The Mute Wife Who Brings Prosperity

Chapter 910 - 865: Betrayal (Three Updates)

The Imperial Concubine said, "Norma, I’ve already brought Amuer, did you see him just now?"

The palace maid named Norma paused in her movements while attending to Li Yuan’s bath, "My poor child, he’s grown up so much now."

Seeing Norma’s eyes redden, Li Yuan pulled her hand into her palm, "Don’t be afraid, once today’s over, we’ll be free. Amuer will always be with you. Norma, I’ve waited for this day for twenty years. Please don’t leave me again, alright?"

"..."

Hidden in the bamboo forest, Wen Wan was not only frozen but utterly confused.

What on earth is happening here?

Is that Norma possibly Amuer’s biological mother?

Then she and the Imperial Concubine, they...

The Imperial Concubine, the Imperial Concubine is actually...

Wen Wan clamped her mouth shut, fearing she might scream uncontrollably.

Back in the Chu Capital, she heard that apart from concubines, official’s sons would also keep concubines who were both male and female.

Wen Wan thought that was the most extreme thing she’d heard until now, but now there’s woman and woman, how is it possible?

Wen Wan shook her head, hoping she was overthinking, yet the next sentence shattered her completely.

"These days, that Dog Emperor often visits Fengyang Palace, every time he comes I feel the urge to vomit, I’m sick of being touched by men, sick of living in deceit. Norma, you said you’d leave with me once Amuer was found. Now I’ve found him and brought him to you, let’s leave, and forever escape this disgusting place, hide in a mountain, I don’t want to dwell on past events just as long as you stay with me."

Norma looked worried, "As Princess and Imperial Concubine, how can you easily escape?"

"My thirty thousand troops are already assembling," Li Yuan smiled, "With them as a shield, we can leave anytime, go wherever we wish."

Seeing Norma hesitate, Li Yuan asked her, "Do you have other concerns? Just tell me, I’ll do everything possible to clear all obstacles for you."

"No," Norma shook her head, "It’s just that I’m very touched by what you’re doing for me, Princess."

Li Yuan laughed, "You know I only care about you. If it wasn’t for my elder brother back then... Forget it, the past is irrelevant, thank goodness you’re still here."

Her words hadn’t barely fallen, when an angry shout came from nearby, "Wretch!"

Li Yuan’s expression changed, turning to see that the Emperor had already arrived at the hot spring, glaring at her with a hatred that seemed ready to kill.

Li Yuan’s face froze for a moment, quickly pulling over a palace robe, using the mist above the hot spring to deftly cover herself before sitting at the stone table, pouring herself a cup of tea, "Looks like the Emperor already knows."

The Emperor’s face was extremely ugly, trembling as he pointed at her, "I asked myself in these years if I treated you well, and this is how you repay me?"

Because of this Hot Spring Manor, the Emperor often suspected Li Yuan had a secret lover. Several attempts to catch them over the years failed, making him conclude it was just paranoia. Realizing now it wasn’t a failure of capture but rather that the lover was not some young man but a palace maid.

Being hidden in the shadows listening to the two talk, the Emperor felt worse than swallowing a fly.

Especially when thinking about Li Yuan’s "stomach condition."

From the day she entered the palace, she vomited frequently. In the first year, he thought she was pregnant but when the Imperial Physician checked, no illness was found, concluding her stomach was weak and prescribed medication. Yet twenty years of treatment later, she still vomited.

The Emperor had become accustomed to her "weak stomach," to her "delicate constitution," so he was always careful when touching her.

Now realizing why he often saw Li Yuan vomit—it was because he was nearby. She inherently disliked men, so if he touched her or got too close, she felt nauseated.

Ha, nauseated for twenty years, vomited for twenty years, she really endured!

The Emperor’s face was ferociously angry.

Being betrayed by two women, he didn’t know how to vent his anger.

"As you’ve seen."

