Chapter 384: Chapter Two Hundred and Twenty-Nine: A Slap in the Face_2
"Don’t you think the Emperor is acting recklessly?" The Empress seemed different today; on a typical day, she would definitely find the sudden promotion of Yingpin to Princess Consort Ying inappropriate.
"You still don’t know? The Emperor elevating Yingpin to Princess Consort Ying is a slap in the face to Noble Princess Consort Rong," Empress Xie said with a full smile. "Noble Princess Consort Rong sent an assassin to kill Yingpin, and as a result, the Emperor immediately promoted Yingpin to Princess Consort Ying. Isn’t that a slap in the face to Noble Princess Consort Rong?"
Jiang Chuan finally understood. His face showed a look of realization: "So, the Emperor has already discovered that the mastermind behind the assassination of Consort Ying is Noble Princess Consort Rong."
"Otherwise, why would the Emperor suddenly order the promotion of Yingpin to Princess Consort Ying?" Empress Xie thought of Noble Princess Consort Rong being furious in Yongxin Palace and felt even more delighted. "Noble Princess Consort Rong’s face has been swollen by the Emperor."
"My lady, why doesn’t the Emperor just punish Noble Princess Consort Rong directly, after all, she sent someone to assassinate Consort Ying?"
"Compared to directly punishing Noble Princess Consort Rong, promoting Yingpin to Princess Consort Ying is much more humiliating to Noble Princess Consort Rong." Empress Xie laughed, "I never expected the Emperor to be so ruthless. This time, the Emperor didn’t even care about Noble Princess Consort Rong’s dignity at all."
"What Noble Princess Consort Rong has always been most proud of is the Emperor’s favoritism towards her. She always thought she was the most beloved woman of the Emperor. Boldly sending someone to assassinate Consort Ying, wasn’t it because she thought the Emperor wouldn’t blame her? Didn’t she believe no one was more important to the Emperor than her? But now..."
At this point, Empress Xie laughed again, but not as loudly as before.
"In the Emperor’s heart, Noble Princess Consort Rong isn’t that important. To compensate for Yingpin’s grievances, the Emperor directly promoted her to a consort. Once she enters the palace, she will surely steal the Emperor’s favor from Noble Princess Consort Rong. If Consort Ying is fortunate, she will soon be pregnant with the imperial seed, and maybe she will be promoted to Noble Consort, and then Noble Princess Consort Rong will completely lose favor. Do you think I should be happy?"
"You should be happy," Jiang Chuan sighed, "I really didn’t expect the Emperor to act like this."
"The Emperor’s move is even more ruthless than directly punishing Noble Princess Consort Rong," Empress Xie said smilingly. "It seems the Emperor is truly angry with Noble Princess Consort Rong this time."
"Noble Princess Consort Rong directly sent someone to assassinate Consort Ying, how could the Emperor not be angry?" Jiang Chuan said, "I said before that Noble Princess Consort Rong would definitely anger the Emperor this time, but you didn’t believe me."
"I also thought that Noble Princess Consort Rong was very important in the Emperor’s heart. Now it seems I was wrong. I have been deceived by that wicked woman Noble Princess Consort Rong all these years," Empress Xie said, slightly squinting her eyes, a glimmer of sharp light flashing through them. "However, this shows that the Emperor favors Consort Ying very much."
"My lady, compared to Noble Princess Consort Rong, Consort Ying is easier to deal with after all, she has no children, whereas Noble Princess Consort Rong can still rely on Prince Dai."
Empress Xie understood the implication. She nodded and said, "I now understand why my brother arranged for Qin Xiulian to get close to the Emperor."
"Empress, now it seems Consort Ying is most likely to defeat Noble Princess Consort Rong."
"I didn’t expect the Emperor to love Si Youying so much, even her replacement is so favored," Empress Xie said, a deep sense of jealousy rising in her heart. "The Emperor’s true love is Si Youying, not Noble Princess Consort Rong, who grew up with him from childhood."
"It appears to be so."
"Luckily Si Youying is dead, otherwise..." If Si Youying were alive, perhaps there wouldn’t be a Noble Princess Consort Rong, or even herself as the Empress.
"What should we do next, my lady?"
"You personally take some gifts to the Qin Mansion and say some words to Consort Ying," Empress Xie beckoned to Jiang Chuan, who walked over to her side.
