Chapter 520 – Post-Wedding Extra Chapter: A Dance That Captivated the City and Spread Across the World – This Is the Real Hidden Big Shot (12)
The Empress’s love for her grandson was genuine. Bai Tang knew that he had no experience caring for a child, so he deliberately stayed behind to learn from the Empress. As for letting Jiang Liangwu return to the residence all by himself, miserable and lonely, Bai Tang was absolutely unwilling to do that.
So he shamelessly insisted on staying at Kunning Palace as well. In any case, Bai Tang would not actually be living in Kunning Palace. Instead, he would stay at Jingwei Palace, where they had lived during their wedding. He was simply returning to his own palace residence to keep his mother company and show her filial respect. No one would dare say there was anything wrong with that.
The Empress was amused by his antics. Ever since Jiang Liangwu had recovered from his illness, she had gone from never being able to find him to being unable to get rid of him.
“All right, all right. It’s rare for Kang’er to be willing to stay and keep this old woman company. Xiao Xi, tell the small kitchen to prepare some dishes.”
The Empress had completely entered grandmother mode. After all, elderly people loved having their children and grandchildren gathered around them. And tonight, she would finally get to enjoy exactly that.
When the other princes heard that the Third Prince had returned—and that the Third Prince’s Consort, due to his special constitution, had even given birth to a son—they all began to take notice.
Back then, Jiang Liangwu had been excluded from consideration for the imperial succession precisely because he had no heir. Now that he had a son, combined with his abilities and political acumen, there was nothing stopping him from competing for the throne if he wanted to.
Everyone was watching to see what Jiang Liangwu would do next.
Only the Fifth Prince knew that his Third Brother had absolutely no intention of competing for the throne. In fact, as soon as he returned, Jiang Liangwu had sent someone to assess the results of the Fifth Prince’s studies over the past two years—and he was not particularly satisfied with them.
Over the past two years, the First Prince, Yu Weiyi, had become the Emperor’s most favored son. Many court officials believed that the First Prince was very likely the Emperor’s chosen successor.
However, his other brothers were not convinced. They were all Father’s sons. If the First Prince, who had no powerful maternal family backing him, could compete for the throne, then why couldn’t they?
They had influential maternal families supporting them, after all.
As a result, the court had split into several factions, with everyone placing their bets. If they backed the right person, they would later be credited as founding supporters of the new Emperor.
Consort Li’s family background was unremarkable, but her tenth prince was already twelve years old and had more or less reached the age when he could understand matters between men and women.
To increase the Tenth Prince’s importance in the Emperor’s eyes, Consort Li had been fighting fiercely against the First Prince’s faction over the past two years. Whenever the Emperor favored her, she would even have incense burned to make him increasingly infatuated with her, allowing her influence over him through the pillow to grow stronger and stronger.
Everything that happened in the inner palace was known to the Empress. She simply did not interfere. She did not want to interfere, nor did she have the inclination to bother with it.
No matter who eventually won, she was the legal mother of all the princes. She would become the future Empress Dowager once her son ascended to the Eastern Palace.
So why not simply sit on the mountain and watch the tigers fight?
What could be more enjoyable?
That evening, Kunning Palace was filled with laughter and warmth. The family had prepared an extra meal, and everyone ate together in a cozy, harmonious atmosphere.
But suddenly, the peaceful atmosphere was shattered by the shrill voice of a young eunuch.
“His Majesty the Emperor has arrived—!”
Everyone put down their chopsticks.
A figure dressed in bright imperial yellow entered through the main hall, accompanied by a petite woman in pink.
“This consort/this son pays respects to His Majesty/Father.”
“This consort pays respects to Her Majesty the Empress.”
After everyone exchanged their formal greetings, the Emperor gave them permission to rise, and they each took their seats.
The Emperor looked at the swaddled baby in Bai Tang’s arms and said gently, “So this is the Third Prince’s child—my grandson? Bring him over and let me have a look.”
Bai Tang had no choice but to carry Lili forward. The moment Consort Li saw him, she smiled and said, “What a handsome child. Though he does seem a little frail.”
Lili liked the Empress, and the Empress did not like Consort Li. Since Lili could sense the Empress’s emotions, he naturally had no particular fondness for Consort Li either and did not give her a smile.
The Emperor said, “My beloved consort is right. I remember the Tenth Prince was raised by you to be fair, plump, and healthy. But look at the Third Prince’s child. The Third Prince and his husband still have much to learn about raising children.”
Bai Tang could not stand hearing anyone say anything bad about his little squirrel. He was just about to argue when the Emperor continued, “Just let Consort Li raise the Third Prince’s child. Once she has raised him into a healthy, plump little boy, she can return him to you.” His tone was not asking for their opinion—it was informing them of his decision.
Bai Tang immediately rose in anger and took several steps back while clutching Lili. “Father, forgive me, but I cannot give my child to Consort Li.” Is this Emperor crazy?!
Jiang Liangwu’s expression was icy. “Impossible.” His right hand began forming a spell. If the Emperor dared say one more thing he disliked, Jiang Liangwu would not mind killing the Emperor. The Heavenly Dao’s punishment was not something he took seriously.
