Coming Kingly Son-in-Law: Don't Provoke the First Daughter - Chapter 161

Chapter 161 The Day Empress Dowager’s Soul Was Gone

For a full month, the Empress stayed in Weiyang Palace. She knew what she was waiting for. She was waiting for Gu Qiang to change everything so that she could get out of the predicament she was in right now.

She never seemed to realize that she cared so much about Shen Qianshan. The time she spent with him was getting less and less, but the longing for him in her heart was gradually piling up like a mountain, unable to calm down.

Gusu Liang came in and handed the fruit to the dazed Empress. She asked expressionlessly, “Miss, Ye is here. She said that she wanted to see you. Are you going to see her?”

The Empress turned around. When Gusu Liang said this, she was very calm. It seemed that she did not take this matter to heart. It was just a casual question. As for how the Empress responded, she did not seem to care either.

“She must be here for the matter of Gu Zhihua. Let her in. If she does not pour out her words, she must feel very uncomfortable,” the Empress said.

Gusu Liang nodded and waved her hand. At the door, Ye hurriedly walked in and then knelt on the ground with a plop. After kowtowing twice to the Empress, she looked up and said sadly, “Qiang, your sister is still left out in the cold by the Emperor. She is living in a desolate palace. Only you can save her. Can you talk to the Emperor to let her out?”

Ye had never been so frank in front of the Empress. The Empress put down the teacup and asked coldly, “Why?”

Ye had never thought that the Empress would respond to her. She was already very surprised. When she heard the Empress speak like this, she immediately felt that there was hope.

Thus, she took two steps forward, grabbed the hem of the Empress’ skirt, and said, “Qiang, no matter what, you are still Gu Family’s member. In this imperial harem, as long as you are with Zhihua, this imperial harem is under your command. Shen Qiangwei is just a prostitute from a brothel. How can she hold the power to make decisions in this imperial harem?”

The Empress looked at Ye and immediately smiled.

These days, she thought that she had already calmed herself down a lot after recalling the past and reflecting on herself in the imperial palace. She thought she would not care about these trivial things, but unexpectedly, she still couldn’t help it when she heard Ye’s words.

Ye had always treated the Empress as a fool.

“It has nothing to do with me whether Shen Qiangwei is in charge of the imperial harem or not. You probably don’t know that I’ve never been interested in fighting for someone’s favors. I’ll act as if I don’t know what has happened today. Go back.”

She did not want to embarrass Ye again and again anymore. It was not worth wasting time on her.

Ye seemed to want to put up a last-ditch, but Gusu Liang squeezed in. Gusu Liang’s voice was neither servile nor overbearing, but Ye did not dare to resist at all.

“Madam, you should go back. It’s so late. The Empress is going to rest.”

When Ye came out of Weiyang Palace, she looked up at the stars in the sky. Tears fell one by one. The maid, who was beside her, came up to help her. They walked two steps forward, and she heard Ye say, “I want to go to visit Zhihua. How can she live well in that kind of place?”

The maid said, “Madam, let’s go and beg the Emperor. After all, you are his mother-in-law. He will pay you some respect anyway. When has our lady ever been tortured like this at home? We must avenge our lady!”

Ye wiped her tears and sniffed. After frowning and thinking carefully, she said, “Let’s go to the Emperor.”

In the Imperial Study, Shen Zhongbai raised his head that was buried in a pile of memorials. He pinched his neck and took a deep breath. He felt the scent of rouge behind him. Then, a pair of hands wrapped around him from his back. They hugged him at his waist. A fragrant and soft body leaned on his back.

Shen Zhongbai had been suppressed by tedious work. At this time, he could tell the fragrance of the woman behind him—This was Shen Qiangwei’s fragrance.

So many years had passed. Shen Zhongbai had secretly reminded her to reduce the fragrance on her body.

There were too many types of fragrance in the imperial palace, such as the elegant one or the refreshing one. As long as there was no longer the smell of rouge and powder on her, Shen Zhongbai felt that it was good.

However, Shen Qiangwei had never changed this habit of hers. Many years later, Shen Zhongbai gradually got used to it.

He understood that the reason why he had kept asking Shen Qiangwei to change and to remove the hint of demimonde on her was that he had hoped that she would be more like Gu Qiang. In his heart, Shen Qiangwei was just a substitute who was the second option because he could not get Gu Qiang.

“I am a little tired today. You may leave first.” The heat on Shen Zhongbai’s body burned like a flame in an instant. However, he forcibly suppressed it.

Having asked for a snub, Shen Qiangwei sat down. In the brothel, she had not learned anything else but a lot about seducing men. However, it was probably because she had used too many tactics in the past few years that Shen Zhongbai was tired of it.

“Your Majesty, the Imperial Doctor said that my body has recuperated. I just lost my beloved son. Are you just going to watch me like this? To be honest, I want to have another child with you, Your Majesty.”

