sjar Chapter 20 Returning to the Duke's Mansion (1)
Chapter 20 Returning to the Duke's Mansion (1)
The mother continued, "After the Emperor and Empress married, they were deeply in love and inseparable. Soon after, the wonderful news arrived—the Empress was pregnant! This made everyone extremely happy. You see, when the Emperor ascended the throne, there was only the Empress in the harem, and the Emperor had explicitly stated that he would never take another concubine." Qin Yaoyao said, "So the Crown Prince was made Crown Prince at birth. If that's the case, why did he later marry someone else? What's even more puzzling is that even after the new concubine entered the palace, the Empress and Emperor remained deeply in love." The mother continued, "Actually, the Empress Dowager and others did not ask the Emperor to take in more concubines. After all, there are only three reasons for taking concubines: one is to ensure the continuation of the imperial line, the second is to stabilize the court, and the third is to be attracted to beautiful women. However, when the Emperor ascended the throne, the court was already stable, and he himself was not lustful. As for the issue of having children, the Empress alone was enough."
"Unfortunately, fate was unkind. The Empress suffered a difficult childbirth while giving birth to the Crown Prince, severely damaging her health and making it unlikely that she will be able to conceive again. Because of this, the Empress was heartbroken for a long time..."
During that time, the emperor not only had to attend court and handle state affairs, but also spent almost all his remaining time with the empress. Even the empress dowager often accompanied the empress. Although no one advised the emperor to take a concubine, the empress took the initiative to choose a consort for him. At the time, I couldn't understand this contradictory act: if she didn't want to, why make such a choice? So I mustered up the courage to ask the empress. The empress sighed softly and replied, "No one mentioned this matter out of consideration for my feelings; however, I cannot be so selfish as to only think of myself. If I were to marry into an ordinary family, perhaps I would be willful once, but being in the royal family, I cannot allow the emperor to have only one son. Therefore, I must do this."
Subsequently, the Empress personally began to busy herself with the selection of concubines for the Emperor. When the Emperor learned of this, he was furious and had a fierce argument with the Empress. The Emperor said indignantly, "The imperial physician only stated that conception is difficult, not that it's completely hopeless! As long as we take good care of our health, we will naturally conceive. Even if we really cannot have more children, we already have Yu'er, which is enough. Why must we take a concubine? If this child is not our own, I would rather not have it!" The Empress said anxiously to the Emperor, "How can Your Majesty say such absurd things! If we cannot have any more children in the future, how will you deal with it? Back then, only because I could carry on the family line did Your Majesty favor me alone. Although the ministers were dissatisfied, they dared not say a word. However, times have changed. Now that I am unable to bear children, how can those ministers and imperial relatives let it go? I really don't want to see Your Majesty bear the blame because of me. In that case, let me select concubines for Your Majesty!"
Despite his deep reluctance, the Emperor ultimately granted the Empress's request. Even after the new concubines were added to the harem, the Emperor never set foot in any of the other concubines' chambers, continuing to visit the Empress daily at the Phoenix Palace. Seeing this, the Empress brought it up with the Emperor, who replied, "I merely granted your request to take concubines; I never promised anything to happen between us." The Empress, enraged, stamped her foot and retorted, "What's the point of all this?" Looking at the Empress's troubled face, the Emperor sighed deeply and said gently, "I can obey your command, but the frequency and timing of my visits are entirely up to me. Furthermore, once that woman becomes pregnant with the Emperor's child, you must not force me to go elsewhere, is that alright?" After a moment's thought, the Empress agreed.
The mother continued, "Your Majesty originally thought that the Emperor might not visit Fengluan Palace for a long time, in order to get the other concubines pregnant as soon as possible. It would be a lie to say she wasn't sad. After all, if a woman doesn't love her husband, why would she care whether he visits or not? However, unexpectedly, the Emperor came to Fengluan Palace the very next day. Your Majesty was very surprised and asked the Emperor why he had suddenly come here. The Emperor replied calmly, 'Didn't we already agree? As long as they can get pregnant, that's enough. Why rush things now? I'll go over when they are actually pregnant.' Hearing this, Your Majesty was stunned. She never expected things to develop this way. Could it be that if the Emperor wanted a concubine to get pregnant, that concubine could immediately become pregnant?"
