At the same time, Hot Spring Retreat Palace

“Ah, we have to leave already?”

“What? Yu’er is getting married, can’t it be delayed a little?”

Perhaps the past few days had indeed been exciting. Clearly not yet satisfied, An Ning showed obvious displeasure. Only after Xiao Qi repeatedly explained and promised countless benefits did she reluctantly nod.

The group, with Lingyi equally reluctant to leave, slowly made their way back to the palace.

They had barely returned when An Ning keenly sensed a subtle shift in the air. Thinking of that face she had seen during the reception, she toyed with the new set of purple jade jewelry in her hands. In front of the dressing table, An Ning did not hide her schadenfreude, and with a trace of curiosity she asked,

“What’s wrong with Beauty Qi’s face? It’s getting worse and worse!”

Ever since their last feud, although Beauty Qi was soon demoted and placed under house arrest, and only recently—after the crown prince pleaded for a long time—was she grudgingly released, An Ning was the kind of Noble Consort who held grudges. Her overall strike power might not be huge, but politeness was out of the question.

No sooner had the words left her mouth than the rare sensible palace maid Qing Yu stepped forward and replied,

“Reporting to Madam, this servant knows!”

“Not long before Your Highness returned, Beauty Qi specially petitioned Empress to request that her niece be brought over for a short visit, and then she even specially invited the Crown Prince to come…”

The intention was obvious. An Ning blinked,

“But the Crown Prince already has a Crown Princess, doesn’t he?”

She added, bored:

“Oh, so she has her eye on the Crown Prince’s concubine!”

“How boring!”

In her heart she wondered—given that Beauty Qi normally endured slights extremely patiently—was she being overly hasty? Then again, it wasn’t surprising.

When the imperial carriage leaves the palace, the Crown Prince, as an adult man, cannot constantly visit the harem; the one who would occasionally go pay respects is the Crown Princess.

The Crown Princess, technically a daughter-in-law, actually holds a higher rank and status than that other woman.

Over time that breeds resentment—even if there were no prior conflicts, friction would develop.

Of course, if the other party were still the former Consort Shu and the Crown Prince’s biological mother, there would naturally be fewer thoughts of maneuvering. But now…

One had to admit, it takes a certain ruthlessness to become emperor at a young age. The current emperor’s tactics—killing intention in heart, soft knives to cut—were extremely effective.

On the surface he seemed to pardon her for the Crown Prince’s sake, but ever since her demotion, the woman had been treated like an island within the harem…

But given the emperor’s acuity, were these measures really enough…?

An Ning speculated there was another, more important reason why the other side couldn’t wait. Since the founding of the dynasty, successive rulers often had short lives.

Even Xiao Qi ascended the throne in his teens; the country relied on long-lived ministers. There were only a few marriageable women in the Qi family—if they missed this chance and waited several more years, the opportunity would be gone.

Even if she bore a child, the chance that child would succeed was slim. In some people’s eyes, it would be like producing a worthless heir…

Did the clever Crown Prince not see these thoughts?

As the saying goes, the rarer something is, the more precious it becomes—especially when it is the very seat beneath your backside…

Wait and see, this drama was far from over.

She ignored the other petty matters.

Spring had come; most of the chill had left the air. Luan Yi Palace had been prepared the day before An Ning returned, using premium pine and silver-ash coals to chase away the cold.

Even the bedding had been specially warmed.

After a long journey and a bath, tended by palace attendants, An Ning lay on the fragrant big bed and soon fell into a lovely sleep.

Compared with the tranquility in Luan Yi Palace, however, other parts of the palace were far livelier.

A few days after Xiao Yu’s wedding, news quickly spread through the palace that the Crown Prince intended to bring his concubine into the household. This followed yet another pale-faced departure of the Crown Princess from Beauty Qi’s residence.

After this incident, compared with the previously wan-looking Crown Princess, palace ladies began to avoid the Crown Princess even more.

At the Hall of Diligent Governance, Xiao Qi showed little objection on his face. A concubine was just a concubine; the dignified Crown Prince surely still had the right to take a concubine. Yet within a few days, under the pretext of “poor performance,” he demoted the Qi family father and son by several ranks.

Clearly, the emperor knew full well the family’s scheming and found them tiresome.

