Chapter 41: The Prince Concubine is a Scumbag! Liar!

Concubine De and Concubine Rou turned their heads at the sound, only to see the Eldest Princess, accompanied by a maid, lowering her head and wiping away tears.

“Princess Changping,” Concubine De greeted as she approached with little Ah Bao in her arms.

The Eldest Princess, whose formal name was Changping, was the younger sister of the tyrant Tyrant Emperor.

Outside the palace, Princess Changping was like a sister-in-law to Concubine De, Concubine Rou, and the others.

Little Ah Bao was expected to address her as “Aunt.”

Concubine Rou, finally coming to her senses, gave a small, awkward smile as well.

Princess Changping hadn’t expected to run into Concubine De and Concubine Rou here. She quickly wiped her tears and forced a smile, “Oh, it’s Concubine De and Concubine Rou. What brings you two here?”

The three of them ended up sitting down together for a casual chat.

“The weather’s nice today, so I brought Ah Bao out to get some sun and happened to run into Concubine Rou,” Concubine De explained truthfully.

Concubine Rou seemed a bit out of it, simply following along with a silly smile, “That’s right.”

Princess Changping couldn’t help but glance at Concubine Rou again. Why did she seem a bit off today?

However, her attention was soon drawn to little Ah Bao. Instantly, Princess Changping’s face lit up with affection. “Concubine De, is this little Ah Bao? So pale and adorable!”

Her heart filled with joy, and she reached out to the child. “Little Ah Bao, would you let Auntie hold you?”

Ah Bao, nestled in Concubine De’s arms, tilted her head at Princess Changping, then stretched out her little arms in return, babbling incomprehensible sounds.

“Does little Ah Bao like Auntie? Come, let Auntie hold you.” Overjoyed, Princess Changping gently scooped Ah Bao into her arms. “This soft, sweet little bundle is just too cute, Auntie absolutely adores you.”

As she spoke, Princess Changping’s expression grew sorrowful.

“Princess, were you crying just now?” Concubine Rou, now alert, spoke bluntly and asked without thinking.

Princess Changping felt quite embarrassed for a moment.

Concubine De asked worriedly, “It seems you came from the direction of Cining Palace. Could it be that the Queen Mother..”

“Mother is doing much better than yesterday. It’s just that I… sigh, you both know my situation.” Princess Changping sat on a bench with a sigh, though she still held little Ah Bao in her arms, occasionally playing with her. “For over a year now, Mother’s health has been deteriorating.

She has worried about me my entire life.

If I could give birth to a son or daughter before she passes, she would be at peace. But my body… it just won’t cooperate.”

Concubine Rou glanced at Concubine De, unsure how to respond.

Princess Changping, now 25 years old, had been married for eight years but was childless.

“When you two were my age, both the Fifth and Sixth Princes had already been born. I so wish I had a daughter like little Ah Bao.

But unfortunately, it seems I’m not destined to have children in this lifetime.” As she mentioned this, Princess Changping’s eyes reddened, and a deep sadness welled up inside her.

For a married woman, aside from relying on her husband, the only other hope was to have children, as a source of comfort and companionship.

As she thought about this, tears began to fall, dropping onto Ah Bao’s face.

[Auntie, don’t cry.]

[Auntie, you are destined to have both a son and a daughter!]

Princess Changping’s eyes widened in shock.

Whose voice was that?

“Doo… doo…” Ah Bao waved her little arms, touching Princess Changping’s face, babbling incoherently with ‘doo doo’ sounds.

But Ah Bao was too young, without teeth, and couldn’t speak clearly.

Princess Changping stared blankly for a moment, looking at the baby in her arms. She was both surprised and overjoyed.

Did she just hear Ah Bao’s inner voice?

But Ah Bao said she would have both a son and a daughter?

How could that be possible?

She had been married for eight years and had never been pregnant.

The imperial physicians had diagnosed her with a condition that made it difficult for her to conceive.

A monk had even been invited to the Prince Concubine’s residence to read her fortune, saying she had weak ties to children and might never be able to bear any in her lifetime.

[Auntie will have both a son and a daughter! You’ll have a little brother and sister later.]

[But the Red Luan star is still, sigh, the one you married is not a good man.]

Ah Bao’s eyes sparkled brightly.

One moment Ah Bao was smiling, and the next, she seemed a bit upset.

[The Prince Concubine is a scumbag! A liar!]

Princess Changping, holding Ah Bao, was stunned.

Her ears buzzed, and only Ah Bao’s words echoed in her mind: “The Prince Concubine is a scumbag, a liar.”

No.

How could the Prince Concubine lie to her?

Because of her inability to conceive, Princess Changping had always felt deeply guilty towards him.

But fortunately, the Prince Concubine loved and cherished her deeply. For eight years, he had never complained about it.

He even comforted her from time to time.

The Prince Concubine’s mother, her mother-in-law, had never blamed her for this matter either.

The entire family treated her very well.

Because of this, her guilt deepened, and she constantly thought about leaving a bloodline for the Shangguan family.

[Auntie isn’t the one with a problem, the scumbag is! The big liar is the one with the issue!]

Princess Changping nearly fainted on the spot.

Was Ah Bao implying that… it was the Prince Concubine who couldn’t have children? Not her?

But both the imperial physicians and the monk had said she was the one with the problem.

[The scumbag is a freeloader, supporting a mistress outside, lying to Auntie about his feelings and money. Auntie is so pitiful!]

Each revelation from Ah Bao was more shocking than the last.

If Princess Changping hadn’t maintained a shred of rationality, she would have been terrified by now.

Concubine De, snapping out of her own shock, quickly took Ah Bao back into her arms. “Princess, Ah Bao is being too mischievous. Let me hold her instead.

You don’t look well. Are you feeling unwell?”

Concubine De took a deep breath, still trying to process the shocking information Ah Bao had revealed.

She trusted Ah Bao completely.

The fact that the Prince Concubine was the one who couldn’t have children—and not only that, he was hiding it while keeping a mistress outside…

As a fellow woman, Concubine De was furious.

But she wasn’t Princess Changping.

The princess didn’t know any of this yet.

Concubine De suddenly felt immense pity for the princess.

For a married woman, nothing was more terrifying than the collapse of a marriage, leaving her with nothing.

If what Ah Bao said was true, the Prince Concubine’s behavior was inhumane!

He was essentially driving the princess to despair.

Concubine De’s mind raced. She had to find a way to discreetly warn the princess.

“Princess…” Concubine De started to speak, but Princess Changping suddenly stood up.

She looked utterly devastated, staring at Ah Bao in Concubine De’s arms as tears fell even harder.

“Princess, are you…”

“I just remembered I have some urgent matters to attend to at the manor. I’ll take my leave now,” Princess Changping said, turning and walking away without looking back.

“Princess Changping must have seen the Tenth Princess and been reminded of her inability to have children. That’s why she started crying,” Concubine Rou commented indifferently.

She glanced at Concubine De. “There’s nothing else, so I’ll be going now as well. Here, take this.”

Concubine Rou pointed to a small wooden box on the table.

Concubine De opened it and was surprised to see prayer beads inside.

[Wait, aren’t these the prayer beads Mother got for the Queen Mother at Huguo Temple? The ones that broke at yesterday’s birthday banquet were fake, but the real ones were with Concubine Rou?]

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