The Third Prince was filled with fear as he looked at the memorial.
What does Father mean by this? Is it a warning or something else?
He already knew his mother was seriously ill, and he also understood why the wedding date had been changed.
His father is now not even giving him a chance to observe mourning in the palace. Has his father come to hate him so much overnight?
“Your Highness, His Majesty does not wish for you to take a wife right now. You are still young. Let’s talk about it in a few years,” said the eunuch Yang Li.
“My mother is like this now, and my father still wants me to see this…” The Third Prince gritted his teeth: “Even if I did something wrong, why is my father suddenly so angry? It must be something the Consort said. She wasn’t like this before.”
"Oh dear, Your Highness, please don't say that," Yang Li quickly said.
"What? You're afraid of her too? If you're afraid, I haven't even left the palace yet, so you'd better be transferred to serve a wise ruler." The Third Prince said angrily.
"Oh, Your Highness, what are you saying? Even if I die, I will still only be your servant. I'm just afraid that someone might overhear us. You are still too young and weak to fight her. After you leave the palace, you can make friends with people outside. Gradually, you can build up your reputation and be made crown prince. That would be ideal. At that time, who will you need to care about?"
"Although His Majesty is angry now, it's only temporary. Look at your marriage, isn't it going very well? As long as you do well and perform your duties in the next few years, His Majesty will naturally see your abilities and give you an important position. That will be the best time for you to compete. His Majesty probably can't stand you relying on your maternal clan."
"But my maternal clan is there; can I just abandon them?" The Third Prince frowned, though his tone had softened considerably.
“Your maternal clan is right there. Whether you marry a girl from the Murong clan or not, the Murong clan can only support you. Since His Majesty doesn’t like it, why make him angry? If you want to support your maternal clan, there will be plenty of opportunities in the future,” Yang Li said.
The Third Prince took a deep breath: "But with my mother in this state, I, as her son, cannot visit her. What exactly did the imperial physician say?"
"This...the imperial physician means...I'm afraid...it'll only last these two months."
The third prince sighed, "I'll beg my father to let me see you, even just once..."
Yang Li agreed, but wondered if His Majesty would agree. This matter had truly become extremely ugly.
The Third Prince began to plead with His Majesty in February.
Shu Chengfeng hesitated, wondering whether to ask the mother and son to see each other one more time.
However, Yan Nangui finally offered a word of advice.
"Even though he's your son, he's also Consort Kehui's son. Try to put yourself in the late Emperor's shoes. What if you hadn't been allowed to see the Empress Dowager? You wouldn't want your son to hate you, would you?"
"He dares?" Shu Chengfeng frowned.
"Do you hope he doesn't dare? Or that he doesn't hate you?" Yan Nangui asked lightly.
Shu Chengfeng was speechless.
"I'm speechless. You're all human. How come you've forgotten the most basic things once you're in a high position of power? What's wrong with meeting her? No matter how bad she is, she's still your mother and child. To be honest, whatever your initial plans were, you haven't done anything yet. What's wrong with meeting her now?"
The original plan was to have Consort Kehui die of illness, which required physical intervention, but she couldn't wait for His Majesty to make the move.
Isn't this result much better than we initially expected?
Shu Chengfeng eventually listened to her advice, but he felt that the Imperial Concubine's words were unpleasant, so he punished her severely.
The concubine was so angry that she had a long face when she went to pay her respects to the Empress Dowager in the morning.
It was the fifteenth of February. The Empress Dowager felt uneasy looking at the Consort. It wasn't that she was afraid, but... she really didn't want to start a fight.
If even the Empress Dowager was in such a state, everyone else must have been terrified.
The Third Prince went to see Consort Ke Hui on February 17th.
Consort Ke Hui's mental state became increasingly short, and she spent more time in a daze each day.
At this moment, she saw her long-awaited son, but for a moment she didn't recognize him.
She finally recognized him, and without saying a word, she burst into tears.
Finally able to speak, and having calmed down, she began to speak her mind to the Third Prince.
"Father has given me all the memorials you gave him. He... surely doesn't want me to take any more Murong girls as concubines. Mother, please don't bring this up again."
"Your father is so cruel," Consort Kehui said, panting.
She can't stand getting angry these days.
"Mother, please don't say these things. My second brother and I have already moved up our wedding date... we'll be having the ceremony in March." The Third Prince sighed with difficulty.
“I know, he’s afraid I’ll die. Heh, although your father never favored me, I still gave birth to you. I never expected him to treat me like this.” Consort Kehui took a deep breath: “I’m not going to make it. I only hope that you will be successful in the future, so that all the hardships we’ve endured in this palace will not have been in vain.”
"Yes, Mother, please don't say such things. You are only temporarily ill. The imperial physicians are doing their best, you will get better," the Third Prince said.
Consort Ke Hui suddenly looked at him, and after a long while, she laughed: "After all, you are a member of the Shu family. Now you say these things as if you really want to comfort me. What good is it for you if I live? No matter what, you are still your father's biological son. And me? After being abandoned, I am just a burden."
"Mother!" The Third Prince knelt down, shocked. "How could you say such a thing, Mother? How could I have thought that?"
"Alright, get up." Consort Kehui took a deep breath: "I was delirious from my illness. I only ask that in the future, no matter what, you must take care of the Murong family."
"Since Mother has entrusted me with this task, I will naturally do my best," the Third Prince said, rising to his feet.
Consort Kehui had a lot more to say, but in the end, she didn't say anything.
I don't know why, maybe I'm just tired, but I don't want to talk about it anymore.
The mother and son rarely get to see each other, but they couldn't exchange any heartwarming words.
The Third Prince is gone, and Consort Kehui is weeping on her bedside again. It's truly a heartbreaking and helpless situation.
At this moment, in the First Prince's residence, Shu Hengyuan was reading a letter. After finishing it, he smiled and said, "The Third Prince is getting anxious."
"Yes, I heard from the Imperial Hospital that Consort Ke Hui probably doesn't have many days left. This is forcing His Majesty to bring forward their wedding," Xu Fu said.
"Consort Kehui has had a tough time too." The eldest prince smiled, crumpled the letter, and tossed it to Xu Fu.
Xu Fu took it knowingly and later took it outside to burn it.
Rong'er came in to serve tea, and Xu Fu tactfully left.
Rong'er is sixteen this year.
He was a few months older than the eldest prince. However, he had been serving him since he was a child.
She enjoyed the trust and favor of the eldest prince. Yes, although she was nominally still a palace maid, she was in reality the eldest prince's beloved servant.
After serving tea, she naturally began to speak with the eldest prince.
What happened next?
"Your Highness, it's nothing. It's just that when we paid our respects this morning, the Empress Dowager said a few words to Consort Chang," Rong'er said.
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