ushernet Chapter 105 The Ruthless and Cold-Hearted Emperor and His Beloved Concubine 3
Chapter 105 The Ruthless and Cold-Hearted Emperor and His Beloved Concubine 3
Phoenix Palace
Empress Xiao sat upright in front of her dressing table, looking at the wrinkle creeping up at the corner of her eye, and gently touched it with her fingertip.
"Your Majesty, I'll just apply a little more rouge for you." Empress Xiao's personal maid couldn't bear it and tried to comfort her.
The Empress had become quite haggard because of the Crown Prince. She even found a white hair while combing her hair just now, which she quickly hid in her hair.
"How is Yuan'er?" Empress Xiao forced a bitter smile; she was only concerned about her son now.
"Your Highness, Consort Chu was not driven out by His Highness after she went in, so it seems that Consort Chu is favored by His Highness," Ruyue comforted softly.
Empress Xiao's eyes reddened. The thought of her proud son now being a cripple made her heart ache so much that she could hardly breathe.
"Your Majesty, Consort Chen and Consort Xian have come to pay their respects..." Mingyue, who was serving outside, said respectfully.
Ruyue looked at Empress Xiao with some worry: "Your Majesty..."
Empress Xiao quickly composed herself and transformed back into the dignified empress who ruled the world.
"Let's go."
Ruyue respectfully helped her into the main hall, where Consort Chen and Consort Xian were already waiting. Upon seeing her emerge, they bowed in unison, saying, "Your Majesty, we pay our respects to the Empress..."
"Get up, sit down." Empress Xiao sat upright in her chair, her face showing no trace of sadness, and asked again, "Today is not a day for paying respects, so why have Consort Chen and Consort Xian come?"
Consort Chen was beautiful and youthful, showing no signs of aging despite being over thirty. She smiled slightly and said, "Your Majesty must be too busy today. His Majesty's birthday is in three days. He has asked me to assist in managing the inner palace, so I came to ask what Your Majesty's plans are."
Her son, Prince Cheng, was already eighteen years old and was greatly favored by Emperor Jingyuan, which is why he asked her to help manage the affairs of the inner palace.
"I have already instructed people to make preparations. If Consort Chen has any suggestions, she can simply give them to the palace servants." Empress Xiao remained dignified and did not lose her composure in the slightest.
"Of course, Her Majesty the Empress has always managed the affairs of the inner palace perfectly." Consort Chen smiled and looked at the Empress, trying to find a flaw in her expression, but she couldn't.
The Crown Prince is now injured and practically useless, yet the Empress remains remarkably composed.
"Your Majesty the Empress and the Imperial Concubine are indeed working together well. No wonder His Majesty trusts you. Unlike me, His Majesty probably wouldn't even think of me."
Consort Xian held her handkerchief tightly, and her words seemed like a joke, but there was also a hint of sourness in them.
"What are you saying, Consort Xian? The Prince of Ying's studies require His Majesty's personal instruction," Consort Chen retorted.
The son of Consort Xian, Prince Ying, received praise from Emperor Jingyuan, who said he would personally teach him. Consort Xian was overjoyed.
Emperor Jingyuan had only three sons: the Crown Prince, Prince Cheng, and Prince Ying; the rest were princesses.
Therefore, Emperor Jingyuan loved all three sons very much. The son born to Empress Xiao was naturally the crown prince, and the other two were also granted the title of prince at a young age.
He did not want to see his sons kill each other for the throne, so he had already made it clear that the throne would belong to the crown prince.
Everything was peaceful until the Crown Prince injured his leg while hunting.
The winds in the palace were subtly shifting, and the dormant hearts of Consort Chen and Consort Xian began to stir.
"Ze'er is no match for the Crown Prince and Prince Cheng. He's just young and good at flattering people." The smile on Consort Xian's face clearly showed her smugness.
As soon as she finished speaking, Consort Chen glanced at Empress Xiao without leaving a trace, and after a moment she smiled at the Empress and said, "It's His Majesty's birthday. His Highness the Crown Prince must have prepared something His Majesty likes, right?"
