diskusbooks Chapter 79 The Imperial Concubine is Reprimanded
Chapter 79 The Imperial Concubine is Reprimanded
His injuries worsened after Consort Lan and the Crown Princess arrived. Wasn't this a clear indication to the Emperor that they hadn't done anything 'good' at Prince Cheng's residence?
Yu Chi Ling sneered, "Whether it's useful or not, if they dare to appear in front of me, they shouldn't blame me for being annoyed by them!"
He glanced around and suddenly asked her, "Do you like this place?"
Ye Shishu nodded.
When she first entered the courtyard, she noticed that the place was very spacious. The garden and pavilion outside were beautiful and unique. The house had two rooms, one in the main room and one in the side room. It was twice the size of the new house. The layout was elegant and sophisticated. The furniture and utensils were all brand new. Even the canopy bed they were sitting on was exquisitely carved. Everything showed the owner's care.
"As long as you like it."
……
After Consort Lan returned to the palace, she was having a private conversation with Zhu Huaning in their bedchamber when they suddenly heard a report—
"The Emperor has arrived!"
The two quickly went to greet them at the door.
Yu Chisheng appeared with a dark face. When he saw Zhu Huaning there, his gaze sharpened even more. "Why didn't the Crown Princess accompany the Crown Prince to Wanfu Temple to pray for Prince Cheng's well-being?"
Zhu Huaning bowed her head and replied, "Father, I originally wanted to go to Wanfu Temple with the Crown Prince, but recently the Imperial Concubine has been unwell, and I was worried about her, so I stayed behind."
Yu Chi Sheng glared coldly at Consort Lan, "If you're not feeling well, why did you run out of the palace? Not only are you making things difficult for yourself, but you're making things difficult for everyone else too?"
With tears welling up in her eyes, Consort Lan said, "Your Majesty, I was merely going to Prince Cheng's residence to visit Ling'er. Why are you so angry?"
"Ling'er didn't ask you to go!"
"Your Majesty, Ling'er is my own son. How can I rest easy knowing he's in such a state?"
"You're worried now? Then why were you so heartless when you sent Ling'er to the border? Do you know how old he was then? Since he didn't need you when he was young, now that he's grown up, does he still need your concern?" Yu Chisheng accused him bluntly.
"Your Majesty..." Consort Lan sobbed, trying to explain.
But Yu Chi Sheng interrupted her directly, "Don't tell me those things about being forced to do things for someone else, I'm tired of hearing them! The Crown Prince is the heir apparent, and no one can replace him unless I agree! Whether the Empress can rest in peace is my responsibility, don't always take it out on yourself! What you should be doing is figuring out how to repair your relationship with Ling'er!"
Consort Lan cried, "I know I have been unfair to Ling'er. How could I not want to mend our mother-son relationship? But that depends on his willingness! I am now caught between two difficult choices. Seeing how distant he is from me, I wish I could die in tears!"
Yu Chi Sheng stared at her, his chest heaving. After a long while, he said coldly, "Ling'er is now married and is very fond of his princess. If you can't get close to Ling'er, then be nicer to his princess. The men of the Ye family are all loyal to the emperor and protect the country, and the daughters of the Ye family are of good character. I believe she can help you repair your relationship with Ling'er!"
Zhu Huaning said softly, "Father, that's what I thought too. So today I accompanied the Noble Consort to Prince Cheng's residence, hoping to invite Princess Cheng to visit the palace more often. But I didn't expect Prince Cheng to be so protective and directly refused my and the Noble Consort's kindness."
Upon hearing this, Yu Chisheng angrily said, "Why did you go and cause trouble? The relationship between Prince Cheng and Consort Gui is cold because Consort Gui favors the Crown Prince. You even went to Prince Cheng's residence. Did you think Prince Cheng wasn't jealous enough of the Crown Prince? No wonder Prince Cheng's injury worsened after you left. It turns out you were just looking for trouble!"
Consort Lan and Zhu Huaning immediately exchanged a glance, both finding it unbelievable.
When they left, Prince Seung was perfectly fine, and they had only stayed for a quarter of an hour, during which they were subjected to all sorts of sarcastic and mocking remarks from him.
Why did Prince Cheng become seriously injured as soon as they left?
Seeing that they had nothing to say, Yu Chisheng directly issued an order: "Prince Cheng was already ashamed and dejected because of his physical disability and disfigurement. Now he has been injured because you took it upon yourselves to send people to Prince Cheng's residence. From today onwards, you are not allowed to go to Prince Cheng's residence again until Prince Cheng's injuries have healed!"
