Chapter 153 Competition
But as I waited, the second emperor and several younger brothers arrived.
When they entered, they saw their father smiling, with the crown prince standing on his left and Pei Dingli on his right.
The emperor pointed to the article on the desk and said that the prince was very talented and asked them all to read and learn from it.
Afterwards, he asked someone to bring out a scroll of painting, which was the "Mountain Hidden in the Clouds".
The emperor said that the prince had the demeanor of a gentleman and deserved a painting worthy of a gentleman, so he gave the "Cloud Hidden Mountain Picture" to the prince.
Murong Yu lowered his head and listened silently with a gloomy expression.
Until they left, the emperor never mentioned his birthday.
Although they are royal blood relatives, there seems to be an insurmountable gap between him and his father, the emperor, and his brother, the crown prince.
Murong Yu did many things after he ascended the throne, but sometimes he felt that everything he did seemed to be just to fill the gap bit by bit.
The painting came into the hands of the prince, but he died suddenly two years later without getting married or leaving any offspring. The prince's belongings were counted and collected.
Murong Yu specifically asked about it, but found that "Map of Yunyin Mountain" was not on the list of books he had counted.
Now, the painting is finally in his hands.
A dark color appeared in Murong Yu's eyes.
In the past, he sought it many times but failed to obtain it. Now, the whole world belongs to him.
…
Yifeng Palace.
The queen, her hair neatly tied up, sat beside the couch, her face frighteningly gloomy.
All the palace servants in the hall had left, leaving only Nanny Dong to serve.
Ever since the emperor went to Yaohua Palace one after another, the queen's face has not been in a good mood.
His face looked pale and his headache came back again.
Nanny Dong began to massage the acupuncture points on the queen's head every day.
The Queen's haggard and angry face and the dark circles under her eyes could not be concealed:
"The Concubine Shu is becoming more and more rampant now."
Yesterday was the first day of the new year. The emperor came to her place for the first time, and she made careful preparations and waited for the emperor to come.
But after waiting for a long time, all he got was a sentence "The emperor is staying in Yaohua Palace today."
This was clearly a slap in her face, showing that she was not taken seriously.
Then came the news that Concubine Shu was pregnant.
The queen couldn't sleep all night, and when she woke up this morning, she felt nauseous even when she smelled the fruity aroma in the palace.
Nanny Dong rubbed the Queen's head and shoulders:
"Your Majesty, no matter how arrogant and favored Concubine Shu is, she cannot compare to your position as the Queen. The Emperor only stayed in Yaohua Palace last night because he saw that she was pregnant.
The Emperor is doing this for the sake of the heir, and Concubine Shu has no power to stop him from coming here."
When the dragon heir was mentioned, the queen became even more upset:
"She was restless when she was pregnant with Ning'an. Now that she's pregnant again, who knows what trouble she'll cause."
Before the queen could calm down, the palace maids outside reported that the concubines in the harem had come to pay their respects.
The queen sat up straight, forced herself to be tolerant and kind.
Several beauties came in one after another.
They are all beauties, some are thin and some are plump, each with her own charm.
Yuan Jieyu was walking behind. When she came forward to pay her respects, she saw that the Empress looked unhappy and asked with concern:
"Your Majesty, you have been busy with the affairs of the harem. You should take better care of your health."
Ever since the Empress Dowager took care of her last time, Concubine Yuan has felt close to her.
The Queen smiled gently at Concubine Yuan:
"I see. You dare to give me instructions."
After the concubines sat down, they suddenly heard a eunuch outside announcing:
"The Empress Shufei has arrived—"
The corners of the queen's mouth were a little stiff.
The concubines sitting below also looked at each other.
They all heard what happened last night. Concubine Shu was pregnant, and the emperor did not come to Yifeng Palace as usual in order to accompany Concubine Shu.
Moreover, Concubine Shu rarely came to pay her respects to the Queen before. Now that she is pregnant, instead of taking good care of herself, she comes to pay her respects?
"I pay my respects to Her Majesty the Queen."
The concubine, dressed in rich and bright clothes, walked slowly into the hall and performed a half bow in front of the queen.
Before she could completely bend down, the Queen said softly:
"No need to be so polite, Concubine Shu. I heard that Concubine Shu is pregnant and needs to take good care of her health. Forget about coming to Yifeng Palace to pay your respects. It's better for you to rest more in the palace."
Shufei immediately straightened up and was helped to sit down by the palace servants.
