latelenovela Chapter 116 Public Appearance
Chapter 116 Public Appearance
Before long, Ye Shishu and Gu Simo entered the palace.
The two men bowed to the emperor and empress seated on the throne.
"Why has Physician Hua come?" Consort Lan asked with a smile, appearing extremely approachable.
"Your Highness, although the Prince has recovered, he was seriously injured after all. I was worried that he might develop a chronic illness, so I asked Physician Hua to stay in the manor for a while longer to ensure that the Prince can fully recover," Ye Shishu explained.
Yu Chi Sheng nodded approvingly, "Princess Consort Cheng is indeed very thoughtful."
Ye Shishu replied respectfully, "Father, this is what your daughter-in-law should do."
Yu Chi Sheng glanced at the palace gate and asked, "Didn't you say that Prince Cheng and your brother were also here? Where are they?"
"Your Majesty, just now when we passed by the garden, the Prince saw a peony in full bloom and said he wanted to pick it to give to Miss Xiao'er. However, he accidentally dirtied his robe while picking the flower, so he took my wife and second brother to the side hall to clean it. Worried that Your Majesty and Mother would be waiting too long, he asked my wife and Physician Hua to come and pay their respects first."
Yu Chi Sheng subconsciously looked at Ni Xiao.
Ni Xiao's eyes were filled with a smile; it would be a lie to say she wasn't pleased. After all, the more Prince Cheng doted on her, the faster she could achieve her goals, and the more generous her rewards would be.
On the surface, she looked at Ye Shishu with a very self-deprecating expression and said, "Your Highness, why didn't you stop the Prince? Xiao'er is of lowly status and is not worthy of the Prince's concern."
Ye Shishu's face was drawn, but the corners of her mouth were forced into a smile, and anyone could see that she was putting on a brave face in front of others. "Miss Xiao'er, there's no need to belittle yourself. Everyone in the Great Ye Kingdom knows that you hold a position in the Prince's heart that is unmatched. I, the Princess Consort, don't ask for anything. I only hope that you can serve the Prince well in the future and be a capable and virtuous wife behind the scenes."
Her ex-lover returned and stole the affections of her new love. It would be understandable if she forced a smile or embarrassed her ex-lover in public.
Yet she spoke words of tolerance and magnanimity, making it impossible for anyone to find fault with her.
At least Consort Lan couldn't find fault with her, and even praised her, saying, "Seeing you all so harmonious, I am very happy for Ling'er."
Her words were tantamount to acknowledging Ni Xiao's identity.
Looking at Ye Shishu's stiff smile, even though she pretended to be tolerant and magnanimous without uttering a single complaint, anyone could smell the bitterness emanating from her. Seeing this, Ni Xiao felt even happier and more smug.
Suddenly, she caught a glimpse of two tall figures entering the hall.
One of them held a peony in his hand, his handsome face beaming with a charming smile, and he immediately turned his gaze to me upon entering.
She smiled shyly and couldn't help but step forward, taking the peony from the man's hand with one hand and affectionately holding his hand with the other. Her gentle voice was even more melodious than a nightingale's, "Your Highness, how could you pick flowers for Xiao'er's sake? Even if you were to pick flowers to give away, you should give them to the Princess Consort. You're making Xiao'er feel terrible!"
The atmosphere in the hall froze instantly.
Apart from Ye Shishu, Gu Simo, and Yu Chiling, Yu Chisheng, Consort Lan, and the palace servants all stared wide-eyed at the two clasped hands.
Ni Xiao's purpose was actually very simple: to demonstrate her relationship with Prince Cheng, firstly to please Consort Lan, and secondly to embarrass Ye Shishu.
However, instead of receiving Consort Lan's approval, she only saw everyone's gaze turn strange.
She was slightly startled. Could it be that she had been too proactive and a bit presumptuous, thus displeasing the Emperor and the Imperial Concubine?
What should she do in this situation?
