629 The Truth Back Then
Upon hearing that Consort Yun was here, the Emperor and Empress’s expressions turned ugly.
The person the Empress hated the most in her life was Consort Yun. She did not want to see her at all.
The Emperor was not any better than the Empress. Although he was not a qualified father, he was definitely not a promiscuous and fatuous ruler. Other than the palace maids, he only had two women in his harem, his wife, the Empress, and Consort Yun.
Consort Yun was not someone who knew her place. She had to make a fuss every few days, but when she made a fuss, the Emperor ignored her. He only said that she was not allowed to make a fuss in his and the Empress’s palace.
Today was strange. This woman had forgotten about the Emperor’s decree.
The Emperor was in a terrible fix and did not have the time to pay attention to her. He said to the outside of the hall, “Tell her that I’ve discussed important matters with the Empress and ask her to go back!”
The palace servants went to pass the message, but after a while, they came back and said awkwardly, “Consort Yun said that she won’t leave if you don’t see her.”
The Emperor slapped the table!
In the face of her love rival, the Empress could not be bothered to be angry with the Emperor. She tidied her clothes and wiped the tears off her face. She said indifferently, “I’ll go see her.”
This was under the Emperor’s nose. He was not worried that the Empress would be bullied, so the Emperor did not dissuade her.
The Empress left the bedchamber majestically surrounded by the palace servants. She had long restrained her weakness in front of the Emperor and displayed the sharpness and domineeringness of the mother of a country.
The palace servants on both sides lowered their heads, not daring to look at their Empress.
Consort Yun stood on the limestone floor outside the palace gate.
The two concubines were already at the age of grandmother, and there were traces of time on their faces. However, when they were young, they were still top-notch beauties and had taken good care of themselves. They looked to be in their forties.
The Empress was graceful, and Consort Yun was charming.
Consort Yun looked at the Empress’s clearly crying eyes, snorted, and bowed perfunctorily. “Sister greets the Empress. Long live the Empress.”
The Empress was furious when she saw her pretentious appearance. She glanced at her indifferently and said, “Put away your hypocritical appearance. No one in the world wants me to die earlier than you.”
Consort Yun rolled her eyes. “So what if I do? Isn’t the Empress still alive and well?”
“How dare you!” The female official beside Consort Yun said coldly.
Consort Yun slapped her and said sternly, “Who do you think you are? Who are you to criticize me when I’m talking to the Empress?”
Smack!
It was the Empress who slapped Consort Yun’s face.
“Who do you think you are! When is it your turn to discipline my servants?” The Empress said coldly.
In the past, the Empress was not so sharp and domineering. Today, she had been agitated and the anger in her heart was too great. Consort Yun had agitated her again and she actually used force without anywhere to vent.
She was wearing nail guards, and the sharp nail cut a long wound on Consort Yun’s face. Blood rolled out.
Consort Yun touched her face and looked at the blood beads on her fingertips. She sneered. “The Empress can’t keep her cool just like that? Let me guess, did His Majesty reject the Empress’s plea? Thinking about it, it makes sense. His biological daughter is imprisoned and won’t be able to turn things around for the rest of her life. If I were the Empress, I would also be furious.”
The Empress clenched her fists, her fingertips digging into her flesh.
Consort Yun smiled sarcastically and said, “I heard that the Eldest Princess has returned. His Majesty must want to acknowledge her very much, right? What should we do? When she inherits the throne, I’ll be the Empress Dowager of Nanzhao. Sister, guess what she’ll do to you and your children?”
The Empress raised her hand again.
Consort Yun grabbed her wrist. “Sister, be careful. I’m not someone without someone to rely on. His Majesty will have to beg me in the future, let alone you.”
The Empress gritted her teeth and said, “Don’t be happy too early!”
Consort Yun smiled faintly and said, “I said that my child would come back. Sister, you’ve racked your brains, but in the end, it was all for nothing. I heard that the Little Princess used my daughter to exchange for the holy artifact, but it refused to acknowledge her as its master. The holy artifact traveled a thousand miles and recognized my little grandchild. Sister, what do you think this is? I think it’s fate. What do you think?”
The Empress looked at her in disgust. It was unknown how much strength she used to hold back from slapping her.
