Quick Transmigration: What to Do When the Male Supporting Character You Saved Becomes Obsessed with

Chapter 229 The Ruthless and Disabled Crown Prince (129)

Lu Liruan felt that even if Ji Shuqin found out about this afterward, given his personality, he would never allow the An family to act so recklessly in the court.

It wasn't because his authority was challenged, but because Ji Shuqin was upright and incorruptible; he would never tolerate or allow such a thing to happen...

The An family was probably very dissatisfied with Ji Shuqin's actions, and soon they sent a memorial to the palace to inquire after his well-being.

Since it was impossible to request an audience in the imperial court, they sent a memorial to the palace to inquire about the emperor's well-being.

It is still within the rules for female relatives to come to the palace to visit the Empress.

Especially since the Empress has not contacted her family for so long.

This is beyond reproach.

The An family thought that Ji Shuqin would stop their greetings, but to their surprise, it was sent in very smoothly. The Crown Prince didn't even think about interfering.

"Master, do you think... we can suppress Xian'er's matter through the Empress?" Madam Chen asked with some concern.

When she visited the Minister of War's house last time, she was sincere and earnest. Given An's current status, he will surely be unapproachable in the future.

She was the daughter of the Minister of War, and she had seen her at banquets before; she could be considered a girl from a modest family.

Her father, the Minister of War, was a tall and burly man. For a girl to grow up to look like that, she must have resembled her mother.

Marrying their Xian'er would be a good match...

Chen felt annoyed that they would be so disrespectful.

He was still complaining when he got back, but he didn't expect the Minister of War to be so persistent and even bring the matter to the imperial court!

In full view of everyone, it was handed directly to the eldest prince.

It's just for a daughter, yet you're so naive and unreasonable...

Not only Madam Chen, but also Master An thought so. He and his wife loved their youngest son the most.

But after this incident, they suddenly felt helpless and couldn't help but become anxious.

Now we can only wait and see how the Empress will step in.

“Of course!” Master An said loudly.

"My younger sister is the eldest prince's birth mother. I've heard that the eldest prince has listened to my sister since he was a child..."

He lowered his voice halfway through his sentence, glancing left and right: "Back then, my sister suffered so much to protect him..." Master An frowned.

It turns out that those old stories from the palace were like taboos, not to be mentioned.

But now that the emperor is in this state, those past events are gradually being brought up again and are being talked about extensively in private.

The emperor had so many sons, but he never expected that the one who would be closest to the throne was this prince who had been sent out of the palace at a young age, ignored for so many years, and never thought that he would inherit the throne.

Life is truly unpredictable, and fate plays tricks on us...

I have no idea what the Emperor is thinking.

When he was lucid, his affection for the eldest prince was obvious to everyone.

The Crown Prince had never been treated with such importance before, which shows that the Emperor truly loved the First Prince.

What abilities does this Crown Prince possess? Coming from that desolate mountain temple, he has managed to so easily bewitch the Emperor, leaving him completely disoriented.

Whether they were court officials in the capital or lower-level officials, everyone was wondering what abilities the Crown Prince possessed.

Is he pretending to be weak to take advantage of others, or something like that...? Because of this, no one dares to underestimate him.

The Second Prince's faction regarded him as a formidable enemy.

He was able to use leverage against him, and even under the nose of the Second Prince, he managed to seize the position of regent, which shows that he was not easy to deal with.

"When you meet the Empress, you must not be arrogant, understand?" Master An actually knew very well what kind of person his wife was.

However, they usually live a stifled life and are very cautious when they are out in the world.

Now there are finally signs of a turnaround. Master An himself was so arrogant that he lost his bearings. Only when trouble came did he finally realize he should keep a low profile.

The Empress quickly agreed to allow Chen to enter the palace to pay her respects.

Chen entered the palace with trepidation and was led into the incomparably magnificent Fengyi Palace, where she met the Empress sitting on the main seat.

It is unknown what the two discussed, but when Chen came out, the Empress had been looking displeased all afternoon.

"What did my sister say?"

When Chen returned home, Master An hurriedly asked...

These days, young Master An hasn't dared to go out, staying home all day and looking listless...

Today, knowing that his mother had gone to the palace to see the Empress, he waited listlessly in the hall.

Seeing his mother return, he hurriedly went to greet her, looking on expectantly.

When he did it, he never imagined that the people of the Dali Temple would find out!

He didn't know what the consequences would be when he did it; he was just being coaxed by others, so he reached out his hand...

