RPAGF Chapter 210: Does the 5th Prince have other ideas?
Chapter 210: Does the 5th Prince have other ideas?
"My Lady, today is the Emperor's birthday. These are just some minor matters that have already passed. You are being too aggressive by insisting on harping on them."
The queen narrowed her eyes slightly, and invisible pressure was released from her body, pouring towards Concubine Zhou.
Concubine Zhou was not afraid to look him in the eye, but she was sneering in her heart.
After all, power nourishes people. The timid daughter of a seventh-rank official who was promoted to the throne of empress now has such a deterrent effect.
As if she was thinking of a past event that she didn't want to recall, Concubine Zhou's eyes darkened, she sneered, and said in a sharp voice, "Is the Queen angry?"
"The Empress is truly worthy of being the head of the harem. She cares so much about the Fifth Prince that even when the eldest princess was wronged, she didn't react so hastily. This shows how much she loves the Fifth Prince as a mother. She wishes she could replace Noble Concubine Shun."
"Don't let me say that, Your Majesty, you should be more open-minded. Your children are all grown up now, and the eldest princess is almost marrying age. It's better to let go of some of your delusions, so as not to make a fool of yourself."
As she spoke, Concubine Zhou covered her nose with her handkerchief, her eyes raised with contempt, "After all, no flower lasts forever. You've been blooming for over ten years, so it's time for someone else to bloom, right?"
Don't think she doesn't know what the bitch Queen is thinking!
That little bitch Yongle has always been arrogant. Relying on his status as a legitimate son, he looks down on everyone except the Fifth Prince. Even the Queen would try her best to protect the Fifth Prince whenever she met him, because she just wanted to raise the Fifth Prince under her knees.
After all, the queen has no children. Even if she is favored, she will be at the mercy of others once the emperor dies. The only way is to raise a prince and help him become the crown prince so that she can continue to crush everyone in the harem in the future.
The plan was indeed good, but why did the Queen think she would repeat the same mistake?
After the death of the previous queen, she was fully confident that she could ascend to the throne of queen and let her brother exert power in the former dynasty, thus neglecting the emperor.
During that time, the bitch Queen appeared. I don't know what tricks she used, but she persuaded the Emperor to make her the Queen.
At that time, she thought it was an imperial edict to confer a rank. When the edict spread throughout the court and the harem, she realized that it was actually an imperial edict to establish the queen, but it was too late.
The imperial decree had been issued and could not be changed, so she was forced to accept it.
There are so many concubines from prominent families in the harem, but the emperor chose to make the daughter of a seventh-rank official his empress. It is simply ridiculous.
But the emperor's next move was beyond everyone's expectations.
She had never seen the emperor dote on someone like that.
Since the emperor and empress got married, the empress was almost the only one favored by the emperor in the Pepper Room. That year, the emperor only stayed in the Pepper Room and did not enter other people's bedrooms.
It was not until a year later, when the queen became pregnant, that the emperor went elsewhere. It was at that time that she became pregnant with Anle.
Perhaps even God could not bear it any longer, as the queen had a difficult delivery and after giving birth to a daughter, she became injured and could no longer bear children.
She breathed a sigh of relief at that time, but she didn't expect that five years later, the queen and Shun Guipin, who was then a little concubine, would become pregnant at the same time.
She panicked immediately. The meaning of a legitimate son born to a doted queen was self-evident.
She was no longer favored by the emperor at that time and only placed her hopes on An'er. She didn't expect that the bitch Queen would not only snatch away the emperor's favor, but also take away An'er's position.
It would have been fine if she had just given birth to one princess, but she actually wanted to give birth to more one after another. Of course, she would not allow it, so she got rid of the flesh in the queen's belly.
Since then, the queen has never been pregnant again.
She had been too dismissive in the beginning, which was why she missed the chance to be the empress. Now that she was involved in the fight for the throne, Prince Rui was already enough of a headache. She naturally would not let the empress raise the fifth prince and create another rival for An'er.
