Chapter 376 – The Sweet Princess Was Here – I’m Very Impressive (21)
Wu Chenyi’s good mood lasted all the way until the Empress’s grand birthday banquet on her forty-ninth year.
His child had finally returned from outside the palace. After just finishing the court affairs and being praised by Emperor Jude, the Empress’s birthday celebration followed right after. With blessings coming from all sides, the empress’s palace was naturally filled with joy.
Bai Tang entered the palace to pay respects to the Empress. On the way, he happened to run into Consort He, Bai Fangxin.
Wu Chenyi and Bai Tang had been away from the capital for half a year. During that time, Bai Fangxin had been waging fierce battles in the inner palace. Even though she wore luxurious clothes and glittering jewels, she couldn’t hide the dark bluish shadows beneath her eyes.
Compared to when she first came to the Wu Dynasty, she looked far more withered. The youthful aura she once had was almost completely gone, replaced with the weariness of age. The way she looked at Bai Tang was full of resentment.
“Greetings to Consort He.”
Bai Fangxin was Bai Tang’s “elder sister,” yet also Emperor Jude’s woman—making her one of Wu Chenyi’s and Bai Tang’s so-called mother-consorts.
“Rise. This palace hardly deserves such grand courtesy from the Crown Princess Consort.” Bai Fangxin’s tone was dripping with sarcasm. Bai Tang raised an eyebrow at her, stood up, and brushed off a speck of imaginary dust from his clothes.
“Before I came, Father told me the lands of Wu truly nourish people. It seems he was right—after being away for just half a year, the Crown Princess Consort looks even more radiant than before. No wonder His Highness the Crown Prince is so besotted with you. He clings to you alone, even rejecting the secondary consort His Majesty personally chose for him…”
This was the very thing Bai Fangxin envied most.
Emperor Jude was already past fifty. If one had a choice, who would willingly be with an old man? But Bai Tang—he had already been more favored than her back in the Huan Kingdom, and after arriving in the Wu Dynasty, his luck was far better too. He married the leading candidate to become the next emperor. His future was to be the imperial consort.
While she—she could only ever be a Dowager Consort.
No matter how pleasant the title sounded, a dowager consort was still just a concubine—a plaything—not comparable to the rightful spouse.
“If Consort He has nothing further, I must continue on to pay respects to the Empress. I won’t disturb Your Ladyship’s flower-appreciation mood.” Bai Tang wasn’t a masochist. He had no intention of staying here just to listen to this woman mock him.
With the Empress’s people at his side as well as Wu Chenyi’s, no matter how bitter Bai Fangxin felt, she could only vent verbally. She could not inflict any real harm on Bai Tang.
All of this fell into the eyes of a eunuch who was trimming flowers nearby. After they left, the eunuch hurried to the palace of Noble Consort Liang.
The Empress, having seen Noble Lady Liang being suppressed by Bai Fangxin, deliberately elevated her rank during the great conferment of harem titles so she could counterbalance Bai Fangxin. Because of such magnanimity, Emperor Jude had even praised her as a model Empress worthy of ruling the inner palace.
After hearing the eunuch’s report, Noble Consort Liang’s eyes lit up with a scheme, and she let out a cold, sinister laugh.
“Bai Fangxin, I’ll make sure you learn who the true victor will be.”
The Empress’s birthday celebration was held as scheduled. Wu Chenyi attended with Bai Tang. After recent events, Wu Chenyi’s position as Crown Prince was now unshakably secure. As long as he didn’t commit treason—such as attempting assassination or coercing the emperor—his ascension as the next emperor was practically guaranteed.
Before the banquet officially began, the guests engaged in casual conversation. Wu Chenyi once again became the center of everyone’s attempts to exchange pleasantries and forge connections. Many court officials with children of marriageable age set their sights on the position of his secondary consort. The noble ladies also hovered around Bai Tang; their words were either thinly veiled attempts to belittle him or shameless boasts about their children. Their intentions were obvious at a glance.
Su Wen helped block off some of the lower-ranking officials’ wives, but when it came to people like the Chancellor’s wife, there was nothing she could do.
She glanced at Bai Tang’s innocent, clueless expression and silently prayed that the Crown Princess Consort would not be fooled by these women’s polite facade. If he agreed too readily, the Crown Prince’s residence would soon be a stormy battlefield—and the one who would suffer the most would be Bai Tang himself.