Her face was rosy, and she wore a peacock hairpin inlaid with rubies on her head. She looked very proud and happy:
"The Empress and the Emperor really have a tacit understanding. The Emperor said the same thing to me when he left me this morning."
The Queen's expression remained unchanged: "In that case, then Concubine Shu should have a good rest."
Concubine Shu looked around, and the light reflected from the golden hairpin on her head swung half a circle on the wall:
"Your Majesty, you have many sisters, and I sometimes want to join in the fun. Your Majesty, you don't know that since Li'er left the palace, my Yaohua Palace has become a little lonely."
Not only did the Queen look at these words with disdain, but the other concubines' faces were also almost unable to contain their expressions.
The Second Prince's sleeping habits are really different when he's around and when he's not...
When Concubine Shu said this, her tone changed.
"Fortunately, I have received the Emperor's favor. He has been visiting Yaohua Palace more often recently, and I have been busy serving him and have no time to talk to my sisters.
I really envy the Empress that she can chat with her sisters more often."
The people sitting next to them didn't dare to speak.
Everyone can hear the boasting and provocation in these words.
Even someone as dim-witted as Concubine Yuan understood that Concubine Shu was showing off and provoking her.
Concubine Yuan didn't dare to breathe. Although she wanted to stand up and say a few words for the Empress, she was timid and couldn't afford to offend Concubine Shu.
The hall was completely silent.
The queen was still smiling:
"I am the master of the six palaces, so naturally I have to take care of the concubines in the harem."
Concubine Shu: "Then I and the unborn baby will also rely on the care of the Empress."
Queen: "Of course."
Suddenly, a palace maid came in hurriedly and reported:
"Your Majesty, the Crown Prince was injured while sparring with Princess Ning'an in the martial arts arena. The imperial physician has already gone to the arena."
When the Queen heard that something had happened to the Crown Prince, her disguised calmness finally broke:
"How did you get hurt? Where is the injury? Is it serious?"
There was also a flash of surprise in Concubine Shu's eyes:
"Is Ning An injured?"
The palace attendant said, "Today, General Yuan was instructing the princes in the martial arts arena. Princess Ning'an was sparring with the crown prince. The crown prince's arm was pierced by a sharp spear, but Princess Ning'an was not injured."
The Queen and Consort Shu went to the martial arts arena to see what was going on, while the other concubines wisely took their leave.
When they arrived at the Lihe Hall near the martial arts field, the queen saw that the prince's left arm had been bandaged.
The imperial physician repeatedly said that the prince's arm only had a minor flesh wound, with no damage to the bones or muscles, and that he would be healed in ten days or half a month.
"Zhen'er, does it hurt?"
The Queen carefully examined the Prince's bandages.
Zhen'er is the crown prince, his body is precious, he shouldn't suffer even minor injuries.
Concubine Shu also asked Ning An:
"Ning An, what's going on? Didn't I tell you to stop when practicing martial arts?"
Ning An still held the spear in his hand, with an imposing manner:
"We were almost done with the competition, but the prince suddenly charged at me again. I blocked him with my gun, and it cut his arm."
Ning An was so angry when he talked about this that his cheeks were puffed up with anger.
General Yuan asked them to practice in pairs.
Although Murong Zhen's training was not bad among the people in Lihe Hall, he was still far behind Ning An who practiced spear every day.
After a few moves, Murong Zhen was forced to retreat repeatedly by the spear in Ning An's hand and almost stumbled and fell to the ground.
The winner was decided, Ning An put away his gun.
But Murong Zhen, who was unwilling to admit defeat, got up and drew his sword again.
Ning An was also an impulsive person. When he saw the sword, he did not dodge. Instead, he picked up his gun and attacked again. Not only did he deflect Murong Zhen's sword, but he also pierced Murong Zhen's arm.
Ning An knew that this was clearly what General Yuan had said, "lack of martial ethics"!
"It was indeed because of carelessness that I got injured." Murong Zhen's face turned pale.
The Queen looked at them with heartache and glanced at Concubine Shu and her daughter reproachfully.
Although Ning An had a stubborn temper, he knew that injuring the Crown Prince was no small matter, so he reluctantly lowered his head and said:
"I apologize to the prince. I shouldn't have hurt him."
Concubine Shu first looked at General Yuan who was standing next to her and kept apologizing:
"General Yuan, was what Ning An said just now true?"
General Yuan said, "Madam Consort Shu, what the princess said is true."
Concubine Shu then turned to the Queen and Murong Zhen:
"So, if Ning An hadn't blocked the gun in time, he would have been the one injured?"
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