Consort Yun raised her eyes to the sky and slowly raised her arms. She could not hide her joy as she said, “All these years, I’ve been looking forward to that child’s return every day. Sister must also be looking forward to that child never coming back, but it seems that… the heavens are on my side. Didn’t Sister say that I’m pregnant with a jinx? Then Sister, why don’t you open your eyes and see how this jinx returns to the palace step by step and avenge herself!”
“Are you done!” The Emperor walked out with a dark expression.
Consort Yun snorted angrily and reluctantly put away her airs. She turned around and bowed. “Your Majesty.”
The Emperor did not even look at her. He walked to the Empress’s side and held her arm. He said warmly, “Are you alright?”
The Empress was so angry that she almost couldn’t stand. The Emperor had helped her just in time. If he had been two steps later, she would have fainted.
The Empress panted and said, “I’m fine.”
Consort Yun rolled her eyes coldly. “Other than pretending to be magnanimous and pitiful, what else can you do? Aren’t you tired after pretending for so many years? Continue pretending. Anyway, you can’t pretend for long. His Majesty dotes on you, but others might not.”
This meant that after the Eldest Princess inherited the throne, she would not take this legitimate mother seriously.
In fact, with the Eldest Princess and the Empress relationship, it was really possible to throw the Empress and the Little Princess into the Cold Palace and let them have a taste of displacement.
The Emperor berated coldly, “Shut up!”
Consort Yun pinched her handkerchief enviously and said unwillingly, “Other than telling me to shut up, what else would Your Majesty do? The Empress is Your Majesty’s woman, but am I not? We’ve been husband and wife for a night and I’ve also given birth to a child for Your Majesty, but Your Majesty doesn’t even look at me! Why? Just because I was born inferior? Your Majesty even threw away my child! Alright! So be it! Don’t acknowledge her if you have the ability!”
The Emperor said in a deep voice, “You don’t have to interfere in my matters!”
Consort Yun smiled bitterly. “Is it true that in Your Majesty’s heart, everything I do is wrong, and everything the Empress does is right? There are some things that I’ve kept in my heart for a long time. In the past, Your Majesty was too lazy to listen to me, but now that my daughter has returned with the holy artifact, I think Your Majesty will hear me out even if it’s on her account.”
The Emperor wanted to refute, but he realized that he could not. Consort Yun was the former Consort Yun, but she was also no longer the former Consort Yun. If the Eldest Princess really wanted to inherit the throne, Consort Yun would become the Empress Dowager of Nanzhao.
His relationship with the Eldest Princess was already like walking on thin ice. If he did not treat her mother well, it would only make the relationship between the father and daughter even more stiff.
Consort Yun laughed self-deprecatingly. “I won’t say how I’ve lived all these years. As long as Your Majesty isn’t deaf or blind, you should know what kind of life I’ve led. There’s nothing in the world that makes a mother despair more than the separation of a mother and her child. But Your Majesty, do you know what’s even more despairing? It’s me and that child who didn’t have to suffer like this. It’s her! It’s the Empress!”
Tears welled up in Consort Yun’s eyes. She raised her hand and pointed at the pale Empress. “She colluded with the Old State Preceptor and gave my daughter the fate of a jinx! She caused my daughter to be abandoned by her father when she was born! Your Majesty is also doing this for the safety of the country. I can’t blame Your Majesty, but now that that child is back, I earnestly beg Your Majesty to give her justice!”
The Emperor’s temples throbbed. “Consort Yun… You… Don’t talk nonsense! You’re slandering the reputation of the Empress and the State Preceptor Hall! The old State Preceptor has passed away. Respect the deceased.”
Consort Yun interrupted him and almost roared, “What if the one who died is that child! It’s such big snow and such a long journey… Hasn’t Your Majesty thought that she might freeze to death and die of illness on the way? Isn’t it clear who the real jinx is?”
That’s right. Wasn’t it clear enough? Among the two Princesses, who stirred up the storm in Nanzhao and who calmed the hearts of the people? Was it difficult to judge?
But she was his and the Empress’s child after all. He did not believe that the Empress would do something to frame Consort Yun, nor did he believe that Nangong Yan was the true jinx.
Before dawn the next day, an urgent report came from the border.
The news of Prince Yan being kidnapped had accidentally leaked. The Great Zhou Emperor was furious and ordered Xiao Zhenting to personally take charge and lead a hundred thousand cavalry south!
The border of Nanzhao had fallen!