Fortunately, Bai Tang did not disappoint her. He simply smiled sweetly and said: “We’ve heard of your daughter’s exceptional qualities. Since today is Mother Empress’s birthday and she is in such high spirits, I’ll ask her to find a wonderful match for your daughter.”
In any case, your daughter is definitely not marrying my Ah Yi.
As for other fine young men—feel free to make your requests.
Not only did the Chancellor’s wife understand Bai Tang’s hidden message; the others also caught on, covering their mouths with handkerchiefs as they stifled laughter. The Chancellor’s wife was furious to the point of grinding her teeth, yet could do nothing about it.
After sending off a group of noble ladies, Bai Tang felt more exhausted than after a battle. Why had he never realized how tiring social engagements could be?
Xiao A silently flipped open the notebook where the little sphere recorded everything. Back when Bai Tang was the Empress Consort, palace affairs were handled by senior attendants, and the male lead shielded him from all burdens. Naturally, life was easy.
But now, the male lead also had to entertain guests and had stepped away for a while. Su Wen’s rank wasn’t high enough, so when dealing with the women, the host had to show up personally.
Bai Tang asked Su Wen to inform Wu Chenyi that he was going to walk around to get some fresh air and would return before the banquet officially started.
With that, he headed alone toward the Imperial Garden.
A certain young eunuch noticed and picked up a food box, pretending he needed to go to the imperial kitchen as he quietly followed after.
He crept up from behind, pulled out a handkerchief laced with knockout drug, and attempted to attack Bai Tang from behind.
“Mmph—”
The young eunuch suddenly fainted and collapsed onto the ground. Bai Tang turned around just in time to see two dark-clad figures kneeling before him with a cupped-fist salute, then carrying away the eunuch and vanishing.
Bai Tang: ???
Back at the banquet, Xiao Duzi whispered a few words into Wu Chenyi’s ear. Wu Chenyi’s gaze instantly turned terrifyingly deep and cold.
A dragon has its reverse scale; touch it, and death follows.
Wu Chenyi apologized to the ministers and hurried away with Xiao Duzi.
Meanwhile, Bai Tang—having just escaped one crisis—ran straight into another problem.
Could someone please tell him why a little palace maid was now clinging to his clothes and crying her eyes out?!
“Your Highness the Crown Princess Consort, please don’t be like this! This servant is not that kind of person…”
The palace maid was stunning, with curves that would be fatally attractive to any man.
Bai Tang: “I didn’t do anything to you. Can you get up?”
He was utterly baffled. He had simply been walking properly, but the maid had bumped into him, spilling tea all over him. He hadn’t even gotten angry, yet she started crying first—and saying strange, accusatory things.
From not far away came the rustling of people hiding. The palace maid cried even louder while swiftly loosening her own clothes. “Your Highness, n-no, you mustn’t…”
Bai Tang: “!!!”
“Don’t pull at me!” Bai Tang panicked and pushed the maid away. Not only was she stripping herself, she was trying to undress him.
He broke into a sweat from anxiety. Fortunately, Wu Chenyi arrived just in time, knocking the maid unconscious with a swift hand strike.
“Tang Tang…”
“I didn’t do anything to her—it’s she who’s crazy…” Bai Tang blurted out anxiously.
“I know. My Tang Tang has very high standards. How could he ever look twice at trash like this…” Wu Chenyi soothed him gently, then kicked the unconscious maid into a nearby bush.
Just then, Consort He (Bai Fangxin) came through with a grand entourage of palace maids and eunuchs. Hearing the commotion, she barked, “What’s that noise? Go check.”
She led them forward and saw two shadowy figures hugging each other. Shock and anger erupted as she yelled: “Tang Tang! How could you commit such a disgraceful act in the palace?!”
“Seize the adulterer and hand him over to the C–Crown Prince?!”
Wu Chenyi slowly turned around. Bai Fangxin no longer needed to pretend—she was genuinely stunned. How could this be? She had arranged everything…
“Consort He, what refined interests you have. Instead of attending Mother’s birthday celebration, you come strolling into the Imperial Garden. I truly didn’t know that I, the Crown Prince, had become some palace adulterer.” Wu Chenyi smiled coldly, sending chills down her spine.