She spoke her mind bluntly. She wanted to have a child.

Others saw her living a glorious life as an imperial concubine, but she never forgot that she came from a brothel.

People could not choose their backgrounds. To some people, their backgrounds were unchangeable facts and were burdens that would hinder them in their lifetime.

At this time, she urgently needed a child to consolidate her position.

Shen Zhongbai had married her for six years. During these six years, he could not sleep well every night. She watched him being obsessed with the Emperor’s position. She watched him cry out Gu Qiang’s name again and again in the middle of the night because he missed Gu Qiang. Many times, she woke up from her dream and found that her pillow was wet with tears.

Shen Zhongbai turned his head and reached out to hold her in his arms. He said in a half-coaxing voice, “I know, but if you want a child, you need to wait for me to deal with everything I have at hand. Your body also needs to be nursed well. Otherwise, even if you conceive, you…”

He knew that if he continued, it might remind Shen Qiangwei of her suffering, so he stopped. At this time, a eunuch came in and said, “Your Majesty, outside the room, Prime Minister Gu’s wife is here. She said that she wanted to see you.”

Shen Zhongbai suddenly felt vexed, and he said impatiently, “It’s too late. Tell her I’ve already been asleep. If there is anything, ask her to talk about it later!”

The eunuch awkwardly leaned over to Shen Zhongbai’s ear and whispered, “That Madam just came over from Weiyang Palace. Maybe she has already talked to the Empress. Your Majesty, you should listen to what she has to say. After all, she is not only the mother of Concubine Hua but also the mother of the Empress.”

Of course, the Empress’ mother, Jiang Rou, had passed away more than ten years. Thus, Ye was thick-skinned enough to take over her position.

Shen Zhongbai thought for a moment, then turned to Shen Qiangwei and said, “You go back to Qiangwei Palace first. I will look for you after I am done.”

Shen Qiangwei was unhappy in her heart. Her eyes flashed, hiding her disappointment. She stood up and smiled, “Then I will take my leave. Your Majesty, take care of your body and go back early to rest.”

When she went out of the door, she happened to meet Ye, who was ready to walk forward.

There were crystal palace lanterns around. Although Empress Dowager’s funeral was over, the imperial palace would not change out the palace lanterns in three months.

The weather turned cold, and under the light of the palace lanterns, the palace looked particularly bleak.

Shen Qiangwei stopped beside Ye, looking straight ahead, and then casually said, “Madam Gu, you came here for Concubine Hua. In my opinion, it is useless. Concubine Hua has been with the Emperor for more than six years. How can she not know how important a child is to him?”

Ye should have made a reverence, but she was eager. However, her face was frighteningly calm.

How could she be afraid of a little bitch from the brothel?

“Even if the Emperor needs a child, this child should be from our Gu Family. If the future Prince knows that his mother is actually a girl from the brothel, I wonder how he will keep his foothold in the imperial palace.” Ye also looked straight ahead, protecting her last bit of dignity.

They knew each other so well. When they hurt each other, they would naturally poke at their weakest spots until they had a mental breakdown.

“Noble Consort, you are smart, but you have to think about your future child.” Ye continued, turning to look at Shen Qiangwei.

Shen Qiangwei’s entire body trembled. It was as if Ye’s words had really hit her Achilles’ Heel. She no longer said anything and went straight for her own Qiangwei Palace.

Ye knelt in front of the Imperial Study and lowered her head. Shen Zhongbai, who was hidden in the candlelight, slowly moved. He poked his head out and asked, “Madam, why are you in such a hurry to come over? What exactly is the matter?”

“Your Majesty, I came this time to beg you to consider releasing my Zhihua. She likes you so much and has been by your side for six years. Even if she doesn’t have any contributions, she has worked hard in serving you. You’ve locked her in the desolate palace. She is so delicate, how can she bear it?” At this point, Ye’s tears began to fall.

Shen Zhongbai held the teacup in his hand and spun it twice. Then, he raised his eyes and said coldly, “Mother-in-law, do you know what Zhihua did wrong? She killed my child. That is my flesh and blood. But for her hard work, I could have directly sentenced her to death.”

Ye’s whole body tensed up. Thinking of this, she was scared, but she still tried to say, “Your Majesty, you may not know this, but you have always enjoyed the admiration of Zhihua. She has a pure mind. For the sake of what she likes, she can give up everything. The reason why she does those things is that she hopes that you can pay more attention to her. In these six years, both you and she have been tormented. She is not happy, and you feel she is an eyesore to you.”

“Mother-in-law, do you mean that I should divorce Concubine Hua?”

This was interesting. Wasn’t it Gu Zhihua who shamelessly wanted to marry him, who was still the Third Prince at that time?

Today, she wanted Shen Zhongbai to divorce her. How ridiculous. For a woman like Gu Zhihua, if the Emperor did not want her, would other men pick her up and support her? Would her life be better than it was now?