He doesn't care whether the money is clean or not; he can live a life of luxury once he gets it, so he doesn't care about anything else.

But now he is finally afraid. He has long heard of the Dali Temple Minister's fearsome reputation and is afraid that one day the Dali Temple will lead its men into the An Mansion and arrest him and throw him into prison.

After all, there were quite a few people of higher status who were imprisoned under the jurisdiction of the Minister of Justice.

He probably wouldn't even rank highly among He Diao and Lord He...

Chen Shi hadn't even had time to take off her imperial robes when she heard what the father and son were saying. She nodded happily and said, "With me speaking to Her Majesty the Empress, there won't be any problems!"

She was smug and self-satisfied, as if the matter had been resolved.

Young Master An's round, chubby face, bulging from eating, showed a few pleats.

She stepped forward eagerly, personally taking the clothes from her mother and handing them to a maidservant beside her, saying with flattery, "My father and I have complete confidence in Mother's work!"

After receiving praise from her son, Ms. Chen recalled what had happened that afternoon and felt even more confident in her own abilities.

This afternoon, when she mentioned this matter to the Empress, the Empress clearly didn't know the whole story!

Seeing the Empress's expression, Chen's heart sank considerably...

Sure enough!

If Her Majesty the Empress knew, she would certainly not allow her maternal family to be so disgraced! The eldest prince did not inform the Empress of this matter at all.

Once she calmed down, Madam Chen began to embellish her story even more. She was adept at gossiping about everyone, and with her embellishments, it made it seem as if everyone was bullying the An family...

Look at their weak An family, everyone dares to step on them.

Chen cleverly equated the act of humiliating the An family with disrespecting the Empress.

She saw the Empress's gloomy face and silence, but she wasn't afraid. She was just thinking to herself how the Empress could get justice for her family.

Will they teach the eldest prince a lesson...?

When she saw the Empress now, she felt that she was completely different from the little sister-in-law she had known in the An family back then.

Back when she was in the An family, her sister-in-law was so beautiful and charming. Now, the Empress looks even older than her!

Ms. Chen casually touched her face, a hint of smugness rising in her heart.

So what if she's the Empress? Back when she was a young lady in the An family, she was arrogant and haughty, always different from the other young ladies. Her swordplay and fighting were not well-liked.

Unexpectedly, she was blessed with such good fortune, entering the palace and becoming empress. However, her good fortune did not last long, and she soon encountered misfortune.

Back then, everyone in the An family was uneasy and anxious, and Chen was no exception, but she also felt a faint sense of pleasure.

When she married into the An family, she saw how favored her sister-in-law was, yet her sister-in-law was not close to her and looked at her with a gaze that displeased Chen.

When she suffered misfortune, Madam Chen felt no pity at all. Instead, she thought that with her eccentric personality, the Emperor would certainly not like her.

"My sister is quite dignified now. That Phoenix Palace is even more magnificent than it used to be!"

"When I went in today, I didn't know where to put my hands and feet... I never expected that after so many years, my sister would be able to return to the palace and have such great fortune!" Madam Chen praised, still savoring the luxurious scene in Fengyi Palace.

As the An family father and son listened to her story, their hearts were once again at peace.

“I think my sister is now the most important person in the palace! Isn’t it said that the First Prince listens to her the most? He kept this from her, but now that she knows, won’t she scold him… After that, the First Prince won’t dare to do it again…”

"Shut up!" Upon hearing this, Master An shouted, interrupting Madam Chen.

Startled, Madam Chen trembled and glanced around, wondering what she had said wrong that had made Master An's expression so unpleasant.

"Is it appropriate for you to address her as Empress now?" Master An rebuked her sternly upon hearing the disrespect in Madam Chen's words.

"I didn't..." Madam Chen tried to explain, but before she could finish, Master An's face darkened, and he anxiously pressed her for answers.

"What did you say to the Empress? How did you say it? And how did the Empress react? Tell me quickly, without omitting a single detail!"

"My lord, what are you doing... I spoke so much with the Empress this afternoon, how can I possibly remember every single word?" Madam Chen said, waving her hand in dissatisfaction.

"Anyway, judging from the Empress's appearance, she was very angry! Of course, how could she not be angry when her own son disobeyed her like this? Unlike our Xian'er, who has always listened to me since he was little."

"Nonsense! You stupid woman, can't you understand what I'm saying!" Master An ignored her.

