Gu Jiangli was somewhat surprised by what Consort Yu and her two sons said.
It seems that the emperor's birth mother often beat him?
She followed the emperor's memories back to where he lived.
The emperor knelt on the ground, and before him stood the Empress Dowager, whom he knew well.
However, at this time, the Empress Dowager was still Consort Yun, who was younger and more beautiful.
Unlike Consort Yu's bright and forthright personality, Consort Yun was more reserved, her eyes filled with shrewd calculation. Facing her son kneeling on the ground, admitting his mistake, her eyes held an even more ruthless glint.
"How did I teach you? I told you not to meet with Consort Yu and the others so often, and even more so not to associate with the First Prince and the Second Prince! But you insisted on going anyway!"
"I told you to study 'Imperial Instructions' and 'The Heart Method of Sacred Learning' properly, but all you do is look at those worthless paintings!"
"Are you deliberately trying to oppose me?!"
Her loud voice woke up the baby girl who was still sleeping soundly in the cradle.
Upon hearing the crying, Consort Yun quickly stepped forward and gently comforted her.
The change of expression was so swift, it was as if they were not even the same person.
The young emperor knelt on the ground, tears streaming down his face. After a long while, he finally said, "The Imperial Instructions and the Heart Method of Sage Learning are for the Crown Prince to learn. I don't want to be the emperor, so I don't want to learn them."
"Shut up!" Yunfei pointed at his nose and picked up a ruler from the side, hitting him repeatedly.
She was very particular about her methods, specifically targeting areas like the shoulders and lower back, and without taking off his clothes, no one could see the injuries he sustained.
The young emperor bit his lip tightly, remaining silent, but tears kept flowing.
Gu Jiangli watched from the side, wishing she could rush up and stop Yun Fei, but unfortunately she couldn't.
"You good-for-nothing! In the royal family, which prince doesn't fight for the throne? You're useless, you don't even have the thought of fighting for it! Haven't you thought about me? Haven't you thought about your sister?"
"If you remain a mediocre prince for the rest of your life, I will be destined to be subservient to others for the rest of my life!"
"Once that vile woman Yufei's son becomes emperor, will your sister and I still have a good life?!"
The young emperor straightened his back and retorted, "Consort Yu is not a lowly woman! Besides, my eldest brother will treat us well after he becomes emperor!"
A loud slap landed heavily on his face.
Yunfei stared at him menacingly, and his left cheek swelled up at a visible speed.
"Don't let me hear you mention making your eldest brother emperor again," Consort Yun said coldly. "Get out."
The young emperor shakily stood up from the ground and left the room, enduring the pain.
Gu Jiangli's eyes were filled with heartache.
So this is the kind of life he was living.
This mother treated him so cruelly; how could she possibly treat him like her own son?
In her eyes, this son was nothing more than a tool to help her become Empress Dowager.
Gu Jiangli couldn't help but feel a little strange. He was, after all, a prince, and he was often beaten like this. Was the late emperor completely unaware of it? Or did he simply not care?
She looked through the emperor's memories for a long time, but indeed saw very few traces of the late emperor.
It was discovered that the young emperor had a great fondness for landscape paintings since then. Every time he received a painting, he would go to Consort Yu's side and ask her to explain the location of the landscape in the painting, the interesting places in it, and some historical background.
Consort Yu was naturally outgoing and lively, and when she talked about things outside the palace, she became even more radiant, telling stories with vivid detail and lifelike realism.
Whenever the young emperor heard her talk about things outside the palace, he would look on with longing and envy.
Each time, Consort Yu would tell him that when he grew a little older, his father would take them out of the palace for a trip.
The young emperor was especially pleased, and thus became even more eager to collect landscape paintings, determined to find the most fun place so that his father and Consort Yu could take him there.
Before they knew it, several years had passed. The young emperor had learned to paint, but he still hadn't had the chance to leave the palace to travel.
One particularly profound memory remains in the emperor's mind.
Because those images were exceptionally clear, so clear that it looked as if they were happening right there.
It was as if it were a festival, and everyone was gathered together.
The young emperor had grown up quite a bit, and Consort Yu was still as radiant as ever, sitting in the main seat alongside the late emperor.
Consort Yun sat in the lower seat, making her a full rank below Consort Yu.
The two women were of equal rank, but their seats were different. There was no other reason than that the late emperor favored Consort Yu more.
At this time, Consort Yun could not suppress her worries, and her unhappiness was written all over her face.
Although the late emperor could see her displeasure at that time, he did not say a word.
This was just an ordinary banquet, and Gu Jiangli couldn't see anything different about it even after looking at it for a long time. But for the young emperor to remember it for so many years, something must have happened.
Not long after, the late emperor stood up and announced a major event.
It turns out that Consort Yu is pregnant again, and according to the imperial physician's diagnosis, it is very likely to be twins.
Gu Jiangli took a closer look at the banquet and noticed two more small, childlike faces. They were the fourth prince and the fifth princess born to Consort Yu over the years.
According to what Chu Tan'er said before, the late emperor had five princes and three princesses.
Aside from the few she could see in front of her, plus the boy and girl in Consort Yu's belly, the number was complete.
In other words, once Consort Yu gave birth to these two children, the late emperor's life would come to an end.
The late emperor was all smiles, while Consort Yun was furious.
"Congratulations to Your Majesty and Consort Yu on the addition of another member to the royal family. Since Your Majesty is so pleased, you should bestow some further rewards upon Consort Yu."
Gu Jiangli felt a little ashamed upon hearing this.
Yunfei's sharp and sarcastic demeanor at this moment was no less than that of Chu Tan'er, whom she would later meet.
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