At that time, this poor woman was only happy that her son had a better ending, and had no idea what awaited her next.
At the age of thirteen, Shen Shi, after years of being a nobody in the harem, became the son of a glamorous imperial concubine.
Even now, he still remembers his first meeting with the Imperial Concubine, that elegant and noble woman, holding his hand, her sharp nail guards poking his palm.
"What a fine child. From now on, I will be your mother. Call me 'Mother' and let me hear it."
Her lips, smeared with lip rouge, opened and closed, but her expression was icy. The way she looked at Chen Shi was as if she were examining an object, as if he were not a living person, but a commodity on a shelf for sale.
This made Shen Shi feel very uncomfortable. He had his own mother, unlike the mother of the person in front of him. This was not his mother.
So Shen Shi remained silent, but when the Imperial Concubine's protective nails pierced the flesh of his arm, he slapped her hand away and turned to leave her palace.
This was the most daring move Shen Shi had made in over a decade, despite his cautious nature. After escaping from the concubine's palace, he felt an extraordinary sense of exhilaration.
However, this pleasure was short-lived, lasting only until evening, when it abruptly ended with the mother's sudden death.
The imperial physician attributed his death to an incompatible food combination and his poor health.
But how could that be? Mother has always been in good health. The food in their palace has always been the same. The two of them had just met that morning. How could she have suddenly died?
Shen Shi immediately thought of what had happened that afternoon, and of Consort Zhang's vicious face.
The mother and son had relied on each other for more than ten years. Her sudden death caught Shen Shi off guard and was hard to believe.
Looking at his mother's ashen face, Chen Shi's expression was blank. He didn't shed a single tear, but his eyes were bloodshot, and he had only one thought in his mind: I must take revenge!
He rushed into the imperial concubine's palace like a madman, determined to seek justice for his mother.
Because he was adopted by Consort Zhang, no one stopped him. When Shen rushed in, Consort Zhang was having her dinner.
Upon seeing her face, Shen Shi's anger flared even more. He rushed over, shouting, "Was it you? You vicious woman, you killed my mother!"
Shen Shi grabbed Consort Zhang's hair and demanded an explanation with red eyes.
"Shi'er, what are you doing?" Consort Zhang's hair was pulled loose, but she still maintained her noble demeanor and spoke slowly and calmly.
"What do you mean, 'killed your mother'? I was your mother, have you forgotten?"
When Consort Zhang said this, her tone was surprisingly innocent, but her eyes remained cold, as if Shen Shi was nothing more than a clown in her eyes.
Shen Shi could no longer tolerate it. He disregarded all respect and roared at Consort Zhang, "Bah! You murderer dare to call yourself my mother! I left your place this afternoon, and then my mother suddenly died. You dare to say that you didn't do any of this!"
"What! Consort Li is dead!" Consort Zhang exclaimed in surprise, not answering Shen Shi's question.
Her exaggerated performance was seen as a provocation by Shen Shi: "Don't pretend to be a good person, you don't know..."
"Enough!" A suddenly imposing voice rang out, interrupting Shen Shi's next words.
Shen Shi turned around and asked in surprise, "Father, what are you doing here?"
"You ask me why I'm here? If I weren't here, how could I see my good son showing off like this?" Shen Li's tone was very dissatisfied, and his eyes were full of disdain as he looked at Shen Shi.
"How dare you! Since you were adopted by the Imperial Concubine, she is your mother. How dare you lay a hand on her? You've really gone too far!" Shen Li slammed the teacup onto the ground.
The emperor's anger was no joke; he noticed the air pressure in the room drop instantly, and everyone was so frightened that they knelt down.
Shen Shi also knelt down, but he was still unconvinced. His beloved mother had suddenly died, and the murderer was undoubtedly the woman in front of him. Was he supposed to suffer in silence for the rest of his life without even getting justice?
Shen Shi bowed deeply to his father, the emperor, who was seated on the throne, and then said, "Your subject is not ignorant of etiquette, but Mother's death is too suspicious. Your subject begs Your Majesty to send someone to investigate and give her justice."
After finishing speaking, he kowtowed again.
In the past thirteen years, Shen Shi had only seen Shen Li a handful of times, and this was the first time Shen Shi had made a request of him. He thought he would be satisfied, but all he got in return was the sound of a teacup shattering.
"You unfilial son! I have already said that you only have Consort Zhang as your mother! What are you saying? Are you planning to disobey my orders?!" Shen Li pointed at Shen Shi and roared angrily.
Shen Shi has always been timid, ever since birth. His mother said he was like a little girl, but now he has no mother.
Uncharacteristically bold, Shen Shi ignored his father's rage and declared, "The debt of gratitude for my birth cannot be forsaken. My mother will always be my mother, no matter what."
Seeing that his explanations were ineffective, Shen Shi resorted to emotional appeals, crying and sobbing as he said in a choked voice, "I will not be able to eat or sleep until the murderer who killed her is found. Father, I beg you to thoroughly investigate this matter. I beg you!"
Seeing his persistence, Chen Li remained silent, and the atmosphere became heavy.
"Oh dear, look at you, child. Why can't you understand what I'm saying? Your father is already working hard every day to attend to state affairs. It's one thing for you to be so inconsiderate as his child, but why are you still pushing him so hard? You've wasted all those years of studying the classics."
Consort Zhang's voice rang out again, and upon hearing her words, Shen Li immediately changed his stance, "These little brats are always causing trouble. It's the Consort who knows how to care for me."
Consort Zhang smiled and tugged at his sleeve, feigning pleading, "Your Majesty, Shi'er is just young and doesn't know any better. Please don't hold it against him."
Seeing his beloved concubine standing so calmly and understandingly, he felt very comforted. He patted her hand and said, "You, my beloved concubine, are good in every way, except that you are too kind-hearted."
Seeing the two so affectionately together, Shen Shi, kneeling on the ground, felt a mix of emotions. He tried one last time: "Father, you..."
Before he could even open his mouth, Shen Li’s furious voice rang out: “Guards! The Tenth Prince, Shen Shi, has dared to defy the Imperial Concubine. Drag him out and give him ten strokes of the cane as a warning to others.”
Several guards rushed in immediately and took Shen Shi away.
At this moment, Shen Shi had lost all hope for his father, and he let the guards pull him away, his face ashen.
As he was dragged out the door, looking into the victorious eyes of the Imperial Concubine, Shen Shi felt an unprecedented anger, and had never craved power so much.
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