PNB Chapter 374 The Prince
Chapter 374 The Prince
Shen Shixi sat down on the chair in front of the bed and said, "Do you have any last words? I didn't hear that Du Ruowan was going to die. If you die first, wouldn't all your efforts be in vain?"
Consort Jing laughed, tears streaming down her face. "Chen Yuan, I regret so much not meeting you sooner!"
When she said "know," she didn't mean she met him in person.
It wasn't too late for her to meet Chen Yuan.
Shen Shixi didn't want to comment on the past, saying, "People should always look forward! One's mind should always be focused on oneself. You always care about what others think of you, always seeking validation from your parents, your husband, and all your subjects. But have you ever validated yourself?"
Consort Jing remained silent for a moment, then smiled and said, "I knew it! I should have met you sooner, Chenyuan! I have no regrets if I could meet you before I die. I am completely convinced of my defeat by you."
She never imagined that after being deposed as empress, she could still live peacefully. Her expenses and treatment in the palace were not reduced, just like when she was in Fengyi Palace. The Imperial Household Department and the Imperial Kitchen did not mistreat her.
What a magnanimous and broad-minded attitude this is!
Consort Jing admitted that she could not do it.
When Shen Shixi first entered the palace, Lin Guiyou bribed the people in the imperial kitchen to make the breakfast in Zhaoyang Palace taste bad. She knew this, and at that time, she was happy to see it. Now, she only feels ashamed.
Therefore, she accepted her defeat wholeheartedly.
Shen Shixi shook her head. "We don't need to fight to the death over a man, because neither you nor I can control a man's mind. Let's do what we can and should do, and we don't need to think about the rest."
"Sister Pei, the imperial physician didn't say you're definitely going to die. Don't overthink it. It's cold today, so go outside and look at the snow through the glass window. Have someone pick some red plum blossoms for you to put in your hair. Every extra day you live is a bonus. Try to die after Du Ruowan, and prove yourself."
Granny Qu burst into tears and knelt down before Shen Shixi with a thud.
Consort Jing, her eyes also brimming with tears, smiled and said, "Good!"
After Shen Shixi left, the Seventh Prince arrived. He was already four and a half years old. His eyebrows and eyes were very similar to Prime Minister Pei's. He had a calm and gentle temperament and looked like a little warm boy, but that was just an appearance.
"Your subject greets Your Majesty. How are you feeling today?" He looked up at his mother.
He knew his mother disliked him.
But Consort Jing acted out of character today, reaching out to him and saying, "Come here, let your mother take a good look at you!"
Seeing that the Seventh Prince's lips and chin still resembled his father, Consort Jing both cried and laughed. She had hated him; the child she had risked her life for resembled the two men she hated most.
Her father and husband.
But now, she decided to make peace with the past. She held the Seventh Prince in her arms, wanting to cry but unable to, afraid of frightening the child.
After a while, she loosened her grip and said, "Go ahead, listen to your mother, Consort Guo; she loves you more than I do!"
"Yes, Your Majesty, I take my leave!"
Granny Qu saw the Seventh Prince off. Upon reaching the palace gate, the Seventh Prince asked, "Granny, what brings Mother to the palace?"
Granny Qu said, "Your mother wanted to talk to someone, so she called for your mother. Don't worry, your mother is a good person!"
"I know!"
After saying that, the Seventh Prince left.
When they reached the koi pond, they encountered the Eighth Prince, who was leading a large group of people. Upon seeing the Seventh Prince, he tilted his head and looked at him for a moment before chuckling, "Seventh Brother, what have you been doing?"
The Eighth Prince is four years old now. He is very sturdy. The Seventh Prince has always been in poor health. His height has not been affected, but he is very thin. He looks like he could be blown away by the wind.
"I'm going to see my mother." The Seventh Prince kept a distance from him because the Eighth Prince liked to hit people.
Moreover, he prefers to use underhanded tactics. He saw the Ninth Prince fall for it once, so he stopped trying to fool him.
