After a long silence, Prince Shu finally nodded, “Son will listen to Mother.”
He desired that position, his eyes reddening at the mere thought of it. But if even his mother didn’t favor his chances and wished for him to bide his time, he had no choice but to wait patiently for an opportunity.
He was different from Prince Jin.
Prince Jin had neither maternal nor in-law clans to rely on. He was like a barefoot man unafraid of those wearing shoes, with no option but to fight desperately. In contrast, Prince Shu had many more factors to consider.
Seeing her son’s lack of opposition, Madam Zhuang felt relieved. She gestured towards the chessboard by the window, “Sixth Son, why don’t you play a game of Go with Mother? It’s rare for you to visit the palace.”
Mother and son composed themselves and began their match.
At Virtuous Consort’s quarters, the atmosphere was far more somber.
The Virtuous Consort, who had just coughed up blood, looked frail as if she had aged seven or eight years. She leaned weakly against the bedhead, conversing with Prince Qi.
“Mother, how did things change so suddenly?” Prince Qi asked after a long silence, not without a hint of reproach in his heart.
It was Mother’s idea to have Lady Li harm the Prince of Yan’s wife earlier. In the end, they lifted a rock only to drop it on their own feet. Not only did they fail to harm the Prince of Yan’s wife, but they also lost Lady Li in the process.
In essence, Mother’s schemes weren’t thorough enough.
This could have been overlooked, but the fact that the Seventh Prince was given to the Empress by Father Emperor, and Mother didn’t even give him a hint of warning, truly caught him off guard.
Hearing Prince Qi’s question, the Virtuous Consort’s face grew even paler, her dry lips trembling slightly, “Your father didn’t breathe a word even to the Empress Dowager. That day, he summoned the Minister of the Imperial Clan into the palace and settled the matter…”
Mentioning this made the Virtuous Consort feel like coughing up blood again.
She was the Seventh Prince’s birth mother, yet the announcement was made in court, and the matter settled before the Emperor even informed her.
Needless to say, she had become a complete laughingstock both inside and outside the palace, with countless people surely mocking her behind her back.
It was hateful that despite her high position as the Virtuous Consort, backed by the Duke’s household, she couldn’t even protect her son.
In the Virtuous Consort’s view, her disdain for her son was one thing, but for her son to be given away without her knowledge was quite another.
If she could choose, she would rather destroy this son with her own hands than let him benefit someone else, especially the Empress.
For so many years, she had been second to the Empress, comforting herself with the fact that the Empress was childless. Who would have thought that the woman she had looked down upon for years regarding offspring would snatch away her son?
The snatching was so swift, so easy, that she still hadn’t fully comprehended it.
The Virtuous Consort slowly closed her eyes, trying to calm her tumultuous emotions.
The Imperial Physician had warned her against extreme grief or anger, lest her health completely collapse.
If she were to ruin her health without ever wearing the phoenix crown, she would truly become a complete joke. At least now, she still had a chance.
Let’s see who would have the last laugh.
“Mother—”
Hearing Prince Qi’s call, the Virtuous Consort opened her eyes, her gaze softening as it fell upon her son.
All her hopes now rested on her son.
The Virtuous Consort spoke slowly, “We truly underestimated the Empress. They say a barking dog doesn’t bite, but I never believed it. Now that we’ve been bitten hard, I realize there’s wisdom in old sayings.”
Prince Qi opened his mouth, wanting to say it was too late for such reflections, but the person before him was his birth mother after all. He could only swallow his complaints silently.
“Mother, what do you think Father Emperor’s intentions are towards Seventh Brother?”
“His intentions?” The Virtuous Consort raised an eyebrow, but even this small gesture seemed to tire her. She took a light breath and said, “He’s merely been bewitched by the Empress. Surely he can’t be thinking of making the Seventh Prince the Crown Prince because he’s outstanding?”
“But what if he is?”
The Virtuous Consort fell silent.
Prince Qi rubbed his face hard, smiling bitterly, “Mother, Seventh Brother never even received proper royal education. He was sent away at birth, branded as being incompatible with the Father Emperor. Yet, against all odds, he hasn’t suffered any setbacks in such adverse circumstances and has even become a half-legitimate son. Son tosses and turns at night, and whenever I think of this, I feel a sense of dread. I even have the mistaken notion that Seventh Brother might be the true heir—”
“Nonsense!” The Virtuous Consort snapped coldly, her snow-white face flushing red.
Prince Qi pressed his thin lips together, saying nothing.
The Virtuous Consort still couldn’t agree with her son’s words, “On this point, I can be certain. Your father has no such intentions towards the Seventh Prince.”
Prince Qi remained silent for a long time. Just as the Virtuous Consort was about to speak again, he said softly, “Times change. Months ago, Father likely had no intention of putting Seventh Brother under the Empress’s name either.”
“You mean—”
Prince Qi’s eyes were cold as ice as he enunciated each word, “Nurturing a tiger to invite calamity is a grave mistake. Don’t you think so?”
Regardless of Mother’s attitude towards Seventh Brother, he was still born of her. If he harbored thoughts of eliminating Seventh Brother, he needed to test Mother’s stance first.
The Virtuous Consort naturally understood the implication of Prince Qi’s words. Seeing his ruthless expression, far from being upset, she felt relieved.
The Fourth Prince had always had a good reputation among the court officials, but this could be a double-edged sword, sometimes constraining his actions and making him less decisive.
It might be a good thing for the Fourth Prince to be pushed by the Seventh Prince.
The Virtuous Consort slowly smiled, “That’s the principle.”
Prince Qi lowered his gaze and said softly, “Son only fears causing Mother heartache, which would be unfilial of me.”
“What is there to be heartbroken about?” The Virtuous Consort sneered, “Mother only has you as a son. Why should I care about the life or death of others?”
From the moment she learned the Seventh Prince was registered under the Empress’s name, she no longer considered him her son.
Anything that hindered the Fourth Prince was a stumbling block.
“How is Lady Li?” With mother and son reaching an agreement, the Virtuous Consort inquired about Prince Qi’s wife.
Disgust flashed in Prince Qi’s eyes, his tone extremely cold, “Still the same. Fortunately, she can’t leave her quarters, so we needn’t worry about her spouting nonsense.”
The Virtuous Consort pondered for a moment, then said indifferently, “Your mansion can’t go on without a mistress to manage it. It’s truly unseemly.”
Prince Qi nodded, “Indeed. These days have been chaotic, distracting me considerably.”
The Virtuous Consort lightly stroked her long nails, her tone frigid, “When the time is right, let her ‘succumb to illness’. The position of Prince Qi’s wife can’t be occupied by a madwoman forever.”
Prince Qi hesitated, “Although I don’t need to observe mourning for a wife, once Lady Li ‘passes away’, it wouldn’t be appropriate for me to be too active. I might have to lay low for quite some time…”
“It’s fine. Your father is in excellent health, so there won’t be any opportunities for a while. You can use this time to recuperate and gather strength. As for the Seventh Prince, his current favorable position doesn’t amount to much.”
Prince Qi slowly nodded, “Mother, rest assured. Son will handle Lady Li’s situation appropriately.”
In the Hall of Cultivating the Heart, Emperor Jingming opened his eyes and asked Pan Hai, “Has Prince Qi left the Virtuous Consort’s quarters?”
“He has left.”
“What about Prince Shu?”
“He has also left.”
“And Prince Lu?”
“Your Majesty, Prince Lu was the first to leave the palace.”
Emperor Jingming bent down, ignoring Jixiang’s dissatisfied meow, and picked it up onto his lap, giving a faint “Mm” in response.
They really take thé emperor for a fool.