Empress Xie whispered some instructions in her ear.
After hearing this, Jiang Chuan hurriedly prepared gifts for Consort Ying and then left the palace to head to the Qin Mansion.
On her way out of the palace, Jiang Chuan encountered Noble Princess Consort Rong heading to the Imperial Study.
Noble Princess Consort Rong was seen angrily heading towards the Imperial Study. She wanted to follow and see the drama unfold, but she had to leave the palace to meet Consort Ying.
Sun Doudou, guarding at the entrance of the Imperial Study, felt a slight heaviness in his heart upon seeing Noble Princess Consort Rong and then immediately put on a smile and bowed, "Greetings, honor..."
He hadn’t finished his words when Noble Princess Consort Rong pushed him aside and directly entered the Imperial Study.
Sun Kui saw Noble Princess Consort Rong entering the Imperial Study without being announced and hurried to stop her, but was also pushed aside by Noble Princess Consort Rong.
"Noble Consort..."
The Emperor glanced at Sun Kui, who immediately understood and respectfully withdrew.
Seeing the Emperor, Noble Princess Consort Rong’s eyes immediately reddened, tears welling up with grievance.
The Emperor observed her angry and aggrieved expression without reacting. Normally, he would have been distressed and asked her what was wrong with concern.
Seeing the Emperor calmly watching her without saying a word, Noble Princess Consort Rong felt even more aggrieved and miserable, unable to hold back tears from sliding down her cheeks.
"Your Majesty..." The word "Your Majesty" was filled with grievance.
The Emperor said indifferently, "You sent someone to assassinate Consort Ying, and you feel wronged?"
"Your Majesty, she is not Si Youying, she is not!"
"So, you sent someone to assassinate her?" The Emperor looked at Noble Princess Consort Rong expressionlessly, "She is my concubine!"
Noble Princess Consort Rong looked at the Emperor, silently crying with a very sorrowful expression.
"Your Majesty..."
"Who gave you the courage to send someone to assassinate my concubine?" The Emperor’s voice suddenly became extremely cold, "Have I spoiled you too much, making you so unruly?"
Noble Princess Consort Rong couldn’t believe the Emperor would say such words to her, "Your Majesty..."
"I have matters to attend to, leave now!"
"Your Majesty..."
The Emperor frowned and said, "Leave!"
Sun Kui came in and respectfully "escorted" Noble Princess Consort Rong out.
Empress Xie, after learning that Noble Princess Consort Rong had gone to the Imperial Study to find the Emperor and was driven out by him, laughed so hard that her stomach ached.
The enmity between Noble Princess Consort Rong and Consort Ying was temporarily of no concern to Zhao Yao and Liang Zhaoyi.
After Zhao Yao was brought back to the palace by the Emperor, he complained to Liang Zhaoyi about the Emperor competing with him for food at Baihe Temple. He also told Liang Zhaoyi that he was almost silenced by the assassin targeting Qin Xiulian, but luckily, a Hidden Guard appeared to save her.
He asked Liang Zhaoyi if she had known that the Emperor had dispatched Hidden Guards to protect him.
Liang Zhaoyi didn’t hide the truth and honestly told Zhao Yao that the Emperor had always assigned Hidden Guards to protect him; otherwise, she wouldn’t have felt comfortable with him leaving the palace alone.
Zhao Yao cleverly refrained from asking why the Emperor sent Hidden Guards to protect him. Some things he figured out today.
Liang Zhaoyi initially thought Zhao Yao would ask why, but unexpectedly Zhao Yao asked nothing and pretended as if he knew nothing.
Zhao Yao didn’t bring up the incident at Baihe Temple again. Seeing Liang Zhaoyi painting peach blossoms, he recalled the birthmark on Ding Yuan’s back.
"Mother, do you know of anyone with a birthmark that looks like peach blossoms?"
"Peach blossoms?" Liang Zhaoyi asked in surprise, "You mean a birthmark that looks like peach blossoms?"
"That’s right, I feel like I’ve seen it somewhere, but I can’t remember where, have you seen it, Mother?"
"The previous dynasty’s Noble Consort Pei had a peach blossom birthmark."
"What, Noble Consort Pei?" Zhao Yao exclaimed, "So Ding Yuan is a Pei family member?"