Consort Lan and Zhu Huaning were severely reprimanded, but they dared not utter a word in their defense and could only grit their teeth and accept his warning.
As soon as Yuchi Sheng left, Consort Lan erupted, "That scoundrel, is he trying to rebel now? He killed so many people, and in the end, not only was he innocent, but he also made me and the Crown Prince suffer the Emperor's reprimand! Even when we went to see him, he fabricated accusations against us!"
Zhu Huaning's beautiful eyes darted around coldly. "Your Majesty, ever since Prince Cheng and Ye Shishu became lovers, he has changed from being listless to being full of energy. Does he think that by winning over General Zhihe's Mansion, he has become more powerful and wants to deal with the Crown Prince? He already has 30% of the military power in the Great Ye Kingdom. If Ye Gengxin and his son are added to the mix, can the Crown Prince still hold onto his position?"
Consort Lan gritted her teeth and said, "He wants to be the Crown Prince? He'll only be able to do so if I die!" Seeing Zhu Huaning's worry, she took the initiative to comfort her, "Don't worry, Your Highness, Prince Cheng and Ye Shishu won't be on good terms for long!"
Seeing the calculation in her eyes, Zhu Huaning smiled and took her arm. "Your Majesty, please tell Ning'er what to do?"
……
evening.
Ye Gengxin brought his son to the Prince Cheng's residence.
Only after confirming that his daughter and son-in-law were truly alright did Ye Gengxin finally breathe a sigh of relief.
Seeing his son and daughter chatting happily, he excused himself to get some fresh air and left the master bedroom. Then he pulled Wenmo, who was waiting outside the door, to a corner and asked in a low voice, "Is Ninth Aunt at home?"
Wenmo replied, "General, Ninth Aunt has gone out on business and is not at home at the moment."
"When will she come back?"
"I don't know."
Ye Gengxin sighed heavily and said, "Tell the prince that I have something to attend to at my residence and will be returning first."
Wenmo nodded, "Respectfully seeing off the General!"
As soon as Ye Gengxin left, Ninth Aunt came out from the corner.
When Wenmo saw her, he asked with a puzzled look, "Ninth Aunt, why are you hiding? So many people want to marry into the General's Mansion, but unfortunately they are not destined for it. Now you have the chance to be the General's woman, why are you still not happy?"
Aunt Jiu rolled her eyes at him, "You think you know everything!"
Wenmo couldn't help but laugh.
Just as Ninth Aunt was about to leave, she saw Ye Shishu come out of the room.
"Your Highness," she said, bowing her head, "the tea on the stove is almost boiling, I'll go get it..."
"Ninth Aunt." Ye Shishu stepped forward and grabbed her arm. "My eldest and second brothers are in their room talking with the Prince. Shall we go for a walk in the garden?"
Aunt Jiu hesitated for a moment, then nodded.
In the past two weeks, Ye Shishu had only seen her on his wedding day. Apart from receiving her blessings, he hadn't had a chance to speak to her properly. Now that he had finally seen her, he was naturally afraid that she would run away again, so he held her hand tightly.
We arrived at the pavilion.
After pulling her to sit down, Ye Shishu began the conversation with some emotion, "Ninth Aunt, ever since you came into my life, I've never treated you like an outsider. Although I shouldn't bring up what happened that night, you and my father are both people I'm closest to and trust the most, and I can't ignore that..."
"Your Highness, I met with the General a couple of days ago and told him my thoughts." Ninth Aunt interrupted before she could finish, "The General is loyal, upright and incorruptible, and is deeply respected and loved by the people of Daye. I do not want the General's reputation to be tarnished because of me."
Although there were no lights in the pavilion, Ye Shishu could still see the determination in her dark eyes.
After sighing inwardly for her father, she took her aunt's hand and said, "Aunt, no matter what, I respect your choice. Just please don't leave again, okay? I really haven't been used to you being gone these past few days!"
Ninth Aunt smiled and said, "Alright, I won't leave. I will stay by your side and continue to serve you!"
Just as Ye Shishu was about to change the subject and talk about something else, a gatekeeper suddenly ran in from outside the courtyard.
Aunt Jiu quickly went to greet her and asked, "What happened?"
Upon seeing Ye Shishu in the pavilion, the guard bowed and reported, "Your Highness, the Prime Minister's wife heard that the Second Young Mistress had been ill since her marriage, so she went to the General's Mansion tonight to visit her. Then, claiming that the General's Mansion had no capable people, she forcibly took the Second Young Mistress away."