PNB Chapter 109 The Encounter Was Also Part of the Plan
Chapter 109 The Encounter Was Also Part of the Plan
"Greetings, Your Highness! Your Highness, you've arrived! Her Majesty has been looking forward to seeing you every day!" The old woman beside Consort Xiao couldn't help but tear up when she saw Yuan Qian enter.
The old woman hurried inside to report to Consort Xiao, spilling water on her clothes as she stumbled along, but this did not stop her.
Yuan Qian followed closely behind and quickly entered the inner room. He saw that Consort Xiao on the bed looked slightly haggard and listless, and felt a pang of sorrow in his heart.
He immediately knelt by the bedside, took Consort Xiao's hand, and whispered, "Mother, your son has come to see you."
Consort Xiao slowly opened her eyes, saw Yuan Qian, and smiled slightly, "My son, you've finally come. You've lost weight!"
Consort Xiao stretched out her hand, trembling as she tried to touch Yuan Qian's face.
Yuan Qian looked at his mother with heartache in his eyes, "Mother, I haven't lost weight, it's you who have lost a lot of weight... I'm unfilial for not being able to stay by your side often."
Consort Xiao shook her head. "It's not your fault. As a prince of a kingdom, you bear the heavy responsibility of caring for the people of Tianyuan Kingdom."
Yuan Qian remembered that his mother looked radiant the last time he saw her, so why has her health been getting worse lately?
Could it be that something has appeared in Guanju Palace...?
Yuan Qian turned his gaze to the eunuchs and maids who were sweeping and waiting on the side. Could it be them?
Is someone trying to use them to harm my mother? Otherwise, why would she have fallen ill for no reason?
"You may all leave now. I have something to say to my mother!" Yuan Qian intended to dismiss everyone so he could ask what was going on.
Consort Xiao naturally saw through Yuan Qian's thoughts, but there was indeed a reason why she was pale and ill, but she couldn't tell Yuan Qian the reason.
She didn't want her son to worry like this, since she had already spent her whole life in the Forbidden City anyway.
It was just a pity for the old woman to travel thousands of miles to accompany him in his pursuit of so-called love.
Consort Xiao recalled her first encounter with the Emperor. At that time, she was still an innocent and ignorant girl who met the Emperor, who was traveling incognito in Jiangnan, by chance.
The emperor at that time was young, handsome, and had an extraordinary temperament, which immediately attracted her attention.
That day happened to be the Qixi Festival, the day when the Cowherd and the Weaver Girl traditionally meet.
In that small town in Jiangnan, unmarried men and women had to wear masks when they went out for that festival.
Because of the large crowd, she got separated from her nanny and was swept into the Emperor's arms by the flow of people.
At that time, she did not know that he was the emperor of Tianyuan Kingdom. She only saw that he was refined and had a scholarly air about him, so she thought he was a young master from some family.
She was suddenly thrown into a man's arms and became extremely nervous. She quickly took off her mask and kept apologizing in a low voice.
She bowed her head to apologize but didn't hear the other person forgive her. Thinking she was in big trouble, she didn't even dare to lift her head.
To everyone's surprise, after a while, a hearty laugh rang out: "You little rascal, you really are a bit slow!"
The stunning beauty she saw when she looked up made her fall head over heels for him.
The emperor also fell in love with her at first sight, and the two quickly became lovers.
Later, when he was about to leave Jiangnan, she learned that his identity was actually the emperor of Tianyuan Kingdom.
It was pouring rain that day, and the raindrops were pattering against the window while the couple inside were arguing incessantly.
"Xiao'er, come with me! Let's go to the capital, okay? Stay with me!" That was the first time he, as emperor, had bowed his head and begged her to come with him!
After hesitating, she finally decided to follow her heart and return to the capital with the emperor.
The old woman had advised her that she didn't belong here, but she still fell into a trap after meeting that person!
However, life in the palace was not as simple as one might imagine.
Intrigue and power struggles were everywhere, and Consort Xiao had to learn to deal with all sorts of complex situations.
The rules of the palace and the difference in their social status posed numerous obstacles to their relationship.
The Empress Dowager did not agree to the appearance of an unknown person in the harem, and the Emperor also repeatedly questioned about his origins.
However, Consort Xiao did not reveal her true identity. She only concealed that she was an orphan whose parents were originally businessmen who were killed by bandits, leaving only herself and a nanny to escape.
However, the Empress Dowager did not believe it and was convinced that Consort Xiao was a spy sent by the enemy country, so she couldn't stand her no matter what.
In the end, the emperor overcame all difficulties and brought her into the palace, bestowing upon her the title of Imperial Concubine.
Recalling this, a happy smile appeared on Consort Xiao's face.
Yuan Qian looked at his mother's smile and his heart stirred. His mother was probably thinking about the past again!
When he was a child, his mother loved to tell him stories about meeting his father, but she stopped telling them later!
As Consort Xiao thought about it, she clenched her fists tightly. Even now, she still couldn't believe that it had all been a trap set by that person from beginning to end.
There was no love at all; it was all a trap he set after learning his birth date!
Yuan Qian suddenly spoke up, as if he had just remembered something: "Granny, stay here, I have something to ask you!"
"Yes, Your Highness!" The old woman stood respectfully to the side.
"Granny! Has anything new been added to Mother's palace lately? I remember last time I came, Mother was full of energy, how come she looks so haggard in just a few days!" Yuan Qian said, his eyes reddening. When he stepped into the palace today, he almost didn't recognize the person on the bed as his mother!
In his memory, even if his mother was worried, she would never be bedridden like she is now.
The old woman carefully recalled, "Your Highness, Her Majesty is no different from usual!... Oh! Right! If we're talking about something new, she has acquired a new item!"
Yuan Qian immediately stood up, his face grim: "Tell me! What exactly is it!"
"It's...it's the new snail-shell eyebrow pencil bestowed by the Emperor! The Emperor knows that Your Highness loves to draw your eyebrows! He said that this was a tribute from Persia, and there were only three of them, which he bestowed upon Your Highness!" After remembering this, the nanny quickly ran to the dressing table and took out the snail-shell eyebrow pencil bestowed by the Emperor!
At this moment, Yuan Qian took the box from the nanny's hand and examined it carefully, but he couldn't see anything wrong with it.
“It wasn’t him!” Consort Xiao closed her eyes and said quietly.
Yuan Qian naturally knew who his mother was referring to, but was there anyone else besides him? Yuan Qian didn't know!
However, Yuan Qian held Consort Xiao's hand tightly and promised, "Mother, I will definitely find out the reason and will not let you suffer in vain."
Consort Xiao smiled weakly and said, "My son, it's enough that you have this intention. Your mother doesn't want you to take any risks. People in the palace are unpredictable, so you must be careful."
Just then, a palace maid came in carrying medicine.
Yuan Qian took the medicine bowl and personally fed Consort Xiao the medicine.
After drinking the medicine, Consort Xiao fell into a deep sleep again. Yuan Qian looked at the sleeping Consort Xiao and secretly vowed to protect his mother.
He left the palace and began investigating everyone connected to Consort Xiao...