Chapter 287: Chapter 288 - A Slim Hope

After a short while, Empress Su found an excuse and told Prince of Zhao to stay with her alone. “Bug, stay away from Xubai in the following days.”

Bug was the infant name of Prince of Zhao. A prince was named like a small insect because the empress finally had a son and was afraid that he couldn’t grow up. However, this name was unpresentable anyway. It was fine that he was called Bug when he was a child. Prince of Zhao could get married and still joined the fight for the title of heir to the throne. When this name was called in public, even though nobody dared to laugh, it was improper inevitably.

So the empress called her son his title Prince of Zhao unless they were alone.

Prince of Zhao was stunned to hear that. “Why?”

Although he still had the naivety as a teenager because of his age and experience, he was not stupid. He just asked one question and then became sensitive, asking, “Are you or is Aunt Daiguo going to do something to my cousin Xubai but you are afraid that I will know it?”

“The news that you love Nie Wuying doesn’t spread, yet the family members know it.” Empress Su was his biological mother and was prepared. How could she not fool her son?

Hearing his question, she picked up the cup to take a sip of tea unhurriedly. “Especially your Aunt Daiguo. At the critical time, the young generation such as you go to the Palace of Xuanming to serve your father. When you don’t need to serve him in his bedroom, you stay with Xubai all the time. Do you think that your Aunt Daiguo will give up this chance?”

The empress looked serious. “Then she may say in public that you forget your father because of a beauty and that you don’t worry about your father’s health when he is laid up but ask Xubai about Nie Wuying all day long. Not only you, but Nie Wuying will be implicated then. Since you love that girl, no matter if you will be together, why do you get her into trouble?”

Prince of Zhao didn’t care when he heard Grand Princess Daiguo’s name, yet he turned pale after hearing that Nie Wuying would be implicated. “What does Aunt Daiguo mean? Wuying calls her aunt anyway. Why does she bother about Wuying? They have no animosity against each other.”

“Your aunt is willing to join hands with us in order to cope with the crown prince.” Empress Su snorted. “Once the crown prince is defeated, she will take actions against us without saying anything. She comes to the Palace of Xuanming frequently these two days because of your father’s illness and keeps an eye on you. How can you not be careful?”

After seeing that Prince of Zhao put on a long face and agreed to avoid staying with Jian Xubai in the following days, the empress heaved a sigh of relief in secret and prepared to comfort him before telling him to go, while Prince of Zhao asked hesitantly, “Mother, have you chosen a wife for me?”

“Do you still want to marry Nie Wuying?” Empress Su frowned. “It’s not that I don’t want to satisfy you, but you know that first of all, your Aunt Jinguo won’t agree. Even if you take the throne, her identity and seniority in the family are superior, and we can’t force her to agree to something like this.”

Then she showed a complicated expression. “Moreover, your father is ill now, and it’s improper to mention this matter.”

“Mother, you are right.” Prince of Zhao hurriedly got up and let his hands hang by the sides respectfully to accept her instructions, looking guilty. Obviously, he thought that he didn’t respect the elders as he considered marrying the woman he loved when his father was laid up.

The empress sighed secretly but was not in the mood to talk about more with him. She just waved her hand. “Go out now. By the way, tell Xubai why you stay away with him, in case that he thinks you hate him.”

Even though the empress didn’t forget to present a false appearance of peace, how would Jian Xubai not understand why after hearing the euphemistic explanation of Prince of Zhao?

“Your Highness, how about telling Prince of Zhao about the cause and effect?” Ji Su suggested. “If Prince of Zhao knows that the empress has evil intentions to His Majesty, how would he not get involved? Then you don’t need to say anything, and he will help you prevent the empress and Grand Princess Daiguo from laying murderous hands on His Majesty.”

