"What did you say?"
A hint of surprise appeared in the emperor's cloudy eyes.
Consort Li's son turned out to be mentally challenged?
"How could that be?" the emperor said. "I saw him once, and apart from being a little childish, he was no different from any other child..."
"Oh, really?" The Ninth Prince sneered and asked, "Does Your Majesty remember which year you visited the young prince?"
"I..." The emperor looked at Consort Li, his expression somewhat bewildered.
"It was when the child was one and a half years old," the Ninth Prince answered for him.
The emperor's mouth was slightly open: "Is that so..."
The Ninth Prince continued, "The little prince is now over four years old, Your Majesty."
"He's over four years old..."
The emperor lowered his eyelids, making his eye bags appear even larger, and his whole demeanor became increasingly gloomy and decadent.
Memories I had deliberately tried to forget are now vividly resurfacing...
That year, he went to the imperial palace in the suburbs of Beijing to escape the summer heat. One night, he received a letter inviting him to meet behind the artificial hill by the lake in the dead of night.
He assumed it was one of the concubines seeking pleasure, so he rushed over in the middle of the night, only to find that behind the artificial rockery, he overheard people engaging in illicit acts...
He was aroused and walked around the artificial lake, looking for a palace maid but couldn't find one. When he returned to his palace, he finally caught a palace maid sneaking by. He was in a hurry to get things done, so he pulled her in.
The next day, when he woke up, he learned that the palace maid was actually Consort Li, who had secretly come to escape the summer heat.
He suddenly remembered that the female voice he heard by the artificial lake sounded exactly like Consort Li's...
No man wants to publicly announce that he has been cuckolded.
Even the emperor was no exception.
Two months later, Consort Li became pregnant, and she herself couldn't say for sure who the father of the child was...
The emperor originally intended to secretly dispose of Consort Li and her child, but the mother and child were rescued by the Ninth Prince...
All the past events came flooding back to me.
The emperor walked to the dragon throne and sat down, asking Consort Li, "Why did you conceal the matter of the Fourth Prince?"
"Fourth Prince..." Consort Li laughed, her voice sharp and angry as she questioned, "So, Your Majesty still remembers that Chen'er is the Fourth Prince?"
My Chen'er, he suffered greatly when he was still in my womb, and after he was born, he never lived a single day as a prince!
Chen'er died without ever having the chance to call out "Father Emperor"...
Now that everyone else is gone, isn't the emperor sad?
"Oh, no, Your Majesty, you are a heartless person. You wouldn't grieve for a mentally challenged son! Instead, you blame his mother who raised him with such hardship!"
Consort Li's voice echoed throughout the entire hall, each note filled with sobs and tears, expressing her utter grievances.
Yuan Yao nestled in the arms of the Ninth Prince, clutching his robes with her small hands, and whispered, "Father, in this world, are there really parents who would have the heart to harm their own children?"
The Ninth Prince curled his lips: "Not every parent deserves to be called a parent."
Yuan Yao thought for a moment and nodded, "Father is right!"
Everyone is different. Some people can't even be called human beings, so how can they be good parents? She had seen news reports of newborns being abandoned in toilets or trash cans before!
Being protected so well by the Ninth Prince, she's really starting to act more and more like a three-year-old...
The Ninth Prince gently pinched the little bun on Yuan Yao's head, his voice soft: "You are the child I raised. As long as I live, I will protect you. I only regret that I could not carry you for ten months and give birth to you myself."
"Ah..." Yuan Yao pretended to be surprised and whispered, "Father, didn't you say before that you are both Yao'er's father and Yao'er's mother? Father, you're lying to a child!"
"You little dumpling." The Ninth Prince was amused.
While the father and daughter were enjoying a harmonious time together, the emperor's face was gloomy, and even his gaze towards Yuan Yao turned cold and hostile.
The Ninth Prince felt the Emperor's gaze, frowned, and looked over.
The section of the emperor's robe on his leg was already crumpled from being gripped so tightly; if he applied any more force, it would probably tear completely...
Seeing the Ninth Prince looking at him, the Emperor quickly let go of his hand, looking a little flustered, and tried to smooth out his robes.
Seeing that the emperor's attention was not on her at all, Consort Li was heartbroken and cried sadly, "Your Majesty, I have made up my mind. I will not avenge Chen'er."
From now on, I only ask that Your Majesty will have mercy and occasionally visit Fangfei Palace to see me and Lan Yue. I would be content with that for the rest of my life…
After speaking, Consort Li's forehead hit the ground, and she kowtowed heavily.
Beside her, Princess Lan Yue, her face pale, also kowtowed and cried, "Father, please promise Mother, okay?"
Consort Li has fair skin and her features are not particularly delicate, but she is pleasing to the eye. When she cries, her eyes, nose, and lips turn red, making her look more beautiful and charming.
The emperor's mind stirred, and he said, "This matter, perhaps we should..."
"Why don't I analyze this for you?" The Ninth Prince coldly raised an eyebrow and glanced at the Emperor.
The emperor opened his mouth, but couldn't utter the rest of his words.
For some reason, Yuan Yao noticed a hint of happiness on the emperor's face.
this……
Yuan Yao almost shuddered again.
At this moment, the emperor finally spoke, "A-Yuan, you speak."
The Ninth Prince placed Yuan Yao on the chair brought by the eunuchs, and with a wave of his hand, a black jade folding fan appeared in his palm.
He gently waved his jade fan, looking down at Consort Li: "I ask you, was Jiang Chen different from ordinary children from birth?"
Consort Li bit her lip, closed her eyes, and said, "Yes."
The Ninth Prince asked again, "Over the years, you have secretly consulted countless people with medical knowledge to examine Jiang Chen, and everyone has told you that this child is congenitally mentally challenged and beyond medical help, is that right?"
Consort Li opened her eyes, her eyes red-rimmed: "Yes..."
The Ninth Prince continued, "But I have personally examined this child, and he is treatable and can become a normal child."
"What did you say?" Consort Li asked incredulously.
"Surprised? Regretful?" The Ninth Prince lowered his eyes, looking at the outline of the folding fan in his hand, his voice calm: "The feeling of killing your own child is not pleasant, is it?"
As soon as he finished speaking, Lan Yue, who had been looking down, suddenly looked up, but only for a moment, so fast that Yuan Yao almost didn't see it.
Meanwhile, the Emperor and Consort Li looked shocked.
It took the emperor a long while to recover his senses, and he asked in a hoarse voice, "Really... was it you who did it?"
"I..." Consort Li opened her mouth, her whole body trembling, large tears falling down her cheeks: "Your Majesty, it's not like that, you must believe me..."
Trust her?
How many truths did she utter from beginning to end?
The emperor's forehead veins bulged, and his entire body churned with murderous intent. He roared, "Answer me! Did you kill the child?!"
Consort Li was trembling like a leaf, her mouth agape, unable to utter a word.
At this moment, Jiang Lanyue raised her head, her pale face covered in tears: "Father, Mother did not kill my brother!"
"It's clearly because my younger brother likes sweet flavors that Mother sprinkled sugar water into the tea and snacks sent from Qianhua Palace. The imperial physician must have made a mistake..."
"Lan Yue!" Consort Li opened her mouth wide, as if her throat was blocked, her face full of astonishment.
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