Phi-Fic Chapter 902: His official career was ruined!
Chapter 902: His official career was ruined!
After Consort Luo returned to the mansion, she naturally did not have a good time.
Princess Ming understood her intentions, so why would she still be willing to speak to her politely?
He immediately ordered that Consort Luo be confined to her quarters and declared that if the prince asked, he should simply blame it on her, the princess.
However, the Ming King really didn't care about Consort Luo's matter.
It wasn't until dinner time, when someone from the palace came, that he learned that the troublesome Consort Luo had once again angered the Empress Dowager and the Empress.
Upon hearing that he had been confined to his quarters by the Princess, the Prince simply nodded and said, "Do as the Princess wishes. We will ask her again when to lift the confinement."
"Yes, Your Majesty."
Nali wasn't stupid; seeing this situation, she knew that the one with real power in the palace was the princess.
If I want to gain a foothold in the Prince's mansion in the future, the Prince's favor alone is probably not enough.
If she were to have children in the future, according to the rules of the Dayong people, they would only be illegitimate children. They would have absolutely no chance of winning any titles or ranks.
Nali didn't dare to make a move on the princess. After all, she was just a foreign princess. If she did something out of line and got caught, her future would probably be a hundred times more miserable than that of Consort Luo!
At least Consort Luo has a family to back her up, what do I have?
Her close friend had come to Dayong before, but wasn't she obediently sent back? She finally understood. To put it nicely, she and Consort Luo were both concubines of the prince.
But to put it bluntly, it's nothing more than a plaything!
While I am young, I can still receive more of the prince's favor, but what will happen when I grow old and lose my beauty?
To use one's beauty to please others is the most tragic thing.
After what happened with Consort Luo, Nali became much more obedient.
She hasn't given birth to any children for the prince yet, so she's not in a hurry to compete for any rank. She's more focused on consolidating his favor and then successfully conceiving a child.
As for Princess Consort Su, she felt suffocated after returning to the Prince Su's residence that day. When the Prince returned later, she made no attempt to hide her feelings and went straight to the study.
About half an hour later, he came out of the study.
After Princess Consort Su left, Prince Su became quite unwell.
Unexpectedly, so many people were watching their own household. Fortunately, neither the Empress nor the Empress Dowager were the type to cause trouble; otherwise, the Prince Su's residence would have been in for a rough time.
"Where's the prince?"
"Your Highness, the Crown Princess should be giving birth in the next couple of days. So, these past few days, after court, the Crown Prince has been staying with the Crown Princess, taking care of the young master while also preparing for the Crown Princess's delivery."
Prince Su nodded, then thought of Duanmu Song, who was, after all, his son. "Where is the Second Young Master?"
"Your Highness, since the Second Young Master returned from the palace that day, he has been ill and has been coughing up blood for two days before feeling slightly better. Today, the Princess Consort sent someone with a token to summon the Imperial Physician. The Imperial Physician prescribed a medicine, saying that he only needs to rest for a while."
Prince Su grunted in silence, "This son was originally a good one, but it's a pity that he had a shameless woman like Zhuang Shi as his mother. It has truly ruined this child!"
"Your Highness, would you like to go and take a look at the Second Young Master's courtyard?"
"Yes, let's go. Now that Zhuang Shi and Ya'er have been taken away, he's all alone, and he's bound to start overthinking things again."
When Prince Su arrived at Duanmu Song's courtyard, he smelled a strong odor of bitter medicine.
"Greetings to the prince."
"No need for formalities. How is the Second Young Master?"
"Your Highness, I'm much better now. I even went out and walked around the courtyard twice today, but my complexion is still a bit pale."
Prince Su nodded and went into the house.
Duanmu Song was actually highly regarded by Prince Su. In a family like theirs, sons were naturally far more important than daughters.
The prince didn't have many sons, so the position of heir apparent naturally went to his eldest son. However, he had previously considered requesting an imperial decree to grant this son the title of a county prince. Now it seemed that was impossible.
"Father, what brings you here today? It is your unfilial son who has troubled you with your concern."
"Rest now, don't move. Your mother came to the palace today."
Duanmu Song's eyes lit up; it seemed he had received news of Ya'er.
"Your mother later requested an audience with the Empress. Although the Empress was angry about Ya'er's previous actions, she did not make things difficult for her. Moreover, today I sent someone to check with the Censorate. Your sister has not been punished in any way; she has simply been locked up there to reflect on her actions. You can rest assured about that."
"Yes, Father."
"The Empress intends to release her in a few days. However, as you know, Zhuang's reputation is ruined, and Ya'er has done such a wrong thing before. Let alone becoming a county princess, it's still a question whether she can even get a proper marriage out of our Prince's mansion."
Duanmu Song's expression tightened. "Father?"
Prince Su extended his hand, "Don't be in such a hurry! Your mother and I have discussed it. Once Ya'er comes out, we'll send her to the estate to recuperate and avoid the limelight. After a year or two, when the people of the capital have forgotten about the Zhuang family, we'll find her a marriage partner."
Duanmu Song pursed his lips. Now that Zhuang Shi's matter was happening, it would naturally affect his and his sister's marriage. He had already thought of this.
"Everything is up to Father King to decide."
Prince Su shook his head and sighed, "Only now do I realize that I have wronged the Princess and, even more so, Qing'er! If it were because I had been so easily swayed by others, Qing'er would not have almost lost her life. In the end, it is all my fault. Song'er, you are also my son, you should understand your father's good intentions."
"Yes, Father."
"From now on, you will help your father with some general affairs."
Duanmu Song's heart tightened. He knew that his father's words meant that he would never be able to pursue an official career again!
This time, the Zhuang family's affair has brought utter disaster to everyone involved!
The bookmakers have collapsed, and it will probably disappear completely from the capital in just a few days. Their future will depend on themselves.
"Don't worry, once you're married, I'll arrange for you to live separately. You won't be shortchanged on your money and estate. Just remember, you must never be like your father. If you have a wife in the future, you must treat her well."
"Yes, Father."
Prince Su knew that his son was sensible, which is why he said that.
In fact, Duanmu Song did understand that the Zhuang family had indeed caused quite a stir in recent years.
Otherwise, the princess wouldn't have been driven to this point this time.