Chapter 1298: Chapter 1293: Bloodline Confirmed
Chapter 1298: Chapter 1293: Bloodline Confirmed
In the past, he had only dreamed of having Yun Sijin substitute for him like this.
Now his wish was gratified.
Yun Sijin attended to him with a pair of soft hands, and still remembered to say gently, “Do you think I care about the title of the Prime Minister’s wife? It’s only because you are the Prime Minister that I must match you. Now, brother is so anxious, yet you are indifferent. If something really happens, can you protect yourself?”
It was inevitably impossible.
The huge family, with deep roots, prospered together and suffered together.
It wasn’t the Prime Minister’s estate or Leng Kangcheng that she cared about, what she cared most about was her husband, Zhuo Junli.
Zhuo Junli pulled her close and kissed her slightly swollen lips, his eyes usually sharp, now filled with tenderness, “I know you love me. Rest for now, let me handle things outside.”
He gently lifted her horizontally, placed her back on the bed, and told her to rest.
He then went out and brought Leng Kangcheng to the study.
Leng Kangcheng had a bellyful of words, but before he could speak, he was silenced by Zhuo Junli’s question, “What trouble has my elegant and noble niece gotten into?”
Leng Kangcheng lowered his head sheepishly. He used to be jealous of Zhuo Junli, a bastard who could be acknowledged by his father and take over the position of Prime Minister, humiliating him, his legitimate heir.
But over time, Zhuo Junli’s capabilities had completely conquered him.
Now, without even looking, Junli judged the facts, making him feel even more ashamed of his inadequacy, “Brother, this time, I really need your help to save the Prime Minister’s estate.”
Saying this, he handed the note from Leng Shuqing to Zhuo Junli.
Zhuo Junli looked pained, and said offhandedly, “Did she try to murder the Crown Prince?”
“Hiss!”
Leng Kangcheng’s hand trembled, dropping the note in front of Zhuo Junli, nearly stumbling.
His brother was too smart.
Kneeling before him in awe.
Zhuo Junli’s expression darkened when he saw the words on the note.
Inside the imperial palace, in the imperial study, Chu Jinling massaged his temples wearily as he looked at the bloodied figure on the ground and two grinning figures.
This throne of imperial uncle… was truly…
To hell with it!
Let whoever wants to sit on it, do so!
Chu Heng and Chu Xi came in well-fed and watered, but he saw Chu Jinling appearing very troubled.
Holding a crispy biscuit, he approached Chu Jinling, “Ninth Brother, Mo Qi said you haven’t had time to eat, here, Heng’er brought this for you.”
He didn’t act as swiftly and fiercely as Chu Xi but tenderly handed the biscuit to Chu Jinling, cooing in such a way that made one want to embrace and cuddle him like a baby.
Chu Jinling nibbled on the biscuit, his worries growing, “Heng’er, were you scared today? Ninth Brother didn’t have time to pick you up, I was wrong…”
“Not at all!” Could Chu Heng say he was actually happy to have come back today?
He could sleep on his big bed with Shan Bao on the left and sister Xi on the right, hugged from both sides!
How wonderful!
“Then you’d better go back to sleep, go take a bath with Shan Bao.” Chu Xi patted Chu Heng’s shoulder, giving him instructions.
Chu Heng nodded his head, “Okay, then I’ll go wait for sister!”
Chu Xi looked at Chu Jinling with a solemn expression after he left, “I pay my respects to Ninth Brother. My name is Chu Xi, and Daddy is the Eighth Prince.”
“The Eighth Imperial Uncle…” Chu Jinling felt his temples twitch. The Eighth Imperial Uncle was even more brutal than him, the Ninth Imperial Uncle; apart from formal greetings, he hardly ever gave him a second glance.
The little girl before him… whether she was his own flesh and blood or not, she looked just as difficult to deal with!
Mo Qi told Chu Jinling about the danger Chu Heng had nearly faced today, to which Chu Xi added, “That Noble Consort is highly suspicious, Ninth Brother must punish her severely!”
Chu Jinling was troubled, “According to protocol, I am a prince, but she is a Noble Consort, and I have no authority to deal with her.”
Chu Xi pointed to the seat he was in, “Aren’t you sitting on the dragon throne?”
Although she had not yet started school, she knew that the dragon throne was the seat of supreme honor.
How could it be impossible to deal with a Noble Consort?
Chu Jinling gently explained, “The Noble Consort is the wife of my imperial uncle. Although I sit here, I only act as regent, standing in for Heng’er’s father, carrying out supervisory duties, without the power to deal with his Noble Consort. At most, like today, I can detain the Noble Consort in the palace, preventing her from making contact with the outside world.”
Any further punishments…
He would need to request an imperial edict with Chu Yihan’s royal seal.
Mo Qi’s lips were tightly pressed, “Right now Hangzhou is fraught with danger, the emperor and Your Majesty (the empress) are already in a difficult position, and if they are further troubled by the matter of the Crown Prince, I fear it will add to their worries and distract the emperor from Hangzhou.”
Over such a distance, it takes days for orders to be communicated back and forth, let alone issues that can distract parents so.
The matter of Hangzhou is crucial, as it is on the brink of war between the Great Cheng Dynasty and Ji Yun Country—too important!
Outside the door, Lin Sisi sought an audience.
Chu Jinling happily summoned her in.
Following proper etiquette, Lin Sisi first paid her respects to Chu Jinling and Chu Xi, then softly spoke, “This matter should not be dragged on any longer. The Prime Minister just entered the palace, and ordinarily, he wouldn’t come over for no reason at this time.”
As a Martial General with a rank lower than Zhuo Junli, if Zhuo Junli demanded the person from her, she would not be able to stand guard for long.
Chu Jinling thought the matter was indeed too thorny; without his imperial uncle, he found it truly difficult to handle. After much thought, he said, “Sisi, you take that maid and come with me to the Cold Palace.”
Naturally, Mo Qi would follow, and since Chu Xi expressed a desire to gain some experience, Mo Qi took her along as well.
For those accustomed to navigating the palace, it was normal to remain composed.
But for Chu Xi, who entered the palace for the first time, she was not struck by awe at its grandeur and magnificence. Her young face maintained its usual expression, as if she were strolling down an ordinary street, her calm and composed demeanor not befitting a child.
Mo Qi, watching her current poise, was reminded of Doctor Rong Sheng.
He couldn’t help but sigh, indeed, “Like father, like son; like mother, like daughter.”
In the Cold Palace, Noble Consort Xiao had applied a facial mask and was just about to go to bed under the attendance of Granny Song when a group of people burst in grandiosely.
Chu Jinling knelt down courteously, his voice sweetly ingratiating, “I pay my respects to mother, Mother, you are already so beautiful, why bother with all this trouble?”
Noble Consort Xiao laughed teasingly and reached out to hit him, “You little rascal, always so smooth-talking with your mother.”
Her eyes fell on those behind Chu Jinling, and Lin Sisi and Mo Qi each knelt down, “Your servant, pays respects to the Noble Imperial Consort.”
Only Chu Xi stood, unsure of the appropriate way to salute due to her status, but she followed along with a greeting, “Greetings to the Noble Imperial Consort.”
Noble Consort Xiao’s attention fell solely on Chu Xi, her eyebrows raised, “What a bright and charming girl, who of the imperial family fathered this one?”
She didn’t look like a child from an ordinary official’s family.
This demeanor, it had to be nurtured by the royal family.
Chu Xi was quite skilled in announcing her father’s name, “My father is the Eighth Prince.”