activa-t Chapter 109 The Ruthless and Cold-Hearted Emperor and His Beloved Concubine 7
Chapter 109 The Ruthless and Cold-Hearted Emperor and His Beloved Concubine 7
At the palace banquet
"Why hasn't the Crown Prince arrived yet?" Empress Xiao asked anxiously. The palace banquet had already begun, but the Crown Prince had not yet arrived. Was he not coming?
The position that should belong to the Crown Prince is occupied by only the Crown Princess; the scene looks utterly desolate.
Ruyue didn't know what was going on either, but the Crown Prince had indeed promised to come, so she could only comfort him, "Your Highness, don't worry, His Highness is... it's alright if he's a little late."
Empress Xiao's eyes reddened with anxiety, and she felt sorry for the Crown Prince's situation: "My poor son."
"Your Majesty, please don't rush, wait a little longer," Ruyue gently advised. With so many people around, it wouldn't be good if Your Majesty lost your composure.
Empress Xiao wiped her eyes and glanced at the palace entrance from time to time.
Consort Chen looked at the Empress with a disdainful smirk. How could someone as proud as the Crown Prince come to such an occasion to be ridiculed?
Although no one dared to say it outright, just thinking about it makes you realize how embarrassing that situation must have been.
"Your Majesty, I offer you a toast, wishing you health and happiness." Consort Chen picked up her wine cup and looked at Emperor Jingyuan with a coquettish expression.
Emperor Jingyuan, of course, would not refuse her request, and picked up the wine cup and drank it with a smile.
Consort Xian, not wanting to be outdone, also spoke up: "Your Majesty, your humble servant and Ze'er respectfully wish Your Majesty boundless happiness."
"Long live the Emperor!" Prince Xiao Ze of Ying said with a grin.
Emperor Jingyuan laughed heartily: "Good."
Consort Xian's smugness made Consort Chen's eyes darken slightly. All she knew was to say nice things. She glared at the good-for-nothing Prince Cheng, wondering why he didn't know how to say something nice to please his father, the Emperor.
King Cheng curled his lip indifferently and continued drinking. What did that brat King Ying know? All he did was eat, drink, and have fun.
Now that the Crown Prince has fallen, the Emperor can only rely on him, and Prince Cheng secretly felt smug.
The back-and-forth between the concubines made Empress Xiao even more anxious. She hadn't missed Consort Chen's disdainful look, nor had she seen Consort Xian's smugness.
But what can be done now? Her son…
"His Highness the Crown Prince has arrived..." As the eunuch announced, a tall figure walked in through the palace gate.
It's the Crown Prince!
He stood up and could walk!
Everyone stared in shock as the Crown Prince walked in. Empress Xiao even staggered to her feet, her eyes wide as she watched him enter.
"Father, Mother, I am late. Please forgive me."
The crown prince, tall and imposing, slowly knelt down, his movements fluent and steady.
Emperor Jingyuan said loudly, "Good, it's alright, it's good that the Crown Prince has arrived."
"Father, I have personally written this 'Longevity Scroll' to wish you health and longevity, as long as the Southern Mountains." The Crown Prince stood up and gestured for Xiao Shunzi to present it.
"Haha, good, as expected of my son. I have received the Crown Prince's filial piety." Emperor Jingyuan was very satisfied with his son, so he made him the Crown Prince early on.
Despite his previous leg injury, he naturally had no intention of abandoning his mission. As long as he was there, he would do everything he could to help the Crown Prince overcome all difficulties.
"Thank you, Father Emperor."
"Please sit down."
"Yes."
The Crown Prince led Chu Yue to her seat, and the Crown Princess looked at him in surprise, not expecting that the Crown Prince had recovered.
"Your Highness, I congratulate you," the Crown Princess said softly as she stood up.
The Crown Prince did not speak, but looked at Chu Yue behind him and gestured for her to sit down.
Chu Yue bowed to the Crown Princess: "This concubine greets the Crown Princess..."
"Consort Chu is here too. You've worked hard taking care of His Highness these past few days. I won't treat you unfairly," the Crown Princess said with a smile.
"It's all what I should do... Taking care of Your Highness is not hard work for me." Chu Yue understood the Crown Princess's words perfectly well, but she had no way to refute them.
"Sit down." The Crown Prince's face darkened. Was this how they interacted?