However, Jian Xubai shook his head. “This idea can help me out of a predicament but will put Prince of Zhao in a dilemma. With his moral quality, of course he will prevent the empress from harming His Majesty, yet she can’t make decisions alone for all their followers. Then wouldn’t the mother and son have a quarrel? Prince of Zhao is my cousin anyway and always respects me and my wife. Even though we are not on the same side, it is immoral of me to harm him.”

Ji Su retorted in a hurry, “Your Highness, you take Prince of Zhao as your cousin, yet the empress doesn’t take you as a relative obviously. Have you forgotten that Her Highness is still in the mansion? The young master will be born in the second lunar month next year. If there is something wrong with you, what should Her Highness and the young master do in the future?”

Thinking of the dispute with his wife before he entered the imperial palace, Jian Xubai stopped when he was about to drink tea. After taking a sip, he still shook his head. “I have my own plan. You don’t need to bother about it.”

“But…” Ji Su still wanted to advise him, yet he shut up after Jian Xubai glanced at him casually.

Jian Xubai could still keep his equanimity, while Beautiful Lady Nuan was not so calm.

“His Majesty has been laid up for two days.” Qinye’s hand trembled slightly when she poured tea for Beautiful Lady Nuan, and she whispered, “Beautiful Lady, if you don’t make a decision, once His Majesty…what do you think is your ending then?”

Beautiful Lady Nuan received the teacup with her trembling hand. “Qinye, you should know that the decision-maker in the Palace of Xuanming is the empress now. We almost had no contact with the young eunuch named Cheng An in the past. How do you know that we can believe his words? If it’s the empress’ plot, won’t we fall into a snare? In fact, I should have taken him to see the empress then.”

Qinye stated, “Beautiful Lady, you have said that with the empress’ identity, if she wants to cope with you, why would she play tricks? Moreover, Cheng An told us to do nothing but go to the Xifu Palace through the corner gate in the evening. The mistress in the Xifu Palace, Consort Cui is of a higher rank than you. When she wants to see you, how can you refuse her? As for the reason why you don’t tell the empress, all people know that she exerts all her strength and wisdom for His Majesty’s health. How can you bear to disturb her because of such a trifle?”

Then she lowered her voice. “Consort Cui is ill now. Prince of Liang was stopped by the empress from entering the gate of the Palace of Xuanming because he had visited his mother. If you go there once, you can say that you are afraid that His Majesty will be infected as you have been infected, so we don’t need to be trapped here. Beautiful Lady, you should know that the Palace of Xuanming is a hazardous spot now. As long as we stay here, we are in danger.”

While speaking, Qinye saw that Beautiful Lady Nuan still looked hesitant, and she almost wanted to spit blood. She added anxiously, “Beautiful Lady, why are you hesitant? You have said that even if we want to follow the crown prince, we don’t have a bargaining chip, but Consort Cui summons you in person now. Isn’t it a good chance given to you? Moreover, even if Consort Cui’s request is unreasonable, you just go to see her and won’t stay in the Xifu Palace without leaving there later. You can just agree with her and then report to the empress after escaping from them. All in all, if we do nothing, we won’t end well, while if we can seize this chance, we may turn the tables. Beautiful Lady, this is a matter about a lifetime.”

She said a lot and finally made Beautiful Lady Nuan nod with her lips pursed. “In this case, l will go to the Xifu Palace in the evening as Cheng An said.”

This evening, Beautiful Lady Nuan let Qinye lie in her bed and changed into Qinye’s clothes. She was dressed up like a maid and came to the appointed corner gate as the young eunuch Cheng An said. She gave the high sign and the guard opened the gate directly without saying anything as expected. An old maid who looked unfamiliar was waiting outside the gate, and after seeing Beautiful Lady Nuan, she just instructed, “Please follow me.” Then she led the way in silence.

The old maid was quite familiar with the paths in the imperial palace and the patrol route of the guards, and she led Beautiful Lady Nuan to the Xifu Palace easily.

