Yunxiu Palace.
His Majesty was an unfavored prince in his early years. The late emperor had many sons, most of whom were outstanding in ability. Therefore, Gu Yuanchu's process of seizing the throne was not smooth.
Consort De seized this opportunity to successfully send her precious son, whom she had given birth to, out of the palace to become the son of her "old lover." Consort De's public statement was, of course, that "the prince died young."
But in reality, the perfectly healthy prince had already been sent to the Prime Minister's residence outside the palace, driven by her ambition.
Since Consort De's first child with the Emperor died young, she gained a lot of the Emperor's sympathy, and so... as time went on, Consort De naturally gave birth to another daughter.
Perhaps due to a mishap during this pregnancy, she was tricked and suffered a premature birth that damaged her health. After giving birth to a daughter, she was unable to have any more children.
Consort De was naturally furious. She was angry at the enemies who had plotted against her, and also resented that the daughter in her womb had harmed her body and prevented her from having any more children.
In her anger, only the healthy and well-cared-for prince in the palace could bring her some joy.
This time, it was just like any other day.
Princess Qiqi, the seventh princess and daughter of Consort De, came to Yunxiu Palace to pay her respects to her mother.
Like her mother, Qiqige, like Consort De, had a gentle and charming appearance. Coupled with her slender and petite figure, her beautiful, watery eyes alone made her seem pitiful.
Qiqige went to Yunxiu Palace and asked someone to ask the palace maids in her mother's palace for permission to pay her respects to her mother.
The palace servants guarding Yunxiu Palace would naturally not make things difficult for their mistress's only princess, but a hint of pity involuntarily appeared in their eyes.
Qiqige wasn't hurt by those stares, but her face paled slightly.
In the palace, princesses and princes of the highest rank would not be so unfamiliar with their mothers; they would need palace maids to ask the highest rank for permission before they could have an audience.
But she was the only one whom her mother did not love. Sometimes her eyes would even show a hint of resentment, which made Qiqige, who had been looking forward to her mother since she was a child, feel pain and confusion. But... those people in the palace clearly said that what supported the empresses and concubines was their offspring, not only princes but also princesses. She was also her mother's only child, so why did her mother still hate her?
Qiqige didn't understand her mother's thoughts.
Qiqige lowered her eyebrows, concealing the sadness in her eyes.
Her personal maid, Qingliu, noticed her mood and showed a hint of worry.
"Princess."
Qiqige shook her head. "It's okay, waiting a while is fine."
Over the years, she had grown accustomed to her mother's cold treatment. Besides, apart from lacking her mother's love, she... already had far too many things that ordinary women outside the palace could not enjoy.
Qiqige appears delicate, but she is actually very resilient.
She stood at the entrance of Yunxiu Palace, her face showing no sign of anything unusual.
In the palace, Consort De received news that her youngest daughter had come to visit again. She paused to admire the new cinnamon dye her daughter had received, her brows furrowing involuntarily.
These past few days, she's been so preoccupied with her son's affairs that she's forgotten to put on that show of maternal love and filial piety with her daughter. It's quite commendable that Qiqige has been so diligent in getting things done.
Consort De curled her lip, "She is quite sensible."
It just made me feel like that heartless mother who forgot her daughter.
Although this was indeed the case, Consort De would never admit it.
Consort De felt a subconscious displeasure, and her tone became more resentful.
The sound made the palace maid standing guard nearby lower her head even further.
In the palace, Consort De loved to put on a show, always appearing gentle, kind, and loving towards her daughter. As a result, no one knew that Consort De actually disliked her own daughter.
Hearing her mistress so openly resent her daughter, the palace maid was naturally startled and dared not utter a sound.
"Never mind, let her in."
Consort De wouldn't care about the thoughts of lowly palace maids, nor would she notice their little actions. She waved her hand to signal the maids to leave and let Qiqige in.
—
As soon as Qiqige entered, she naturally gave Consort De a proper bow, saying, "Daughter greets Mother."
"Yes, get up."
Consort De responded lazily, her eyes showing no warmth as she looked at the girl standing below who resembled her by seven parts.
Consort De was in a bad mood and couldn't wait for the Emperor, so she couldn't help but vent her resentment from the past few days on her daughter.
"Why have you been thinking of coming to see me these past few days? Have you finished your lessons? Have you remembered them?"
"Qiqige, as a princess, your father loves you dearly. You must not let him down. You must study those rules and regulations well."
...
Despite hearing those harsh words, Qiqige was still unable to make a face.
Just then, they arrived at Yunxiu Palace, and Emperor Gu Yuanchu, who liked to sneak in without saying hello, happened to overhear those words.
Gu Yuanchu stood guard at the door, his expression unchanged, but only those who knew Gu Yuanchu well knew that His Majesty's calm, expressionless face was actually a sign of extreme anger.
Thinking of this, the chief eunuch Jiang Sheng couldn't help but secretly light a candle for Consort De in the palace.
Tsk tsk tsk, why did Consort De have to reprimand the princess at this time of year? Now that the Emperor has overheard it, Consort De is unlikely to get away with it.
No, it wasn't bad luck. Jiang Sheng raised an eyebrow and turned his gaze to Zi Yan, who was standing to the side.
Ziyan, who was standing guard by the side, turned pale as she heard Consort De's words.
Moreover, she was the head maid of Consort De, and she personally invited the Emperor to come. As a result, the Emperor witnessed Consort De scolding the princess... Regardless of whether it was Consort De's order to invite the Emperor, this maid was bound to suffer.
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