novelraw Chapter 679 - 668: The Cuckolded Prince
Chapter 679 - 668: The Cuckolded Prince
Ye Zheng looked at the newly titled "Princess Consort Hui" beside Emperor Xingwu with almost shocking disbelief, his breathing grew heavier, and a murderous intent gradually appeared in his eyes.
"Are... are you the Crown Prince? His Majesty mentioned you to me yesterday," Liu Hui said with a soft and timid voice.
"Zheng’er," Emperor Xingwu noted Ye Zheng’s intense gaze toward Liu Hui, which seemed to frighten her, and he spoke up to remind him.
Ye Zheng came back to his senses and covered his murderous look: "Father Emperor, your son pays his respects to you."
"Mmm," Emperor Xingwu pondered for a moment, speaking in a gentle tone, "Father Emperor knows you have doubts in your heart, but Father Emperor promises you, no one can replace your Empress Mother."
Seeing the confusion on the newly entered Princess Consort Hui’s face, Ye Zheng slightly eased his heart. He was too shocked; how could a peasant girl compare to his mother? She was merely a substitute, but was Princess Consort Hui genuinely an accidental presence in the encirclement?
Ye Zheng harbored suspicions. He believed that matters couldn’t be this simple. However, if indeed someone had arranged this from the shadows, they were far too naive—could a peasant girl, who knew nothing, truly destabilize his and his mother’s position in Father Emperor’s eyes? Ha!
Soon, Princess Consort Hui’s existence spread throughout the entire encampment, turning a simple autumn hunt into something more meaningful, and the hearts of the people began to grow restless.
Upon hearing the news, Ye Qiu was not surprised at all and continued to frolic with little Ye Heng. With his actions over the past months, everyone in the capital also knew how fond he was of his illegitimate eldest son. Seeing how healthy, clever, and beautiful Ye Heng was, people understood his affection and only lamented slightly for Lin Jingxian. Though twins were auspicious, their frail health brought an air of bad luck, and thus it was no wonder that the Fifth Prince acted so.
Nevertheless, the fact that the Fifth Prince would turn down His Majesty’s promises for the Fifth Princess Consort and the twins proved the great importance he placed on his wife and children and the blessings they carried.
Time flew by swiftly, and in the blink of an eye, three years had passed. During this time, many things had happened, among which the most talked about was that Princess Consort Hui, who was titled three years ago, gave birth to a little prince for His Majesty. For this, she was promoted to Consort Hui, and even her young brother was titled Lord, becoming a figure of unmatched glory. Even the Empress frequently had to fall three steps behind, often claiming illness and not appearing in public.
And Crown Prince Ye Zheng, who had felt relief at first, gradually started to sense a threat.
During this time, Ye Zheng had considered making a move against Consort Hui, but she managed to escape danger every time, which only made Father Emperor grow fonder of her. How could a peasant girl without any background have so many prescient tactics? Even if Ye Zheng was foolhardy, he knew someone was meddling behind the scenes.
But who was behind Consort Hui?
The first person Ye Zheng thought of was his eldest brother Ye Ke. However, with Beihu and West Wolf causing unrest successively, his brother had been dispatched to the border a year ago. The Empress, under Consort Hui’s radiance, had fallen three steps behind and probably could not reach that far. However, one must not be too absolute in these matters, although the likelihood that it was his brother was minuscule.
The remaining possibility was his Fifth Brother. Thinking of Ye Qiu, Ye Zheng scoffed disdainfully. Could a man who doesn’t even know that his children aren’t his own be so cunning? Ridiculous! Moreover, what capacity did he possess to influence the harem—so he was the least likely candidate.
There was also his Seventh Brother and Tenth Brother. The Seventh Brother was content now that he had a son and had stopped causing trouble with the Fifth Brother. However, Lady was still in the palace, and Seventh Sister-in-law’s family belonged to the Great General Mansion, which Ye Zheng could not ignore.
As for the Tenth Brother, although his wife’s family did not hold high official positions, they governed the entire capital as the governor, so it was not impossible.
Yet, the one Ye Zheng suspected the most were the court ministers. Those who craved contribution were not few, and perhaps they were the ones behind Consort Hui, conspiring behind the scenes. Thinking of those active ministers, his frown grew deeper.
Who exactly is the person behind Consort Hui? What Ye Zheng would never have imagined is that his eldest brother Ye Ke and the one he thought least likely, Ye Qiu, had already joined hands. One has money, and the other has connections. What’s not possible with that?
Moreover, they only help Consort Hui in secret; even she does not know who is aiding her. How can the Crown Prince find anything substantial?
But Consort Hui is not a simple peasant girl, either. Having been in the palace for a few years, she’s become quite scheming. She’s aware that she’s a replacement for the late Empress, but what of it? After all, the late Empress is already dead, while she is very much alive and has even borne the Emperor his youngest prince. As long as the Emperor lives long, who’s to say who will have the last laugh?
Liu Hui knew that the person behind her certainly had an agenda, and though she accepted his help for now, she didn’t just investigate; she was also drawing the Ministers in court to her side. She would not concede so easily.
However, her biggest enemy at the moment was still the Crown Prince. Fortunately, over the past three years with her efforts, the Emperor had already shifted some of his favor for the Crown Prince onto her son, and it was exactly for this that the Ministers curried favor with her. Now, having tasted the flavor of power, Liu Hui naturally did not want to let it go easily.
Three years ago, she was a peasant girl with nothing, but because of the Emperor’s favor, she easily achieved all that she has now. Liu Hui knew that her biggest reliance now was still the Emperor, hence, despite being domineering in front of others, she was always gentle and obliging in front of the Emperor.
She even found an old nanny who had served the late Empress and unintentionally imitated the late Empress’ actions and habits.
"Aren’t you a Shangyuan person? Why do you love eating steamed buns so much?" Emperor Xingwu teased her with a laugh.
Liu Hui replied with a coquettish smile, "I don’t know why, but I always feel like I have eaten this in my past life, it’s so familiar."
"Really?" Emperor Xingwu was somewhat absent-minded, then looked at her with indulgence. "Eat more if you like it."
"Mm." Liu Hui took a big bite, eating with immense satisfaction.
"Crown Prince arrives!" Just as the two were enjoying a harmonious atmosphere, Liu Zheng arrived.
Actually, Liu Zheng didn’t use to visit Emperor Xingwu so frequently, but ever since the birth of Consort Hui’s little brother, he finally perceived the threat.
"The Crown Prince is here!" Liu Hui looked at Liu Zheng with joy on her face, her eyes filled with affection.
The moment Liu Zheng saw her expression, he felt utterly disgusted inside. Such a lowly woman dared to imitate his Empress Mother! The key point was that his Father Emperor had already clearly promised him he would not confuse Consort Hui with his mother, and yet, now he’s tacitly allowing her behavior.
"Father Emperor, Consort Hui," the Crown Prince greeted them respectfully.
Liu Hui quickly stepped forward to hold him, smiling amiably: "We are all family, why such a grand gesture? If you keep being so distant, your Father Emperor will be angry."
Emperor Xingwu also chuckled: "Your Queen Mother Hui speaks the truth; Zheng, you listen well."
Liu Zheng, holding back his frustration, could only respond: "Yes."