Li Yuan looked up, calmly meeting his gaze, "Everything I have done has been to leave the Imperial Palace, to leave you."

"Haven’t I treated you well? Why do you disgust me so?" asked the Emperor.

"Ha." Li Yuan sneered, "We are all smart people, why hide? For all these years, how many times have you tried to discredit me, design accidents? Don’t think I don’t know. Had I not been vigilant, anticipating those tricks, I’d have died ten times over. Want to compete on who treats whom better? Without me commanding troops to rescue you, you’d be skeletal remains, now comfortably seated as Emperor, finding me a threat, wanting to discard? My life, Fu Tianqi is unworthy of taking! You call me disgusting? No one is more disgusting than you, using women as stepping stones and tools, all men are the same filth!"

The Emperor never expected that, despite such careful façade, Li Yuan had known all along, always acting with him?

Taking a deep breath, the Emperor closed his eyes, reopened with a murderous look, "Since we’re speaking plainly, no more pretense. You know I want your life, today you won’t walk out alive!"

"Really?"

Li Yuan sneered, "The Emperor moved the main forces near the Capital to the Northern Border for revenge, now guarding the outskirts of the Capital is my thirty thousand troops, if you harm me, guess if you’ll leave this manor alive?"

The Emperor’s previously murderous expression immediately turned cold.

When Li Yuan was attacked in Chu Country, Fu Zichuan sent word back, for appearances, more troops and horses were sent to the Northern Border, even without revenge, it was an inevitable reinforcement.

Unexpectedly, it was Li Yuan’s trick of luring away the tiger from the mountain!

With the Capital Camp’s army at the Northern Border, what’s left are her forces, making the Emperor a turtle in a jar.

If she chooses to revolt, the Imperial City could fall in a day.

Thinking this, cold sweat trickled down the Emperor’s back.

Li Yuan watched his reaction, finally saying, "I’m not interested in your throne, let’s make a deal, let me and Norma go, my thirty thousand troops won’t move, obediently guarding outside. If you attempt to act, if you remove me, let’s fight to the death, see if reinforcements arrive sooner than my troops, by then taking Yanjing City, it’s not impossible for me to crown myself Empress."

"The Imperial Concubine is overly confident."

Another mocking voice chimed in from afar.

Li Yuan didn’t need to look up to know it was the crown prince Fu Changming of the Eastern Palace.

Both father and son are here?

Li Yuan calmly drank her tea, emotions unchanged.

The Emperor clearly didn’t expect the Crown Prince to come, stunned, looking at Fu Changming, though silent, his gaze asked the prince why he was present.

Fu Changming approached the Emperor, respectfully bowing, truthfully stating, "The Imperial Concubine’s frequent visits to the manor raised my suspicions. Investigating discreetly led me to this conclusion. Our Imperial Concubine dislikes men but likes women, historically unprecedented, tut-tut, if not witnessed, I wouldn’t believe such exists."

The Emperor’s face remained taut, feeling a green haze over his head, green to black.

Seeing the Emperor’s displeasure, the Crown Prince smirked, "Father need not worry, today I’ve come to purify the court. Li Family as Imperial Concubine holds military power, interferes with governance, violating ancestral rule ’Imperial Consorts must not meddle in government,’ the crime deserves death. Norma, what are you waiting for?"

"Norma? Impossible?" Li Yuan’s face changed, just about to turn when hearing a "sizz," sound of a blade piercing the chest.

Crushing pain in her chest forced Li Yuan to look down, seeing the blood flowing along the blade, she turned to Norma, eyes full of indescribable sadness, "Why? Norma, why betray me again?"

Norma looked at her, previously meek demeanor gone, replaced with mocking cold laughter, "Because you disgust me."

Boom—

Li Yuan felt her entire world collapse.

Twenty years ago she betrayed her, during West Yue’s demise she barely saved her and brought her back, yet again she betrayed her.

Disgusting? She actually found her disgusting?

Ha!