Is this a prelude to interrogating and punishing someone?
Yuan Yao blinked and replied, "Father, Yao'er's eyes are not small, they are very big."
She looked in the mirror. Her small body and young age already made her features beautiful. If she grew up, although she might not be as beautiful as the Ninth Prince, she would definitely be a great beauty.
What she needs to do now is play dumb and act cute all the time, which is more in line with her age.
Sure enough, the Ninth Prince stared into her eyes for a moment, chuckled, and pinched the bun on her head with his long, slender, white fingers: "You little rascal, I'm glad you weren't scared."
The Ninth Prince held her in one arm and strolled leisurely: "This Consort Ruan is the niece of the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Personnel. She entered the palace three years ago. At first, she was just an inconspicuous little palace maid. Later, she caught the Emperor's eye. Because she is... very special, she was promoted all the way to Consort. The Emperor is very inseparable from her."
"Huh?" Yuan Yao opened her bright, dark eyes and asked curiously, "What's so special about Consort Ruan? Does she attract butterflies?" Could she be a reincarnation of the Fragrant Concubine?
As soon as she finished speaking, she heard the Ninth Prince chuckle.
Yuan Yao was even more puzzled.
The Ninth Prince pinched her cheek and said lightly, "With her, the Emperor no longer needs a wet nurse."
Yuan Yao: "!!!"
emperor?
A concubine?
Wet nurse?
this……
My God! That's so horrible!
A man nearing thirty, a dignified ruler of a nation, is actually this kind of person!
Yuan Yao felt that her worldview had been severely impacted.
Oh well, after all, even eunuchs can become regents.
Perhaps this emperor wasn't a normal person...
Yuan Yao felt a chill run down her spine and regretted asking about Consort Ruan.
"However..." the Ninth Prince said slowly, "Consort Ruan's current situation is nothing more than reaping what she sowed. Little Yao'er, you have done your father a great favor."
help?
She was just a little baby, and all she did was try to scare Consort Ruan because she didn't want to drink breast milk. Who knew that she would accidentally discover Consort Ruan's secret...
She didn't do anything, so how did she help the Ninth Prince?
Yuan Yao wanted to ask more, but then stopped herself.
She must always remember that she is only three years old!
A three-year-old child who talks too much will give themselves away!
She must maintain her public image!
If you want to know anything, just ask around privately...
On a sudden inspiration, Yuan Yao grabbed the Ninth Prince's robe and said, "Father, I helped you. Shouldn't you give me a reward?"
Children living in the palace receive various rewards every now and then, so it's normal for her to ask for them.
The Ninth Prince looked down at her, pleased: "Oh? What reward does Little Yao'er want?"
Yuan Yao looked at the Ninth Prince and said earnestly, "I want a cow! A cow that can provide milk for a long time!"
ox?
The Great Qi Dynasty emphasized agriculture, and cattle were used for plowing. They did not have the habit of drinking animal offal or consuming dairy products.
However, if his daughter wanted it, he could give it to her.
The Ninth Prince looked at the little baby in his arms and smiled, "Whatever little Yao'er wants, Daddy will find it for you, my good girl."
That very day, the Ninth Prince sent word down to have someone go find an ox.
For a time, the prominent families in the capital were once again in a state of frantic activity.
Ever since Princess Yuanyao was nearly murdered, the Ninth Prince has been waging all sorts of turmoil, executing several people and dispatching the Imperial Guards in multiple waves. He's been searching for the murderer, the wet nurse, and now even the cows that provide milk. His actions change several times a day, which is truly frightening...
After being "possessed" by an evil spirit, Consort Ruan sent people to invite the emperor several times, trying to regain his favor by relying on his past grace.
Unexpectedly, upon hearing the name of Consort Ruan, the emperor was filled with fear and disgust, and fell ill from fright. For several days in a row, he summoned Consort Lin, who was born into the military and was the most upright and righteous woman in the harem, to attend to him...
The other concubines gloated over Consort Ruan's misfortune while simultaneously feeling envious and jealous of Consort Lin.