As the two passed each other, the Eighth Prince suddenly stretched out his leg. The Seventh Prince saw it, but being young and physically weak, he wasn't as agile and fell flat on his face. Not only were his nose and lips broken, but he also lost a front tooth.
Immediately, "Little Prime Minister Pei" burst into tears.
The people on the Seventh Prince's side were quite angry, and the Eighth Prince's side also felt very bad and persuaded the Eighth Prince to apologize.
The seventh prince left in tears, without returning to the palace, and went directly to Qian Yuan Palace to see his father and mother.
Father Emperor had gone to work, and Mother Empress had just woken up. Hearing that the Seventh Prince requested an audience, she let him in. Upon seeing him, she was shocked; his mouth and nose were covered in blood, and he had a bump on his forehead.
"Little Seven, what happened to you? Quickly, summon the imperial physician!"
The seventh prince cried, "Yes, yes, it was my eighth brother who deliberately tripped me!"
My front tooth is missing.
At this moment, Consort Guo and Consort Yuan also rushed over upon hearing the news, and the Eighth Prince was also brought over. Upon hearing this, he denied it, saying, "Your subject did not, Seventh Brother is lying."
Shen Shixi glanced at him, then looked at the person following him.
Those below dared not lie, and each recounted what they had seen, but the Eighth Prince stubbornly refused to admit it.
The imperial physician arrived, and Shen Shixi comforted the seventh prince, "Seventh Prince, let the imperial physician examine you. Your mother will handle this impartially."
The imperial physician examined the child and said that it looked quite pitiful for a child, but the injury was not serious. The main problem was that the front tooth was still a baby tooth, and it would grow back after it fell out.
Consort Guo was furious. "That Eighth Prince really needs to be taught a lesson. Not only does he like to use his fists, but he also likes to do things in a sneaky way. He's incredibly annoying. Which of the Ninth Prince, Sixth Prince, Fifth Prince, and Fourth Prince hasn't been targeted by him?"
Consort Yuan was on the verge of tears. "Your Majesty, although I am guilty of failing to discipline him properly, this child is really something. No matter how much I talk to him, he won't listen."
Shen Shixi said, "You won't listen, huh? Fine, summon the Imperial Prison!"
The eighth prince was terrified and burst into tears.
Shen Shixi was annoyed by the sound of crying. The Crown Prince and Xihe ran over when they heard the noise and were completely bewildered. They had probably never seen anyone cry like that before and found it quite strange.
Of course, they also had times when they cried very hard, but as the saying goes, "A tall candlestick can illuminate others but not itself."
They don't think it's shameful for them to cry, but now when they see others crying, they think it's ugly.
"Shame on you!" Xihe smacked her face a few times.
Dongjun watched with amusement, his brows furrowing and a mischievous look on his face. He snuggled into his mother's arms and asked, "Mother, why is he crying?"
Shen Shixi said, "You've come at the perfect time. Let's all watch the execution together. Call all the princes and princesses in the palace over so we can all watch!"
So, the eldest princess also came, as well as several princes who were still in school.
The Eighth Prince was escorted by the nannies of the Imperial Prison and pressed onto the torture bench. He struggled desperately, crying and shouting, "Mother, I was wrong, I was wrong!"
Consort Yuan was certainly heartbroken, but to be honest, she felt that this child was inherently bad. In modern terms, his genes were probably not very good. He had none of the Emperor's uprightness and integrity. At such a young age, he was full of cunning and treachery, and he never spoke the truth. He always did things in secret.
This is still small; what will it be like when it grows up?
If he does something wrong, won't he get implicated?
Upon seeing this, the Ninth Prince was so frightened that he burrowed into Consort Guo's arms, crying, "I'm scared, please don't kill me, please don't kill Little Ninth."
Consort Guo quickly tried to appease him, "It's not killing him, it's just that Eighth Brother did something wrong, and Mother is punishing him."
The eldest princess stared at Shen Shixi with a sinister look, muttering under her breath, "What does she want to do? What right does she have to lecture a prince?"
The second prince, who was close to her, leaned in and said with a smile, "Why don't you go tell Father, elder sister, that Mother is going to beat Eighth Brother?"