Chapter 106 Who's Blinded by Lust: What If They Take It Seriously?
After having breakfast, there were still many things in the palace for the new crown prince to handle, so Xi Congshuang could not stay any longer and got up to return to the palace.
Xun Suihuang had already finished eating, so he put down the teacup he was rinsing his mouth and got up to see her off.
On the way, Xi Congshuang said with some regret, "I finally managed to get you out of here, and we've only been together for a short time before you have to go back to the palace. We should have held a cleansing banquet for you to get rid of the bad luck."
Upon hearing this, Xun Suihuang quickly said, "No need, I really don't want to see too many people right now. Let me get some sleep first."
Then, when you have time, go to her mother's grave and kowtow a few more times, explain things clearly first, and then take the person over.
It was agreed that even if someone wanted to enter the dream to curse or hit someone, they could, but they shouldn't curse Xi Congshuang; she was willing to take the blame for her.
Although the two sides will still meet at the Imperial Ancestral Temple when the time comes for the coronation, there is no need to catch her mother in the afterlife too off guard.
Let's just say she misses her mother and wants to talk to her about even the smallest things.
However, there's no need to say it out loud; she can just do it herself.
Upon reaching the front courtyard, the number of people increased. Palace servants and guards stood at attention, and a maid promptly opened the carriage door, waiting for her to board.
Xi Congshuang stepped out from the crowd, climbed the steps to the car, and was about to bend down to go inside when she seemed to remember something. She turned around at the door and her gaze fell on one spot: "Chengzhi."
Xun Suihuang thought she had something to say, but little did she know the treacherous nature of human hearts. Instead, her vision suddenly darkened.
The person in the car knelt on one knee, raised his wide sleeve to block everyone's view, and quickly placed a kiss on Xun Suihuang's face.
She was so fast that Xun Suihuang didn't even have time to react before she pulled back her wide sleeves, leaving only her bright red ear tips visible.
Xi Congshuang whispered something in her ear: "I dare not touch you too much, just a kiss will do."
"..." Xun Suihuang wanted to glare but stopped herself, feeling that it was inappropriate to say anything.
If this continues, it's hard to say who will be blinded by lust.
At this moment, Xi Congshuang, still acting like a proper person, patted Xun Suihuang on the shoulder and said, "That's all, I'll go back now."
It seemed as if she had simply given Xun Suihuang some very serious instructions and was about to leave, as if the person who stole the fragrance was not her at all.
"...Your Highness, please hurry."
Xi Congshuang chuckled: "Shouldn't we be saying 'Take care' at this point?"
Xun Suihuang: "…………"
I can't say this out loud, what if you take it seriously?
Seeing that the color at the tip of the person's ear was about to spread to other places, Xi Congshuang stopped teasing her and got up to enter the carriage.
The group watched the carriage leave from the gate of the mansion, and only turned back into the mansion after the carriage was out of sight.
Xun Suihuang rubbed her burning ears, turned around and saw the servants of the Marquis's mansion looking at her with confusion. She raised her hands and said, "All of you, leave. Someone will definitely come to deliver invitations later."
She could take this time to process what had happened these past few days and ask the housekeeper what had happened outside while she was away.
She felt as if she hadn't been locked up for ten days, but rather for ten months without returning to Yongdu, which made her feel like she couldn't understand anything that was happening now.
The steward replied, "General, you're too late. The invitation was already sent over when you were dining with His Highness."
Xun Suihuang was also surprised: "You finished writing the invitations so quickly? Don't you eat breakfast?"
The steward didn't know either. She added, "Someone else brought gifts and wanted to visit you, but the guards stopped them, saying that Her Highness the Crown Princess had ordered that no unauthorized personnel be seen."
Well done, she was very thoughtful.
Xun Suihuang was just about to rejoice at her beloved's thoughtfulness when the steward finally finished speaking: "That's why everyone says they'll visit you whenever you have time; the invitations are still here."
“That won’t do.” Xun Suihuang said without even looking at the document, just as before: “I refuse them all. I have caught a cold and am resting at home. I cannot receive guests.”
The steward immediately dismissed the servants carrying a pile of invitations and replied, "Yes, General, please rest assured. I will not let any of them in to disturb you when they arrive."
The steward repeated the same explanation as before to the person delivering the invitation, and within half a day, the news that Marquis Pingding refused to see guests had spread throughout most of Yongdu.
Previously, refusing to see guests could be attributed to self-preservation, but what is the reason for refusing to see guests this time?
