Reborn as the Crippled King's Beloved-Chapter 136 - The Emperor’s Thoughts Are Shocking to Hear
Chapter 136: Chapter 136 The Emperor’s Thoughts Are Shocking to Hear
Jun Yuyan didn’t keep her in suspense; he told her everything about what happened and the final outcome in one go.
Consort Jing was found poisoned by a palace maid in the middle of the night in the Empress Dowager’s palace. Fortunately, she was discovered in time, and the Imperial Medical Office found an antidote to treat her, saving her life.
Yet, she was sent back to Jingan Palace to recover in peace.
During the treatment of Consort Jing, the Emperor was enraged and ordered a thorough investigation, eventually discovering the poison in Consort Jing’s possession in Nanny Ning’s room.
“Of course, the Empress Dowager pleaded for Nanny Ning, and at that time, Father’s attitude became somewhat strange. This was indeed a case of both evidence and goods being caught red-handed. Originally, before the poison was found in Nanny Ning’s room, Father was furious, but afterward, he softened his stance, claiming that Nanny Ning must have been framed and trusted that she was not that kind of person.”
Such an attitude indeed warranted deep reflection.
Murong Jiu pondered for a moment and asked, “At this point, Consort Jing should still be in the palace receiving treatment. Did you observe her expression, Prince?”
Jun Yuyan smiled and kissed her forehead. How intelligent his Ah Jiu was.
“Consort Jing’s complexion was pale, but there was a flash of disappointment in her eyes.”
Disappointment…
Murong Jiu suddenly widened her eyes, “Could it be, Consort Jing staged this herself to test the Emperor?”
“Yes,” Jun Yuyan said with a deep look, “but the result of the test was probably not what she wished for.”
Murong Jiu exchanged a gaze with him, and that absurd conjecture again surfaced in her heart.
He seemed to know what she was thinking and sighed, “You’re not wrong. Father harbors taboo feelings towards the Empress Dowager.”
Murong Jiu quickly covered his mouth.
Even though they were in the Prince Mansion where no outsiders could hear, such bold words were disturbing.
Jun Yuyan chuckled, gently removed her hand, and wrapped it in his.
“This Qiyun Courtyard is so secure that not even a fly could enter. Here, Ah Jiu can say whatever she wants without worry.”
She remarked with feeling, “I never imagined that Consort Jing would be the Empress Dowager’s stand-in.”
“Indeed, who would have thought?”
If it weren’t known that the Emperor truly cared for Consort Jing and favored the Third Prince, his handling of the situation would not be questionable at all.
After all, in everyone’s eyes, Consort Jing was just an unfavored concubine, and even if it turned out that the poison came from the personal attendant of the Empress Dowager, would the Emperor ever deal with the Empress Dowager, whom he had always respected?
Who doesn’t know that the Emperor has always been extremely filial to the Empress Dowager?
However, the fact that the Emperor cherished Consort Jing, and liked the Third Prince, was strange given that Consort Jing almost died from the poison, and yet the Emperor easily glossed over it in the end. That was the biggest red flag.
Jun Yuyan said to Murong Jiu, “The reason I can be sure of Father’s feelings for the Empress Dowager is because I had someone look into an old matter.”
“What old matter?”
“When Father was still a Prince, he once requested the Former Emperor to grant him permission to marry the Empress Dowager as a Concubine, but the Former Emperor fancied the Empress Dowager himself and took her into the palace as the subsequent Empress. This old matter is known only by those who were at the Former Emperor’s side at the time; almost no one knows of this.”
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Murong Jiu had a sudden realization. So the Emperor had fancied the Empress Dowager many years ago?
“Were they in mutual love?”
In reality, the Empress Dowager and the Emperor were of a similar age, and the Empress Dowager was only the Empress for about a year before the Former Emperor passed away.
At that time, the Empress Dowager was still very young, and marrying the Former Emperor truly spoiled her promising life.