Without hesitation, she immediately pressed herself against Ye Shijun's arm, feigning timidity, and said, "Your Highness, please don't do this for Xiao'er anymore. Xiao'er can't bear your favor."
As she pressed herself against Ye Shijun, her front almost touching him. Consort Lan suddenly stood up, pointed at her angrily, and shouted, "Ni Xiao, what are you doing?"
Ni Xiao stared at her dumbfounded, completely bewildered by her sudden outburst of anger. "Your Highness... Xiao'er... what did Xiao'er do wrong?"
"You!" Consort Lan almost couldn't catch her breath.
Seeing her like this, Ni Xiao was genuinely frightened and couldn't understand her intentions. So she could only turn to Ye Shijun for help, feeling wronged, "Your Highness, please understand, Xiao'er did not offend the Imperial Concubine. I don't know why the Imperial Concubine is angry..."
Sitting next to Consort Lan, Yu Chi Sheng suddenly raised his lips and looked at his son with a meaningful expression. "Prince Cheng, tell me, what happened?"
Yu Chi Ling stepped forward and replied, "As Father Emperor sees, I need not explain further."
As he stepped forward to reply to Ye Shijun, addressed as "Prince Cheng" and referring to himself as "your subject," Ni Xiao, who was pressed close to Ye Shijun, bulged out with her eyes, as if she had been drained of all her blood in an instant, and her face was even more ashen than death.
Before she could react, Ye Shijun shoved her aside, knelt down, and loudly reported, "Your Majesty, this woman's origins are unknown. On the day she arrived at Prince Cheng's residence, she mistook me for His Highness Prince Cheng. His Highness Prince Cheng knew her intentions were impure, so he instructed me to play along and make fun of her. Today, since the Imperial Concubine has summoned me, I have decided to let her expose herself in the palace."
Ni Xiao swayed, staring at him, Yu Chi Ling, and Ye Shi Shu in disbelief, "No...no..."
impossible……
How could she make such a huge mistake on her very first attempt...?
That day, when she saw the four of them, she clearly saw this man walking in front, smiling at her with a sunny smile...
She is the woman King Seung has been longing for. After being separated for so long, shouldn't King Seung be overjoyed with her?
However, at this moment, she had no chance to argue.
Forget about making excuses, there's not even a chance to regret it!
Consort Lan's expression wasn't much better; her eyes seemed to want to grind her to dust. Before Yu Chi Sheng could speak again, she shouted sharply at the palace servants, "Guards! This woman is impersonating Prince Cheng's beloved, deceiving and swindling; she deserves to die! Drag her away and behead her!"
"Wait a minute." Yu Chi Sheng stood up from his seat, glancing at her sideways. "Your Highness, don't you want to know this woman's background, her purpose, and who is acting on her behalf?"
"Your Majesty..." Consort Lan suddenly came to her senses and explained, "Your Majesty, I never expected such an absurd thing to happen. I'm so angry with her!"
Yu Chisheng walked towards Ni Xiao with his hands behind his back.
Ni Xiao was filled with fear, and collapsed to the ground, trembling uncontrollably.
Yu Chi Sheng stood in front of her, looking down at her with a cold laugh, "I heard that Ni Xiao accompanied Prince Cheng through life and death in the military camp for several months, but you can't even recognize Prince Cheng's true face. It's utterly laughable."
"me……"
"Will you confess voluntarily, or will I have someone give you a thorough dressing-down?"
At this point, any further explanation would only make us a laughingstock!
Ni Xiao rolled over and knelt on the ground, trembling as she said, "Your Majesty, spare my life... I was forced..."
Upon hearing this, Consort Lan nearly pinched her palms raw with her fingertips!
This idiot, is he going to expose her and the Crown Prince?!
Yu Chisheng's face darkened, finally revealing his anger. "Speak! Who sent you?"
“It’s…it’s Huaxiang Pavilion…My family was taken away by them…They threatened me…They even disguised me…They instigated me to seduce Prince Cheng…”