“After all, Consort Cui is an old hand since His Majesty was a prince, and she is the crown prince’s biological mother. She has such power in the imperial palace.” The old maid suddenly disappeared soon after Beautiful Lady Nuan entered the Xifu Palace, and at this time, the beautiful lady could see the light in the side hall not far away.

She walked to the light and thought in surprise, “The Palace of Xuanming is His Majesty’s residence, but she can send spies and bring me here easily when the empress doesn’t allow me to leave there without permission.”

However, after she thought of this matter, Beautiful Lady Nuan turned pale on her face which was hidden in the darkness at night. In the imperial palace, it was not allowed to pry about the emperor’s whereabouts, let alone arrange spies around him.

She knew such a secret. Even if she finished what Consort Cui told her to do later, perhaps it was difficult for her to escape from death.

The problem was that she was already in Consort Cui’s place, and it was too late even if she regretted it. So she had to restrain her complicated thoughts and walk into the side hall cautiously. She bent over and greeted, “Consort Cui, nice to see you. Wish you happiness.”

“Get up!” Consort Cui hadn’t fully recovered obviously. She coughed and told Beautiful Lady Nuan not to kneel, pointing to a stool which was prepared earlier. “Have a seat!”

After Beautiful Lady Nuan sat down, Consort Cui wiped her mouth with a handkerchief and then continued, “I know that it’s not easy for you to come out, so I won’t say anything useless. I just ask you one question. Do you want to change your name and leave the imperial palace in the future?”

Seeing that Beautiful Lady Nuan suddenly looked up at her, Consort Cui laughed. “As for your family background, you are a captive from a country which has destroyed. As for your identity, you are just a beautiful lady, not even a titled imperial concubine. If the new emperor takes the throne someday, who will care about your whereabouts or your life and death? If I say that you are dead then, do you think anybody will investigate it? It’s a piece of cake for me to give you freedom for the rest of your life.”

“Your Highness, what do you want me to do?” Beautiful Lady Nuan took a deep breath before asking, as if trying hard to restrain her excitement.

After Beautiful Lady Nuan left, an old maid came out behind the curtain not far away. She looked as old as the maid who brought Beautiful Lady Nuan here, dressed in the maid’s uniform which was not new. Judging from her clothes, she was not a favored maid evidently.

However, she faced Consort Cui with no constraint but reminded with displeasure, “Your Highness, Beautiful Lady Nuan suffered from injustice in front of you in the past, yet you want to use her now. Aren’t you afraid that she will reveal your secrets to the empress?”

Consort Cui remained calm. “I certainly know it, yet what profit can she get after doing that? I have given her instructions. Since Duke of Yan went to the Palace of Xuanming, the empress has kept her there. When she was the princess in Wuhuan, the king wanted to marry her to Duke of Yan. Do you think nobody in this imperial palace knows it? It’s obvious that the empress wants to make use of her and Duke of Yan to harm the crown prince, and there is nobody who is more suitable than her to be the scapegoat now. Even if she reports to the empress, will the empress get soft-hearted and give her a chance of survival? If she doesn’t do that but listens to me, she will have a slim chance anyway, and it’s better than to await her doom, right?”

While speaking, she leered at the old maid. “But you, can you ensure that her arrival will escape from the eyes of the empress’ spies? If there is something wrong here, you don’t need me to mention the consequence, right?”

“Your Highness, don’t worry.” The old maid was calm. “Even though the empress is in charge of the Palace of Xuanming now, the servants are the same maids and eunuchs. His Majesty is unconscious and can’t make a decision, and the empress stays with him as his official wife, so they certainly should listen to her. However, is it possible that all these people are as loyal to the empress as the servants in the Palace of Weiyang?”

Then she added, “Moreover, even I am surprised that you ask Beautiful Lady Nuan to collaborate from within with you. How would the empress expect it? Unless the empress happened to summon Beautiful Lady Nuan when she was here, it would never be exposed.”

Consort Cui frowned. “What if the empress summoned her then?”