Chapter 1046 - All Sides Act to take Her Away!
Chapter 1046 All Sides Act to take Her Away!
Concubine Lan was said to be the younger sister of the former Empress. Though she was of peerless beauty, she was down on her luck. It was believed that this little girl would bring misfortune to her parents, so this noble young lady was sent to live an ascetic life in a nunnery. Since then, she had grown up there. The Emperor, who was still a prince then, passed by and saw her by accident. At first sight, he fell in love with her and brought her to his mansion. Otherwise, she would have spent her remaining years till death in the nunnery.
When the Emperor brought her back to the mansion, he didn’t know her identity and thought she was an orphan girl taking the nunnery as her shelter in a chaotic world. Later on, she told him the story of her life.
Of course, the Emperor took her to see the deceased emperor, who was seriously ill. The whole nation was gripped by the deceased emperor’s affairs. No one cared about an unimportant girl’s marriage. Besides, she was just to be a consort. Thus, the matter was minimized.
Because the previous Emperor was seriously ill, the ceremony of her becoming the consort was canceled and postponed. So, only a few people knew about it.
!!After the previous Emperor passed away, the Emperor ascended the throne and conferred the title of Consort Lan upon her. However, a few days later, she provoked the Emperor because of the title and was locked up. After so many years, he hadn’t yet set her free. Many people who newly entered the imperial harem had not even heard of Concubine Lan. Only a few old people like Consort of Virtue remembered Consort Lan and what happened to her.
Consort Lan lived in a remote area close to the Cold Palace. It was obvious that she had been neglected.
There were so many imperial consorts in the Palace, so no one would pay attention to a consort without a child and the Emperor’s concern. When Shao Yanru investigated her, she discovered that the Emperor had loved Consort Lan deeply and treated her with partiality. If it were not for this finding, Chu Liuyue wouldn’t pay much attention to Consort Lan. He deliberately asked his mother and was told that Consort Lan was probably Chu Liuchen’s aunt.
“She has been locked up for so long, but is she still alive?” Hearing Chu Liuyue’s words, Mr. Liu frowned and raised new doubts.
“Well… she should be alive. There are guards at the gate of her place. Even the Empress is not allowed to enter,” Chu Liuyue said after thinking for a while. He wanted to check it afterward, so he had done many tricks. However, after a long survey, he only found limited information.
“Even the Empress can’t go in there? Your Highness, I think there’s something wrong with it.” Mr. Liu pondered for a moment and said, “Could it be that Consort Lan is not out of favor? The so-called confinement is to protect her. After all, her position is not as high as the Empress’, and she has no child…”
Chu Liuyue interrupted Mr. Liu and said with a smile, “It’s impossible. Even though the Empress has a high status, my father can protect her. Can’t he ensure the safety of his beloved woman?”
If the Empress were so powerful, they wouldn’t have to compete for the throne at the moment. She would let Chu Liuzhou win the throne and leave no chance for Chu Liuyue to strive for it!
Although the Empress held considerable power in the imperial harem, she had no influence over the imperial court.
“If that’s not the case, could it be that the Emperor still has fond feelings for her so that he is nice to Prince Chen? Even if Prince Chen is just His Majesty’s nephew, the Emperor values him in the heart.” Mr. Liu put forward his second guess.
“Because of Consort Lan, my father thinks better of Chu Liuchen?” Chu Liuyue had never thought of this idea, but now he felt that it was possible.
At that time, Shao Yanru repeatedly told him that the Emperor doted on Consort Lan. Even if she got grounded, the Emperor might do that to protect her.
It was certain that Consort Lan was still alive; otherwise, the guards would have withdrawn long ago.
Consort Lan did not have any other relatives but Chu Liuchen, her sister’s son. It was possible that the Emperor also showed favoritism to him when seeing Consort Lan cared so much about Chu Liuchen. If this were true, Consort Lan would be amazing. How could she affect the Emperor after being locked up for many years?
Chu Liuyue’s face darkened because he had neglected this. If he had known that Consort Lan was so powerful, he would have asked Shao Yanru to investigate more thoroughly at that time.
“Your Highness, you can inquire deeply into Consort Lan’s matter later on. At present, Prince Chen is of the utmost importance. We don’t know how the Emperor views him and whom Princess Yutao will marry. But if you finish off one person, this matter will inevitably succeed. The Emperor will have to agree with this marriage even if he disapproves of it.”
Mr. Liu calmed down and came up with the idea that had just occurred to him. It could be considered the best way to solve the current predicament.
“Who?” Chu Liuyue frowned and asked. He had a bad feeling.
“Get rid of Princess Chen!” Mr. Liu knocked on the table gently and gave a simple and horrifying answer.
“No!” Chu Liuyue refused subconsciously. After that, his heart thumped violently against his ribs, and he had an indescribable and complex feeling.