Especially recalling the intense pressure from the Empress Dowager and their maternal relatives at the time of his accession.

Whether the Crown Prince himself had a hand in that, who could tell?

When word spread to Ronghe Palace, after the palace women had left, Beauty Qi, facing the empty room and holding back the urge to smash the object in her hand to pieces, sneered,

“Look at this—my good son, my good son!”

“He’s already developed wings before even taking the throne, and he can be so heartless toward his own mother’s family!”

He was cut from the same mold as that good Emperor Father! The last sentence was full of hatred, almost biting her teeth.

She slammed the door shut. Nearby, the only matron left could not help but sigh,

“Madam, why do you do this? The Crown Prince is already in a difficult position.” Who didn’t know that the emperor most abhorred imperial relatives meddling in politics; one mishap and the emperor would think His Highness controlled by his maternal family!

His Majesty did not have only one son.

Madam had been rational and steadfast before, yet now…

But thinking of the days of repeated confinement and the recent avoidance shown by the harem, and of that lofty Crown Princess…

It was obvious the emperor intended to eliminate Madam!

Or perhaps the participants had lost clarity; mother and son turning against each other might be exactly what His Majesty wanted?

At the thought, the matron shivered involuntarily.

After venting, Beauty Qi finally calmed and spoke in a cold voice:

“He is in trouble—but even so, he is the exalted Crown Prince, second to none.”

His Majesty had nearly died once. Even if he recovered, how long could his health hold? The Second Son had strong limbs, the Third Son was foolish and scholarly, the Fourth and Fifth Sons were still very young.

He was in trouble?

“And what about me, and the Qi family? I gave him life; the Qi family sacrificed so much—what did we gain?”

Beauty Qi let out a bitter snort.

She had been labeled jealous, malicious in thought, unable to tolerate others—a year-long prison of darkness. Even the Qi family’s reputation had been inevitably affected.

Now, simply for the sake of one Crown Prince concubine, he could shirk responsibilities in such a way. Precisely because she understood the son’s temperament, seeing his attitude now, she planned ahead.

If he truly ascended, with the aftershocks of the Empress Dowager’s previous example, she had to make preparations.

No matter what, the Qi family needed an escape route.

For a moment she recalled the previous Empress Dowager—doing things one knew improper but nevertheless necessary.

After a silence, Beauty Qi soon spoke calmly:

“The Crown Prince is not young. He was married three years ago yet has only one son, and a daughter born to a low-ranking attendant; nothing else. As his birth mother, concern is only natural.”

Her words carried implication. Sure enough, within two days the Crown Princess came to offer a plea again.

At the Eastern Palace, seeing her lord grow paler, the close attendant could not help but feel compassion:

“Madam, why must you do this? After all, she is His Highness’s birth mother—what purpose does this serve?”

Others might not see it, but the woman who had served her miss since childhood did. Though Beauty Qi showed respect and care on the surface, her air of noble pride and the Crown Princess’s dignified composure—qualities befitting a future empress—were enough to provoke her.

She could not understand this covert provocation.

Leaning weakly at the head of the bed, the Crown Princess shook her head:

“A Crown Prince concubine being added is only a matter of time. Sooner or later makes no difference.”

“Only if the two become increasingly estranged, with deeper gaps between them, will the Crown Prince’s position become secure.” Then her child and family might survive in peace.

As for whether the Crown Prince’s concubine actually bore children?

Given His Highness’s temperament, even if a child was born, it would be the least likely to inherit. She could tolerate that.

The more urgent matter lay elsewhere.

Unlike Beauty Qi’s prior imprisonment and isolation, as Crown Princess, Lin Hui had met the emperor not infrequently, even though His Majesty had once been severely ill; now his health was steadily improving.

Perhaps the so-called “true love” really was strong.

Thinking of that proud, flamboyant Noble Consort who strutted like a peacock and had been raised with clan-matriarch values—refined and graceful—Lin Hui’s mouth twitched involuntarily.

Envy, but incomprehension.

One thing she felt sure of; the Crown Princess suddenly smiled and said,

“Zi Shu, do you think, given how Father favors the Noble Consort, that he wouldn’t simply and cleanly order the death of the Crown Prince’s mother to clear the last obstacle for his beloved?”

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep