coobybook Chapter 89 The Emperor's Wrath
Chapter 89 The Emperor's Wrath
Inside Yongchun Palace.
Gu Yuan knelt before the Imperial Noble Consort, slightly raised her head, then looked away and pursed her lips.
Her palms were already slightly sweaty, but she still pretended to be calm and composed, and said with a smile, "Mother, I—"
With a loud "smack!", a slap landed hard on his face.
He immediately felt a burning pain on his face, but he still endured it without daring to make a sound.
"Useless thing, what exactly do you want to do?"
"How many times have I told you not to associate with Jiang Luan? Why didn't you listen?"
“When you were in Zhaoyang Prefecture, I saw Jiang Luan also leave the table, so I knew that you were going to meet in secret.”
"What I didn't expect was that you two would be caught having an affair!"
The Imperial Noble Consort was furious and slapped Gu Yuan across the face again.
"How could I have given birth to such a fool as you!"
Gu Yuan's face was slapped red, and she gritted her teeth, lowering her eyes to hide the coldness in them.
He raised his eyes to look at the Imperial Noble Consort and said slowly, "Mother, I was wrong."
"Mother, the Empress Dowager's birthday banquet is approaching, and I will certainly not let you down."
The Imperial Noble Consort's gaze sharpened, and she raised an eyebrow.
"You must complete this task well."
"The position of Crown Prince will be yours sooner or later."
She lowered her head, her gaze suddenly sharpening.
"Gu Liang also went to Zhaoyang Prefecture that day; it's time to give him a warning."
Gu Yuan nodded awkwardly.
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"Your Majesty is busy with countless affairs of state, and it is only now that you have finally made the trip to Yongchun Palace."
"I have just received some of the finest Dongbai spring buds. Why doesn't Your Majesty try some?"
As she spoke, a palace maid brought up a bowl of Dongbai Spring Sprouts.
The emperor's faint smile finally softened.
He picked up the teacup, took a sip, and a satisfied expression appeared on his face.
He looked at the Imperial Noble Consort beside him, who had a smile in her eyes, and asked, "Did Nai'er summon me here today because she has something important to discuss with me?"
The Imperial Noble Consort put down her teacup, her eyes curving gently beneath her brows, warm and gentle as jade.
"Your Majesty, I can't hide anything from you."
"Today, Your Majesty, I have something to ask you to do, which concerns Lang'er."
"Lang'er has been married for a long time but has no children. Could it be that the Princess Consort of Liang is infertile?"
Upon hearing the words "infertility," the emperor inexplicably clenched his fists.
"Is Nail overthinking things?"
The Imperial Noble Consort smiled and said, "I thought so too, but I had dealings with the Princess Consort of Liang once before, and it seemed that they did not get along well."
"Your Majesty, could it be that Lang'er and the Princess Consort of Liang have some kind of entanglement?"
"This Princess Liang is beautiful, but her household is in complete chaos."
"What I mean is that if the Princess Consort of Liang cannot bear children, it will damage the face of the royal family. It would be better for the royal family to have more wives and concubines."
The emperor put down his teacup and glanced at the Imperial Noble Consort.
He sneered, "Does Nair truly want what's best for Lang'er, or does she have ulterior motives?"
As soon as the emperor finished speaking, the Imperial Noble Consort's expression changed slightly, and her soft voice carried a hint of impatience.
"Your Majesty, what could I possibly want? I only wish for the prosperity of the royal family."
The emperor stroked the Imperial Noble Consort's face and explained, "I didn't mean anything by it."
“It’s because Ji You is ambitious and difficult to control, and hard to persuade.”
He looked at Eunuch Zhang beside him and said, "Go and call Ji You to the study. I'd like to ask him what he thinks."
Eunuch Zhang nodded hurriedly, "Yes, Your Majesty."
Before long, Gu Liang was summoned to the Imperial Study by a eunuch.
He walked over calmly, dressed in black.
All she saw was the emperor sitting in a chair, scrutinizing her with his gaze, and sitting to her side was the Imperial Noble Consort.
He bowed, casually raised his eyebrows, and asked in a deep voice, "I wonder what business Father has with me?"
The emperor cupped his hands in greeting, indicating that he should sit down.
The emperor sighed. "How have you been lately?"
"How are you feeling?"
Gu Liang casually lifted her eyelids, a smile curving her lips. "Naturally, all is well."
The emperor narrowed his eyes slightly, seeing Gu Liang's languid demeanor, and suppressed a sigh, asked again, "You have been married for several days, how is your relationship with the Princess of Liang?"
Gu Liang chuckled, her eyes revealing a slight hint of sarcasm.
He glanced at the Imperial Noble Consort for a moment, then said, "Of course they are very much in love."
"Father, don't even think about choosing wives and concubines for me. I'm already married, so I have no intention of taking any concubines."
"Someone's thoughts can remain buried deep inside."
"You..." The emperor's face darkened with anger.
He naturally knew what kind of person Gu Liang was, but he never expected that she would be so infatuated with his princess.
Gu Liang silently curled his lips, stood up from the chair, and said playfully, "If Father has nothing else, I will take my leave."
He strode out of the study, took two steps, stopped, glanced back at the Imperial Noble Consort, and then looked at the Emperor.
“Father, didn’t Zhaoyang tell you yesterday that Gu Yuan and Miss Jiang had an affair at Princess Zhaoyang’s residence yesterday?”
"Caught red-handed by everyone at the scene."
"Even Minister Wen's daughter saw it."
"Could it be that the Imperial Noble Consort has been keeping this from you all along?"
"Father could go and check on Gu Yuan."
After Gu Liang finished speaking, he left the Imperial Study without looking back.
The emperor's eyes widened immediately as he looked at the imperial concubine beside him.
The Imperial Noble Consort rose and immediately knelt before the Emperor.
"Your Majesty, you must not take what Lang'er says seriously."
The emperor narrowed his eyes, his gaze flickering. "Could it be that Ji You is mistaken?"
"How could Jiang Luan have gotten involved with Zi Lan for no reason?"
"Nair, do you intend to deceive me?"
The Imperial Noble Consort knelt on the ground, looking at the Emperor with red eyes.
"Your Majesty, I did not mean to hide it from you."
The emperor snorted coldly and looked at a small eunuch beside him.
"Whether there was any deception or not, I will summon everyone and ask them."
"Guards, bring Prince Jing and Jiang Luan to the palace."
"Yes, Your Majesty."
The young eunuch hurriedly went out to announce the news.
The Imperial Noble Consort knelt on the ground, pondered for a moment, and said, "Your Majesty, Yuan'er is still a young man and does not understand matters of the heart. It is normal for him to be deceived by some women."
"Yuan'er must have been deceived."
She looked up and saw that the emperor's face was ashen and his eyes were cold.
The emperor snorted coldly, "I forgot that she is engaged to the Marquis of Guangde's family."
"Nair." His tone was angry.
"How much longer do you intend to deceive me? Or did you already know about their affair and have been covering it up for them all along?"
"Your Majesty, I am innocent... I knew nothing about this."
The Imperial Noble Consort wiped away her tears twice. "Yuan'er is still young. She must have been bewitched by Jiang Luan. That woman has bewitched Yuan'er and is engaged to another family. She has ulterior motives."
"She's a scheming woman."
The emperor didn't bother to look at her, and only said quietly, "When the two of them arrive, I will definitely ask them about it."