Highly recommended:
"Mother, do you really not know?" Fourteenth asked, a hint of anxiety in his voice.
A fragrant aroma wafted from the incense burner of the Eight Treasures Pagoda. Consort De was sitting on a warm couch, holding a string of jade prayer beads in her hand.
"Your mother knew nothing about it. I would never pry into what your father, the Emperor, did. This is the proper conduct of a concubine in the harem; the harem must not interfere in politics," said Consort De.
Today, the Fourteenth Prince came to pay his respects to Consort De. She was initially very happy because her youngest son had been away for several years, and she missed him dearly. However, little did she know that after paying his respects, the Fourteenth Prince inquired about the imperial edict.
Fourteen looked at Consort De with some disappointment. His mother, who had once doted on him the most, now seemed hesitant to speak to him, no longer able to pamper him as she had in the past. In truth, Fourteen himself did not feel that he was no longer the youngest son, and Consort De had been separated from him for several years, so naturally they had become somewhat distant.
"Yinzhen, your father has his own plans. Just focus on doing your own thing." Seeing that her youngest son seemed to have changed, Consort De sighed inwardly and could only offer this words of comfort.
Seeing that Consort De was not saying anything useful, Fourteenth Prince said, "Mother, have you already given in to Fourth Brother, so you no longer care about your son? Anyway, you still have him."
"What are you saying!" Consort De thought, adding insult to injury.
"Mother no longer cares for her son. In a few days, I will be returning to the Northwest. I will take my leave here." Fourteen bowed to Consort De, feeling quite resentful.
"You!" Consort De cried out, looking at the child she once cherished most, who was now forcing her like this. Using familial ties to coerce someone ultimately hurts those closest to you.
"Your Highness, the Fourteenth Prince has already left," said Granny De, seeing Consort De sitting blankly on the heated couch.
“De Rong, my fourteenth son, how has he changed! He used to be so filial, but now…” said Granny De.
“There’s a story from my hometown about a family with several sons. At first, the neighbors envied them for having so many sons. But later, they stopped envying them because the sons grew up and started fighting among themselves, no longer living in harmony. In the end, the head of the family seemed to have lost all his sons because they felt the distribution of the spoils was unfair and harbored resentment towards the head of the household and his wife,” said Granny De.
"Are you saying that my two sons will fight to the death sooner or later?" Consort De asked.
“This servant believes that Your Highness has no choice but to choose one of them, otherwise you will end up like that head of household, with none of your sons by your side,” said Granny De.
Consort De was well aware of these principles, but both were her own flesh and blood, so how could she treat them differently?
"De Rong, I am not as fortunate as those who only gave birth to one prince. Now that things are like this, I can only pray that the brothers will not turn into soldiers." Consort De's face was shrouded in deep worry.
"Your Majesty!" Granny De tried to persuade her further.
Consort De waved her hand, signaling her to step back.
The Fourteenth Prince, who had just left Consort De's residence, was walking forward when a figure approached from the opposite direction, causing him to stop in his tracks.
"You!" Fourteen looked at the person and exclaimed in disbelief.
It turned out that the person who approached was just a woman who looked like an aunt. She was dressed in palace clothes and had a blank expression.
"This servant greets the Fourteenth Prince!" The woman, who looked like a palace maid, curtsied.
"You, are you the original Consort Zheng?" Fourteen asked.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
