Chapter 121: Trading Luck for Life

Although the Emperor didn’t say it out loud, he knew very well in his heart: if the Third Prince were the Emperor’s own blood, there might still be hope for this matter.

But if he’s not of the Emperor’s bloodline…

For the Wen family, not only would disaster be imminent, but their precious daughter would also be in a dire situation.

No woman in the harem dares to put a green hat on the Emperor.

Madam Xu must have cried her eyes red.

From the moment Minister Wen entered the palace until he left, she never stopped crying.

Minister Wen paced back and forth in the hall, his hands clasped behind his back, restlessly: “You cry! What face do you have to cry? Speak up. Just say it directly, maybe the Emperor will give you a swift end.”

“Old Wen, you can’t ignore me. I know this is my fault, but I don’t want to die. And our daughter, Jiao’er.

Qingyuan is in prison, there’s no hope for him. Our daughter can’t lose her position as a Concubine; otherwise, the Wen family will never recover in this lifetime.”

“At this point, you still talk about this? Your daughter put a green hat on the Emperor; does she want our Wen family to live in peace? I really didn’t expect this. I have been loyal to the Emperor in the court, and you actually sabotage me in the harem. You’re causing trouble for the Emperor!”

Minister Wen was infuriated.

Madam Xu fell to her knees with a thud, “Even if you scold me to death, I still don’t know who the real parents of the Third Prince are.”

Minister Wen was stunned, “What do you mean? Isn’t this your idea?”

Madam Xu’s tears fell, “It was my idea, but it was just an idea. Jiao’er accepted it. But at that time, it wasn’t entirely my doing. I was just someone talking from the sidelines. More of the knowledge about this matter is with Jiao’er.”

Minister Wen felt numb.

He vaguely sensed that something was wrong with this matter.

It seemed like there was a huge conspiracy behind the child exchange.

Those who had this suspicion were not only Minister Wen but also the Emperor.

In the Imperial Study, Emperor Tiansheng was deeply troubled by this matter.

“An’er.” Emperor Tiansheng’s mood was clearly unhappy.

Di Zian stood by, “Father, I’m here.”

“Do you think a woman would do something as extreme as swapping children just for the sake of favor?”

Just now, when Minister Wen spoke, Di Zian was present and knew all about it.

Ah Bao had dozed off in the chair and woke up.

Groggily, he heard the conversation between the father and son.

“I think it’s possible. Father, from what you’re saying, is there something else behind the Third Prince’s situation?”

“Back then, Concubine Hui was not favored. Even after she had the Third Prince, she was still not favored.

Whether she had a son or not, the result was the same for her.

Yet she still dared to commit the act of swapping children.”

Concubine Hui was not a woman of just superficial beauty.

This act carried immense risk.

Once exposed, it would lead to certain death.

What maConcubine De Hui willingly risk her life to do this?

[Father is so meticulous, and his guess is quite accurate]

[Concubine Hui is indeed sharp; such a major act as swapping children could not possibly be just for favor]

[Concubine Hui originally had a fate of dying young, hmm… now it has changed]

A fate that could be changed?

The Tyrant’s heart was uneasy.

He had heard a little about witchcraft.

To trade luck for life, one needed profound Taoist skills.

Had Concubine Hui already died?

Then who is living now?

Ah Bao yawned, stood up, patted the Tyrant’s face, and pointed at his little belly, “Hungry…”

[Daddy, I’m hungry]

[I walked so much for donations today, my little belly is almost shriveled]

The Tyrant was helpless.

Di Zian spoke up at the right moment, “Father, the younger sister has been running around outside all day; she must be hungry too.”

[Seventh Brother understands me best]

[I heard Daddy recently hired a few imperial chefs specifically for baby food. Slurp, it must be delicious]

Though Ah Bao was happy with gold, he was far more delighted by the prospect of meat.

Gold still needs to be bought.

Meat can be eaten directly.

It saves time and effort, which is wonderful.

The Tyrant ordered eight-treasure duck, crispy on the outside and tender on the inside, sizzling with oil.

There was also milk tofu soup, rich and tender.

Ah Bao went straight for a big duck leg.

…

Back at the Han Residence, Di Hongluan locked herself in her room.

No matter how the Princess Han called out, she did not open the door.

The Prince Han also came to check on her but couldn’t bring himself to scold his daughter.

“I’m so angry!” Di Hongluan nearly overturned the table in front of her. “Why is it that when I enter their residence, they chase me out, but when Di Jiaoyang goes in, they don’t chase him away?”

She couldn’t understand.

Could it be because Di Jiaoyang is a princess and she is only a county princess?

Hmph.

A bunch of lowly scum with dog eyes!

One day, she would stand at the pinnacle of power and make them bow down to her.

“Everyone, come out.”

The system appeared.

“What’s the deal with Di Jiaoyang? Is there such a person in the Tiansheng Dynasty?”

Previously, when reading the novel, she hadn’t seen the author mention who Di Jiaoyang was.

“Ahem, according to the plot, Di Jiaoyang is just a nameless cannon fodder.”

Di Hongluan felt relieved upon hearing this.

What is cannon fodder?

Someone who is likely to die at any moment.

Don’t even mention Di Jiaoyang as cannon fodder; in her eyes, everyone in the Tiansheng Dynasty is cannon fodder.

She would eventually reach the top, becoming an empress with overwhelming power, and trample these scum beneath her feet.

[Host, this mission has failed. Please accept the punishment.]

A mechanical voice echoed in her head.

The system was devoid of emotions.

“What punishment… ah! It hurts!” Di Hongluan hadn’t finished speaking when she felt a severe impact on her body.

[Mission failed, electric shock punishment. According to the difficulty of the mission, there will be five shocks.]

Di Hongluan’s eyes widened.

She felt as if she was hit with five heavy blows from a stick.

She curled up on the ground in pain.

Outside, the Princess Han heard the commotion, burst through the door, and found Di Hongluan’s face pale and unconscious.

“Someone! Hurry and come! Check on my Hongluan.”

Di Hongluan had no idea that from today on, the system was not there to help her but to punish her.

…

In the evening, the Tyrant took Ah Bao and Di Zian back to the Yihe Palace.

They had dinner with Concubine De.

During the meal, the Tyrant spoke about the Third Prince’s background.