Chapter 965: Chapter 965: The Stand-in Empress vs. the True Love Concubine (Part 30)
The Emperor’s expression turned cold upon hearing this.
The Crown Prince was his most valued successor, and Su Chaohua, the Crown Princess Consort, was someone he had watched grow up since childhood.
In the Emperor’s mind, the people he favored were naturally the most honorable and supreme in the world. How dare a young lady from the Prime Minister’s Residence think to come between them?
The Emperor then said, "Prime Minister of the Left has done a decent job in his official duties, but his way of educating his children is truly lacking. I must give him a good lesson."
The Empress merely smiled faintly.
After the Emperor departed, a smile appeared on the Empress’s face.
She had intentionally brought up this matter in front of the Emperor, otherwise, such trivial matters would likely not have caught his attention.
But why should she let the instigator go when her son and daughter-in-law suffered such grievances for no reason?
Another two months passed.
The Palace held its grand selection of members.
Now, more than half a year had gone by since the Crown Prince’s marriage, and the Crown Princess Consort had not borne a child. Some ministers suggested that the Crown Prince should take a concubine.
Just a few days ago, both the Crown Prince and the Empress approached the Emperor, expressing their thoughts that there was no rush to take a concubine for the Eastern Palace.
"Your Majesty, it has always been a great taboo to favor a concubine over a legitimate child," the Empress said simply.
But it was just this statement that reminded the Emperor of how he endured humiliation beneath the pressure of his elder brother and the Favored Consort of the previous Emperor. The legitimate son born from the Empress herself was not as favored as a son of a concubine in front of the previous Emperor.
Now, seeing those ministers pressing for the Crown Prince to take a concubine, he felt extremely displeased.
He scrutinized the courtier suggestions, most of whom were aligned with the Prime Minister’s faction.
Hmph, the Prime Minister’s daughter must be the one who harbors inappropriate feelings toward the Crown Prince, correct?
"The Crown Prince and the Crown Princess Consort live in harmony with deep affection for each other. You ministers are meddling too much,"
The Emperor coldly dismissed the topic with these words.
Ten days later, an imperial decree caused chaos in the entire Prime Minister’s Residence.
"In accordance with the Mandate of Heaven, the Emperor decrees: Lady Lu, the daughter of the Prime Minister, with graceful beauty and great talent... is conferred as Consort Duan, take heed!"
The confused Prime Minister, upon receiving this decree, sent away the eunuch who delivered it and returned home to see his daughter’s expression of refusal.
"What? Enter the palace to become one of the Emperor’s concubines? I am unwilling! I want to be with Yun Qi..."
"Pa!"
At his wit’s end, the Prime Minister raised his hand and slapped this beloved legitimate daughter across the face.
He coldly looked at Lu Xi: "Consort Duan, mind your speech!"
The words "Consort Duan" were heavily emphasized by him.
Being conferred as an imperial consort by His Majesty, even if she had not entered the palace, she was already considered the Emperor’s woman.
As the Emperor’s woman, to keep calling out the name of the Crown Prince, does she want to jeopardize the lives of everyone in the entire Prime Minister’s Residence?
Ten days later, the newly minted Consort Duan entered the palace.
Central Palace.
The Empress raised her hand to examine her newly painted nails and asked slowly, "Has that girl from the Lu family entered the palace?"
The person beside her lowered their head respectfully, "Yes, Your Majesty."
The Empress nodded, "Make sure to keep a close watch on her. Ensure she doesn’t act out of line again and offend the Crown Prince and Crown Princess Consort."
"Yes."
Gu Shengyin also heard about Lu Xi being conferred as Consort Duan.
She was somewhat surprised, as this was a complete divergence from the original plot.
Upon learning that the Emperor made this decision knowing of Lu Xi’s past with the Crown Prince, she understood the Emperor’s intention.
This was to make Lu Xi completely give up.