Chapter 113

Tang Xia looked at Zui Linglong in front of her, calm and collected. She knew Zui Linglong must have come with a certain purpose.

Tang Xia was thus relieved when she thought of this. “Whatever her purpose is, all I need to do is to make sure not to be tricked by her.”

“So, what happened?” Looking at the woman before her, Tang Xia asked her unceremoniously.

Zui Linglong smiled, and said, “So, am I not allowed to have a talk with Your Grace if nothing happened?”

Tang Xia humphed and said immodestly, “But I really can’t figure out what on earth I can talk with you.”

Zui Linglong smiled as if she had never cared about Tang Xia’s words.

Zui Linglong stopped and then looked up at Tang Xia and said, “I believe Your Grace must be very clear about what has happened recently.”

Tang Xia frowned and sulked. “I don’t know what you are talking about?”

Zui Linglong smiled and said, “If so, I don’t mind helping Your Grace recall.”

Tang Xia looked at Zui Linglong without saying anything.

“Now many people are saying that Your Grace’s kid does not belong to His Majesty.” Zui Linglong said.

She paused and then continued, “Now many people appeared to be dissatisfied with His Majesty because of you. Can’t you see that?”

Hearing Zui Linglong say this, Tang Xia compressed her lips. How could she not see this?

But what could she do? The baby in her belly was indeed Chu Tiankuo’s. Moreover, even if it’s not, the baby was her own flesh at least.

Anyway, she would never abandon her baby.

Thinking of this, Tang Xia looked up at Zui Linglong and asked, “What on earth do you want to say?”

Hearing Tang Xia ask her this way, Zui Linglong stopped making puzzling remarks and said straightforwardly, “Don’t you know what trouble the baby has made for His Majesty?”

Hearing this, Tang Xia frowned. Then she asked unhappily, “What do you mean by saying this? My baby is still in my belly. How can he make trouble for His Majesty?”

Zui Linglong sneered. “Don’t you know that? His Majesty has been condemned by so many people just because of the baby in your belly.”

Zui Linglong paused after saying that because she saw a flash of chagrin in Tang Xia’s eyes.

After a while, Zui Linglong continued, “Not only that. Now many people are saying that the baby is not His Majesty’s at all.”

Tang Xia was rather annoyed by the way Zui Linglong talked to her, so she asked, “What the hell do you want to say?”

“You must not keep the baby.” When Zui Linglong said this, there was a gleam of ferocity in her eyes.

Tang Xia couldn’t be more familiar with that kind of look.

She stepped backward vigilantly, stared at the woman in front of her and said, “Whatever they say, and it will be ok as long as I and His Majesty know the truth. As for what others think, we don’t care.”

Hearing this, Zui Linglong was a little bit stunned. Then she said, “Then don’t you know if you keep the baby, it’s likely that Chu Tiankuo will be under the attack of Nanmen State?”

Tang Xia frowned. She didn’t expect to cause such a serious consequence.

Looking at the woman before her, she smiled and said, “So, what do you mean?”

Seeing Tang Xia like this, Zui Linglong was somewhat impatient. She said, “Are you willing to see Chu Tiankuo be overthrown right after he became the emperor?”

Tang Xia first frowned, and then she said, “Anyway, these are our own affairs. Much less, I don’t think it’s so serious.”

“If this can’t be called serious, then I don’t know what Your Grace would call serious. Is it serious enough if the country were defeated and its people starved?”

Tang Xia took a deep breath, reminding herself not to show any flaws to Zui Linglong.

Thinking of this, Tang Xia smiled and said, “Zui Linglong, I don’t what you want, but I can tell you that I will never give up the baby.”

“So you want to pull a boner by letting Chu Tiankuo out of power?” Zui Linglong asked, and her eyes fixed on Tang Xia.

Tang Xia clenched her fist and controlled her voice. “Zui Linglong, whatever it takes, this is the affair between Chu Tiankuo and me and is none of your business.”

Hearing this, Zui Linglong’s eyes turned even colder. She said, “Tang Xia, the only one you love is yourself. You don’t even know how to be considerate of Chu Tiankuo.”

Tang Xia laughed flippantly. Then she looked at Zui Linglong and said with complacency, “Zui Linglong, I know better than you whether the baby should be kept or not.”

“Then you are still unwilling to give up the baby?” Zui Linglong asked.

