Phi-Fic Chapter 640 Old Stories!
Chapter 640 Old Stories!
The Emperor turned around and looked at the Empress in disbelief. She looked guilty and her eyes were still fixed on the direction of the Prince Ming, not looking back.
"what did you just say?"
The Emperor's voice, tinged with a hint of anger, rang out, and the Empress's heart trembled. After so many years of marriage, she naturally knew that he was somewhat annoyed.
The Empress sighed softly, "These are all old stories. Your Majesty, let's return to the palace first."
The Emperor himself came out to see him off, so how could the Crown Prince not come?
Seeing the intense anger on his father's face, he had no idea why.
Upon returning to the Eastern Palace, the Crown Prince ordered someone to summon Duanmu Chen.
"You know about the Xie family's affairs?"
"Your Majesty, I know everything."
"I'm asking you, were you involved in this matter?"
"Father, I dare not!"
The crown prince narrowed his eyes slightly, staring intently at the son in front of him. This was his most prized son and the emperor's most favored grandson.
But now, looking at his son, he couldn't help but see the Crown Princess's face.
"It's best if you didn't get involved. Your mother made a big mistake this time. From now on, the affairs of the Eastern Palace will be managed by the concubine. You should study hard and not let this upset you again."
"Yes, Father."
"Well, if there's nothing else to do, stay away from the Xie family. Also, it's best to avoid going out of the East Palace as much as possible. Apart from your grandfather's place, it's advisable to go to other places as little as possible."
"Yes, I understand."
The Crown Prince waved his hand, and Duanmu Chen left the study. He stopped and turned to look at the Crown Princess's main courtyard. He had naturally heard about what had happened this time. His mother and the Xie family were really too anxious.
This incident is clearly digging their own grave.
If they hadn't intervened, the Emperor might have remained suspicious of Prince Ming. But now that they've acted, the Emperor might think that the Crown Prince is dissatisfied with the Emperor's long reign and refusal to abdicate, and therefore has secretly hoarded grain, harboring rebellious intentions.
Of course, even if the Emperor has this doubt, judging from his current handling of the Xie family, he is still biased towards the Crown Prince.
Duanmu Chen gently turned the bracelet on his wrist. Some things cannot be judged by appearances alone.
It seems he needs to make a good impression on the Emperor.
Even if the Crown Princess commits a terrible mistake, she is still his mother, and there is no doubt about that.
If he acts too cold-blooded and ignores the situation, the emperor might think he is too ruthless.
At the same time, inside the Kunning Palace.
"What did you say at the city gate earlier? How exactly did Princess Ming's child die?"
It's no wonder the Emperor was somewhat annoyed, because the long-standing grudge between Prince Ming and the Crown Prince originated from that accident.
What everyone thought was an accident, the Empress now claims was not an accident at all. How could the Emperor not be furious?
Back then, it was both a palace banquet and a family banquet.
At the time, the Empress was slightly unwell, and the palace banquet was mainly hosted by the Crown Princess. However, while everyone else was fine, Princess Ming suddenly experienced severe abdominal pain and miscarried that very night.
That incident left Princess Ming unable to recover for a long time. She spent her days in tears and insisted that someone had framed her.
At the time, the prime suspect was Consort Luo.
However, due to her rank, Consort Luo was seated at a distance from Princess Ming. Furthermore, it was a palace banquet, and Consort Luo had only recently married into the Ming Prince's household, so it was unlikely that she would have had her own spies in the palace. Therefore, after a thorough investigation, Consort Luo was ruled out as a suspect.
However, the King's suspicions fell on the Crown Princess.
At that time, the only son in the entire Eastern Palace was the Crown Princess, namely Duanmu Chen.
None of the Crown Prince's other concubines were able to give birth safely. They were either infertile or suffered miscarriages. It could be said that the Emperor's only grandson was Duanmu Chen.
At that time, if Princess Ming could successfully give birth to a child, she would naturally win the favor of the Emperor and Empress.
The Emperor could never understand why Prince Ming suspected that the Crown Princess was behind all of this. Therefore, he always thought that Princess Ming was secretly instigating things, and thus he disliked this daughter-in-law.
This is why Consort Luo later enjoyed such a prestigious position.
Now that the old matter has been brought up again, the emperor couldn't help but feel a little annoyed. It seemed that he had been wrong about some things.
"Your Majesty, it took me a long time to find out the truth about what happened back then. I did not reprimand the Crown Princess for it, but simply sent her the 'Admonitions for Women' and asked her to reflect on her actions. Since then, she seems to have become much more restrained. A few years later, the Eastern Palace began to hear the cries of other infants."
The Emperor's heart suddenly turned cold. As a royal consort, she was just like any other woman, so jealous.
"As for Princess Ming, I also feel guilty. After all, the Crown Princess is the mistress of the Eastern Palace. If she really exposed the matter, it would only damage the reputation of the Eastern Palace and might even shake the foundation of the country. Therefore, I can only make some compensation to Princess Ming in other ways."
"So, all these years, you've been unwilling to let Prince Ming leave the capital because of this?"
"That's a large part of the reason. After all, he's my own son. How could I possibly want to be separated from my son?"
The Emperor remained silent for a long time. The air in the hall seemed to grow thinner and thinner. The Empress felt a tightness in her chest, and even a sharp pain.
Instinctively, the Empress placed her hand on her left breast. So many years had passed, and she had always thought the matter was over. But she never expected that the seeds of hatred had taken root and sprouted in the heart of the Prince Ming, and were even growing rapidly, almost filling his entire body.
"Your Majesty, it is all my fault. This time, the Crown Princess has once again taken action against Prince Ming, which will only make him hate the Eastern Palace even more."
The Empress's voice was slightly choked with emotion, "Your Majesty, they are all our sons. Do you really want to watch them kill each other?"
The Emperor flicked his sleeve, his brows furrowed and his face grim. "Alright, things aren't as serious as you think! Stop overthinking."
"Your Majesty, I have never interfered in politics, much less in the matter of choosing an heir. I urge Your Majesty to reconsider. This matter is likely only the beginning. What if it is Prince Ming?"
The Emperor snorted coldly, "Hmph! What can he do? Don't forget, he is my son and my subject. Does he intend to rebel?"