Wei Yu followed Consort Chen’s words, “The Princess Consort of Ding'an has the Grand Tutor’s prophecy, her blessings are deep, and her fate is noble. She will surely be alright.”
The Empress Dowager nodded in agreement.
Consort Chen glanced at Wei Yu, unable to discern if her sincerity was genuine or feigned, and did not respond.
Consort Wei, however, said, “Yu’er is right. The Princess Consort of Ding'an has always managed to turn misfortune into good fortune. She will be fine.”
But regardless of whether Wang Qingyao was alright, the Emperor would never agree to marry the Fifth Princess as a secondary consort to the Prince of Ding'an.
Furthermore, this incident would prompt him to marry off the Fifth Princess in haste.
At this moment, the Emperor, worried that Wang Qingyao might die during childbirth, was increasingly irritable. He waved his hand, ordering the Fifth Princess to be dragged back to her palace and kept under strict guard.
The Fifth Princess naturally refused. She had finally managed to see the Emperor, and there were so many things she wanted to say. Being dragged away now would make it difficult to see the Emperor again.
“Please, Father Emperor, grant my wish! Father Emperor, please grant your daughter’s wish! Your daughter cannot live without the Prince of Ding'an. If I cannot marry the Prince of Ding'an, I would rather die!”
The Emperor, enraged, grabbed a teacup and smashed it at her feet, saying coldly, “Then go and die!”
The Fifth Princess trembled all over!
Her peripheral vision caught Wei Yu shaking her head slightly. She lowered her head and wept silently, as if heartbroken by the Emperor’s words. She no longer struggled and slowly walked out with those who had come to escort her.
Just then, a palace maid rushed in, her face beaming with joy, her voice loud and urgent, “It’s alright, it’s alright! The Princess Consort of Ding'an has given birth to a pair of twins, a boy and a girl. Both are safe and sound, safe and sound!”
A chorus of “Heaven’s blessings, Heaven’s blessings” immediately erupted in the hall!
Consort Chen could no longer contain herself and walked out to see the children. Consort Wei and the Empress Dowager also rose.
The Emperor let out a long sigh of relief.
The Fifth Princess also showed a look of joy on her face. She turned to look at Wei Yu, only to see Wei Yu with a blank expression, her eyes filled with frost.
The Fifth Princess was startled.
However, this was not the time to speak. She could only return to her palace and wait.
Her birth mother, Yue Changzai, was still unaware of the major events that had transpired. She thought that since the Fifth Princess had seen the Emperor and the Empress Dowager today, perhaps she would no longer have to marry for alliance. With a joyful expression, she went to greet her, intending to ask a few questions. But she saw the Fifth Princess’s eyes were red and swollen, her forehead bruised, and her face was in a sorry state.
She was greatly alarmed, “What happened?” She feared that the Fifth Princess had offended the Emperor and the Empress Dowager.
The Fifth Princess did not wish to speak to her; it would be useless. Her mother, a mere Changzai, could do nothing. If she could truly help, the Fifth Princess would not have risked taking a gamble and cooperating with Wei Yu.
Wei Yu was the Crown Princess-to-be, the future Empress. Once she married the Crown Prince, she would be the most powerful figure in the inner palace, second only to the Empress Dowager.
No matter how pleasant Consort Wei’s words were, she was merely a concubine. The Crown Princess, however, was lawfully wedded.
Therefore, when Wei Yu approached her, she agreed without hesitation.
“As long as you push the Princess Consort of Ding'an,” Wei Yu had said at the time, “She has offended me, and I wish to teach her a lesson.”
“Don’t worry, she won’t die. I’ve already asked the doctor. For a pregnant woman on the verge of childbirth, it will only induce premature labor and cause some discomfort…”
“Moreover, even if she truly dies because of this, can the Emperor kill his own daughter to avenge an outsider?”
“Be sincere in your attitude, do not shirk responsibility. Say what happened, it was an accident, you didn’t do it on purpose.”
The Fifth Princess hesitated. It wasn’t that she doubted her ability to escape unscathed; nothing could be worse than being married off for an alliance.
She was unsure if this would allow her to achieve her goal of marrying into the Prince of Ding'an’s household.
If Wang Qingyao truly died from her push, wouldn’t the Prince of Ding'an hate her for the rest of his life? How could he possibly be willing to marry her then?
Wei Yu smiled and said, “With an imperial decree from the Emperor, no matter how strong the Prince of Ding'an is, can he defy it? Once you are married, why worry about the future? With me and the Crown Prince supporting you, how dare the Prince of Ding'an treat you poorly?”
But why would the Emperor bestow such a marriage?
How could a dignified princess be married off as a concubine?
A secondary consort was also a concubine.
“What is so difficult about that?” Wei Yu said confidently, “As long as you and the Prince of Ding'an have some physical intimacy… Besides, wouldn’t it be even better if she died? If she dies, you won’t have to be a concubine. With your status as a princess, can’t you become the primary consort to the Prince of Ding'an?”
The Fifth Princess blushed and believed Wei Yu’s words.
Now that she couldn’t go anywhere, she reviewed Wei Yu’s words in her mind. She recalled Wei Yu’s expression upon hearing the news of Wang Qingyao and her child’s safety, and a vague sense of unease began to creep in.
Why did Wei Yu seem so desperate for Wang Qingyao to die?
Did she not want to teach Wang Qingyao a lesson, but rather use her to kill Wang Qingyao?
The Fifth Princess broke out in a cold sweat at her own thought.
If that were the case, would Wei Yu still help her?
If she failed to help Wei Yu achieve her goal, Wei Yu would certainly ignore her.
At this moment, the Fifth Princess’s first thought was not anger at being used and deceived, but fear that Wei Yu would no longer help her, and she would be married off for an alliance by the Emperor!
She felt a pang of regret for not having been more ruthless earlier. If Wei Yu had been clear about her intentions, she would not have held back, and Wang Qingyao would not have survived.