jdhmnovel Chapter 244 Extra 2
Chapter 244 Extra 2
When Zisu heard that her mother-in-law had knelt at the palace gate, begging the emperor to rescind the decree of marriage, she was greatly surprised. She quickly changed into a long dress and trousers and rushed to the palace gate as fast as she could, where she knelt down with her mother-in-law.
Consort Qin scolded, "What are you doing? Go back quickly. Lang'er is still young. There are no adults at home. Be careful not to frighten the child."
This morning, Prince Duan was arrested by the Emperor and has been imprisoned. If he knew that his mother had knelt at the palace gate, he would be heartbroken.
Zisu: "Mother, don't worry, Jin'er is at home."
Jin'er is very sensible and precocious, and she's already thirteen. Even if she weren't precocious, a child that age could still help her parents with chores. Besides, the eldest, Hua'er, is also very mature and cares deeply for his younger siblings; he's very much like an older brother.
This time, Zisu came to the palace gate to find her mother-in-law, bringing the children who originally wanted to come along. However, after being sternly scolded by Zisu, they had no choice but to agree to stay at home.
Consort Qin sighed, "Yes, you're right. With Jin'er and Hua'er at home, there's really no need to worry too much. The only one I'm worried about is the youngest, Lang'er."
Zisu: "Mother, Lang'er is also very sensible and listens to Jin'er very much."
Consort Qin: "Yes, Mother is not worried anymore. I just hope that the Emperor will be merciful and agree to withdraw the decree as soon as possible."
Zisu gazed at the majestic palace gate and couldn't help but sigh.
Since ancient times, how could the emperor take back his word? Getting the emperor to retract his decree is harder than climbing to heaven! If the Empress Dowager and the Emperor Emeritus don't intervene, she and her mother-in-law could probably kneel at the palace gate for three days and the emperor still wouldn't let them go.
Retracting the decree would mean that the emperor was contradicting himself.
The mother-in-law and daughter-in-law, each with their own thoughts, had been kneeling at the palace gate for three hours. Fortunately, it was autumn; if it were summer, they would have been sunburned long ago. Even so, Consort Qin was somewhat unsteady, her face deathly pale.
When the emperor heard about it, he felt a little sorry for the emperor.
The Imperial Noble Consort whispered in his ear, "Those ignorant fools dare to kneel at the palace gate! Isn't this forcing the Emperor? What audacity! They deserve to die! If the Emperor doesn't punish them severely, they'll definitely push their luck even further!"
Upon hearing these words, the emperor's reluctance vanished immediately.
Indeed, since they dare to challenge the supreme imperial authority, they must be prepared to suffer. Such people are not to be pitied; if they were, perhaps next time, if anything displeases them, they would dare to kneel at the palace gates again.
"My darling, you understand my heart best. Come, let me give you a kiss." The Emperor embraced the Imperial Noble Consort and began to kiss her.
It is now afternoon.
The Empress came to the Hall of Mental Cultivation to request an audience with the Emperor and plead for leniency for Zisu's family. However, upon reaching the entrance, she heard indecent sounds coming from inside. Enraged, she turned and left, heading instead to the palace where the Empress Dowager and the Emperor Emeritus resided.
Upon hearing that the Empress was requesting an audience, the Empress Dowager hurriedly said, "Quickly, invite her in!"
The Empress knelt before the Empress Dowager and pleaded, "Mother, Zisu and Consort Qin have been kneeling at the palace gate for more than three hours."
The Empress Dowager quickly helped her up and asked in surprise, "Why are they kneeling at the palace gate?"
Empress: "Consort Cheng wanted to control Prince Duan and use him for her and the Cheng family's purposes, so she persuaded the Emperor to bestow two concubines and one maidservant upon him. Prince Duan disobeyed the imperial decree, so the Emperor arrested him and imprisoned him. Consort Qin knelt at the palace gate, and later Zisu also came."
The Empress Dowager was furious: "What? The Emperor is confused! Why would he bestow a woman upon Prince Duan, a perfectly good family? They were living happily together, and he just had to cause them trouble. It's one thing if they don't accept it, but why arrest Prince Duan? No, I'm going to see the Emperor Emeritus and ask him to make a decision!"
The empress dowager was not allowed to interfere in politics, so she had no choice. However, the power and status of the retired emperor were even higher than that of the emperor. This was because the retired emperor had voluntarily abdicated; if he were displeased, he could take back the throne.
This is the rule of the imperial power in the Western Liang Kingdom.
The two of them then went together to see the retired emperor.
"What? How can someone so muddle-headed govern the country?!" Upon hearing their story, the retired emperor flew into a rage and immediately smashed a teacup.
Over the years, the Emperor Emeritus had been deeply grateful to Prince Duan and Zisu. If it weren't for Prince Duan and Shangguan Mufeng helping him find a divine physician, he would have died long ago. Later, if it weren't for Zisu bringing him vegetables and fruits grown in the Prince's residence, as well as well water from the residence, he wouldn't have lived to this day. Even if he had, his health wouldn't be so good.
