Chapter 010: Intrigues of the Palace

Salute to His Majesty

As she watched the noble Consort Mo approach her with an air of authority, He Chuchu's face grew increasingly pale

The queen spoke first: "Sister, you have never been fond of hearing the juniors pay their respects. What has prompted your interest today?"

The Emperor coughed twice, and Lord Li promptly handed him a teacup

This is truly a masterstroke of refusal.

The concubine Mo was rendered speechless

It seems that He Chuchu's intellect is quite exceptional; she maintained her composure, inclined her body slightly, and returned the courtesy.

In this way, without any flaws to exploit, one can only rely on luck. The red-spotted snake is highly aggressive; if any foreign object comes too close, even a slight contact with its venom can lead to paralysis of the nervous system and death

Your Majesty, the envoy from the Western Mang Kingdom has arrived, and Father has instructed me and my royal brother to pay a visit.

With a sour expression, I bent down and said: "Long live the Empress, I come to pay my respects."

Looking again at He Chuchu: "May the Empress Dowager be blessed with peace."

He Chuchu could only embrace a shy smile, while politely exchanging pleasantries with the grumpy guest

The queen looked at He Chuchu from behind. Suddenly, He Chuchu realized that she had forgotten about the incident with the prince when she first entered. When He Chuchu encountered this, her displeasure naturally followed. It turned out that the hand pulling her was partly for the queen to see and partly for the prince to observe.

In a single sentence, the queen was relegated to an unimportant position, and it was still because of me; how can I bear this

A sullen face that remains silent is one thing, but when it speaks, it is astonishing. However, one can imagine that even when speaking to the Empress, the tone is cold; let alone to the much-despised Consort Mo, whom even He Chuchu finds repugnant.

He Chuchu was filled with a bellyful of grievances, yet what could she say? She could only force a smile on the surface

Seeing the confident demeanor of the messenger without the jar, this is a blatant provocation

The other ladies laughed softly.

The three princes and the emperor all wore expressionless faces, clearly troubled by the situation. He Chuchu was also diligently searching her mind for ways to eliminate one of them or at least reduce the probability.

In the center of the main hall stood five individuals dressed in ethnic minority attire, wrapped in headscarves and wearing long robes, with rugged, unkempt beards that bore a resemblance to Mongolians. They were likely the envoys from the Western Mang Kingdom

With a firm grip from behind, this young lady is not so easy to deal with

The messenger finished speaking, looking quite pleased with himself

All three imperial sons are present, which presents me with a dilemma

Our sovereign has presented tribute in accordance with previous agreements, but it is uncertain whether your country has the capability to receive it

Consort Mo spoke in a long string of words without pause, and everyone seemed to be startled by what He Chuchu had done, all quietly watching He Chuchu.

I am indeed very interested to know what good things he has given me

The Emperor's health has recently been poor, and his long-standing asthma has recurred. How can I make the Emperor eat carp? Is this intended to worsen his condition?

He Chuchu felt a great sense of relief, as if a heavy stone that had been suspended in the air had finally fallen. At least she had not made any mistakes in front of the prince.

The items are contained within these four jars, three of which hold highly venomous red-banded snakes. If your country has a brave warrior with the courage to retrieve them, they will certainly be given to you. If not, then it shall be considered that your country is unwilling to accept the goodwill of our nation.

The Emperor and the young man saw three people enter, and the young man immediately performed a bow, saying: "Third brother, I respectfully welcome both of you."

He Chuchu's mind instantly became a vacuum.

Could this be the esteemed Prince Li? He Chuchu carefully deduced in her heart

I have started to stutter when speaking

Before long, we arrived at the main hall, where the Emperor sat upright in the grand chamber. Although it was evident that he appeared somewhat frail and aged, his commanding presence still exerted a considerable authority.

Four of them were holding coarse pottery jars, the contents of which were unknown.

He Chuchu quickly withdrew her hand, but the displeased face only tightened its grip, clearly unwilling to let He Chuchu succeed. He Chuchu could only awkwardly smile along.

Not only did he stop the carriage of her household servant, but he also reprimanded the coachman. It is said that one should consider the owner when dealing with a dog, and today, this owner does not come with good intentions

With a sulky face, not a word is spoken, truly arrogant

It turns out that the jars contain venomous snakes, and there are no visible signs of difference on the face of the messenger holding the jars

"Concubine Mo, I have indeed heard some comments from the common people regarding this matter. They say that your coachman ran into a woman and even whipped her. Is this true?"

The unpleasant expression clearly indicated a change in the prince's demeanor, as he tightened his grip on He Chuchu's hand. He Chuchu felt waves of excruciating pain in her hand. Having acted in accordance with propriety, what was this? A mere trivial punishment?

The Consort Mo smiled, utterly affected.

With a sulky face, he touched He Chuchu's chin and said with a shy smile: "My princess, I do not allow you to look at any man other than me"

With a scowling face, he leaned close to He Chuchu's ear and whispered, "She is not to be trifled with"

In this case, it is indeed your servant who is at fault, and the punishment of flogging is quite reasonable. The entire incident did not take more than a few minutes of travel time, so the river carp must have died before reaching the capital.

Concubine Mo did not know what to say, she brushed her sleeves and left without even saying goodbye

"Zhi'er, you have come as well. Hurry over to meet your sister-in-law."

