Chapter 77 He Holds a Resentment Against Chu Yanluo
After entering the palace, Shen Wantang followed Princess Ning to the Empress's bedroom.
Inside Kunning Palace, the atmosphere was cold and solemn. The palace maids and nannies dared not breathe loudly, for fear of angering the Empress and being punished by being sent out of Kunning Palace.
Suddenly, the high-pitched voice of the chief eunuch rang out from outside: "Your Majesty the Empress, the Princess Consort of Ning and the Heir Apparent's wife have arrived."
As soon as he finished speaking, Princess Ning led Shen Wantang into the palace.
Princess Ning bowed and said, "Greetings, Your Majesty the Empress. May Your Majesty enjoy boundless blessings and peace."
Shen Wantang also bowed and greeted them.
However, the empress, sitting at the head of the table, seemed not to hear anything. After the two women greeted each other, the hall fell into a deathly silence.
After a long while, Shen Wantang finally heard the Empress speak coldly: "So it's Princess Ning who's here. I was distracted for a moment and didn't even see you."
Princess Ning knew that this was a deliberate attempt to intimidate her, but she couldn't do anything about it. Outside, she was the Princess Ning, admired and respected by everyone, but once she entered the palace, she was naturally inferior to the Empress.
Moreover, it was indeed the son who beat up the nephew and ruined his reputation, causing Gu Qianhan to kneel in the palace all night.
This was a severe slap in the face to the Empress, and it's no wonder she wouldn't let it go easily.
So, before the Empress could make a move, she scolded her son herself: "Please forgive me, Your Majesty. My unfilial son has been out of his mind and has been bewitched, which is why he has done some foolish things. I will make him go to the Duke's mansion to apologize and admit his mistake!"
“He and the Second Young Master Gu grew up together since childhood, and their relationship is extraordinary. How could he make such a fuss over a woman? He was wrong. I have already scolded him severely and told him to stay at home and reflect on his mistakes.”
"Your Majesty, I'll have that scoundrel explain himself later. It was all just children playing around. I've watched Second Young Master Gu grow up since he was a child, and his character is absolutely impeccable. He would never do anything to bully a weak woman. There's a huge misunderstanding here, and I've wronged Second Young Master Gu."
The Empress originally wanted to lash out, but Princess Ning's quick and decisive apology left her speechless. She couldn't bring herself to scold Xiao Qingyuan anymore, otherwise she would seem too petty.
Unable to scold Princess Ning, she beckoned to Shen Wantang: "Is this the newly arrived Princess Consort of the Prince's Mansion? Come here, let me take a look."
Shen Wantang stepped forward very politely, bowed slightly, and greeted the Empress again: "Greetings to Your Majesty the Empress."
The Empress sized her up, her tone slightly sarcastic: "She is quite a beautiful woman. It's a pity your mother went to such lengths to choose such an outstanding daughter-in-law. I'm afraid some people won't appreciate it and will be idle all day long, only knowing how to revolve around a fool. They've lost their minds."
Princess Ning wasn't stupid; she naturally knew that the Empress was scolding her son. She felt very uncomfortable, but she couldn't refute it, so she could only say, "Your Majesty is right."
This wasn't the first time she'd been reprimanded in the palace. Ever since her son took a liking to Chu Yanluo, the Empress Dowager had summoned her to the palace three times to reprimand her. Even Prince Ning had been summoned and reprimanded several times. After the Empress Dowager reprimanded her, the Emperor reprimanded her, and after the Emperor reprimanded her, the Empress Dowager reprimanded her. Now, it was the Empress's turn to reprimand her.
Shen Wantang was quite impressed by Princess Ning's ability to bend and stretch. An ordinary person would be embarrassed if ridiculed by the Empress, let alone a princess who had always been high and mighty.
But she seemed perfectly comfortable; she stood there calmly, all her sharpness concealed.
"Does Princess Ning know that the Gu family was originally discussing marriage with the Liu family?"
"I've heard about that."
"But after what happened yesterday, the Liu family felt that Qianhan's character was questionable, so they went to the Gu family overnight to return the tokens. This marriage will not be possible."
The Gu and Liu families were well-matched, and Gu Qianhan and Liu Nanshi were the talk of the town as a golden couple, with everyone saying they were a perfect match.
Losing such a good marriage prospect, the Empress was almost unable to suppress her anger: "Can the Ning Prince's Mansion bear such a loss? Or can Xiao Qingyuan bear it?"
Princess Ning was surprised that the Liu family would be so decisive. As soon as Gu Qianhan's reputation was ruined, they stopped discussing marriage. She hated Chu Yanluo with a burning passion, but she could only say guiltily, "If Your Majesty does not mind, my family has several talented and beautiful nieces who are of marriageable age."
The Empress remained silent because she looked down on the Princess Ning's nieces. It wasn't that her nieces were bad, but rather that the Empress felt her nephew was too good. Only Liu Nanshi was barely a match for him; the other women were not good enough for him.
The hall fell silent again. The empress neither spoke nor let them leave, leaving the two of them standing there blankly.
Shen Wantang's legs ached from standing, and her neck hurt from looking down. She didn't know what Princess Ning was thinking at the moment, but she herself was holding a grudge against Chu Yanluo. If it weren't for Chu Yanluo framing Gu Qianhan for bullying her, she and the princess wouldn't have had to suffer like this!
After an unknown amount of time, a young eunuch rushed in from outside: "Your Majesty, the Second Young Master Gu has finished his kneeling punishment, and the Emperor has already called him to rise."
The Empress suddenly stood up: "Does Your Majesty intend to punish him in any other way?"
"No, the Second Young Master is on his way to Kunning Palace, but... his legs went numb from kneeling, so he's walking a bit slowly right now."
The Empress's heartache was undisguised: "His legs aren't just numb from kneeling, they're going to be ruined! Quickly, call the imperial physician and have him examined properly later!"
"Your Highness, the Second Young Master anticipated that you would call the imperial physician. He told me to tell you that his leg is fine and that you should absolutely not call the imperial physician."
The Empress had no idea what her nephew was up to, why he wouldn't even let her call the imperial physician. However, she had always trusted her nephew, so when he forbade her to call him, she really didn't.
After waiting for a while, Gu Qianhan indeed arrived at Kunning Palace with a limp.
The Empress personally went to the door to greet him: "Qianhan, how's your leg? Come in quickly!"
Gu Qianhan's legs were in so much pain they felt like they didn't belong to her anymore, but she still didn't forget to bow: "Qianhan greets Her Majesty the Empress and Princess Ning."
As he spoke, he cupped his hands in greeting to Shen Wantang, as if to say hello to her as well.
Princess Ning watched as other people's children behaved with such grace and composure, and then thought of her own husband who was so desperate for a woman that he was ready to die for him. She felt a pang of resentment.
The Empress didn't care that there were outsiders present, or perhaps she deliberately wanted Princess Ning to see it. She pressed Gu Qianhan down onto the armchair, lifted his long robe and rolled up his silk trousers.
The Empress exclaimed in surprise, Princess Ning exclaimed in surprise, and the palace maids and nannies in Kunning Palace also exclaimed in surprise.
Shen Wantang had initially turned her head away when she saw the Empress lifting Gu Qianhan's long robe, but upon hearing their exclamations, she couldn't help but glance at them.
Gu Qianhan's knees were swollen beyond recognition, and his fair skin had turned into a terrifying bluish-purple color, spreading from his knees all the way down to his calves. Anyone who didn't know better would think he had been poisoned and was about to die.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
