Chapter 89 Prince Cheng 1

Consort Shu did not attend the New Year banquet.

However, she quickly received the news of Shu Yuwan’ pregnancy.

Originally, she pretended to be sick and angry with the Emperor, but now she was genuinely upset and short of breath.

Back then, her heart was set on the Emperor, and she was determined to marry him. However, the Emperor turned his attention to that vile Xiaoxian, who was made Empress. Now, even after so many years since the death of that vile woman, who occupied the position of Empress despite being deceased, her son continued to hold the position of Crown Prince and the Emperor’s favor for so many years.

Now that the Crown Prince was about to have a child, her own son, her poor son, who hadn’t even married a proper wife, was sent off to a remote fief!

The Emperor’s words sounded nice – that they could stay in the capital and those chosen would be sent to the fiefdom for marriage. Yet her son was sent to the fiefdom. How could she accept this? She just wanted to ask her son if he was interested, but it would take several months.

Xiaoxian was dead, but she was still alive and couldn’t even see her own son!

The more Consort Shu thought about it, the angrier she became. Remembering her son’s hesitation before leaving the capital, her once wavering heart gradually became resolute.

Since the Emperor favored that vile woman to this extent and was so heartless towards her, what was there for her to hesitate about?

On this New Year’s Eve, many people stayed awake all night due to the news of Shu Yuwan’ pregnancy.

…

Over a month later, Prince Cheng in Long County received the news of Shu Yuwan’ pregnancy from the Grand General.

Prince Cheng still hadn’t recovered from the news.

He couldn’t understand why he had been sent to this desolate place when he had no connection to the Crown Prince’s poisoning.

Long County was plagued by drought year-round, with very little rain, scarce resources, and a life that couldn’t be compared to the capital! He felt like he was enduring every moment!

Although his uncle’s letters didn’t explicitly state it, he understood his uncle’s intentions.

Before he left, his uncle had a private conversation with him, “Cheng, the Emperor favors the Crown Prince, and this isn’t something that happened overnight. If you don’t fight for yourself, you might not survive in the future! With me holding military power, once the Crown Prince ascends the throne, he won’t tolerate an external family member holding significant military power.”

“When I no longer have military power, you and your mother will be at the mercy of others.”

Now that the Crown Princess was pregnant again, if she gave birth to a son, with the Emperor’s favoritism towards the Crown Prince, even if the Crown Prince died, he might still pass the throne to his legitimate grandson without any issues!

According to his mother, the Emperor opened his private treasury and allowed the Crown Princess to choose items. Even when Palace concubines were pregnant or the Emperor had his own child, he wasn’t as happy as he was now. His favoritism had truly gone too far!

Prince Cheng convinced himself that he wasn’t being rebellious; it was just that the Emperor had gone too far, and he didn’t want to spend his whole life in such a place.

Immediately, Prince Cheng sent his trusted aide, “Lou Yin, take some men to a famous mountain. I heard there are some traveling doctors skilled in poisons there. Go and see if you can find them. Don’t use the Wang residence’s name; keep it discreet.”

Lou Yin was originally by the Grand General’s side and had been sent to Prince Cheng’s side in his early years. Upon hearing Prince Cheng’s intentions, he immediately responded, “Yes, I’ll go right away.”

If Prince Cheng succeeded, those around him could also rise to great heights!

A man should strive for a bright future while alive!

On Consort Shu’s side, she no longer held a grudge against the Emperor over Prince Cheng’s situation and took the initiative to reconcile.

Unlike Zhang Guifei, Consort Shu had no direct involvement in the Crown Prince’s poisoning. The Emperor could only speculate, so he didn’t treat Consort Shu as decisively as he did Princess Zhang.

Consort Shu’s heart skipped a beat, then she put on her former arrogant demeanor, “Your Majesty, don’t you like this kind of woman? Why else would you let that low-born Zhang Yiru manage the harem for so many years!”

“If Your Majesty likes it, I can be that kind of woman too.”

The Emperor looked at Consort Shu, “Actually, you don’t need to be like this. Your previous temperament was also good.”

“Is that so? Then why doesn’t Your Majesty like it?”

“I don’t dislike it, it’s just…”

Upon hearing the word “just,” Consort Shu sneered inwardly. Well, she no longer cared whether the Emperor liked her or not. Now, her top priority was her son.

But she couldn’t help but retort, “Just what? Just not pleasing to Your Majesty?”

Seeing Consort Shu’s aggressive stance, the Emperor smiled, “See, this is the real you.”

He continued, “Managing the harem requires tolerance, foresight, and I used to think that Yiru’s character and abilities were very suitable. As for you, you are more outspoken, so just live your life as you wish. Isn’t that enjoyable?”

The Emperor rarely had such a deep conversation with Consort Shu, so he decided to elaborate a bit more, “As for Ming Ge, although Long County is tough, it’s not too harsh for him. It’s far from the capital, but it’s for his own good.”

Initially touched by the Emperor’s intimate words, Consort Shu was a bit moved. However, when she heard that sending Ming Ge to Long County was for his own good, she couldn’t remain calm. Suppressing the urge to question the Emperor, she calmly said, “I don’t understand, but I also know that sometimes I don’t think things through. But since Your Majesty says it’s for Ming Ge benefit, I believe you. I trust you, Your Majesty.”

The Emperor looked at Consort Shu with suspicion.

Consort Shu had indeed changed a lot.

“Ming Ge is also my son, and I would never harm him.”

Consort Shu nodded, no longer wanting to discuss this topic with the Emperor, “Your Majesty, I’ve personally made pigeon soup for you. Please try it.”

The Emperor nodded, “Hmm, you can leave it. I’ll drink it later.”

“Then Your Majesty, remember to drink it. I’ll take my leave now.”