novelraw Chapter 680 - 669: The Cuckolded Prince
Chapter 680 - 669: The Cuckolded Prince
"You’ve come at just the right time, today the Imperial Kitchen has prepared two dishes that you love." Liu Hui beckoned Ye Zheng to sit down and then personally served him rice and picked out his two favorite dishes for him.
Emperor Xingwu looked at her affectionately, saying, "Just the right time? Don’t you have his favorite dishes prepared here every day?"
Ye Zheng paused in his eating, finding the pretentiously affectionate Consort Hui utterly disgusting, and suddenly lost all appetite. She was even younger than him and yet dared to act out a deeply affectionate mother-son relationship in front of Father Emperor?
What qualifies her to stand shoulder to shoulder with Empress Mother?
"Consort Hui need not do this in the future, I do not dine often in the harem, and it is against proper etiquette." Ye Zheng said with a somewhat cold tone.
Liu Hui sounded heartbroken as she responded, "I understand. It is only because I feel a special closeness to Your Highness that I have done so, but of course everything should follow Your Highness’s wishes."
"Zheng’er, Consort Hui also means well, and you both are the most important people to me, there’s no such thing as inappropriate. From now on, you must not speak to your Consort Hui like that. She is your motherly figure, and you should respect and be filial to her," said Emperor Xingwu somewhat sternly after listening to Liu Hui.
Ye Zheng felt as if ten thousand horses were galloping through his heart, his gaze sharp as he looked at Liu Hui, realizing he had still underestimated this woman. She had indeed managed to deceive his Father Emperor to this extent.
Ha! His mother came from a scholarly family of repute, exceptionally talented and refined since childhood, how can she be compared to someone like Liu Hui, a woman of schemes from the countryside? Yet Father Emperor seems to be bewitched, truly believing she is the reincarnation of my mother.
"Father Emperor, Consort Hui has her own fifteenth brother to be filial to. If my mother knew I regarded someone else as her, she would surely feel utterly disheartened," Ye Zheng could no longer hold back, looking straight at Emperor Xingwu as he spoke.
Emperor Xingwu opened his mouth but ended up sighing deeply, and said nothing further.
Liu Hui’s fleeting look of annoyance flitted across her eyes, then she quickly resumed her virtuous and loving façade, "You father and son are both spoiling the mood with such words. Next time you come here, no one is allowed to wear a cold face, come on eat up, the dishes are getting cold."
Hearing her say this, Emperor Xingwu seemed to be reminded of something, looking melancholic, and the hidden coldness in Ye Zheng’s eyes deepened even more. Consort Hui really had some skills; she even managed to recount the exact words his mother used to speak.
Let’s put aside the tussle between Ye Zheng and Consort Hui for now. Over there, Lin Jingxian had already been staying at the hot spring manor for three years. Using the excuse that her health and the twins’ had improved, she finally prompted Ye Qiu to allow them to return to their residence.
Although she had lived away from the luxuries of the capital at the hot spring manor these past three years, after the initial sense of loss, Lin Jingxian gradually grew accustomed to it. The most important part was that she didn’t have to deal with Ye Qiu and could wholeheartedly teach her children, and she could meet secretly with Crown Prince Ye Zheng whenever she wished.
This time, her return was out of necessity; although the Emperor still favored the Crown Prince greatly, who could be sure the Crown Prince could securely ascend to the throne under Consort Hui’s meddling?
So now, Ye Zheng had to set his sights further afield. If Liu Hui could sway the Ministers, he, Ye Zheng, would only be more adept at it. However, what was most needed for this type of maneuvering was silver. Ye Zheng had come to realize the importance of Silver Coin, and so he set his target on Ye Qiu.
Thinking of the Crown Prince’s instructions, Lin Jingxian was somewhat unsure whether she could accomplish the task, considering that over these three years, she had barely seen Ye Qiu, who hadn’t forced her at all during these encounters. She vaguely felt that Ye Qiu’s affections might not be as deep as they were three years ago.
But what could she do! If she didn’t keep herself pure for the Crown Prince, when he eventually took her away, he would surely harbor misgivings.
Lin Jingxian was pondering how to recapture Ye Qiu’s heart. Yet, after gently touching her face, she couldn’t help but smile confidently. If she could capture Ye Qiu’s heart once, she could do it again. With his foolishness, wouldn’t everything she desires be easily obtained if she just puts in a little effort?
At this moment, Lin Jingxian had clearly forgotten the frustration she had faced from Ye Qiu three years ago. Calling others foolish, did she really believe she was that smart? Her talent and beauty were nothing but a carefully crafted image promoted by people sent by Crown Prince Ye Zheng. Hearing it so often, did she actually start to see herself as someone important?
"Queen Mother, are we going to see Father soon?" Lin Jingxian’s elder daughter from the twins, Ye Ling, asked innocently.
On the side, Ye Ming asked somewhat confusedly, "Queen Mother, the father of the little lamb brother at the manor is with him every day, so why doesn’t Father come to see us?"
Looking at the two children’s expectant eyes, Lin Jingxian couldn’t contain the feeling of injustice within her heart. Why should someone like Ye Qiu be the father of her two charming and intelligent children?
Yet, both Ming’er and Lingling were extremely hopeful about Ye Qiu. What should she do?
"Ming’er and Lingling, be good. Your Father Emperor needs to take care of your elder brother more, so he dotes on him the most. But you have me, your Empress Mother, and I will love you twice as much," she said, trying to console them patiently.
"But Lingling likes Father," Ye Ling, with some memories, said, frowning upon hearing Lin Jingxian’s words.
Lin Jingxian felt a pang of frustration in her heart, wondering why fate was playing such tricks on her.
On the other hand, Ye Qiu had someone clean up Luoxia Courtyard, arranging everything meticulously according to the rules, with nothing overstepping the limits or overly luxurious. In short, it was simple and elegant, barely suitable for living.
Of course, he knew the purpose behind Lin Jingxian’s return. Since she sought to lose face on her own, why not grant her the wish to let her children experience the disparity?
Both of them were really scheming! Did they think he was as naive as in his previous life?
"Heng’er, soon a sister and a brother will come to the house. If you like them, you can play with them sometimes. If not, you don’t have to bother with them. Understand?" Ye Qiu said, stroking Little Ye Heng’s head.
Now almost six years old, Ye Heng was robustly nurtured by Ye Qiu, healthy throughout the year without falling sick. Moreover, he resembled Ye Qiu to an uncanny degree. His delicate and fair appearance was so exceptional that even the Seventh Prince and Seventh Princess Consort, who had children of their own, were still very fond of him.
Little Ye Heng looked at Ye Qiu, his pretty eyes bright and wise, and asked, "Are they also your children, Father?"
"For now, yes, but their biological father is not me," Ye Qiu said indifferently, with no intention of hiding this fact from a child.
Ye Heng blinked, too young to fully comprehend.
Ye Qiu hooked his little finger, "This is a secret between Father and Heng’er, and we must not tell anyone else, alright?"
"Okay." Although Ye Heng did not quite understand, he sealed the promise with a pinky swear. Still, his young mind couldn’t help but wonder, if the father of his brother and sister was someone else, why do they call his father "Father"?