He Chuchu humbly bowed under the bow: "Long live Concubine Mo for a thousand years"

A moment of silence ensued until the prince finally spoke

Chatting is truly amiable and approachable, yet somewhat unsettling

He Chuchu suddenly recalled a piece of information he had come across in modern times, which stated that during an asthma attack, one should not eat carp

A eunuch hurried over and whispered something in the prince's ear, causing the prince's expression to turn serious

Sister, I have come to see you

It is evident that the cart carries the Huainan river carp. The Emperor's health requires careful attention, and I specifically sent someone to deliver it urgently. However, in the end, due to that wretched girl’s delay, the live carp died, and how can I present something that is no longer fresh to the Emperor? This is the first offense. Secondly, there is the abuse of private punishment, as my household servant was whipped.

To outsiders, it may seem like two people are displaying their affection, but little do they know that a sour face is reveling in their misfortune. As they gently shift their steps, one inadvertently steps on the sour face's foot, and upon seeing the corner of the sour face's mouth curl in displeasure, a sense of secret satisfaction arises within.

He Chuchu felt a sense of frustration in her heart, wondering why her calling him "Royal Brother" seemed to have pricked the Prince's heart. Why are you making such a sour face and taking it out on me

As she reached the entrance of Fengqi Palace, Pearl saw He Chuchu and the sour-faced person holding hands tightly, her eyes wide open like copper bells

After speaking, Consort Mo stood in front of He Chuchu and smiled slightly.

Once again, I bent down to say goodbye, yet I was still dragged away by your expressionless, sour face. Are you suffering from facial paralysis

A single sentence can overshadow the entire event, as a heart-stopping farce comes to a perfect conclusion; it is indeed impressive how a sour face can be so effective.

He Chuchu thought carefully and seemed to recall having heard someone mention it before

In fact, I do not know what your intentions are

The Empress has taken control of Consort Mo.

The prince graciously approached the empress and offered his greetings

But the main thing is, I would like to request an audience with this remarkable princess consort

The queen smiled gently, and the other noblewomen gathered around.

Wang, where are we going?

Everyone looked at the sour face in astonishment

Although I have never seen it, I have heard of the term "night pearl"; it is quite a remarkable treasure

He Chuchu bent over, her eyes fixed on the ground, not daring to meet the gaze of Prince Zhi, fearing that she might again catch a glimpse of his tenderness, which would only cause her heartache, leading to her emotions being displayed outwardly, resulting in her showing disrespect in front of the elders with her sour expression.

The name Mo Guifei sounds somewhat familiar, doesn't it

Concubine Mo was so frustrated that she could hardly catch her breath

Go ahead. The princess consort will also go to greet the emperor, and will come back later to chat with me

He Chuchu secretly cursed in her heart

Why do you lack energy today? You should bring out the tone you use in front of my servants.

The newlywed couple is indeed sweet, even holding hands while greeting me.

The prince glanced at the hands held by He Chuchu and the sulking face, and his gloomy expression transformed into a bright and cheerful smile

The Emperor gazed at He Chuchu for a long time, and as expected, his gaze fell on the hands that He Chuchu was holding with a sour expression. He laughed heartily, saying, "It seems my son’s new marriage is indeed sweet."

Oh, that sister is truly very happy

You ... ...

The noble consort Mo truly appears young, looking to be in her early thirties, dressed in a long crimson gown. This stands in stark contrast to the queen's elegant and approachable demeanor, exuding a captivating allure. However, at this moment, He Chuchu's gaze is chilling to the bone.

Sister

He Chuchu smiled awkwardly and bent down, saying: "May the prince have long life."

You

Pearl obediently trailed behind He Chuchu, occasionally glancing at her master and then at the sour-faced Prince. The atmosphere was such that even He Chuchu herself found it hard to believe

In the main hall, apart from the serving attendants, there were no other ministers present. However, a slender young man standing beside the emperor and the books caught my attention. He had a tall and elegant figure, an aristocratic demeanor, and bore a slight resemblance to the emperor, but his faint smile towards the envoy carried a hint of mockery.

"Your Highness is jesting."

The three princes, our Western Mang Kingdom is currently experiencing a robust development momentum, and I believe that one day in the future, we will possess the strength to no longer depend on your esteemed nation

Suddenly, the prince stopped laughing, staring blankly at He Chuchu, his eyes still containing a hint of anger. What was going on? He Chuchu felt confused, realizing that the words she had just spoken were perhaps not very appropriate

The foul face either felt the power of He Chuchu's nails or was caught off guard, as it forcefully pulled He Chuchu's arm, causing her to stumble and fall directly into the foul face's embrace

He Chuchu quickly learned to say: "Long live the Empress, the child comes to pay respects."

The emperor displayed an air of indifference, clearly a person who has experienced the world. Despite facing ridicule and scorn, he remained composed and steady, earning my admiration

In the blink of an eye, He Chuchu realized that she was finished

Everyone let out a sigh of relief and turned their attention back to the blooming flowers competing for beauty before them

It is indeed a wonderful item, a national treasure of our country, the luminous pearl

However, the expression on the face of the prince walking at the very edge is not very good either

After a considerable amount of time, the prince finally replied in a muffled tone, "Get up, sister-in-law."

Following the footsteps of the sour-faced individual, I approached a lady of high society. This lady appeared to be in her forties, her beautiful face showing no signs of the passage of time. She always wore a smile, naturally exuding a sense of approachability while maintaining an air of authority

However, there is not a single minister here; the Emperor clearly wishes to assess the abilities of these three princes

Younger brother, how sweet is the newlywed life

Before the words were finished, a palace maid announced: "Noble Consort Mo has arrived"

Consort Mo displayed an unwavering demeanor.