The Empress, however, methodically prepared a large amount of tonics and jewelry and sent them to Qianhua Palace, saying it was to comfort the frightened Yuan Yao...
That day, Yuan Yao was counting jewels in her room when she faintly heard palace servants talking outside—
"I heard that the Emperor ordered the Ninth Prince to investigate that woman in Xiangyin Palace, and he said he uncovered some old, sordid matters..."
"Huh? What is it?"
"The first thing is that before Consort Ruan entered the palace, she was already engaged to the son of a wealthy merchant. During the year of the imperial concubine selection, her fiancé suddenly died, the marriage was called off, and she entered the palace..."
"I've heard a little about this matter. I heard that the Ruan family offered the wealthy merchant a fairly high-ranking official position to settle things..."
"Yes! The second thing is that Consort Ruan, in order to gain exclusive favor with the Emperor, took a different approach and used a divine medicine from the Western Regions that could produce milk even before giving birth. Taking too much of that medicine would either result in stillbirth or the birth of a monster... During the year Consort Ruan was at the height of her favor, she became pregnant. After discussing it with the Ruan family, she didn't dare to make it public and secretly aborted the child..."
"Heavens! So she used drugs to keep the Emperor's heart for so long? And she even miscarried?!"
"That's not all. Back then, there was a concubine living in Xiangyin Palace. The day after she finished serving the emperor, she threw herself into a well. In reality, it was Consort Ruan who ordered her to be thrown in..."
"Anyway, the Ruan family is finished..."
Yuan Yao was listening with great interest when suddenly, Dan Qing's voice came out from nowhere, angrily scolding, "A bunch of blind fools, gathering here to gossip. If you disturb the little princess, see if the Ninth Prince won't rip out all your tongues and feed them to the dogs!"
The others immediately cried and begged for mercy: "Please, Sister Danqing, don't tell the Ninth Prince, we'll go and accept our punishment ourselves..."
Danqing said coldly, "Everyone go and collect twenty strokes of the cane, and have three months' salary deducted!"
Soon, the gossipers scattered like birds and beasts.
Danqing pushed open the door and came in, sounding like a completely different person, her voice gentle: "The princess is awake?"
Yuan Yao yawned, rubbed her eyes, and pretended to have just woken up.
Seeing this, Danqing smiled, walked to the bedside, picked her up, and said softly, "Princess, you've slept enough today. Shall I carry you out for a walk?"
Upon hearing this, Yuan Yao immediately perked up, her eyes shining: "Great!"
She's been here for several days now, staying in the Moonflower Palace every day without ever stepping out. If she doesn't go out and get some fresh air soon, this sweet and soft little dumpling will turn into stinky tofu!
In late spring and early summer, the weather is still a bit cool.
Danqing dressed Yuanyao in a pretty light yellow dress, tied her hair into cute little buns, and before she went out, she also tied a flowing little cloak on her.
Although the emperor of the Great Qi Kingdom was incompetent, the imperial palace was built to be magnificent and imposing.
The palaces are arranged in layers, with pavilions stretching endlessly, carved beams and painted pillars, adorned with gold and silver...
Stepping on the white jade tiles, they left Qianhua Palace and walked along the palace road for about half an hour. When Yuan Yao asked, he found that they were still within the territory of Qianhua Palace.
The key point is that riding horses or carriages is not allowed in the palace!
Within the palace, only those of high status or those who receive imperial favor are permitted to use sedan chairs.
Walking was Yuan Yao's suggestion...
After wandering around for about two hours, with palaces and pavilions still stretching ahead, Yuan Yao completely lost interest: "There's nothing to see in the palace, let's go back."
However, after walking only a few steps, the group was stopped.
Yuan Yao turned her head curiously and saw a familiar-looking eunuch running over, beaming as he said, "Little Dezi greets the Princess and Miss Danqing. Princess, His Majesty knew you were coming this way and sent me to take you to Haoran Palace to see something good."
nice one?
Yuan Yao immediately perked up: "It's so mysterious, what is it?"
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com