He is now in good health and full of energy. All of this is thanks to Prince Duan, Shangguan Mufeng, and Zisu. He remembers this kindness deeply and has never forgotten it.
Moreover, he had promised Zisu that if Prince Duan took a concubine, she could divorce him and take her own child with her.
Now, the Emperor has actually bestowed a woman upon Prince Duan—isn't this going against him? By doing this, the Emperor is also going against Prince Duan and Zisu. What good does this do the Emperor? Absolutely nothing.
The retired emperor took the empress dowager away and went to the Hall of Mental Cultivation in a rage.
The Empress quietly returned to her Kunning Palace.
Alas, now that the Emperor has found out about her complaint to the Empress Dowager, who knows how he will punish her? Perhaps she won't be allowed to set foot in Kunning Palace for at least three months! But no matter what, she will not regret it.
Over the years, Zisu had been helping her maintain her health and beauty. Otherwise, she would have become a haggard old woman long ago and been disliked by the Emperor. Even so, compared to the eighteen-year-old Imperial Noble Consort Cheng, she was still slightly inferior.
Consort Cheng was a great beauty, even more beautiful than the Empress, who was renowned for her beauty. Otherwise, the Emperor would not have bestowed upon her the title of Consort Cheng. It should be noted that with the Empress present, the title of Consort Cheng was generally not granted.
The Imperial Noble Consort was equivalent to a commoner's wife.
When the retired emperor arrived at the Hall of Mental Cultivation, the emperor was kissing Consort Cheng, and the entire hall was filled with the consort's unrestrained laughter.
The guards and eunuchs saw the Emperor Emeritus and Empress Dowager and wanted to announce their arrival.
The Emperor Emeritus waved his hand, gesturing for silence. The guards and eunuchs dared not disobey, appearing completely submissive. It was well known that the Emperor was a filial son, and the Emperor Emeritus was a man of absolute authority and formidable power. Offending the Emperor Emeritus would certainly bring dire consequences.
The retired emperor rushed in, grabbed a teacup from the table, and threw it at the Imperial Noble Consort: "Shameless thing, how dare you call yourself Imperial Noble Consort? Issue an order that, effective immediately, this woman be demoted to the rank of Lady!"
The Emperor and the Imperial Noble Consort were immediately stunned.
The Emperor, realizing what was happening, was about to plead for the Imperial Noble Consort when the Retired Emperor roared at him, "You fool! For the sake of such a woman with impure motives, you actually arrested Prince Duan! Do you think the Emperor's throne is too secure, and you no longer need Prince Duan to fight on the front lines, so you can disregard gratitude and kinship?!"
He then ordered the two palace maids he had brought, "Hurry up and drag this slut away and send her to the Cold Palace!"
The retired emperor was furious, and the emperor dared not utter a single word.
This was the first time in his life he had been reprimanded by his father like this, and the first time he had ever seen his father so angry. Only after the Emperor Emeritus had vented his anger did he nervously try to defend himself: "Prince Duan's disobedience is contempt for imperial authority; it is defiance against me!"
The retired emperor reached out and tapped his son on the head: "You're talking nonsense! They're living a good life, a harmonious family. You suddenly throw a few women at them, of course they're not happy! Over the years, Prince Duan and his princess have been well-behaved and have even reduced a large number of production industries to prove their loyalty to the court."
Over the years, whenever the court has encountered financial difficulties, Prince Duan and his wife have always taken the lead in donating money to help you. Otherwise, how could you so easily solve the military expenses in the Northwest and Northeast, as well as the disaster relief funds?! In my opinion, this is tantamount to crossing the river and burning the bridge; it's heartless and ungrateful!
Prince Duan was his beloved nephew; in his heart, Prince Duan's importance was second only to his imperial son. When Prince Duan was not doing well, he was more heartbroken than anyone else.
The Emperor felt ashamed after his father's words, but he was also very reluctant to part with his beloved Imperial Noble Consort. So he mustered up his courage and said, "Father, why don't we not send that Cheng woman to the Cold Palace?" Demoting her to a low-ranking concubine was bad enough, but sending her to the Cold Palace would make it very inconvenient for him to see her and have sex with her in the future.
The retired emperor kicked his son: "You good-for-nothing! Do you even know why the Cheng family encouraged you to send women to Prince Duan?"
The Emperor asked, somewhat bewildered, "Why? Lady Cheng told me that this is to win over Prince Duan and make him serve me wholeheartedly!"
The Emperor Emeritus was furious and couldn't help but hit his son on the head again: "Are you confused! You sent women to Prince Duan, he won't be happy, otherwise why would he disobey the imperial decree? Do you know who those two concubines you sent to Prince Duan are?" The Empress had already told him that they were from the Cheng family.
The Emperor asked, puzzled, "Who is it?"
The retired emperor rolled his eyes at his son: "One is Cheng's cousin, and the other is Cheng's niece."