Since His Majesty decreed that he was not allowed to leave the capital without permission, Marquis Pingding has become much more depressed. People have almost forgotten how much Xun Suihuang used to love going out with friends when the old Marquis Pingding was still alive. He would ride his horse every day and be pelted with flowers and handkerchiefs by the girls on the streets of Yongdu.
After much thought, he still couldn't figure it out, and could only reluctantly conclude that Marquis Pingding was born disliking receiving guests.
Seeing that they couldn't get any information from her, they had no choice but to give up and try to figure out the new crown prince's temperament on their own, so as not to embarrass themselves by going to her again.
But……
That's the new crown prince! She's only been a princess for less than half a month, and she grew up in the common people. How can she possibly figure out his temperament?
The only thing known is that her birth mother was an ordinary woman who passed away after giving birth to her. She had served as a retainer under Prince Xin for a period of time and was deeply trusted by him.
It was thought that having an extra princess would not have any impact on the court, but who knew that it was this very princess who won the position of crown prince? How could this not be surprising?
But upon closer reflection, it wasn't too surprising. She had the patience to lie low under Prince Xin and help him gain the emperor's attention, so how could she be an ordinary person?
The only one to blame is Prince Xin himself for being blind and mistaking a pearl for a fish eye.
In any case, these are not issues that Xi Congshuang would care about. She has too many problems to deal with, and these are just minor details.
Inside the palace, Emperor Jianxing remained ill.
In fact, his previous illness had been mostly cured by the Golden Silk Gu. Last night, he coughed up a mouthful of blood, which exhausted his remaining strength, and he even had a lot more white hair.
This illness is caused by psychological issues.
The imperial physician said that the emperor fell ill due to excessive worry, and that his physical condition was not seriously affected. However, he feared that if his mental distress continued, it would harm his health.
Then, with a flourish of his pen, he prescribed a bitter-tasting calming soup, instructing the emperor to drink two bowls a day and continue to rest, which would surely lead to his full recovery.
Xi Congshuang could also tell why Emperor Jianxing was ill; he had been hit hard one after another and had lost his spirit, but she didn't care.
Emperor Jianxing, who had schemed his whole life, saw that he was powerless to reverse the situation and, in desperation, used his illness as an excuse to abandon his duties.
He probably also had the idea of suppressing Xi Congshuang's arrogance and not letting her continue to be so cocky.
Issuing an imperial edict is easy, but being the crown princess is difficult. Does she really think being the crown prince is so easy?
At that time, wouldn't they still have to come back and ask him for guidance? Besides, it's not like the crown prince can't be deposed after he's been established. He can be deposed on the grounds of incompetence or unworthiness.
At this time, Emperor Jianxing still harbored the desire to depose Xi Congshuang and dreamed of regaining power.
His two sons are dead, but there is still a crown prince, who has been demoted to a commoner. To reinstate him as crown prince is just a matter of issuing an imperial edict.
He spent a day in the Hall of Mental Cultivation, throwing away several bowls of calming soup, because he felt that everything he saw was poisonous and that he would die if he ate it.
The palace servants had grown accustomed to Emperor Jianxing's paranoia and continued to brew the tranquilizing soup, which was destined to be spilled everywhere. They were unaware that rumors were gradually spreading in the palace that the emperor was terminally ill.
The reason is simple: no one would pry into the emperor's medical records, but seeing bowl after bowl of medicine being delivered to the Hall of Mental Cultivation, it's perfectly normal to suspect that the emperor's life is nearing its end.
Instead, this gave the court officials the wrong signal, making them think that the emperor was so angry about Prince Xin's rebellion that he was about to die, and in his desperation, he made a princess his heir, without even having the energy to personally teach her.
Why bother competing with the Crown Prince now?
She is a princess who has never been involved in politics. If she were to ascend the throne smoothly, she would definitely have to rely on the old ministers for many things, and that would be the only time when everyone could truly profit.
As a result, Xi Congshuang's appointment as crown prince was surprisingly smooth. As for those who questioned whether she was of imperial blood, there were some, but few supported this argument.
The emperor himself recognized the children and even appointed them as crown princes. Either they weren't his biological children, or Emperor Jianxing was truly driven insane by the witchcraft planted by the King of Wu.
"Bang!" Another bowl of medicine was thrown to the ground, followed by an angry shout of "Get out!" The palace servants who were about to clean up the mess stopped abruptly, then knelt down and cried out in unison, "Your Majesty, please calm down—"
"Get out, all of you get out! You come here." The old emperor on the bed pointed to a eunuch. He remembered this man as Deng Qin's apprentice, and he should be able to tell him the truth. "Tell me, how is Zhong Yan?"