Jun Yuyan shook his head, “The Empress Dowager was betrothed early in life. The affections of both the Former Emperor and Father towards her were predatorial.”
Murong Jiu sighed heavily.
“The Empress Dowager often leaves the Imperial Palace to worship Buddha, most likely to avoid the Emperor,” she concluded.
And the Emperor, unable to obtain what he wanted, brought Consort Jing into the palace after encountering her, who bore a resemblance to the Empress Dowager. He made her a personal attendant, keeping her by his side at all times, until she bore the Dragon Seed.
The reason Consort Jing appeared at the Mid-Autumn Palace banquet was because the Empress Dowager had returned to the palace.
And that night, the Emperor’s gaze followed the Empress Dowager relentlessly, surely leaving Consort Jing feeling discontent.
People are always greedy. She mimicked the Empress Dowager in worshiping Buddha, her hands clutching the Buddha Beads, basking in the favoritism the Emperor showed her and the Third Prince. But she was not satisfied. She wanted to know if her many years of companionship had earned the Emperor’s true affection.
So she deliberately framed Nanny Ning by her side, heartlessly poisoning herself to see what place she held in the Emperor’s heart.
She wanted to see who mattered more to the Emperor between her and the Empress Dowager.
The outcome was her loss; what the Emperor cared more about was the Empress Dowager, and all she got was a weak and frail body.
Murong Jiu had no interest in judging Consort Jing.
Calling her ruthless was accurate, as she dared to harm herself; but she insistently sought to clarify her importance as a substitute in the Emperor’s heart, which could only be described as foolishness.
Suddenly, she turned to Jun Yuyan and asked, “The Empress probably also suspects this could affect the Empress Dowager, right?”
The Empress was a clever woman, now aware that the person the Emperor truly cherished was Consort Jing. But with Consort Jing poisoned and no action taken against Nanny Ning, the Empress would perceive a significant inconsistency.
The Empress would surely make the connection.
“No, the Empress Dowager has already proposed to leave the palace for the Imperial Monastery, and the flames within the palace cannot touch her.”
Jun Yuyan spoke the truth.
Although the Emperor was reluctant to let the Empress Dowager leave the palace, there was no reason he could use to stop her, and he could only delay her departure for a few days, claiming to dote on her a little longer.
But that very night, Consort Jing’s condition suddenly worsened. Palace maids and eunuchs hurried to the Imperial Medical Office, and upon learning of this, the Emperor entered Jingan Palace through the main gate for the first time.
Even though the Emperor soon left, the lights in Jingan Palace remained on all night. And the Empress tested the waters, finding that the Emperor did not sleep in Yangxin Hall. He must have gone to Jingan Palace to keep Consort Jing company through the secret tunnels.
Meanwhile, the Empress Dowager took advantage of the Emperor’s distraction to leave the Imperial Palace early the next day.
The Empress stayed awake all night, her eyes rimmed with dark circles.
The Second Prince was summoned to the palace and, seeing his mother so haggard, quickly inquired about what had happened.
“Your father, the Emperor, truly cares about your Empress Grandmother!” the Empress said through gritted teeth, lowering her voice to the Second Prince, her eyes filled with anger.
The Second Prince was incredulous.
This was too implausible, too shocking to hear.
“Mother, let us not speak of this again!” he insisted.
“How can I not speak of it! Your father covets his nominal mother! A royal scandal, a royal scandal indeed!” she exclaimed.
The Second Prince hastily said, “Mother, does this not concern us? Isn’t what matters most the Emperor’s position? Whom he truly cherishes in his heart is irrelevant, right?”
“You’re right, you’re right. No matter if Consort Jing is a substitute or not, her son, the Third Prince, remains the greatest threat! And Consort Jing too, if the Emperor cares for her, she must be eliminated completely!”
The Second Prince advised:
“Hasn’t Consort Jing been poisoned? We need not rush with her. As for the Third Younger Imperial Brother, I have already sent people. Good news should arrive shortly. Mother, you must keep calm.”
