When the eldest princess heard Xiang'er's report that the consort and Xiao Heng had come together, she had no idea what they were there for, and she had a feeling that things were not simple.
"Quickly invite them in. Find some men to guard outside the door so that no one can overhear."
The eldest princess gave her instructions in a deep voice. She had always been a cautious person. The only time she acted impulsively was when she married her current husband, but she did not end up with a good marriage.
Forget it, I can't think about it anymore. Everything is fate, and there's nothing I can do about it.
Through the mirror, the princess saw two equally tall figures approaching her. The two had similar faces and even their movements were very synchronized.
She secretly marveled to herself, "No wonder they're father and son, they really do look alike."
Just as she was feeling sentimental, the two men performed a standard bow to her and knelt down together.
"I have met the Princess (mother)."
One person calls her "Princess," while the other calls her "Mother," vividly illustrating the difference in their intimacy.
"Hmm, what brings you here to see me? Did some disturbance occur at the banquet?"
After thinking it over and over, this was the only reason that could have brought the two of them together. Otherwise, she couldn't have imagined what the prince consort and Heng'er could possibly want with her.
"Your Highness, Heng'er and I discovered a courtyard where people are engaging in illicit acts. However, the person in question is of noble status. I wonder if the Princess is aware of this?"
The prince consort had already guessed the emperor's identity, but he didn't know who the woman the emperor had favored was. He was afraid that something might happen to the princess's residence, leading to enmity.
Xiao Heng then directly stated his guess: he had been with the male guests and knew that Xie Changling had taken a new wife, but he hadn't had a chance to see it today.
However, the eldest princess deliberately kept Xie Changling behind, ignoring all the other guests. This made people wonder, so they asked her about it.
"I have a guess in my mind. Mother deliberately kept the two from the Prime Minister's residence behind. Do you remember, the Prime Minister's residence just got married today..."
Xiao Heng had made it clear that he was guessing the woman the Emperor had favored was the young mistress of the Prime Minister's residence, a guess that left the Imperial Son-in-Law speechless.
The prince consort was somewhat incredulous; he hadn't expected the eldest princess to be so bold as to directly offer the young mistress of the prime minister's residence to the emperor!
He hoped his guess was nonsense; after all, the Prime Minister's residence was not to be trifled with, and that old fox Prime Minister had many ways to torment people.
Moreover, if the emperor were to find out that he had slept with a married woman, a woman he had personally arranged to marry into the Prime Minister's household!
When the emperor regains his senses and learns the woman's identity, will he feel humiliated and then turn against the princess's residence?
The eldest princess's move was a risky gamble; one wrong step and she would attract attacks from various forces, making her enemies on all sides.
Having considered this, the prince consort hurriedly tried to persuade the princess. He was a conservative man with a very old-fashioned way of behaving and could not accept the princess's approach at all.
He began to earnestly persuade them that if they returned the person sooner and explained the situation to the Emperor, asking for the Prime Minister's forgiveness, there might still be a glimmer of hope.
“Your Highness, that woman is the young mistress of the Prime Minister’s residence, isn’t she? If the Emperor finds out, he will be furious. If it implicates the Princess’s residence and our Heng’er, the consequences will be unimaginable.”
"Oh--"
Hearing the prince consort's words, the princess smiled coldly, her eyes icy. She felt increasingly disappointed in him; how could she have fallen for such a cowardly man?
"Your Highness, are you worried about implicating our Heng'er, or are you worried about being retaliated against yourself?"
The eldest princess incisively exposed the prince consort's false intentions, tearing off his hypocritical mask and leaving him no face whatsoever.
The prince consort's face grew increasingly grim. He glanced at Xiao Heng and noticed that even his only son was beginning to question him, which filled him with panic.
He is no longer capable of sexual intercourse, let alone having children. Xiao Heng is his only offspring, and he will be the one to take care of him in his old age and see him off in his final days. He cannot be treated with such contempt.
The prince consort hurriedly denied it, but his hasty denial only made it seem more fake: "Of course not, how could that be? I... I'm just worried about Heng'er."
Xiao Heng withdrew his disappointed gaze. He had been closer to the eldest princess since childhood, and later, after being brought into the palace for upbringing, he had even less opportunity to spend time with his father.
Perhaps it's a case of "familiarity breeds contempt," because the eldest princess disciplined him more, while the prince consort was the one who persuaded him, so he naturally preferred his father.
Because of this, he often secretly resented his mother for being too domineering.
But now it seems that things are not like that.
Just as Xiao Heng was deep in thought, the eldest princess interrupted his thoughts, as she did not want to raise an ungrateful child.
After all, everything she had done was for him. If even Xiao Heng didn't acknowledge her, then all her scheming would have been in vain.
"Heng'er, what do you think?"
The princess's voice was very low, revealing her displeasure. Xiao Heng's mind raced, and he racked his brains to come up with an answer.
"Your son is foolish, but I know that Mother has her reasons for doing all this. Your son is willing to take responsibility for Mother. If Your Majesty wants to punish me, then let him punish me!"
Xiao Heng's words struck a chord with the eldest princess. Because of the matter concerning her husband, the eldest princess felt extremely insecure and always wanted to get something in return from Xiao Heng.
Now that Xiao Heng says he's willing to take all the blame for her, doesn't that show how important she is to Xiao Heng?
The eldest princess was filled with relief, completely unaware that this was just Xiao Heng's rhetoric; if the time really came, he would run faster than anyone else.
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