The eunuch knelt beside the bed and answered truthfully, "Her Highness the Crown Princess is exceptionally brave and capable, managing all affairs of the palace impeccably, earning praise from all, and displaying the qualities of a wise ruler..."
As he spoke, the eunuch heard a muffled thud and looked up in surprise: "Your Majesty?"
The emperor lay on his back on the bed, having fainted from anger.
Eunuch: "..."
The eunuch jumped up in alarm: "Summon the imperial physician! Quickly, summon the imperial physician!"
The once peaceful Yangxin Hall was thrown into chaos again, which even attracted Xi Congshuang, who was handling matters in the Yizheng Hall.
At the time, she thought that Emperor Jianxing was indeed dying, just as the rumors in the palace had said. She almost forgot that she was a doctor and that her previous pulse diagnosis indicated that Emperor Jianxing could live for at least another year.
Such a good thing should be rushed over to see someone off, but who knew that the reason given was both laughable and absurd.
After a moment of silence, Xi Congshuang instructed the eunuch to serve the emperor well, and then she turned and left the Hall of Mental Cultivation.
On the way back, they encountered an unexpected person. To be precise, it was Lady Yang who stopped Xi Congshuang's entourage and said that she had something to tell them.
While it was unexpected, it wasn't entirely surprising either; Xi Congshuang had known all along that Madam Yang would take the initiative to see her.
She just didn't expect that she would take the initiative to see him so soon. She thought that the other party would wait a while before appearing in front of Xi Congshuang in order to play it safe.
They also brought along the bewildered and confused Zhong Shen.
Xi Congshuang said to the back, "No need to follow." After saying that, she took the initiative to walk towards Yang Niangzi and her daughter.
As the other woman passed her, Madam Yang stood up and led the child forward. Although Zhong Shen was young, he was very well-behaved and followed his mother step by step.
She didn't find the person walking in front of her particularly scary; she was like a newborn calf unafraid of a tiger, always staring at him.
She started walking alongside her mother, but then noticed the beautiful jade pendant worn by the person in front of her. She couldn't help but catch up and overtook her mother, but she couldn't break free from her mother's hand. Soon, she turned her attention to the shadow.
It skipped and hopped, chasing after the shadow of the person in front of it, competing with itself.
Because she was still young, there were many things she couldn't understand or comprehend. Madam Yang never showed her tears and sorrows to the child, allowing Zhong Shen to retain the innocence and naivety that one should have at this age.
As Lady Yang walked, she increasingly remembered that she had walked this road before. When she was still the Princess of Qin, she often walked this road when she went to the palace to pay her respects to the Empress.
The life of a princess in the past seems to have been just a mirage. In the first two years of her imprisonment, Lady Yang complained and even regretted burning the register. She shouldn't have released all the servants and concubines and burned the evidence so that there would be no way to verify it.
These people are free, while I am imprisoned; it is truly unfair.
Sometimes she even complained about her husband and children, saying that it was their existence that trapped her in the closed palace.
Afterwards, I felt relieved. Since I couldn't go out, I could only live well and live well for Shen'er.
Walking openly and honestly in the palace, without having to hide from anyone, felt like a past life.
However, she would soon no longer have to see these familiar scenes and images, and would no longer have to be reminded of the past.
Zhong Shen didn't understand his mother's worries. With a "hey," he hopped from one brick to another, his shoe tip not going beyond the two sides of the brick, but landing right in the middle.
This small achievement made Zhong Shen very happy. He spotted the next brick and prepared to aim and jump over it.
The commotion behind her finally caught Xi Congshuang's attention. She glanced back and realized that the child was short and her little legs weren't moving fast enough, so she slowed down.
Just then, Zhong Shen jumped, but she missed the brick she was trying to jump into and ended up crashing into his arms, which smelled faintly of grass and trees.
Realizing she had bumped into someone, she instinctively stepped back, but almost tripped over her own feet and fell flat on her backside. Luckily, Xi Congshuang reached out in time and caught Zhong Shen, preventing her from sitting directly on the ground.
Madam Yang was startled: "Shen'er, what are you doing?"
As a mother, knowing her child's situation, she grabbed Zhong Shen like pulling up a radish and straightened her up: "Quickly apologize to His Highness!"
Zhong Shen immediately stood up straight and repeated, "Apologize to Your Highness." After thinking for a moment, she raised her hands in a gesture of respect and loudly repeated, "Apologize!"
Xi Congshuang: "..."
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I'm late. I haven't been feeling well these past few days, so I need to rest for a few days. (Kneels down gently)
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