Later events proved that even when the Emperor had affairs with other concubines, he never stayed overnight there, always returning to the Empress's palace every night. Gradually, the Empress grew accustomed to this. If the Emperor didn't wish to stay overnight with them, she no longer insisted.
Therefore, even under the emperor's control, he only favored three concubines, ensuring they all conceived children, and only visited them once every two years. However, it wasn't until eight years later, when the empress became pregnant again, that the emperor was overjoyed, as if becoming a father for the first time. In fact, there was another reason for his happiness: he would no longer need to spend nights with other women. During those eight years, whenever the emperor mentioned this to your father, he always expressed deep helplessness, but now he had finally endured it.
"But Your Majesty also gives birth to a son every two years, so what's the difference?" Qin Yaoyao asked, her face full of doubt. Her mother smiled and gently stroked Qin Yaoyao's hair, softly replying, "Silly girl, of course it's different. For others, the reason they have to wait so long is simply because the Emperor is unwilling to go; but for the Empress, it's because she's worried about harming Your Majesty's health, so the situation is naturally quite different."
Qin Yaoyao nodded slightly in agreement. Then, she couldn't help but sigh, "It's truly rare to see the Emperor treat the Empress with such deep affection!" Her mother, standing beside her, echoed, "Indeed."
Qin Yaoyao continued thoughtfully, "Then the Crown Prince only married one Crown Princess, which is probably due to the Emperor's influence." Her mother smiled and replied, "Yes, this child has witnessed her parents' deep love and mutual support since childhood, and naturally, she wouldn't be too bad off." Qin Yaoyao nodded repeatedly in agreement.
Just as they were engrossed in their conversation, a series of urgent shouts came from outside: "Yaoyao! Yaoyao!" It was Fifth Brother rushing in. As soon as he stepped into the room, he eagerly circled around Qin Yaoyao, asking with concern, "Little sister, are you alright? Let your brother take a look!" Seeing Fifth Brother's anxious face, Qin Yaoyao was filled with joy and gratitude, and quickly reassured him, "Don't worry, Fifth Brother, I'm perfectly fine, nothing's wrong at all. Don't be so nervous." Qin Yunji stared intently at his unharmed sister, the weight in his heart finally lifted. He slowly sat down on a chair, took a deep breath, and asked, "What exactly happened today? A-Lin and I had just returned to the palace when we heard that something had happened in the inner palace, and the poetry gathering was ended early as a result. Everyone had already left. Mother and little sister, how could you be so inconsiderate, leaving without waiting for me to return together?"
His mother gently tapped Qin Yunji's forehead and scolded, "You naughty monkey! We would like to come back with you, but how easy would it be to find you? Besides, it was your sister who met with misfortune this time, how could I have the mind to worry about you? As a man, what is there to worry about?"
Upon hearing this, Qin Yunji's recently calmed tension was reignited. He anxiously asked, "What happened?" Seeing her brother's renewed anxiety, Qin Yaoyao quickly comforted him, "Brother, don't worry, I'm fine. The sky is clear and bright today, but for me, it's like a dark cloud. Just now, I learned of a shocking conspiracy—Liu Xiaoyu and He Mingwen conspired to scheme against me! They planned to drug me, make me lose my virginity, and then have He Mingwen pretend to be deeply in love and plead with the Emperor for a marriage decree."
At that time, under everyone's watchful eyes, my parents, in order to protect my reputation, will inevitably choose to compromise. And I myself, perhaps out of gratitude for him "saving" me, will willingly marry him. In this way, all the power and resources of our Duke's mansion will fall into his hands.
Thinking of this, a chill ran down my spine. These two are utterly despicable, resorting to any means to achieve their goals! However, I will never let them succeed. I am determined to expose their conspiracy and protect my own and my family's interests. No matter how difficult the road ahead, I will not be afraid. After all, good will never prevail over evil, and justice will ultimately triumph over wickedness!
Upon hearing this, Qin Yunji was instantly enraged. His eyes widened, and he gritted his teeth, saying, "Damn it! Little sister, are you alright?" Qin Yaoyao smiled slightly and replied casually, "Don't worry, Fifth Brother. With my intelligence and wit, how could I let them succeed so easily? Hehe, I used a little trick to turn their plans around and set a trap for them, letting them fall into it and suffer the consequences."
