Chapter 1291 - 1291 May I See Princess Chen
Chapter 1291 May I See Princess Chen
“Infanta Yuan’an again?” Shao Wanru asked in surprise, “She is so capable, isn’t she?”
Chu Liuchen held her in his arms and spoke softly, “Even if it were not her, she would have to suffer the consequence. She gave the Changxing Gra.s.s to Zhang Qilan in private. Besides, she repeatedly slandered you before Zhang Qilan. All these things were because she heard something from the Empress: Chu Liuyue had asked to marry you. Out of jealousy, she targeted you.”
Sensing the warm and familiar scent she gave off in his arms, Chu Liuchen slightly tightened his grip. The woman in his arms was his treasure. He would never let anyone covet her.
“What did Infanta Yuan’an say?” Shao Wanru asked, lifting her eyebrows. She felt well after waking up, but Chu Liuchen did not allow her to get up. He had been holding her since he came back from the Palace.
Sensing his muscles bunch under her clothes, Shao Wanru didn’t dare to move. She obediently leaned against his chest and appeased him.
“She can’t say anything now!” Chu Liuchen held Shao Wanru’s hand and said with coldness in his beautiful eyes. Each plot was equipped with a backup plan. How could a foolish woman like Infanta Yuan’an arrange it?
“Something… happened to her?” Shao Wanru fluttered her long eyelashes twice and understood what Chu Liuchen meant.
“All the consorts, second consorts, and some inconspicuous concubines around Chu Liuzhou have been drugged. When those women heard the news in such a desperate situation, they asked Infanta Yuan’an for an explanation together. Everyone was pus.h.i.+ng and shoving while someone knocked Infanta Yuan’an out. She hasn’t woken up yet.”
It also happened today. Coincidentally, when Shao Wanru fainted outside, Infanta Yuan’an was also knocked unconscious.
Only Chu Liuzhou and his family were temporarily locked up in the Cold Palace. Except for Chu Liuzhou, most of the other people were women. Even if Infanta Yuan’an was Princess Zhou, she could only keep one servant girl. Other consorts and second consorts also had servant girls. Somehow, they heard that Infanta Yuan’an had poisoned them. In a rage, these women went to confront Infanta Yuan’an about it.
Everyone was locked up. In such a desperate situation, no one cared about Infanta Yuan’an’s higher status. As a result, Infanta Yuan’an slipped into a coma in the conflict. Although Chu Liuzhou was in the next room, he ignored these women’s affairs.
After that, he just asked someone to pull Infanta Yuan’an up and carry her to the bed. After this accident was reported to the Empress, he no longer paid attention to her.
“She hasn’t yet woken up? I’m afraid her life would be in danger!” Shao Wanru looked out of the window. It was dark outside. The wind whistled through the branches in pitch darkness.
Chu Liuchen didn’t care whether Infanta Yuan’an would live or die. He tenderly glanced at Shao Wanru and asked again, “Do you feel better?”
Since Shao Wanru woke up, he had asked this question more than a dozen times.
Shao Wanru smiled, reached out to take his big hand, and squeezed it hard. “Not bad. I’m fine. See? I woke up early. Qing’er is seriously injured.”
Qing’er was badly hurt, but since she was treated in time, she would recover without any aftereffects. Even if Shao Wanru knew about it, she was still worried and wanted to see her in person, but Chu Liuchen did not allow her to do so.
“I’ll arrange two more secret guards for you!” This incident greatly shocked Chu Liuchen. On full alert, he thought for a while and said. After all, Qing’er couldn’t serve Zhuozhuo at the moment.
“I won’t go out recently!” Shao Wanru smiled and reached out to rub Chu Liuchen’s tightened handsome face. They were lying in bed, whispering to each other without sleeping. Her aura of warmth and tenderness softened his gloominess.
“Won’t you go to your grandma’s mansion?” Chu Liuchen was still worried. Shao Wanru had an accident today because Zhang Qilan had calculated the route and time. She set up this vicious plan to harm Shao Wanru on her way to see Rui’an Great Elder Princess.
“Grandma was scared out of her wits. After she hurried over to see me, she didn’t allow me to go to her mansion again.” Shao Wanru said with a smile. Rui’an Great Elder Princess had come before she woke up and accompanied her until Chu Liuchen returned. Before leaving, she repeatedly told Chu Liuchen not to let Shao Wanru go alone to her mansion.
Chu Liuchen touched his head and smiled. He had heard it. But then, he had concentrated all his attention on Shao Wanru and didn’t pay attention to Rui’an Great Elder Princess’ words. He just nodded subconsciously back then. Remembering that, he said, “I forgot it. I didn’t notice it just now.”
Shao Wanru sensed the glimmer of amus.e.m.e.nt in his words, and her eyes softened. Her long eyelashes fluttered twice as she asked, “What about Zhang Qilan?”
“She attempted to murder you. I can’t spare her life!” Chu Liuchen said slowly in a low voice.
Shao Wanru couldn’t see his eyes, but she could feel the complete darkness in his heart. So, she turned around and snuggled close to him. After hesitating a little, she said, “Can you spare her life?”
In fact, what Zhang Qilan had done would not endanger her life. After all, she was still alive and well. But Chu Liuchen was different. As long as Chu Liuchen wanted to kill her, Zhang Qilan could not escape alive.
“She was determined to hurt you, but you want to keep her alive? Are you soft-hearted?” Chu Liuchen was so p.i.s.sed off by her suggestion that he nearly laughed.