Bai Fangxin had brought such a large entourage so she could catch Bai Tang “in the act.” But now, not only had she failed, she had embarrassed herself in front of everyone.
Today was the Empress’s honored day. Bai Tang didn’t want anything to spoil her mood, so he tugged lightly on Wu Chenyi’s hand, signaling him not to escalate the matter.
Wu Chenyi ordered everyone involved in the false accusation to be arrested and dealt with after the celebration.
The Empress’s birthday banquet concluded with everyone in high spirits.
Bai Tang even received a generous stream of rewards from the Empress—sent straight to the Crown Prince’s residence.
It was the Empress’s way of telling the entire court: Bai Tang stands behind me. No one is allowed to bully him.
Everything that happened inside the palace—aside from military affairs—was within the Empress’s grasp. If she wished to know something, there was nothing she could not uncover.
Noble Consort Liang had not shown up at all, and Emperor Jude grew increasingly anxious. He sent people to search for her, only for his attendants to stumble upon a horrifying scene.
Noble Consort Liang was caught in the act of committing adultery with a palace guard—caught red-handed by several palace servants.
When she regained consciousness, she screamed that she had been framed, but the guard bit his tongue and killed himself on the spot. Even if Noble Consort Liang jumped into a river, she could no longer wash herself clean. Her title was stripped, her rank downgraded, and a length of white silk ended her life.
With the Empress subtly fanning the flames, news of the scandal spread quickly beyond the palace walls. Emperor Jude’s reputation was utterly ruined. Whenever he attended court, he felt as if the ministers were looking at him with hidden mockery. He became prone to blowing minor matters out of proportion, accelerating his loss of support.
He handed governmental affairs over to Wu Chenyi, while he, determined to prove he was not old and still virile, immersed himself in the harem day after day. Not only that—he began indulging in increasingly twisted pleasures. Many concubines, backed by various factions, could not be touched lightly. Unable to vent his desires on them, Emperor Jude turned his attention to Bai Fangxin, who had come from the Huan Kingdom.
At the very least, Bai Fangxin could still play along with him. But soon, even she was reduced to a tool of torment. Compared to Bai Tang’s blissful life, her jealousy grew increasingly warped, and she began whispering to the emperor about how beautiful Bai Tang was.
Sure enough, Emperor Jude’s interest was piqued. Bai Fangxin even helped create an opportunity for him to “take” Bai Tang.
She sat in Changning Palace, savoring the thought of Bai Tang’s tragic fate.
Wu Chenyi, who had once subtly guided Bai Fangxin into becoming the emperor’s target, never expected that she would turn around and strike back at him like this.
Because it was already late and Wu Chenyi was temporarily away from the Crown Prince’s residence, Bai Tang stayed overnight at Guangyang Hall.
Blinded by lust and increasingly foolish, Emperor Jude abandoned his last shred of reason and dismissed all the attendants from Guangyang Hall.
“Father Emperor, it’s so late… why have you come to Guangyang Hall?” Bai Tang backed away step by step, alert and tense.
Emperor Jude’s condition was clearly abnormal. Before the old man could pounce, Bai Tang instinctively turned and ran.
The candles were snuffed out.
Thunder roared and rain poured down.
Guangyang Hall fell into total darkness.
When Wu Chenyi received the news, he rushed back immediately. Seeing Emperor Jude completely naked—having stripped himself in preparation—Wu Chenyi felt hatred toward him for the first time in his life.
He picked up a blade and, without hesitation, crippled Emperor Jude. The emperor became the first eunuch-emperor in the history of the Wu Dynasty.
“Tang Tang…” The man’s gentle voice echoed through Guangyang Hall.
“Squeak, squeak, squeak—”
A little squirrel ran across the roof beam, leaped down, and landed in Wu Chenyi’s palm.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t protect you properly. Thank heavens you’re safe.”
With deep affection, Wu Chenyi lifted the tiny squirrel to his cheek and nuzzled it.
“Squeak squeak—” I’m very impressive. A-Yi, you don’t have to worry about me.
Author’s Note :
Originally, I wanted this chapter to be the last one for this world’s arc, but once I started writing the female lead’s ending, I just couldn’t stop.
There will be one more chapter tomorrow.