Chapter 155: The Deposed Crown Prince’s Ambition Remains, the Eldest Princess Blocks the Way
Chapter 155: Chapter 155: The Deposed Crown Prince’s Ambition Remains, the Eldest Princess Blocks the Way
Afterward, several other entertaining competitions were held, like pitch-pot and wrestling, and the Emperor offered various rewards, but none were as great as the one Pei Shaoqing had received.
Pei Shaoqing did not participate in any of the subsequent contests.
It absolutely wasn’t because he couldn’t beat the others.
It was purely because he had already received the grandest prize of the evening and felt it was time to let others have a sip of the soup.
A person shouldn’t hog everything for themself.
Yes, that was it.
The clamor of Taihe Hall couldn’t penetrate the cold tranquility of Siguogong Palace. The deposed Crown Prince’s family of five enjoyed a rather sumptuous dinner. The Crown Prince Consort had raised her children well; all three ate quietly at the table, savoring their food.
"Take your time. I’m going for a walk in the rear courtyard."
The deposed Crown Prince finished first. Setting down his bowl and chopsticks, he spoke in a gentle tone, then rose and left the table.
Just as he arrived in the rear courtyard, he heard the crackle of fireworks exploding. He looked up instinctively to see brilliant displays blooming in the sky, a truly beautiful sight.
The light and shadow played across his face.
"How time flies. It’s the Mid-Autumn Festival again," the deposed Crown Prince murmured to himself.
Suddenly, he heard a faint, unusual sound.
He looked toward the source but saw nothing. Stepping closer, he discovered a letter that someone had thrown over the corner wall. His expression immediately turned grim.
The deposed Crown Prince picked up the letter but didn’t open it right away. Instead, he quickly entered his study before unfolding it.
The letter’s contents were brief. It simply asked if his ambition still remained and offered assistance. If his ambition was still alive, he was to place two stones on the section of the courtyard wall where the letter had been dropped.
There was no date or name on the letter.
The deposed Crown Prince clutched the paper, his expression wavering.
Just then, a knock came at the study door.
*Knock, knock, knock!*
The Crown Prince instinctively hid the letter. "Who is it?"
"My lord, it is I," the Crown Prince Consort replied.
The Crown Prince breathed a sigh of relief. "Come in."
The Crown Prince Consort pushed the door open, closing it behind her. "My lord, you seemed rather tense just now?" she asked, puzzled.
She wore a simple, slightly worn, plain white dress that nonetheless accentuated her graceful figure and beautiful features.
"My lady, look at this." The Crown Prince had no reservations with his wife. Besides, in Siguogong Palace, he had no one but his family to consult. He handed her the letter.
The Crown Prince Consort took it curiously. Her face instantly turned pale as she read it, and she asked in a trembling voice, "My lord, what is your intention?"
"I fear someone is deliberately testing me," the Crown Prince said with a heavy expression. His words revealed that his ambition was indeed still alive; he was merely afraid of being manipulated.
The Crown Prince Consort bit her lip, sitting down beside him. "Isn’t our life good as it is?" she whispered.
She was already content with their current peaceful life, free from worries about food and clothing, and feared a return to turmoil.
"You know my aspirations. How can a man of ambition be content to waste away and die in this place?" The Crown Prince grasped his wife’s hand, speaking through gritted teeth. "Besides, Father may tolerate my existence, but will the new Emperor be so merciful when he ascends the throne? And forget about us, are we to let our children be trapped here for their entire lives? Our third daughter has never even seen the world outside."
He wanted to be Emperor. He desperately wanted to be Emperor.
Otherwise, he wouldn’t have launched a rebellion when he was already the Crown Prince. It was all for the sake of becoming Emperor.
For all these years in Siguogong Palace, he had pretended to be resigned to his fate, hoping his father would one day grant him his freedom. But that day never came, and he had lost contact with his followers in the outside world.
And now, for the first time, a variable had appeared.
He didn’t want to miss it, nor did he dare.
"But my lord, what if this letter is truly a test from Father or someone else? Wouldn’t you be falling into their trap?" the Crown Prince Consort said softly.
The Crown Prince took a deep breath. "Even if it is Father’s test, the worst that can happen is our continued imprisonment. But if it isn’t... then this is my chance to regain my freedom and ascend to the throne! I’m not doing this for power, but for the common people, for the citizens of this land! How many people could you save by handing out congee every year, my lady? Once I become Emperor, I can save tens of thousands!"
He spoke as if the Great Zhou would fall and the world would perish if he didn’t become Emperor.
"I only wish to be a woman who supports her husband and raises her children. I do not understand matters of state. I only know that a wife follows her husband, wherever he may go. My lord, do as you wish. I will support you. I will pray and chant scriptures for you before the Buddha," the Crown Prince Consort said with a soft sigh.
"I knew you would always support me." The Crown Prince pulled his wife into a tight embrace, stroking her smooth hair. "We have been married for over a decade. You have borne me two sons and a daughter and have been imprisoned with me in this deep palace for five years. If I become Emperor, I will never let you down in this lifetime, my Crown Prince Consort."
A sweet smile touched the Crown Prince Consort’s lips.
With a husband like this, she would naturally follow him in life and death.
.........
Overall, this year’s Mid-Autumn Festival imperial banquet was a great success. When it ended, everyone left in high spirits.
A large group of young men, who had gathered around Pei Shaoqing for various reasons, surrounded him, calling him "Brother Pei" one after another. He just laughed and gave them vague, perfunctory replies.
After all, they all knew him.
But he didn’t know a single one of them.
He was afraid that saying too much would arouse suspicion.
Suddenly, Pei Shaoqing stopped in his tracks.
The Eldest Princess was blocking his path.