Qin Yunji frowned and asked with concern, "Little sister, how exactly did you see through their conspiracy?" Qin Yaoyao blinked her bright eyes and calmly explained, "It's actually quite simple. Last time they tried to harm me, but failed, so they must be resentful and won't let it go easily. However, I've been staying in the mansion under the pretext of recuperating during this time, without taking a single step outside. Naturally, they couldn't 'accidentally' run into me, and since they have a distant relationship with my brothers and no official dealings with them, they don't have a suitable excuse to enter the mansion and cause me trouble. Therefore, if they want to continue plotting against me, the most likely opportunity in the near future is to use the poetry gathering as a pretext."
"To plot against me at the banquet, there are only two possibilities: one is to cause some kind of accident so he can then heroically rescue me; the other is to drug me, ruining my reputation and chastity in front of everyone, leaving me speechless and unable to defend myself, ultimately forcing me to reluctantly agree to the marriage. However, he has already used the first method once, so this time he will definitely choose the second. Just as I entered the palace, I happened to meet Liu Xiaoyu. Contrary to her usual behavior, she spoke to me with great enthusiasm and did her best to please me. Logically speaking, given that I had deceived her many times and swindled her out of a lot of money, she should be extremely angry and unwilling to pay any attention to me. But that's not the case, so there's only one explanation—she is secretly plotting against me."
Therefore, upon entering the palace, I immediately signaled Qiuye to keep a close eye on Liu Xiaoyu's every move. Sure enough, we soon uncovered their scheme. So, when the poetry competition began, she feigned intimacy by toasting me, then deliberately spilled the wine on my clothes, indicating she was leading me to change. I instantly understood that her meticulous plan had begun. I secretly thought to myself, "Since that's the case, I might as well play along." So, as she led me to the changing room, I seized the opportunity and unexpectedly knocked her unconscious. Qiuye understood immediately and quickly helped me carry the unconscious woman to the bedside. Afterwards, we tiptoed out of the room and hid behind a large tree in the courtyard.
Not long after, He Mingwen arrived in a hurry and strode into the house without hesitation. The Empress and her entourage followed closely behind. A commotion erupted from inside; Consort Ning was extremely anxious and attempted to force her way in, but no one dared to act rashly because of the Empress's presence. I knew the Empress was deeply worried, fearing that I might be the person inside, and therefore chose to remain silent.
Just as everyone was at a stalemate, Qiuye and I quietly emerged from behind the tree and blended into the crowd. When the time was right, I resolutely stepped forward and spoke in front of everyone. When the Empress saw that I was safe and sound, she was relieved, and the tension on her face instantly disappeared. Instead, she became furious and ordered someone to open the door and bring the person inside out.
After bringing the two out, a closer look revealed that the man was none other than He Mingwen! The woman, however, had covered her face with her hair, making it impossible to see her true appearance. Seeing the large crowd surrounding them, He Mingwen was secretly delighted, mistakenly believing he had succeeded. Undeterred, he addressed the Empress, saying, "Your Majesty, Yaoyao and I are truly in love and our feelings are overwhelming. We acted as we are, and we hope Your Majesty will grant us your blessing and allow this marriage to proceed." He then kowtowed in gratitude, expressing his hope that the Empress would approve their marriage.
Upon hearing this, the Empress did not immediately express her opinion. Instead, she sent for the Emperor, intending to leave the matter to him for a decision. When the Emperor arrived, everyone realized that the woman was not me as He Mingwen had claimed. And when they saw the woman's true face, they were even more astonished—it was Liu Xiaoyu!
Upon seeing this, He Mingwen panicked and quickly changed his story, claiming he had been framed and pleading with the Emperor to thoroughly investigate the matter to clear his name. Consort Ning, standing nearby, echoed his sentiments, stating that the truth should be revealed. However, at this moment, the Third Sister-in-law stepped forward and recounted the contradictions between He Mingwen's previous statements and his current one. After hearing this, the Emperor was furious and immediately imposed severe punishments on He Mingwen and Liu Xiaoyu.
Afterwards, thanks to the tacit cooperation of the Empress and Brother Yanxi, who worked together in unison, those who had previously pointed fingers and made unwarranted comments about me were all punished accordingly. In this way, I actually benefited quite a bit from this incident!