Seeing that Master An was furious, Madam Chen, though still confused, could only try to recall the situation carefully.

Her eyes darted around in their sockets as she tried her best to repeat what she had said to Master An.

Her description of the Empress was remarkably detailed, suggesting she had carefully observed and studied her appearance...

The more Master An listened, the more his heart pounded. He suddenly waved his hand, interrupting Madam Chen's incessant chatter.

"I shouldn't have let you go!" Master An said angrily.

"What did I do now? You asked the Empress to see you in court, but the Crown Prince refused. For the sake of our Xian'er, I went to the palace to tell the Empress the truth, and I've done something wrong?" Madam Chen also got angry.

"Then you shouldn't have mentioned His Highness the First Prince in front of the Empress! You only talk about Xian'er's affairs, why bring up His Highness the First Prince?" Master An patted the armrest next to him.

"The Empress is no longer a daughter of the An family. She is the Empress now! The First Prince will be the new emperor!" Master An said, exasperated.

"You instigated the relationship between the Empress and the First Prince in front of Her Majesty the Empress? Her Majesty the Empress protected the An family this time, but what about after that?" Master An is not as simple as Madam Chen.

“If the An family wants to remain wealthy and powerful for a long time, they need the new emperor! What if the eldest prince finds out that we are the ones who spoke ill of him behind his back, causing discord between him and the empress? After the eldest prince ascends the throne, will he hold a grudge against our family? How can we expect to have a good outcome? You stupid woman! What is in your head? Xian’er is so ill-mannered because of your teaching!” Master An disliked both the mother and son.

After Master An explained the contents of the package, Madam Chen finally realized what was going on. Her face fell, and she beat her chest in frustration...

"Oh dear—I was just thinking that it's only natural for a mother to discipline her own child, isn't it? His Highness the Crown Prince is truly..."

"If I hear you speak disrespectfully to the Crown Prince again, you're not allowed to leave this mansion anymore. Don't cause me any more trouble outside!" Master An wished he could sew her mute mouth shut with needle and thread!

Only now did Mrs. Chen realize her worries: "It shouldn't be...it shouldn't be, right? Then, what should we do now?"

"What do we do! What do we do?!"

Master An abandoned the two men and strode away.

Contrary to Chen's expectations, the Empress was not angry because the An family had lost face.

She suddenly realized that she could hardly hear any news from the outside world anymore.

It seemed as if she was isolated in this palace...

After Chen left, the Empress sat alone in the main hall of Fengyi Palace, motionless, like a statue, showing no sign of joy or sorrow.

The palace servants dared not step forward, and for a moment there was silence.

The Empress suddenly felt that the palace was eerily quiet, a hundred times quieter than the mountain temple.

It was completely dark, but the Empress still showed no intention of having a meal.

Granny Ma stepped forward and leaned close to the Empress, saying, "Your Majesty, please have something to eat. Don't let yourself get hungry."

"Granny, go and invite the First Prince here." The Empress stared blankly at the burning candlelight.

Granny Ma paused for a moment, then bowed and said, "Yes." She then instructed the eunuch to go and find Ji Shuqin.

Ji Shuqin was reviewing the memorials of the day when he heard that the Empress had summoned him. After a moment's hesitation, he finally decided to go.

"Mother Empress." Ji Shuqin bowed.

"Qin'er has arrived," the Empress said calmly.

"I wonder what brings Your Majesty to summon me at this hour?"

"What, does Mother feel lonely all by herself? Can't you let Qin'er come and keep you company? How many days and nights have we spent together, mother and son?" the Empress said coldly. Her tone didn't sound like she was reminiscing about the past; instead, it gave off an uncomfortable feeling.

"Is Mother feeling unwell? Why do you feel lonely?" Ji Shuqin frowned slightly, his face showing concern.

"Qin'er, do you know? Today, the An family came to the palace to pay their respects to me."

"Your subject understands. If Your Majesty misses your uncle and aunt, you may arrange for them to visit often in the future."

"Qin'er, do you truly not understand why I feel so lonely? In this deep palace, my eyes are blindfolded and my ears are plugged. I can neither hear nor see. If no one tells me, I know nothing. How can I not feel lonely?" The Empress spoke with a pointed remark.

She had realized that Ji Shuqin was deliberately keeping her confined to Fengyi Palace, preventing her from receiving news from the court and beyond.

And she didn't even notice!

When exactly did this begin, and how did it turn out like this?