his sides, had distinct knuckles, and his fingertips didn't seem as smooth as those of ordinary eunuchs.
A truth flashed through Su Xiaoyu's mind, but before she could grasp it, she heard Consort Rong begin to pay her respects to the Emperor.
"Your Majesty, I pay my respects."
Consort Rong's bow was somewhat perfunctory, and her tone revealed little concern.
"I heard that Your Majesty has moved to the Jingsi Pavilion to recuperate, and I have been very concerned about you. I have come here to visit you. Are you feeling any better? Is the medicine prescribed by the imperial physician effective?"
The emperor leaned back on the soft couch, not even lifting his eyelids, and let out a cold snort from his nose.
"You vicious woman with a heart of stone, why bother with your hypocrisy? You and your good son are both wolves in sheep's clothing! Now that you've succeeded, why are you pretending to be virtuous and gentle in front of me? It's disgusting!"
The smile on Consort Rong's face froze instantly, peeling away inch by inch like a mask.
She straightened up, raised her hand to touch her temples, and when she spoke again, the coquettishness in her voice had vanished, replaced only by sharp sarcasm and years of pent-up resentment.
"Your Majesty's words have truly broken my heart. I have endured humiliation and served you so carefully for so long, trying my best to please you in every way..."
She paused, looking the emperor up and down at his haggard appearance, and uttered harsh words from her red lips: "You're practically half-buried, what do I want from you? Do I want a hollow title of 'virtuous and capable' after you pass away, or to be buried with you?"
"You...cough cough..."
The emperor's eyes widened suddenly, and he tried to sit up from the couch, pointing a finger at Consort Rong, his hand trembling with anger:
"You slut! You...you've never been well-behaved!"
"Behave yourself?" Consort Rong seemed to have heard the biggest joke in the world. She first reached out and touched the eunuch's handsome face, and then sniffed his neck, as if she had gained some kind of satisfaction.
Then, his gaze suddenly fell on the emperor, filled with disgust:
"Am I wrong? I entered the palace at the age of sixteen and have stayed there for a full twenty-five years. The late Empress has been dead for so many years, yet you have been reluctant to make me Empress, leaving me forever inferior, bearing the title of 'Noble Consort,' and being gossiped about behind my back by those ladies from noble families who are not as well-off as me, calling me a 'concubine promoted to Empress'?"
She became more and more agitated as she spoke, her voice becoming much sharper; "And my Yan'er, in terms of both literary and martial arts, how is he inferior to the Crown Prince? He has been more astute and decisive than the Crown Prince since childhood, but what about you? You only have eyes for that lukewarm Chu Yu, and you always put him first in everything. No matter how well Yan'er does, you can only say 'acceptable'."
"You've always been scheming and plotting for Chu Yu, but have you ever truly seen Yan'er's good qualities? Have you ever considered that he is also your son, and that he also longs for your approval?"
The emperor's face turned ashen with rage, and he said sternly, "Haven't I treated you and your son well enough? You are a Noble Consort, second only to the Empress, and Chu Yan has been granted the title of Prince, enjoying immense wealth and power, and participating in state affairs. Have I ever mistreated you?"
Consort Rong retorted sarcastically, "So you want my son and me to live forever in the shadow of the Crown Prince, forever as a backup prince and consort? Ask yourself, if the late Empress had given birth to Yan'er, would you still be so biased?"
"Insolence!" the emperor roared angrily. "The late empress was my first wife. I promised her... cough cough... to treat the crown prince well and protect him. This is a matter of basic human ethics. How dare you interfere?"
"So, all these years you've neglected the harem, especially since you've almost never stepped into it again, leaving so many beautiful sisters in this vast harem to spend every night alone in their empty chambers, living like widows. What kind of human ethics is that? What kind of moral principles are those?"
So you show affection and loyalty to the late Empress, but all you treat us newcomers with is 'obedience' and 'neglect'?
Consort Rong looked as if she had heard the most ridiculous joke in the world, her eyes filled with resentment.
"You yourself are unwell and lack the strength, yet you still cling to the power of the emperor, making everyone suffer and guard you. Otherwise, how could the royal family have such few offspring? Have you ever thought about the suffering of the sisters in the harem? Our loneliness, we are also human beings, with emotions and desires!"
Upon hearing these treasonous remarks, the emperor was so enraged that he became short of breath and coughed incessantly, as if he were about to choke on his own.
Su Xiaoyu quickly mustered her courage and stepped forward to comfort the emperor.
At the same time, my heart was in my throat. The amount of information in their conversation was explosive!
She knows so many of the emperor's secrets, she'll definitely be executed!
I was careless!
Su Xiaoyu was crying in her heart!
She never imagined that the seemingly favored imperial concubine was actually a promiscuous and restless woman. She was so audacious as to openly keep male lovers in the harem!
How bumpy it is!
Even novels don't go this far with their melodramatic plots!
At this moment, the eunuch who had been silent suddenly stepped forward, reached out and gently patted Consort Rong's back in an extremely natural manner, his gesture intimate.
"Your Majesty, please calm down. Do not upset your health. The Emperor Emeritus is getting old and it is only natural that he is not able to let things go."
As he spoke, the hand that was stroking Consort Rong's back lightly pinched her waist. Instead of scolding her, Consort Rong leaned into his arms, letting out a soft hum, and her face flushed with an unnatural blush.
This scene unfolded without any restraint in front of the emperor!
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