vrcanaries Chapter 302 Humiliation
Chapter 302 Humiliation
Shen Shixi admired Li Yuanke quite a bit; he wasn't the kind of person who would wrong himself for others!
There are never any secrets in the palace. Although what happened in Cining Palace did not spread widely, the nobles and ministers had heard about it, and it was impossible to keep it a secret from the imperial family.
The Prince of Han then said, "Your Majesty's caution is indeed appropriate. The Empress's unborn child is the legitimate heir. I have heard that some foods can harm the fetus when consumed by pregnant women. It would be best to have the imperial physicians check it carefully!"
Prince An echoed this sentiment.
But everyone knows that the emperor is worried about the food in the Empress Dowager's palace.
The Empress Dowager was well aware of the situation and was so angry she felt like she was going to vomit blood; her eyes were red. But if she were to defiantly say that the banquet was canceled and everyone should go back, she would be damaging Li Yuanyin's reputation and her own dignity.
She could only blame the emperor; he was her own mother, yet he slapped her in the face like that.
The meal was bland and tasteless.
Shen Shixi ate with peace of mind. Every dish was tested for poison before it was served, and Jiang Lingyou tested it again. Li Yuanke ate it first, and then she ate it.
After a quick meal, Shen Shixi was about to leave when Princess Zhao of Huainan asked if she could go and pay her respects to the Empress.
Shen Shixi has never liked to deal with noblewomen, but if someone comes to her for help, she will still meet with them.
Shen Shixi knew why Zhao had come to her, and she did need people at the moment, so she said, "I am going back to Qingyi Garden today and will set off soon. If you have time, go to Qingyi Garden with the Prince."
"Your Majesty, I thank you!" Zhao was overjoyed.
She sought out the Empress to help her husband find a job. In the imperial family, one wouldn't starve, but to live a good life, one needed a job.
Not everyone has a job.
The Empress Dowager then kept Prince Guo and his wife for a talk. The palace maids were incredibly perceptive, and besides, the Empress Dowager couldn't possibly be unaware that the Prince's residence hadn't accepted the brocade handkerchief yesterday.
The two men knelt before the Empress Dowager, who asked, "What happened on your wedding night last night?"
Zhu Shouchun was truly struck by lightning. It was understandable for an elder to inquire about this matter, but you should either ask the son or the daughter-in-law. Asking either one separately wouldn't be a problem, but why ask both of them together?
She also wanted to emulate the Empress and deliver a sarcastic remark to the Empress Dowager, but she ultimately lacked the ability.
But Li Yuanyin showed her no mercy, giving her a pitiful look before pursing his lips and remaining silent.
The Empress Dowager was so angry she nearly fell over. "So, both of your sons and daughters-in-law have given birth to rebellious children?"
If she can't handle Chen Yuan, can't she at least control this little one?
"Then tell me, what's going on? Do you not want to get married or what? If you didn't want to marry into this family, you should have said so earlier. Now that you're married, you're unwilling to serve your husband. How did you learn the three obediences and four virtues while you were still in your maiden home?"
Zhu Shouchun lowered her head and said, "This concubine dares not. Now that I am married, I will naturally obey my husband! It is only that my husband is unwilling to consummate our marriage. I dare not force him, but I will do my duty to the utmost. I beg Your Majesty to see this clearly!"
She doesn't call herself Empress!
Li Yuanyin was furious. "I know you only wanted to enter the palace as a concubine from the beginning. You didn't want to marry me, and now you're even looking down on me, aren't you?"
The Empress Dowager was furious. Her eldest son's concubines had an improper relationship with her youngest son, and her youngest son's wife even wanted to become her eldest son's concubine. What kind of mess was this?!
Zhu Shouchun glanced at him sideways. "Your Highness, please watch your words! I have only seen the Emperor twice from beginning to end. I participated in the selection of concubines to obey my parents' orders and to be loyal to the royal family. I have never had any selfish motives. I beg the Empress Dowager to see the truth!"
The Empress Dowager said, "It's best if you don't have such thoughts! You two are already husband and wife. If you can live in harmony, I will naturally not mistreat you. But if you don't serve the Prince well, I will not be lenient at all. It will be of no benefit to you or your maternal family!"