The Crown Princess clearly bullied Consort Chu by abusing her status. Consort Chu refused to do any hard work, but afterwards she complained.
"Your Highness, Consort Chu's seat is not here," the Crown Princess gently reminded her.
Chu Yue's face turned pale, and she stood there with her head down.
The Crown Prince glanced coldly at the Crown Princess: "If I say it's here, then it's here."
The Crown Princess was taken aback for a moment, then quickly adjusted her attitude: "Consort Chu, His Highness asked you to sit down, so please sit down."
The seat next to the Crown Prince is reserved for the Crown Princess, but now Consort Chu is also sitting there, which makes the Crown Princess feel uncomfortable.
Chu Yue sat down gently, fearfully moving closer to the Crown Prince, her eyes unsure of where to look.
"Don't be afraid, I'm here for you."
Seeing that she looked unwell, the Crown Prince whispered a word of comfort to her.
Chu Yue nodded: "Yes, Your Highness..."
The Crown Princess felt uneasy watching the interaction between the two. How could Consort Chu have caught His Highness's eye in just a few days?
Judging from His Highness's expression, he felt great pity for Consort Chu, something that had never happened before. Even she, the Crown Princess, had never received His Highness's attention, whether before or after His Highness was injured.
Empress Xiao finally breathed a sigh of relief. Although she didn't know how the Crown Prince had suddenly recovered, it was still a good sign, and the Crown Prince would no longer be ridiculed.
Consort Chen was shocked when the Crown Prince entered, not understanding why he had suddenly recovered when he was so badly injured and could only use a wheelchair.
Now there was no problem at all. Consort Chen looked at Prince Cheng, who was equally shocked. The mother and son both had dark eyes and were equally puzzled.
"Congratulations, Your Majesty! I offer you a toast." Prince Cheng raised his wine cup and looked at the Crown Prince.
The crown prince glanced at him and said coldly, "Congratulations."
King Cheng's lips twitched. What was there to celebrate? He wasn't crippled.
"Your Majesty is still as fond of joking as ever. It's only been a few days, and you've already acquired a beauty by your side?" Prince Cheng drank the wine in his hand, put down the wine cup, and looked at Chu Yue.
Chu Yue's face paled slightly from his bold gaze, and she fearfully hid behind the Crown Prince.
The Crown Prince's face darkened instantly. He stepped aside to block Chu Yue, his gaze sharp as he looked at Prince Cheng: "This is none of your business."
"Just kidding, why is Your Majesty so agitated?"
King Cheng said indifferently.
"Your Highness...when are we going back? I...don't want to stay here."
Chu Yue grabbed his sleeve, her face pale with fear, not wanting to stay there for another second.
The prince grasped her hand and realized she was trembling; he had frightened her so much.
"I still need to see the Empress Dowager. You will come with me."
Chu Yue bit her lip, not wanting to stay here.
Fortunately, Emperor Jingyuan left soon after, and Empress Xiao also left.
The Crown Prince then led Chu Yue directly out of the main hall.
The Crown Princess sat there with a dark expression, feeling exposed to everyone's gazes.
The crown prince left with his concubines, leaving the crown princess behind.
Chu Yue followed the Crown Prince to Fengqi Palace, where Empress Xiao was already waiting. There was no chance to say much at the banquet.
Upon seeing the Crown Prince arrive, he even stepped forward to greet him.
"Mother," the Crown Prince called softly.
Empress Xiao could no longer hold back her tears, and she sobbed, "Yuan'er, your leg... is it healed?"
"Mother, Consort Chu cured my leg with her family's ancestral secret recipe, and I am fine now."
He didn't intend to hide the fact that Consort Chu had cured him. He had promised to keep Consort Chu by his side, and this achievement would make his mother treat her differently.
Empress Xiao looked at Chu Yue gratefully: "You are a good child. I will not mistreat you."
Chu Yue said in a flustered manner, "It's all what I should do, I dare not accept such praise..."
Empress Xiao nodded in satisfaction: "It was the right thing to do to send you to take care of Yuan'er."
She then looked the Crown Prince over and asked, "Is everything really alright? Are there absolutely no problems?"
"Mother, I am fully recovered, please don't worry," the Crown Prince comforted softly.
"Good, good, good, that's good." Empress Xiao held back her tears and stopped crying. She no longer needed to cry.
They kept the two people for a long chat before letting them leave.