Although the Queen's family background is not good, she is favored, and the prince under her knees can be called a legitimate son. If the fifth prince is really raised by the Queen, An'er will be inferior in status. Only if he is raised by his biological mother, Concubine Shun, will he have no ability to compete with An'er.
Shun Guipin was just a palace maid who was sold into the palace. She is also timid and cowardly. With such a mother, the Fifth Prince will never be able to compete with An'er in this life.
Thinking of the past, Concubine Zhou's eyes were dim, but she soon cheered up again, glanced at Concubine Shun, and said quietly: "Concubine Shun, do you think what I said makes sense?"
She just didn't believe that Shun Guipin, who was not much braver than a cat, would be willing to give her only son to the Queen!
Shun Guipin's face was a little pale. Facing Concubine Zhou's threatening gaze, she opened her mouth but couldn't say a word.
Suddenly, the Queen placed the teacup heavily on the tea table and said in a dignified voice, "Noble Concubine Zhou, you've gone too far!"
Concubine Zhou pinched her handkerchief and chuckled, "Empress, what's wrong with you?"
"Could it be that I have spoken the truth about your thoughts and you are angry out of shame?"
The Queen was about to speak when Princess Yongle spoke first. She held her head high and sneered, "Noble Concubine Zhou, as the Queen, you are the mother of the nation and the mother of all the children in the harem. Even Second Prince and Anle should call you Mother."
"Since she is my mother, is there anything wrong with her caring about my fifth brother?"
"Noble Concubine Zhou, please don't judge others by your own standards."
Concubine Zhou narrowed her eyes and said, "The eldest princess is the eldest princess, and her words are beautiful. I just hope that you can treat Anle the same way you treat the fifth prince."
The Fifth Prince beside him immediately said, "Your Highness, although the eldest sister has a tough temper, she is still very caring towards us brothers and sisters and treats us all equally. If you don't believe me, ask the second sister if she is the same."
What can Princess Yongle say?
She couldn't say anything in front of everyone, and she felt very aggrieved, so she could only nod her head.
Concubine Zhou looked at the Fifth Prince with a look of surprise, "Fifth Prince, why are you defending Princess Jialin so much? Could it be that you have other motives?"
These words were truly heartbreaking. Everyone knew that because of the Fourth Prince's ridiculous behavior, the Emperor was extremely concerned about the Fifth Prince's bedroom affairs, fearing that he would be damaged like the Fourth Prince.
If these words were to reach the emperor's ears, not only Shen Qionghua, but even the fifth prince would be in trouble.
Upon hearing this, the Queen's eyes glared at Concubine Zhou and said, "Concubine Zhou, be careful with your words!"
Concubine Zhou chuckled, "Don't worry, Queen. I was just joking."
The Empress had lost her easygoing demeanor and said with a stern face, "This Princess Jialin was personally conferred by the Emperor. She is a meritorious official who has made great contributions to disaster relief. I do not have the courage to punish someone personally conferred by the Emperor."
"If the Imperial Concubine insists on punishing me, then please give the order yourself. However, if the Emperor asks about it in the future, I will have no choice but to tell the truth. I wonder how the victims would feel if they heard that the Princess Jialin, who had helped them, was punished by the Imperial Concubine for such a trivial matter."
After the Queen finished speaking, she withdrew her gaze, picked up the teacup beside her and drank slowly, as if she really wanted to hand Shen Qionghua over to Concubine Zhou for her to deal with.
Concubine Zhou's face froze, obviously she didn't expect the Queen to pass the matter back to her.
Even if she was stupid, she knew that she couldn't personally initiate the matter of punishing Shen Qionghua. Prince Rui was currently in power, and An'er was not as good as Prince Rui in winning people's hearts. If it was reported that she had punished Shen Qionghua who had made great contributions to disaster relief, how would the people view An'er?
Concubine Zhou gritted her teeth and thought to herself that the queen was cunning.