vrcanaries Chapter 204 Seizing Love
Chapter 204 Seizing Love
Kunning Palace.
When the third prince learned that his father had married Ji Tang as his concubine, he was so angry that he immediately rushed into Kunning Palace and smashed all the jade ornaments that had just been put away.
"Mother, Tang'er is clearly my choice for principal wife, why did father choose to make her his imperial concubine?!"
Queen Ji didn't expect that the scene she was worried about would happen so soon.
She glared at the palace maid beside her, wondering who was the blind person who spread such gossip and it reached Xu'er's ears so quickly.
Fortunately, she had already sorted out her emotions within the past two hours.
She suppressed her inner uneasiness and pretended to be calm as she glared at the Third Prince. "Whose words did you believe to come and question the Queen Mother like this? Your father isn't really trying to snatch Tang'er from you, he's just mad at me! Don't join in the fun!"
"To keep angry?" The Third Prince was skeptical. "But He Dajian said that the imperial edict to Zhaoyi has already been issued. It's so formal, how can it be a case of keeping angry?"
Seeing her son's anxious look, Empress Ji hurriedly pulled him to sit on the armchair and asked, "Your aunt passed away today. Are you aware of this?"
"I know." The third prince nodded.
Empress Ji sighed, a look of melancholy on her face. "Today, eight people, from all over Kunning Palace, besides your aunt, were executed. It was because of these things that your father felt that the Ji family had repeatedly disregarded him and made things difficult for him, so he became angry."
"So, because of this, your father will not allow anyone from the Ji family to enter the palace anymore. From now on, your mother will not be able to summon your grandfather to the palace anymore..." As Queen Ji spoke, her eyes became red.
"That's how Tang'er came to the palace. He said he was afraid I'd miss home, so he came to keep me company. This time, your father is determined to completely sever my ties with the Ji family..."
After hearing this, the Third Prince's worry disappeared and a look of joy flashed across his face. "So, Tang'er won't become Father's woman?"
Ever since Ji Cheng died and the Ji family was stripped of their title, he no longer cared whether he still had any relationship with the Ji family.
Besides, he was still upset about the last time they drugged him and framed him for his affair with his aunt-in-law!
Therefore, his focus was entirely on what the Queen said, that the Emperor only wanted Ji Tang to enter the palace to accompany her, and that she would not really become the Emperor's woman.
After all, he had always regarded Tang'er as his future love, but his father suddenly stole her away, which made him feel really uncomfortable.
Empress Ji glanced at him and tapped his forehead lightly, "Of course. Could it be that your father, at such an old age, is really going to snatch Tang'er from you?"
But the Third Prince was still worried and asked hurriedly, "What if Father really wants to steal Tang'er's love and make her his woman?"
Queen Ji's face immediately fell, "He dares!"
She knew the emperor's temper. This time, she failed to deal with Lu Xuan and angered him again. It must be difficult for her to do things in the court.
But every time, as long as she acted coquettishly and submissive and served him well, after a while, his depression would disappear and he could get whatever he wanted.
Thinking about this, Queen Ji added angrily, "If he does this, I will never let him go!"
The Third Prince said, "But if he really wanted Tang'er to come in and accompany you, why didn't he just grant me the marriage? Why did he even summon me to the palace to be the Concubine Zhaoyi?"
The Queen glared at him again, "How old are you? How can you marry a principal wife at the age of fifteen? You have to wait at least another two years, so your father, there is nothing we can do about this."
The third prince knew how much his mother mattered to his father, so he did not doubt these words.
But even so, his joy only lasted for a moment.
"Tang'er is already a Zhaoyi after all. Even if there's nothing going on between her and my father, then wouldn't it be unreasonable for her to be with me later?"
After he finished speaking, Queen Ji was stunned.
Yes.
How could she have forgotten this?!
After hearing what the emperor said, she suddenly realized that the emperor's approach this time was indeed different from before!
In the past, the punishments she received were all loud thunder but little action, with almost no results.
However, this time, the Third Prince and Tang'er's chances of being together were really cut off!
But she didn't know how much Xu'er loved Ji Tang, so she could only smile and pretend that everything was fine.
"Tang'er is just a bargaining chip that the emperor uses to separate me from the Ji family. He deliberately keeps her in the palace, but he won't actually do anything to her. Besides, I will protect Tang'er."
