Finally, under warnings from Prince Heng and his mother, he obediently left.
Duan Heng stood rooted to the spot, unwilling to leave. Clearly, Ahua was his person, so why was his father taking her away?
Emperor Yongqing looked at his fourth son, who was bowing his head below the stage, and a hint of apology flashed in his eyes. However, when he saw his fourth son resisting him, he felt displeasure.
The girl had just gotten drunk and had fallen into his arms in a daze. Emperor Yongqing held her, not even glancing at Duan Heng on the ground: "Fourth Prince, if you want to kneel here, then kneel. Let's go."
"Yes, Your Majesty."
The chief eunuch respectfully replied to His Majesty, glancing regretfully at the fourth prince lying on the ground.
It's a pity. The Fourth Prince was originally His Majesty's preferred candidate, but the Lin Miss incident has incurred His Majesty's displeasure. Who knows what will happen to him in the future.
...
At the entrance of the banquet, the Sixth Prince looked at the Fourth Prince, who had not come out for a long time. He recalled the face he had seen, but he felt no joy at his wish being fulfilled.
The Lin family...
Qingyin was forced to stay in the palace, and at the same time, an imperial edict was issued appointing Qingyin as a concubine.
—
At the Fourth Prince's residence, the old steward, watching the Fourth Prince who had been away from the banquet for a long time, already had an ominous premonition. This was especially true after receiving the imperial decree from the palace that Miss Lin was to be promoted to the rank of Noble Consort Xian, which confirmed his suspicions.
It seems something went wrong at the banquet, allowing Miss Lin's face to be shown to the Emperor. This Your Highness…
In the dead of night, the old steward, who had been standing guard at the door with tears in his eyes, finally saw His Highness being carried half-conscious and pale in the middle of the night.
"Oh dear, Your Highness, what's wrong?"
Chen Mo explained with concern, "His Highness only drank a few cups of wine in the palace and knelt for half the night before fainting. That's when I carried His Highness back."
"Quickly summon the royal physician."
The two tacitly avoided explaining why His Highness was kneeling.
—
The Eastern Palace, the emperor's sleeping quarters.
Emperor Yongqing looked at the young girl with affection as she was washed and dressed in her nightgown by the palace maids.
The girl had her eyes closed, her face still flushed from washing, her eyelashes were delicate and thick, her nose was small and exquisite, and her lips were pink and tender, making her look absolutely adorable.
The emperor gently traced the outline of the girl with his hand, his eyes filled with infatuation.
The head eunuch looked at His Majesty, who was hidden behind a curtain in the hall. He didn't want to disturb His Majesty, but since the Fourth Prince was His Majesty's own son, the head eunuch still spoke up: "Your Majesty, the Fourth Prince just fainted while kneeling. This servant has already had him carried back."
After a long while, the chief eunuch finally heard the emperor's voice: "I understand."
"Let's send another batch of medicinal herbs over."
"Yes, Your Majesty."
When Qingyin woke up in the morning, she looked at the unfamiliar surroundings and the magnificent and exquisite residence, and realized that she had not returned to the royal palace.
The palace maid, who had been sensing the commotion in the inner room, soon noticed that the young girl His Majesty had kept inside had woken up. Oh, no, it should be Consort Xian.
Who are you?
The pretty young girl timidly clutched the cotton quilt in her hands, watching warily as several palace maids in green robes approached.
Even though the palace maids had heard of her exquisite beauty, they were still stunned for a few seconds.
Seeing the nervous-looking girl, the head palace maid, who had a delicate and approachable appearance, introduced herself with a smile: "Your Majesty, my name is Wanrou. I was sent by His Majesty to take care of you."
"Your Majesty?" The girl was stunned in confusion. Although she was not very knowledgeable, she still understood that this title was a respectful term for the emperor's concubines in the palace.
The palace maids exchanged glances, realizing that His Majesty had not yet told the young girl that she had been made a concubine. Wanrou had no choice but to step forward and explain what had happened after the young girl got drunk the day before.
"Your Majesty, you were drunk yesterday and His Majesty personally carried you into his bedchamber. Moreover, His Majesty bestowed upon you the highest rank in the palace—the Virtuous Noble Consort. This shows His Majesty's affection for Your Majesty."
Qingyin opened her mouth wide in surprise, her eyes filled with crystal-clear tears, looking both pitiful and beautiful: "But I am not the Fourth Prince's savior. I want to go back. I don't want to be His Majesty's concubine."
Wanrou was moved to tears by Qingyin's cries, but how could a woman like Qingyin resist the emperor's affections, especially since she was a poor woman with no background but exceptional beauty?
She could only carefully comfort the girl and accept the emperor's favor, otherwise only the empress would be hurt.
Wanrou held the girl and said, "Your Highness, this will not do. His Majesty has already issued an imperial decree. Your Highness is already His Majesty's concubine. How can you go to the Fourth Prince's residence? If Your Highness insists on going to the Fourth Prince's residence, it may bring disaster to the Fourth Prince's residence. Your Highness cannot anger His Majesty."
"Really?" The girl was startled and stared blankly at Wanrou.
If she makes a scene and insists on returning to the palace, then the Emperor will harm her sisters.
Wanrou mistakenly thought that the Empress had fallen for the Fourth Prince and was afraid that her going back would bring trouble to the Fourth Prince. So she hardened her heart and told the girl something scary: "If Your Majesty mentions the Fourth Prince's residence, I'm afraid everyone in the Fourth Prince's residence will be beheaded."
"Then I won't go back, I won't go back." The girl buried her face in the blanket and cried in fear.
Several palace maids wanted to comfort the sobbing empress, but dared not directly pull the girl up.
In the end, Wanrou had someone invite His Majesty, who was discussing state affairs in the Taiji Hall, back to comfort the Empress.
In the Taiji Hall, the chief eunuch recognized the familiar palace maids in the Dongji Hall and knew that something was wrong with the empress whom His Majesty cherished. He strode forward.
"What is it, Your Highness, Consort Xian?"
The young palace maid said worriedly, "Her Majesty just woke up and started crying, wanting to go back. She's been crying non-stop and we can't comfort her no matter what we do."
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