Even if the baby would be born at a bad time, I’m still looking forward to his birth, so is Chu Tiankuo. So I won’t give him up anyway. Tang Xia said determinedly.

Hearing Tang Xia’s words, Zui Linglong narrowed her eyes and then lost for words suddenly.

She snorted and then turned to leave.

Tang Xia sat on the couch feebly right after Zui Linglong’s leaving.

In fact, how could she be so tough as she had shown just now? She was also afraid something terrible might happen to the baby.

Sitting on the couch, Tang Xia kept her head down and fell into silence.

Seeing Tang Xia like this, Lyuyou felt sorry for her though she said nothing.

She approached her and squatted before her, and then said, “Your Grace, you don’t have to be worried about this. Now that His Majesty didn’t say anything, it would be alright.”

Hearing Lyuyou’s words, Tang Xia shook her head restlessly and said, “No. Even he knows something will happen, he won’t tell me. He has always been like this.”

Tang Xia’s eyes got wet after saying this.

Then something seemed to have struck to Tang Xia. She looked down at Lyuyou and said, “Lyuyou, go and ask about what’s happening now.”

Lyuyou knew that Tang Xia wouldn’t be reassured unless she found everything out.

It didn’t take long before Lyuyou came back.

Tang Xia stood up immediately and asked Lyuyou, “What’s happening now?”

Lyuyou compressed her lips, seeming to be hesitant about how to say.

Tang Xia suddenly got a bad feeling when she saw Lyuyou like this. She stared at Lyuyou and said impatiently, “Just say out.”

Lyuyou took a deep breath and said, “The country is under turbulence now and many ministers in the court are condemning His Majesty. And Nanmen state seems to plan to attack us.”

Tang Xia was stunned after hearing Lyuyou’s words. She didn’t expect that things would become so severe.

A few days later, Tang Xia was having a walk with Lyuyou in the Royal Garden when they suddenly heard someone speaking.

“How would we be like this if it were not for Tang Xia.” Voice of one of the imperial concubines.

“Yeah. Frankly speaking, it is the baby in her belly who is to blame.”

“The coquette is the wrecker of the chaos. If it were not for her, how would we be like this?”

Tang Xia heard that, so did Lyuyou.

Lyuyou was afraid Tang Xia might get grieved, so she comforted her promptly, “Your Grace, it is just sour grapes. Ignore them.”

However, Tang Xia just snorted and then went out.

“What did you say?” Tang Xia scolded.

They all got shocked for a moment and lost for words since none of them had expected Tang Xia would show up here.

Seeing all of them fall silent, Tang Xia smiled disdainfully. Then she said, “Why do you stop? You seemed to be angry just now.”

Without any other choices, one of the imperial concubines stood out. “We are right, aren’t we? If it were not for you, how would we be so unsafe?”

Looking at the indignant crowd in front of her, Tang Xia was annoyed. But she said with a smile, “You are all imperial concubines. Don’t you know that His Majesty’s most hated thing is to hear any talk about the politics in the harem?”

Everyone looked at each other when they heard Tang Xia’s words. How could they forget that imperial concubine being consigned to limbo just because of a slip of tongue?

The scared look in their faces made Tang Xia couldn’t help sneering in the heart. Then she said to Lyuyou behind her, “Lyuyou, slap them in the face, 20 times for each one. Watch over here and make sure not to leave out even one time.”

Hearing this, Lyuyou laughed in her sleeve, but she looked as if nothing had happened. “Yes.”

But the imperial concubines were unwilling when hearing this. Twenty slaps on the face would make their delicate faces marred.

“Why do you beat us? We are just telling the truth.”

“Exactly. Do you want to shut our mouths in haste just because you turned shame into anger?”

Tang Xia gritted her teeth. She felt she was to break down on hearing the grumble from the crowd.

Tang Xia took a deep breath and then snapped, “I am the queen. I am the only head of the harem except for His Majesty. You have no rights questioning me when I say something.”

At the moment, someone murmured, “Who knows when you will be out of power?”

Though everyone kept silent, they must be thinking the same way.

Tang Xia sneered and said, “As long as I am still the queen, I have the power to punish you.”

After saying that, she ignored everyone in the crowd, and then she said to Lyuyou, “Watch them over. You will be slapped if any one of them is not slapped for 20 times.”

“Yes, Your Grace,” Lyuyou said reverently.

Tang Xia turned to leave, while Zui Linglong curled her lips behind her.