"The Crown Prince will naturally make preparations for His Majesty's birthday, and he will personally present it to him." Empress Xiao knew their purpose perfectly well.
Seeing her son injured, she came to watch the spectacle. She would never let anyone look down on her. For the Crown Prince, Empress Xiao was willing to give everything.
Consort Chen's expression stiffened for a moment: "Of course, Your Majesty. It's getting late, and His Majesty is waiting for me to serve him his meal, so I'll take my leave now."
Upon hearing this, Consort Xian also stood up: "Your Majesty, this concubine takes her leave..."
After Consort Chen and Consort Xian left, Empress Xiao leaned wearily against her chair. She had just said that the Crown Prince would also be there.
Given the Crown Prince's current situation, he is unwilling to even leave the Eastern Palace, so how could he possibly appear on an occasion like His Majesty's birthday, which would only invite strange looks from others?
Empress Xiao was numb with heartache. She choked out, "Ruyue, go to the Eastern Palace and tell the Crown Prince that his father's birthday is in three days. Tell him..."
"It depends on whether he's willing..."
Ruyue was also feeling unwell. She whispered, "Yes, Your Majesty..."
Chengming Hall
The sky had darkened, and the rain had not stopped. After lunch, Chu Yue was hurriedly told by Xiao Shunzi, "Liangdi, go to the side hall to rest first," and then she did not visit the Crown Prince again.
Xiao Tao looked at her face with worry: "Luckily, it's just that His Highness doesn't want to go out. There's everything here. If..."
"What should we do about Liangdi's face?"
"It's alright, just apply some ointment." Chu Yue wasn't worried. If it didn't get better, she could just apply the ointment from the system and there wouldn't be any scars at all.
"Liangdi, why don't we rest first?" Xiaotao suggested. The two of them had just arrived and were on edge because of fear. Now that it was dark, they should be fine.
The Crown Prince has probably forgotten about them.
Chu Yue nodded, then looked at her face, which only had a red mark left. It should gradually get better by tomorrow. There was no movement from the main hall.
Xiao Tao helped her to bed, and just as Chu Yue was about to close her eyes, a loud crash came from the main hall, accompanied by the sound of shards falling to the ground.
Startled, Chu Yue quickly sat up, grabbed her clothes and put them on, preparing to go over, but Xiao Tao stopped her: "Liangdi, maybe... don't go, it's so late, His Highness the Crown Prince..." She didn't know what had gotten into him.
"Your Highness, Your Highness... please don't do this..." came Xiao Shunzi's terrified voice from the other end.
"You stay here, I'll go check it out." Chu Yue said this and left. Xiao Tao stamped her foot and followed behind, suppressing her fear.
Inside the main hall, the crown prince's eyes were bloodshot, veins bulged on his forehead, and large beads of sweat dripped down his face.
Xiao Shunzi did everything in his power to stop him from hurting himself.
Shen Yuan's legs trembled with pain; the excruciating pain was driving him to the brink of collapse.
"Get out!" the prince roared, trying to shove Xiao Shunzi away. He was in so much pain that he wanted to kill someone.
Xiao Shunzi was also sweating profusely; he was almost out of strength. His Highness wouldn't let anyone near him, and at times like this, there was no one to help him.
"Your Highness, please bear with it. This servant will get you the medicine in a moment."
You absolutely cannot leave at this time.
"Get out of my way! Get out!" the Crown Prince roared furiously.
Chu Yue was trembling outside the palace gates. No wonder no one dared to come; one wrong step and they would lose their lives.
"001, painkillers! Antidote pills! Bring me all of them, I'll buy them myself!"
Chu Yue no longer cared about the points; she wanted to complete the mission and go back to enjoy herself.
"receive……"
Chu Yue then pushed open the door and quickly walked in. She understood the situation inside the hall at a glance.
His Highness the Crown Prince was in excruciating pain, but Xiao Shunzi desperately tried to stop him.
It's a bit scary that I didn't even see her come in.