Leng Yuanxiang’s tears could no longer be held back, and she began to sob uncontrollably. Why was it that in other transmigration novels, the emperors encountered in ancient times were willing to have only one wife for their entire lives? Yet, when it came to her, she had to meet such a great liar and scumbag as Situ Chuanqiong!
“It seems I’ve been too lenient with you, making you lose all sense of propriety!” Situ Chuanqiong was so enraged by Leng Yuanxiang’s words that he almost raised a hand to strike her.
However, after restraining himself, he ultimately did not bring himself to deliver such a blow. Instead, he bellowed towards the outside of the door, “Guards! Concubine Leng has been feeling unwell lately. Watch her carefully. She is not to leave Jinle Palace for half a month!”
Soon, the sounds of guards acknowledging the order came from outside.
Leng Yuanxiang’s eyes were already red from crying. At this moment, she looked at Situ Chuanqiong in disbelief and said, “You scumbag, you messed up, and you’re going to put me under house arrest? Situ Chuanqiong, you’ve gone too far!”
“I merely believe you need some time to calm down and reflect on what you should and should not say. Your Leng family should have taught you how to be a virtuous and dignified consort!” Situ Chuanqiong flicked his sleeves and slammed the door shut.
Leng Yuanxiang angrily hurled a pillow from the bed at him, but it only left a shallow indentation on the door before sliding to the floor. It did not harm Situ Chuanqiong in the slightest, but it infuriated her immensely.
Sometimes, there are no secrets in the imperial palace. Since Situ Chuanqiong did not specifically forbid it, he merely intended to teach Leng Yuanxiang a lesson. Thus, within a single night, the news spread like wildfire, and many people learned that Imperial Concubine Leng had been confined by the Emperor.
Xiao Wenqiang, however, was even more informed than they were. This was because last night, she had discovered from her soul artifact locator that Situ Chuanqiong had left Leng Yuanxiang’s chambers in a hurry in the middle of the night and returned to his own. It was worth noting that apart from a few scattered nights when he was busy with state affairs, Situ Chuanqiong had always been inseparable from Leng Yuanxiang.
Therefore, after last night’s incident, she knew that the two of them had likely argued.
In fact, when she emerged from the Imperial Study this morning, she had a premonition that Leng Yuanxiang might cause trouble. As a woman who had transmigrated with modern sensibilities, she could not possibly accept that the man she loved, while being with her, would still have physical intimacy with other women.
As expected, Leng Yuanxiang did indeed act out immediately.
However, Situ Chuanqiong was not considerate enough. The novel described how much he loved Leng Yuanxiang, but in reality, he had not escaped the patriarchal arrogance of ancient men.
His tenderness and love came with conditions, making him, at the end of the day, a selfish man who only loved himself!
…
Indeed, as an emperor, Situ Chuanqiong was well-versed in the art of balance.
As if to prove this, on the second night of Leng Yuanxiang’s confinement, he personally visited the palace of Consort Qin Mingzhu, whom he had not visited in a long time.
Since Situ Chuanqiong’s visit was a spur-of-the-moment decision, he had not notified anyone in her palace beforehand.
Therefore, when he arrived, Qin Mingzhu had not had time to properly prepare herself and could only rush out of her chambers to greet him.
However, Situ Chuanqiong did not mind this, as he did not genuinely favor Qin Mingzhu. After ascending the throne, in order to restrain the Chu family, the Empress’s maternal clan, and consolidate his imperial position, he had taken the legitimate daughter of the Left Prime Minister, Qin Feng, as a Consort.
What he needed was the status of Qin Mingzhu, the legitimate daughter of the Left Prime Minister, and the support of her maternal family. Who this person was, was entirely irrelevant.
However, for Qin Mingzhu, it was a different story altogether. Looking at Situ Chuanqiong before her, her eyes held unconcealed delight.
As the legitimate daughter of Left Prime Minister Qin Feng, she had been doted on by her family since childhood. Qin Mingzhu was a spoiled "official's daughter" with an arrogant and domineering personality. She would often scold and beat her servants, thus unintentionally offending many people, including her elder brother, Qin Minghao.
Qin Minghao was Qin Feng’s eldest son, though not his legitimate son at first. His mother was originally Qin Feng’s first wife, and their relationship had been stable after marriage. However, the following year, his father achieved the highest rank in the imperial examinations and caught the eye of the late Emperor’s youngest princess.
The late Emperor greatly cherished his youngest daughter and thus arranged a marriage for Qin Feng with the princess. But Qin Feng already had a wife. How could the little princess be a concubine? So, an imperial decree was issued, ordering him to demote his original wife to concubine and marry the little princess as his primary wife.
This was already the result of Qin Feng’s pleading. Originally, the little princess wanted Qin Feng to divorce his original wife and marry her. However, at that time, the original wife was seven months pregnant, and the child in her womb was the future eldest son, Qin Minghao.
The little princess still wanted to make trouble, insisting on aborting the child in the original wife's womb, saying that the first child must come from her own womb. But to have an abortion at such a late stage of pregnancy in ancient times meant certain death for both mother and child.
Finally, Qin Feng mediated. He proposed that if the child was a boy, he would be adopted by the little princess. If it was a girl, the original wife would continue to raise her. Only then did the little princess relent.
Although Qin Minghao was adopted, he was not her biological son, and the little princess still disliked him. However, after injuring her health while giving birth to Qin Mingzhu, she was unable to conceive for many years afterward and had no choice but to raise this son.
It was understandable that Qin Minghao, who grew up in such an environment, could not genuinely like his own sister. Moreover, Qin Mingzhu was cruel. Since childhood, she often bullied him and even instigated the household servants to hold Qin Minghao down for her to hit.
So, as Qin Minghao grew older, he was constantly looking for an opportunity for revenge.
That day was Left Prime Minister Qin Feng’s birthday, and the mansion was lively. Some princes who were usually close to Qin Feng also came to the mansion to celebrate, including the Crown Prince and the then Third Prince, Situ Chuanqiong.
There were many people and a lot of chaos in the household that day, and it was difficult to recognize everyone who came and went. Thus, Qin Minghao decided to make his move. He ambushed Qin Mingzhu on the road back to her small courtyard and struck her to the ground with a club.
Qin Minghao did not dare to deliver a fatal blow. He merely intended to ruin Qin Mingzhu’s reputation and marry her off as soon as possible, to anyone. So, after seeing her fall to the ground, he stepped forward to remove her outer clothing.
Unexpectedly, Qin Mingzhu had not lost consciousness and struggled to break free. In his panic, Qin Minghao tightly covered her mouth, trying to prevent her from making a sound.
As Qin Mingzhu was struggling to breathe, Situ Chuanqiong, who had been drinking and was looking for a restroom, passed by. Seeing the situation, he immediately went up and punched Qin Minghao.
Regaining her breath, Qin Mingzhu began to shout and scream, attracting many servants and guests from the front courtyard.
Qin Mingzhu was rescued, but Qin Minghao’s hands were broken by his furious legitimate mother, and he was thrown out of the Prime Minister’s mansion. This time, even his father, Qin Feng, could not save him.