The Lucky Farmgirl-Chapter 1910 - 1885: Bitter Tears

The carriage slowly entered the city, then proceeded into the royal city, and finally made its way into the palace.

Officials working overtime during the holidays saw the carriage enter the palace, and they frowned slightly.

Being allowed to ride in a carriage inside the palace is a privilege usually reserved for the Empress Dowager and the Emperor-Empress, and sometimes for Princess Mingda.

This is due to Princess Mingda’s frail health, but she rarely uses this privilege, preferring to walk and skip around on her own.

Previously, Prince Gong had this privilege, but after Prince Gong was confined due to misconduct, it was revoked, so this carriage is...

Before they could step forward to investigate, palace servants had already brought out a sedan chair. Four sturdy eunuchs carefully lifted Prince Gong from the carriage, while four more sturdy eunuchs gently transferred him onto the sedan chair.

The Crown Prince, who was watching from the side, couldn’t resist rolling his eyes. It’s just a fractured right leg; is all this really necessary?

Not to mention that there are crutches, and one could hop down, right?

The officials, who intended to investigate, stopped in their tracks, watching from a distance. Then they gathered together, whispering, "What happened to Prince Gong?"

"It seems he injured his leg."

"Weren’t they going to Baiyun Temple in Yongzhou to pray for the Empress Dowager? How did he end up injuring his leg?"

"Could it be... that he’s permanently crippled?"

The words remained unspoken, but the implication was clear.

"He shouldn’t be; look at Lord Zhou Junior’s expression."

Everyone turned their gaze towards Zhou Man...

Manbao stood by idly, having been startled by the palace’s unexpected moves. Bai Shan and Bai Erlang beside her had also widened their mouths in shock.

Mingda and Changyu had already disembarked from the carriage. Due to the intense sunlight and fatigue from the journey, Mingda rarely took the opportunity to ride in the carriage, pulling Changyu along.

Bai Shan turned to Manbao and asked, "Can we follow you inside?"

The emperor’s maneuvers worried Bai Shan on behalf of Manbao.

The passing Crown Prince glanced at Bai Shan and said, "Follow along then."

He sensed a familiar aura, suspecting that he’d end up arguing with his father, and Bai Shan’s cleverness and articulate nature might help share the burden of scolding in place of Zhou Man.

With the Crown Prince’s nod, Bai Shan followed openly.

Bai Erlang sneaked through as well and joined them.

They made their way to Taiji Hall, where the Emperor and the Princess Consort Gong were waiting in the main hall. As soon as Prince Gong was carried inside, the Emperor stood up abruptly, rushing down from his seat, "Sanlang—"

Seeing the Emperor, a flood of grievances surged in Prince Gong’s chest, and he couldn’t help but call out, "Father—"

The Emperor approached to inspect his leg, only to be embraced tightly around the waist by Prince Gong, who was now in his twenties and stout, crying loudly, "Father, it hurts so much."

The Emperor couldn’t hold back his tears; his old tears fell as he patted his son’s back, while expressing sorrow as he examined Prince Gong’s leg, asking painfully, "How did you end up breaking your leg? Why are you so careless?"

Prince Gong began to speak, wanting to complain, "It was the Crown Prince..."

Bai Shan’s expression shifted slightly, pulling Manbao down into a kneeling position to interrupt him, "Your Majesty, we are guilty of failing to care for Prince Gong."

Manbao nodded repeatedly, indicating her acknowledgment of guilt.

The interruption reminded Prince Gong of Bai Shan’s words from the previous night, causing his expression to change several times. Just as the Emperor was lifting his head to look at Bai Shan and Zhou Man, the Empress noticed his expression change.

Unaware, Prince Gong hesitated briefly before ultimately deciding against complaining, reluctantly telling the Emperor, "Father, I slipped on my own."

The Emperor asked in confusion, "What were you saying about the Crown Prince just now?"

The Crown Prince lifted his gaze to glance at Prince Gong.

Prince Gong, facing away, didn’t see him and simply said, "The Crown Prince took good care of me today."

Prince Gong often praised the Crown Prince, even though the Crown Prince never showed much appreciation for Prince Gong, leaving the Emperor unsure whether to believe him or not. He squinted at the Crown Prince, Bai Shan, and Manbao, ultimately focusing on Zhou Man. With a stern voice, he asked, "I heard from the servants that when Prince Gong broke his leg, you were in the room treating him? How did he break his leg during treatment?"

Manbao opened her mouth, looking at Prince Gong. How should she explain this?

Truthfully speaking, was Prince Gong kicking a table?

Her hesitation made the Emperor even more suspicious, causing him to narrow his eyes further as he scrutinized them.

Bai Shan wasn’t about to let Manbao lie about the situation. As a physician, she couldn’t lie about medical conditions.

But whether they spoke the truth or not was up to them.

They could admit fault, but they couldn’t reveal the full truth themselves.

Sure enough, when the three lowered their heads, the usually silent Crown Prince interjected, "Zhou Man is just a physician; she couldn’t stop Prince Gong from kicking the table..."

This matter couldn’t be concealed. Rather than waiting for the Emperor to learn the details from the guards and accompanying servants, it was better for him to reveal it.

Prince Gong didn’t expect that his considerate gesture on behalf of the Crown Prince would be betrayed by the Crown Prince. He was momentarily furious, but held back his anger in front of his father, simply clinging to him and crying again.

Crying children get milk, as the Emperor tenderly patted Prince Gong, demanding of the Crown Prince, "Why did Sanlang go kicking tables out of the blue? Did you see it?"

"Didn’t see it; I was already gone by then. But the incident in the palace isn’t a secret; if you don’t believe me, ask Mingda and Changyu."

The Emperor turned to look at his two daughters.

Changyu bowed her head, while Mingda nodded.

The Emperor, both annoyed and distressed, asked Prince Gong, "Why were you kicking tables for no reason? If you’re angry, break things, but don’t harm yourself."

Prince Gong opened his mouth, having struggled with his conscience earlier to praise the Crown Prince, now found it difficult to reverse his position in front of his father.

The Crown Prince openly admitted, "Perhaps because I scolded him?"

The Emperor flew into instant rage, "Why were you scolding Sanlang?"

Despite his furious demeanor, everyone present could sense that the Emperor’s anger towards the Crown Prince wasn’t as intense as initially, or else he wouldn’t have outwardly displayed it.

The Crown Prince wasn’t about to reveal his innermost thoughts to the Emperor, merely huffing, "So what if I scolded him? I wasn’t wrong. Father, you have no idea how useless he is. Despite learning martial arts from Martial Arts Master for so long, when I dragged him to the martial arts field to spar, he couldn’t even match one move. To top it off, after a couple of falls, he started clamoring for medical attention, and even after receiving treatment, he was picky."

Prince Gong couldn’t hold back any longer, exclaiming, "I didn’t ask for medical attention; Mingda brought her to me."

If he had known that treatment by Zhou Man would result in such consequences, he’d never have opted for it.

Even the Emperor couldn’t resist saying to Prince Gong, "Your sister meant well; how can you blame her for it?"

Prince Gong immediately gave in. He knew it; compared to Mingda, his father unquestionably favored Mingda.

And given Zhou Man’s friendship with Mingda, it seemed this matter couldn’t be settled with her either, leaving Prince Gong dispirited.