Zhu Shouchun remained unmoved. "My father is an official of the court. He is loyal to the emperor and the country, diligent in his duties, and devoted to his work. His Majesty has always praised him for this. Now that I have returned to the royal family, do you think that the Prince will take his anger out on my mother's family just because he dislikes me?"
"The Empress Dowager is the mother of the nation. If this is the case, I beg for death, so that my family may be spared from disaster, and the court may be spared the loss of a powerful minister!"
The Empress Dowager trembled with anger. "I advise you not to be stubborn, and don't even think about emulating the Empress. You probably don't have her abilities or her good fortune!"
"I certainly do not possess the abilities of Her Majesty the Empress, nor do I have her good fortune. Her Majesty the Empress is virtuous and exemplary, a model for the nation. My father and mother have repeatedly instructed me to take Her Majesty the Empress as my example, to be cautious in my words and deeds, and to do my duty well!"
The Empress Dowager had no way to deal with her, so she ordered her to come to the palace to pay her respects every day at Chenshi (7-9 AM), thinking that once she arrived, she would establish rules for her.
Zhu Shouchun had no choice but to agree.
When they left the palace, Li Yuanyin did not go with her. He stayed at Cining Palace, where two people from the Imperial Household Department and two guards were watching the entrance. This was at Shen Shixi's behest, to prevent Li Yuanyin from getting involved with any of the women in the harem again.
Zhu Shouchun was puzzled and asked the old woman who had escorted her out of the palace what these four people did.
Qingzheng didn't know how to explain it.
Zhu Shouchun was a very quick-witted man. Seeing Qingzheng remain silent, he guessed what had happened and felt extremely embarrassed.
She hurriedly boarded the carriage, and the thought that she had married such a good-for-nothing made her burst into tears.
The maid, Fei Hong, felt extremely distressed, but she didn't quite understand. "Princess Consort, how can the Empress Dowager be so unreasonable? The Prince refuses to consummate the marriage with you, so how is it your fault!"
"The Prince is really something! It's not like you wanted to marry him, and you've already done it, yet he humiliates you like this!"
"It's because I don't want to consummate the marriage! Just thinking about how he dared to defile the Emperor's concubine makes me feel utterly disgusted! Scarlet, I feel like vomiting just looking at him!"
Zhu Shouchun leaned against Fei Hong, "The Empress Dowager still wants to control me. I'm willing to risk my life. Take it if she wants it. I want to see if she can handle it!"
Granny Quan then said, "Princess Consort, please forgive my boldness, but if you had actually entered the palace back then, things might not be as good as they are today. The Prince is certainly not as talented and ambitious as the Emperor, but he has one advantage: if the Princess Consort is willing to put in the effort, he might not be so difficult to control."
We didn't know the situation in the palace before, but now we understand it clearly. The Emperor has long since stopped summoning his concubines. You, Princess Consort, have seen what became of those who entered the palace with the Princess Consort!
Zhu Shouchun said, "I may have thought about what you said, but you also saw that the Prince is like a baby who has not been weaned. Do you expect me to be engaged in this tug-of-war with the Empress Dowager all day long?"
Besides, I really don't care for someone like him. The Empress Dowager will eventually stop tolerating me; she can't even tolerate the Empress, how could she possibly tolerate me?
Granny Quan said, "This isn't a good thing for the Princess Consort. The Empress Dowager wants to set rules for you, but you'll likely suffer in the future. Why bother?"
Meanwhile, the Empress was listening to Chao Yu's report on palace affairs. The Empress Dowager had instructed Princess Guo to report to the palace at Chen Shi (7-9 AM) every morning to pay her respects. This meant that Zhu Shouchun had to get up at four o'clock every morning, dress up, and then enter the palace in order to be able to pay her respects at seven o'clock.
Fortunately, she was pregnant. As a daughter-in-law, Zhu Shouchun went to pay her respects to the Empress Dowager at seven o'clock every day. If she didn't go, what would people outside say?
The Empress Dowager has gone mad!