“Your Highness, Princess Chen is the key. If she dies, there will be no doubt that Princess Yutao will marry Prince Chen who can no longer take Princess Chen as an excuse to refuse this marriage. Even if the Emperor has other ideas, he will give priority to the state affair and agree to this matter. As long as Prince Chen marries Princess Yutao from another country, no matter who is behind him, he can never link himself with His Majesty to fight for the throne. It’s known to all that the future crown prince should have no blood relationship with the Xu State.”
Mr. Liu looked at Chu Liuyue in confusion. Wasn’t this method the best for the time being? With one single move, they could solve many problems and assure victory in the future.
“Princess Chen is just a weak lady and can’t be that crucial!” Chu Liuyue shook his head and explained vaguely.
“Your Highness, the great things are achieved from not obsessing small details. Princess Chen is the key to everything. It is not about whether she is a delicate woman or not, but about her status and situation now. If we can murder her, we can get away with a heap of trouble. It will be a highly profitable investment for you.”
Mr. Liu advised him. Prince Yue was always willing to follow his advice, so he couldn’t understand why he hesitated at this time. Shouldn’t he agree with this on the spot and send someone to look for an opportunity in secret?
“She is just a defenseless lady. Since we want her to leave her position as Princess Chen, killing her is not the only way. Or we can take her away!” Chu Liuyue tried to compose himself and said.
Princess Chen was as pretty as flowers and as delicate as jade. If she disappeared from this world, it would be heartbreaking.
“Take her away?” After Mr. Liu pondered it over, his eyes brightened, and he nodded repeatedly. “Your idea is great, better than mine. Even if she gets back in the future, her reputation will be tarnished, and she can no longer be Princess Chen. No one will stand in Princess Yutao’s way if she can’t return. Brilliant! An excellent idea!”
“Then let’s find a way to kidnap her!” When hearing Mr. Liu’s praise, Chu Liuyue was full of excitement. Since he seized such a stunning beauty, he would not send her back to Chu Liuchen. At present, Chu Liuchen, who was arrogant and overbearing, happened to be far away from the capital city, so it was the best time.
However, other than him, Chu Liuzhou also got the same insidious idea.
“Mother, take her away. It’s best for Princess Yutao to marry Chu Liuchen, lest he thinks so highly of himself as if he will be the crown prince.” Chu Liuzhou made this suggestion to the Empress. As he thought of Shao Wanru’s unrivaled appearance, excitement surged in his bosom too.
He had been jealous of Chu Liuchen who was sick and dying, but how could he marry such a devastatingly beautiful woman? In his heart, his wife and consort couldn’t compare with Shao Wanru. Every time he thought of this, Chu Liuzhou felt annoyed.
He had the highest status. Why did the best woman not marry him but the invalid good-for-nothing?
“Let’s kill her and end all our troubles!” The Empress standing by the dusky window insisted, and her face looked distinctly green.
How could she not know what her son had in mind? He took a fancy to Princess Chen. However, she wouldn’t allow him to get involved with her because Shao Wanru had become Princess Chen. If they had an affair, it would be meticulously recorded in history, which would damage her son’s reputation.
“Mother, if we kill Princess Chen, what if… by any chance we need her to be alive? There will be no turning back for us.” Chu Liuzhou whispered.
His words silenced the Empress. After a long while, she gritted her teeth with determination and looked at Chu Liuzhou. “Since you must kidnap her, I will deal with her after we get her. She must not be left with you.”
Shao Wanru seemed a troublesome hot potato. It wouldn’t be a good thing to leave her to her son. The Empress felt it would be much more secure to keep Shao Wanru under her surveillance.
“I am at your orders, Mother.” Chu Liuzhou was very obedient to the Empress. A faint smile appeared on the Empress’ face, which made her livid face look better.
“It’s best for you to think in this way. I do everything for your own good. At this time, you must overcome your selfish considerations and strike sure blows. On the surface, we enjoy a high noble status. But we’re in a dangerous situation. Besides, we have to take good care of many people and things. Never let others take advantage of our loopholes and never become other people’s stepping stone.”
The Empress hinted. She was afraid that once they started a fight with Chu Liuchen, Chu Liuyue might reap all the benefits.
“Mother, don’t worry. I will keep it in mind.” Chu Liuzhou nodded repeatedly.
Before the emissaries returned, political disturbances secretly occurred in the capital city. Many people had received news that Princess Yutao of the Xu State would marry Prince Chen and move into his mansion. But didn’t Prince Chen already have a legal wife? This matter appeared tricky.
But no one discussed it out loud. Everyone just thought it over inwardly, waiting for a suitable opportunity to express their opinions after others.
At this time, everything else became a trivial matter. No one cared about the disfigured face of Infanta Yuan’an or the injured leg of the First Young Master in the Marquis Xing’s Mansion. They bumped into each other. Maybe both of them were responsible for their sufferings…