Reborn as the Crippled King's Beloved-Chapter 137 - Caught on the Spot, Breaking Mores
Chapter 137: Chapter 137 Caught on the Spot, Breaking Mores
“Mother, rest assured, your son will never let anyone surpass you.”
The Second Prince knew of the Empress’s unease and soothed her patiently.
The Empress Dowager posed no threat; she only prayed to Buddha and stayed out of worldly affairs, and her family behind her kept a low profile, their descendants being nothing more than playboys with no real ability.
The only one who could threaten his mother’s position was the favored Consort Jing.
Regardless of whether Jing was a substitute, the affection she and The Third Prince had received over the years was real.
As the investigation deepened, the Second Prince realized that the Emperor had paid an extraordinary amount of attention to that younger brother; all the subordinates in The Third Prince’s Mansion had been personally appointed by the Emperor, some with high martial arts skills and others with shrewd minds, none inferior to his own aides.
For years, everyone had been deceived by the Emperor, and he himself had been bitterly misled.
Hadn’t he always been working hard to gain the Emperor’s recognition?
Only recently had he come to understand that no matter how hard he tried, he could never compare to even a single finger of The Third Prince.
This content is taken from fгee𝑤ebɳoveɭ.cøm.
Favoritism runs deep.
How could they be the same as the son who had been showered with love from childhood?
The Second Prince only regretted that his realization had come too late; how his younger brother must have laughed at him in secret over the years.
Being a mere stepping stone for others? Impossible!
He was determined to make the Emperor regret his decisions!
But there was no need to discuss these thoughts with his mother. After having breakfast with her, he planned to pay his respects to the Emperor later.
Just then, an eunuch rushed in hurriedly.
“Your Highness, something has happened at the General’s Mansion!”
It turned out that news from outside the palace had come in, saying that something significant had happened at the General’s Mansion last night.
Curious, the Empress asked, “What’s such a big matter that you’re in such a rush?”
The eunuch replied, “It’s said that the Western Region Prince, Na Kesi, and the legitimate daughter of the General’s Mansion, Fu Baozhu, met in secret last night and were caught red-handed!”
“Oh?”
The Second Prince felt an inward surge of joy.
He hadn’t expected Na Kesi to act so quickly.
“Could it be that Hao’er has had a hand in pushing this along?”
The Empress asked.
The Second Prince nodded, gestured for the eunuch to leave, and said to the Empress in a low voice:
“In fact, Fu Baozhu is the legitimate daughter of the Yongning Marquis Manor, and Murong Jiu is the real daughter of General Fu. If Fu Baozhu can marry Na Kesi, your son can form an alliance with her, which could be useful in the future.”
The Empress was greatly shocked.
She had never imagined that Murong Jiu and Fu Baozhu had switched identities.
If this were revealed, it would surely cause a great sensation throughout the Capital City.
However, with the military might of the Western Regions, if they could support her son’s nurturing of private troops in secret, then should it come to the point of forcing the palace, they would have enough confidence.
Finally, she understood why her son insisted on marrying Murong Man.
Murong Man was from the Yongning Marquis Manor, and she was the biological elder sister of Fu Baozhu; their blood relationship could not be severed.
It took her a while to say:
“The people of the Western Region have wolf-like ambitions; Hao’er, you must be very careful.”
“Mother, have no worries, your son has everything under control. It’s possible that Na Kesi intentionally stirred up this issue, so as to ask Father for marriage. Since that’s the case, I might as well lend him a helping hand.”
Having lost his appetite for breakfast, the Second Prince excused himself and went straight to pay his respects to the Emperor.
The Emperor looked haggard, as if he hadn’t slept well. It was uncertain whether he was staying up in distress beside Consort Jing’s bedside.
The Second Prince sneered inwardly, yet his demeanor remained respectful as he casually mentioned the matter between Na Kesi and Fu Baozhu.
The Emperor immediately frowned.
“Utterly preposterous! When they send a Princess from the Western Regions to establish a marriage alliance, it is out of respect for our Great Yan. If we were to marry off the daughter of a General, it would be a sign of weakness on our part!”
As the Second Prince had anticipated, the Emperor was indeed angered.
That was to be expected; after all, the Emperor was not senile and prioritized the broader perspective and national prestige.
So, Na Kesi’s move was quite clever—intentionally causing an uproar so that everyone knew Fu Baozhu had lost her virtue to him, leaving the Emperor with no choice but to agree.
In this way, given the Emperor’s suspicious nature, he might even start doubting whether General Fu harbored a change of heart and deliberately let his precious daughter seduce the Prince of the Western Regions.
The Second Prince, of course, was happy to see such an outcome.
He had tried to win over General Fu several times to no avail. Since that was the case, it was better to start by shaking the Emperor’s trust in the Fu Family. Afterward, it would be even more convenient for him to take action.
The Second Prince thought these plans through beautifully, unaware that at the moment, Na Kesi was being beaten to a pulp by the three Fu brothers.
Na Kesi had sneaked into the General’s Mansion in the dead of night and eloped with Fu Baozhu.
Fu Baozhu was more than willing to “cook the uncooked rice” with him, and they spent a very pleasant half-night together. Na Kesi had also prepared to be “discovered” in advance.
Everything went very smoothly until dawn when sleepiness suddenly overtook him, and he fell asleep just like that.
When he woke up, he was freezing cold, lying on the ground without a stitch of clothing, surrounded by a crowd of onlookers, while Fu Baozhu lay beside him, equally unclothed and unconscious.
Na Kesi’s face changed dramatically as he realized he had been set up. Just as he was about to leave with Fu Baozhu, the three Fu brothers appeared, furious, and attacked him without a word.
It was now too late to flee.
At least Fu Baozhu was covered by a piece of clothing courtesy of the Fu family, whereas he didn’t have a shred to cover himself, and with the brothers attacking below the waist in their rage, he feared his future ability to function as a man was in jeopardy.
He had no choice but to beg for mercy.
The three Fu brothers, though enraged, didn’t go as far as maiming or crippling him—after all, he was a Prince from the Western Regions, and the two nations had friendly relations. They couldn’t be too excessive, but Na Kesi’s face was beaten beyond recognition, swollen and bruised like a pig’s head.
Fu Baozhu had woken up by now, and the Fu people had hastily dressed her. Just as they were about to cover her face and take her home, Fu Baozhu suddenly knelt in front of her three brothers, pleading for mercy and asking them to approve of her relationship with Na Kesi.
The Fu family was furious to death, and it was a good thing that General Fu himself wasn’t there, as his temper would have surely led him to beat Na Kesi to a pulp on the spot.
In consideration of Fu Baozhu’s reputation, they had covered her face from the moment they arrived and had the maids dress her. But she, she had lost all decency befitting a young lady from a respectable family. To marry Na Kesi, she had gone to extremes.
Although the Fu brothers had guessed that Fu Baozhu was willing, the sight still nearly made them faint with anger.
The onlookers were gossiping.
“Oh my, I thought Miss Fu was forced, but it turns out she was willing!”
“Even if they are in love, they shouldn’t do such a thing! It’s so disrespectful and against customs!”
“In our clan, this would require punishment by submersion in a pig cage!”
“Now that everyone has seen her body, if she doesn’t marry the Prince from the Western Regions, I’m afraid she won’t be able to marry at all.”
“The legitimate daughter of the General’s Mansion has committed such a disgraceful act!”