“I’m not soft-hearted. She has become like this, so just let her be!” Shao Wanru said with a trace of pity across her watery eyes. At the beginning of their friends.h.i.+p, they had a wonderful time together. But in the end, their relations.h.i.+p ended up like this.
She was not soft-hearted — she only wanted to keep their fleeting wonderful memory.
But she just kept it in her heart. From now on, she would never see Zhang Qilan again, let alone pay attention to her life. She wouldn’t care about what would happen between her and Chu Liuyue.
Shao Wanru was a little downcast in his arms. Feeling it, Chu Liuchen thought for a while and said softly, “Okay! Then, let’s spare her life!”
Sparing her life was all that he would do. Zhang Qilan could never get any additional benefits from him.
Princess Yue’s plot against Princess Chen had been exposed, and it was actually Princess Zhou who incited her to do so. However, since Princess Zhou viciously poisoned other women of Prince Zhou, she was beaten unconscious. Now she was in a coma like a dead person.
Prince Zhou’s Mansion had been thoroughly searched. It turned out that Prince Zhou had long intended to rebel. A large number of weapons had been buried in Prince Zhou’s Mansion long ago. Once his scheme came to light, Prince Zhou could deploy his resources in time. There was another proof of this rebellion: a pair of phoenix hairpins found in Princess Zhou’s room. Only the Empress was allowed to use such phoenix hairpins.
But this pair of phoenix hairpins did not belong to the Empress.
Undoubtedly, Prince Zhou had plotted a rebellion. The Emperor was furious and completely enclosed Prince Zhou’s Mansion. Prince Zhou and all the womenfolk would be locked up in the mansion for the rest of their lives.
It meant Prince Zhou had lost his power. The Emperor was kind enough to spare his life because he was unwilling to kill his son. Otherwise, Prince Zhou would not have survived.
The Empress in the Palace was demoted to an imperial consort without a t.i.tle.
Consort Lan officially became n.o.ble Consort Lan. The position of the Empress in the imperial harem was vacant. Now, only n.o.ble Consort Lan and Consort of Virtue had the highest ranks. Consort of Virtue had the highest status, while n.o.ble Consort Lan took second place. The seal of the imperial harem was still in the hands of Consort of Virtue and Consort Ming. n.o.ble Consort Lan expressed her reluctance to take over this matter. Like before, she still lived a secluded life.
She did not allow any consorts in the Palace to visit her, nor would she go to see Consort of Virtue. She would not even pay a visit to the Empress Dowager. It seemed as if she were still an ordinary consort who was grounded.
Most people had never seen this n.o.ble Consort Lan. They only heard she was a rare beauty. When she was with the Emperor, he was still a Prince. At that time, few people cared about her appearance. After she entered the Palace, she was punished by forbidding leave from her place. Now it seemed that the Emperor only did that to protect her.
Over the years, the Emperor had been deeply in love with the mysterious Consort Lan. Many people couldn’t help guessing how Consort Lan could have achieved that. Compared with those new consorts in the Palace, Consort Lan was exceedingly beautiful. But no matter what, she was no longer young. How could she make the Emperor bear her in mind constantly?
Despite all kinds of guesses, Consort Lan was still the most favored and mysterious consort in the Palace. Even the Empress Dowager wouldn’t make excessive demands of her.
Zhang Qilan was indeed not dead, but her position as Princess Yue had been stripped. She was now a very common second consort. Madam of Prime Minister Zhang had visited her. Seeing Zhang Qilan lying there in despair like a bag of bones, she burst into tears.
“Mother, may I see Princess Chen?” Zhang Qilan’s tears had dried up. She stretched out her thin arm and held her mother’s hand.
“Why do you go to see her? She is fine, but you are as miserable as this!” Madam of Prime Minister Zhang cried. She knew her daughter had only herself to blame, but she was still anxious and angry at the sight of her lifeless daughter.
“Mother, it was my fault. I hurt her and let her down… I’m most awfully sorry for her!” Zhang Qilan shed tears again, and her eyes were full of pain. She regretted it very much.
“Mother, I beg you. I want to see her again and apologize to her in person.” Zhang Qilan cried bitterly. Obsessed with the wrong idea, she was misled by Infanta Yuan’an and made mistakes in a row. At last, she ended up in a miserable situation. As she made her bed, she must lie on it. She didn’t blame anyone but herself for being blinded by jealousy.
How could a person like her have an affair with Chu Liuyue? Shao Wanru, instead of her, would have married Chu Liuyue if they had been in love.
In fact, Shao Wanru had given her a clear hint. But it was a pity that Zhang Qilan failed to see through this matter. Besides, she was devoured by envy and hatred back then.
“Okay, I’ll give it a try. You… wait for me!” Seeing her daughter like this, Madam of Prime Minister Zhang knew she would not live long. Therefore, she agreed in tears.
“Mother, if she doesn’t want to… It doesn’t matter if she refuses to see me. Give this letter… to her. It is my last… last letter written before my death!” Zhang Qilan wiped away all her tears, and a smile appeared on her wizened face. At this time, she looked more like her old self before her marriage. She made less effort to put on a dignified look and appeared more unscrupulous.
The letter under the pillow was covered with tear stains. Once again, she looked at Madam of Prime Minister Zhang and emphasized, “Mother, don’t blame anyone for what happened to me. I suffer from my deeds. It has nothing to do with anyone else, not even Infanta Yuan’an. I have to eat my own bitter fruit. Please give the letter to Princess Chen!”