novelraw Chapter 685 - 674: The Cuckolded Prince
Chapter 685 - 674: The Cuckolded Prince
The two reached the palace gate of Changxin Palace, the main gate was closed, only a small side gate was opened, where a guard eunuch, utterly bored, watched ants on the ground.
Lin Jingxian also noticed that it seemed like no one had cleaned here in a long time, as moss had grown on the steps.
"Father-in-law, has the Empress Mother awoken?"
The little eunuch, hearing the voice, hurriedly knelt down: "Replying to the two Princess Consorts, the Lady knew today that both of you were coming and has been waiting."
"How could we let the Empress Mother wait for us, her health has never been good." Xia Yixiao sighed, then asked the little eunuch to lead the way inside.
Entering the palace, Lin Jingxian then realized that the situation at the door was nothing; the interior of the palace looked even more desolate, with fallen leaves from dead trees littering the ground and only one palace maid was cleaning. The pillars of the palace were also peeling paint due to obvious lack of regular maintenance and repair.
She did not expect that just three years away from the capital would bring such great changes, which made her even more curious about what abilities Consort Hui truly had.
The two entered the hall, and indeed; the Empress was already waiting for them. However, her complexion was not good, revealing a sickly pallor, and the clothes she wore were very simple, seemingly lacking in style.
She kindly looked at Lin Jingxian and Xia Yixiao and smiled: "No need for formalities, please sit down. I’ve been sick for a long time, and it’s been a long time since anyone visited. I even feared passing the illness to others; if it weren’t for Jingxian returning, I wouldn’t have wanted to open the palace gates."
"Empress Mother, you jest again, how could it be so easy for us to catch the illness?" Xia Yixiao laughed, "I think you’ve just been cooped up in the palace too long, perhaps if you got out more, you might have recovered from the illness long ago."
"You always know what to say, is Liangliang that big already? Nanny, hold him and let me have a look from afar, don’t come too close."
"Empress Mother, you’re being too cautious, Liangliang is very healthy!" Xia Yixiao held her obedient son and brought him to the Empress’s arms.
This move not only made the Empress anxious, but Lin Jingxian also felt that Xia Yixiao was being too bold. Given the Empress’s condition, who knew how much longer she could live? Did she not want her own son anymore?
"You child." The Empress scolded her but firmly held Liangliang, "If anything happened to Liangliang, Lady would be furious with me."
"The Queen Mother would not." Xia Yixiao giggled.
"Imperial Grandmother." Liangliang, the well-behaved, sweetly said to the Empress.
"Good child." The Empress affectionately touched his head and smiled contentedly. With that smile, some of the sickness seemed to lift from her face, which finally made Xia Yixiao breathe a sigh of relief.
However, Lin Jingxian thought she was foolish. For an Empress who had fallen out of favor and now held no real power, to let her legitimate son risk catching the illness was either foolish or stupid.
"Have Ming’er and Lingling also returned to the capital?" The Empress suddenly asked Lin Jingxian after playing with Liangliang for a while, "The two children have had frail health since birth, it must have been hard for you, their mother."
"It’s not hard, this is what a daughter-in-law should do." Lin Jingxian smiled gracefully and appropriately.
"Yes, but even for the children, you shouldn’t neglect Fifth, you should also take more care for Fifth." The Empress spoke to her with a subdued tone.
Lin Jingxian was a bit unable to maintain her composure but could only respond with "Yes".
"Pass Liangliang over to Seventh Son’s wife." The Empress sighed, "I won’t keep you for a meal. Seventh Son’s wife, please take Liangliang to pay respects to Lady, she likely wants to cherish this little guy even more than I do."
"As the son commands."
After the two left, the Empress pulled out a piece of paper from her hands and gently smiled after reading the words written on it.
"You say the Seventh Son’s wife didn’t speak in front of Lin Jingxian, but secretly passed me this note. Could she have discovered something?"
The old nanny beside her responded, "The Seventh Princess Consort has always been clever, I cannot guarantee anything."
"You!" the Empress sighed, gazing outward at the increasingly deep palace exterior, "I wonder how the eldest son and his wife are doing at the border now."
"Rest assured, my Lady, the Prince has medicinal herbs and mother herbs sent by the Fifth Prince, there should be no problems."
"The fifth... such a good child, it’s a pity he married Lin Jingxian as Princess Consort," the color of the Empress’s face turned cold again.
The old nanny advised, "My Lady, no need to worry, when the prince completes his task, you can arrange a truly virtuous and considerate woman for the Fifth Prince."
"What you say makes sense too, bring me my ginseng soup. I can’t fall down before his major undertaking is accomplished."
"Ah, this servant will go now."
Lin Jingxian and Xia Yixiao walked out of Changxin Palace, looking at the closed palace gate, both sighed.
"Fifth Sister-in-law, I won’t accompany you to Changle Palace. Although Consort Hui is highly favored, she is not a person who troubles others without cause, so there’s no need to be scared." Xia Yixiao hugged Liangliang as she bid her goodbye and headed toward another direction toward Changchun Palace.
Changchun Palace is where the Seventh Prince’s mother, Lady, resides. Since Consort Hui entered the palace, although the Lady doesn’t shut herself in like the Empress, her days have not been as good as before, her only solace being the Seventh Prince Ye Kai and her young grandson Ye Liang.
Therefore, Xia Yixiao went to see the Lady with Ye Liang, and Lin Jingxian could not stop her, and had to go alone to Consort Hui.
"My Lady, the Fifth Princess Consort has arrived." Inside Changle Palace, Consort Hui was leisurely enjoying being fed and massaged by palace attendants, totally at ease.
Who would have thought three years ago that she would have such a fate! Even if she resembles that person, it is she who is alive now!
Princess yet! That was a status she did not even dare to dream of, yet now they humbly come to pay respects to her, this superiority is truly delightful.
"Let her in." Liu Hui straightened her clothes and had the palace maid re-adjust her hair accessory. She has long heard that this Fifth Princess Consort was ethereal like an immortal, and even though she’s her "daughter-in-law," she did not want to be outshone.
As soon as she entered Changle Palace, Lin Jingxian inwardly sighed that Consort Hui, being so favored by His Majesty, lived in such splendid decor, it even resembled the standards of the Empress.
Thinking about the desolation of Changxin Palace and then seeing the luxury of Changle Palace, her heart couldn’t help but feel wistful, and she grew even more worried for the Crown Prince.
"I greet Consort Hui," Lin Jingxian bowed in greeting.
Seeing that she just slightly bowed and did not perform a full kowtow, a trace of displeasure flickered through Consort Hui’s eyes. Hmph! She knew it, even if she became Noble Consort, these women still look down on her origins. Before coming here to Changle Palace, this Fifth Princess Consort had first gone to pay respects to the Empress!
But even if they look down on her, don’t they still have to bow to her?
Aren’t they saying the Fifth Prince is wealthy? Why is her dress so shabby? Could it be that this Princess Consort has already fallen out of favor? Then what’s the point of her attending to her now?