"Brother Pei, we’ll head out first."
"Brother Pei, see you another day."
The crowd around him scattered like birds and beasts. It was a clear sign of the immense deterrent power the now-changed Eldest Princess wielded, making all the other dandies give her a wide berth.
Only Zhou Rui remained by his side, unmoving.
"Why don’t you leave?" the Eldest Princess asked Zhou Rui coolly.
Zhou Rui answered proudly, "Because I am not afraid."
"Brother Zhou, you go on ahead. The Princess and I need to talk," Pei Shaoqing said, touched but also shooing him away.
*You’re so brave you’re going to escalate the conflict.*
No matter how you looked at it, he was the one in the wrong when it came to the Eldest Princess. Whether for harassing her or for being the reason she remained unmarried at her age, these were major grievances.
Since he had taken over Pei Shaoqing’s identity, he had to clean up the mess his predecessor had made.
After all, he couldn’t just enjoy the perks of being Pei Shaoqing. Thus, he hoped to resolve this peacefully and bury the hatchet with the Eldest Princess.
Zhou Rui let out a drunken burp, patted Pei Shaoqing on the shoulder, glanced at the Eldest Princess once more, and then departed.
Pei Shaoqing looked around and smiled. "No matter what Your Highness wants to say, this isn’t a good place for it."
"Follow me," the Eldest Princess said, turning on her heel.
Pei Shaoqing slowly followed.
From behind, the Eldest Princess, who stood at least 170 centimeters tall, possessed a slender waist and perky bottom. The full mid-autumn moon was no rounder than her hips, which swayed gently with each step.
The Imperial Palace was vast and its layout complex. After winding through countless corridors for what felt like an eternity, Pei Shaoqing couldn’t help but call out, "Your Highness, this spot should be fine."
"Pei Shaoqing, let me ask you, do you know where this is?" The Eldest Princess stopped and turned to face him, a hint of mockery in her eyes.
Pei Shaoqing’s heart skipped a beat. He wasn’t familiar with the Imperial Palace and truly had no idea where they were.
Looking around, it seemed to be a small garden.
Palaces were faintly visible in the distance.
The Eldest Princess snorted. "This is the rear palace, where men are forbidden to enter! You have some nerve!"
A stampede of ten thousand alpacas galloped through Pei Shaoqing’s mind.
In days of old, Lin Chong was tricked into the White Tiger Hall. Today, he, Pei Shaoqing, had been lured into the rear palace.
"Guar—" The Eldest Princess opened her mouth to shout.
With lightning-fast reflexes, Pei Shaoqing lunged forward and covered her mouth. "Your Highness, it’s true that I was in the wrong back then. I apologize, isn’t that enough?"
"Mmph! Mmph!" The Eldest Princess struggled, her eyes wide with rage. An apology? You ruined my reputation, made me unmarriageable, turned me into a laughingstock, and you think an apology can fix it?
Just then, the sound of footsteps approached.
It must be the eunuchs on their night patrol.
Fearing discovery, Pei Shaoqing dragged the Eldest Princess behind a rockery. They then saw a young eunuch and a palace maid sneaking into the garden.
The scene that followed stunned them both.
The eunuch and the palace maid embraced, whispering sweet nothings to each other as they began to undress and kiss.
The Eldest Princess’s eyes widened in shock and embarrassment, but she also felt as though the door to a new world had been opened.
*So this is the legendary intimacy between a man and a woman?*
*But... aren’t eunuchs incapable of this?*
She quickly learned how it worked. Watching the obscene display, her face flushed as red as the evening clouds.
That little eunuch was truly an inspiration.
Stirring up a storm even without his Jill.
"Tsk, the one without a Jill is eating better than many who have one," Pei Shaoqing muttered, eyeing the palace maid’s curvy figure. He then leaned close to the Eldest Princess’s ear and whispered, "When will this cycle of vengeance end? Princess, even if you kill me now, it’s useless. Why don’t we talk about compensation?"
With a live show unfolding before her and the warm breath from behind her brushing against her ear and neck, the Eldest Princess—who had never been with a man, or even held a man’s hand—felt her body go soft.
She struggled, trying to escape the situation.
But her shapely rear kept grinding against Pei Shaoqing, causing his body to have an unavoidable reaction.
The Eldest Princess felt it, sharp and insistent, like a dagger at her back.
In an instant, her delicate frame trembled. Her face burned, her beautiful eyes grew wide with a mixture of shame and anger.
"Your Highness, just bear with it for a moment. I’ll let you go as soon as they leave," Pei Shaoqing whispered.
The Eldest Princess turned her head and shot him a venomous glare.
Finally, the eunuch and palace maid finished their tryst and left.
Pei Shaoqing released the Eldest Princess but remained poised, ready to silence her again if needed.
The Eldest Princess, face beet red, said, "Get lost."
"Huh?" Pei Shaoqing looked at her, stunned.
He thought he must have misheard.
The Eldest Princess repeated with more force, "Get lost!"
"This servant takes his leave." Pei Shaoqing immediately scurried away.
He still remembered the way they had come.
Watching his figure disappear, the Eldest Princess leaned weakly against the rockery. She pressed her thighs together, her eyes dazed, and murmured to herself, "How could this happen?"
She suddenly understood why women wanted to marry. The pleasures of the bedchamber were this wonderful.
Even for a eunuch, who had nothing left, a palace maid was willing to engage in a tryst just for a moment of bliss.
It was all Pei Shaoqing’s fault. He was the reason she couldn’t get married and hadn’t experienced this pleasure until now. He should be responsible!
The more she thought about it, the angrier she got. (▼ヘ▼#)
She could have endured the darkness.
If she had never seen the light.