"Later, I persuaded the Emperor and quietly let Tang'er leave the palace. When you become the Emperor in the future, you will have the final say! It won't be that difficult to find a new title."
Hearing this, the third prince's eyes lit up.
Finally, his anger gradually subsided.
……
Ji Tang's sedan finally stopped in the evening, and she was led by the eunuchs into the Zhongcui Palace.
The Zhongcui Palace had already been well taken care of by the Queen, just waiting for her to come.
So, as soon as she stepped in, a senior palace maid, dressed in clothes more luxurious than those of ordinary palace maids, stepped forward and said, "Empress Zhaoyi, tonight is your first day in the palace. The Empress has held a banquet in Kunning Palace and is waiting for you to come!"
"Hold a banquet?" Ji Tang was surprised for a moment, then he suddenly sneered as if he had thought of something.
The second aunt's body was just taken out of Kunning Palace today, and she, the queen aunt, is in the mood to hold a banquet so soon.
And asking her to go to Kunning Palace, was it to hold a banquet or to show off the queen's power?
Once you see the deepest side of a person, everything she does will have a different purpose.
For Ji Tang at this moment, Queen Ji is such a person.
Her deepest side is selfishness.
She didn't answer whether she wanted to attend the banquet, but simply said, "From Ji Mansion to the Imperial Palace, I just arrived and I'm not familiar with everything. Let me get to know my own Zhongcui Palace first."
Hearing this, the palace maids around were stunned.
The Queen came over in the afternoon and gave instructions, saying that this Concubine Zhaoyi was young, timid and docile, and asked them to be careful at all times and to protect her more.
But now it seems that this is not cowardice at all.
But they were just slaves and had to do what their master ordered, so they could only say yes and respectfully step aside.
The hourglass is gurgling.
Three groups of people have arrived since Queen Ji sent them.
At this moment, Ji Tang was finally familiar with Zhongcui Palace.
She said nonchalantly, "Let's go to Kunning Palace."
The two senior palace maids Yuegui and Yuezhi looked at each other and finally breathed a sigh of relief.
This young lady finally gave face to the queen.
Therefore, the two of them hurriedly led the way.
After entering Kunning Palace, Ji Tang instantly returned to his usual well-behaved self.
Looking at Queen Ji and the Third Prince who had been waiting for a long time, her eyes suddenly turned red.
"Aunt, Brother Xu."
As she spoke, she bowed down.
The queen was relieved to see that the usual address had not changed.
It is indeed the nature of a child, who has not yet realized the difference after his identity change.
She suppressed the warmth in her eyes and hurriedly helped Ji Tang up. "I'm glad you're here. From now on, you will be the one accompanying your aunt in this palace..."
As he spoke, he led her into the hall.
The delicacies had already been prepared in the hall, and Ji Tang sat down, as usual, next to the third prince.
The third prince felt something in his heart.
The previous resentment and dissatisfaction dissipated a little in an instant.
However, at this moment, the Queen said: "Tang'er, you are now..."
She hesitated for a moment, but decided to say, "You are now Zhaoyi, and you can no longer sit next to your brother Xu."
"Why not? Didn't I say I was here to accompany my aunt? Does that mean I really can't be Brother Xu's concubine from now on?"
She looked innocent, but as she spoke, she seemed to be on the verge of tears.
She just wanted to say these words, she wanted the queen to know that it was because of her that she ended up like this!
At the same time, more importantly, it is to let her relax her guard...
Hearing these words, Queen Ji felt a sharp pain in her chest.
Tang'er and Xu'er are truly a pair of star-crossed mandarin ducks.
Especially, she is the eldest brother's child...
Empress Ji didn't notice that her tone had softened: "Tang'er, you are now a Zhaoyi. In terms of status and seniority, you are the same as my aunt..."
She couldn't bear it and said, "You are also the emperor's woman."
Only when Empress Ji heard these words herself did she feel how much pain she felt in her heart.
I also felt more sympathy and pity for Ji Tang.
She almost felt that she had been abandoned by the past emperor.
It seems that all that love was just a fleeting dream.
However, at this moment, Ji Tang asked innocently again: "The emperor's woman? Isn't that my uncle? Where is he? Why didn't he come to greet me tonight?"