The Empress was shocked as well. In that brief instant, she seemed to understand what the Emperor’s actions really meant. She gave a cold laugh. “Is this His Majesty’s idea, or Consort Li’s?”
The Emperor had never been openly contradicted like this before. Today, in Kunning Palace, all three of them—mother, son, and daughter-in-law—were opposing him, leaving him feeling humiliated. He glared angrily and said harshly, “I only want to take good care of my grandson. Consort Li has always been good at raising children. Empress, just look at you! Do you remember how ill the Third Prince was all those years ago?”
Consort Li smiled gently. “Your Majesty, please calm down. Your Majesty only means well. If Her Majesty the Empress, the Third Prince, and the Third Prince’s Consort are unwilling, then so be it.”
“What do you mean, ‘so be it’? I have spoken. If I say she is to raise him, then she will raise him.” The Emperor puffed up his beard and glared angrily.
Bai Tang, Jiang Liangwu, and the Empress watched the Emperor and Consort Li play the roles of the aggressor and the peacemaker, and all three found it ridiculous. The Empress even let out a short laugh. “Consort Li, Consort Li… You want your Tenth Prince to ascend the throne, so you’re using my grandson as a hostage to force my Kang’er to stand on your side. Don’t you find that laughable?”
Consort Li panicked when the Empress saw through her intentions. But then she remembered that the Emperor had been drugged and would now listen only to her, which immediately restored her confidence. “I have no idea what Her Majesty is talking about. His Majesty truly is only acting out of concern for his beloved grandson. How could Her Majesty make it sound so sinister? It is true that the Third Prince was once so ill that he was nearly at death’s door, almost forcing Her Majesty to suffer the grief of a parent burying her child. Meanwhile, my Tenth Prince has always been healthy and strong. That is something all the ladies of the harem have witnessed for themselves…”
Consort Li refused to take the bait and instead used Jiang Liangwu’s past illness to mock the Empress. After all, for the women of the imperial harem, children were their only hope. Without children, even if they ultimately climbed to the highest position, they would still have nothing.
The Empress did not get angry. Instead, she laughed. With a swift motion, she slapped Consort Li twice across the face. The well-maintained skin of Consort Li’s cheeks instantly swelled and reddened.
“Empress, you…”
The Emperor angrily rebuked her. “Empress, do you take me for a dead man?”
“Do I need to pick a particular time before I can discipline a consort of the imperial harem?” The Empress blew on her stinging palm. “Consort Li’s face is certainly thick-skinned. My hand hurts from slapping her.”
“Consort Li has shown disrespect to the Empress, behaved improperly in the Emperor’s presence, cursed a prince, and plotted against the imperial bloodline. Confine her to Zhaoyang Palace. She is to copy the Buddhist scriptures ten times every day and relearn the palace regulations. Without my permission, no one may enter or leave Zhaoyang Palace except the palace servants delivering her daily meals. Especially the Tenth Prince—do not let him go disturb Consort Li while she is trying to calm her mind.”
The Empress summoned a trusted senior palace matron.
“Use the Empress’s official decree.”
Once the Empress’s decree was issued, even the Emperor could not contradict it.
The Empress looked at the Emperor with an inscrutable smile. She had never smiled like this before, and the sight made a chill run through him.
“Em—Empress…”
“Your Majesty, your beauty is about to cry. Why don’t you hurry over and comfort her?”
The Empress’s presence was imposing. She rose to her feet and looked down at Consort Li from above. In her eyes, Consort Li was nothing more than an insignificant ant.
“You wanted to lay hands on my grandson? Be careful with your Tenth Prince. For example, Xiao Dengzi and Nanny Li…”
The Empress bent down and whispered into Consort Li’s ear.
Consort Li’s eyes widened in horror.
How could this be?
Xiao Dengzi and Nanny Li were people she had personally selected with great care. She had made absolutely certain that they were not spies planted by any faction before placing them beside the Tenth Prince to serve him. How could they possibly be the Empress’s people?
But the Empress had already straightened up. The smile on her face looked almost demonic to Consort Li.
“Your Majesty, *ding-dong, ding-dong*. Tell me, was my order regarding Consort Li correct?”
The hypnotic trigger phrase spoken by the Empress nearly scared Consort Li out of her wits.
The Emperor’s eyes became vacant and unfocused. In a dazed, wooden voice, he said, “The Empress is right. Consort Li should be confined to her palace.”
Only Consort Li was supposed to know that trigger phrase. Yet the Empress knew it too.
One could only imagine just how extensive the Empress’s influence in the imperial harem truly was—and how deeply she had kept it hidden.
Consort Li regretted everything.
She should never have assumed that, after the Empress’s Third Prince left the capital, the Empress had no one to rely on. She had seen that the Empress never interfered in anything and simply stayed within the small sphere of Kunning Palace, and she had therefore assumed that the Empress was like a tiger whose teeth had been pulled—no longer a threat.
What she failed to understand was that even a tiger without teeth was still a tiger.
The Empress’s authority was not something anyone could challenge.
“Nanny, see His Majesty and Consort Li out.” The Empress dismissed her guests with a cup of tea. The guards of Kunning Palace obeyed only the Empress’s orders, and together with her trusted senior palace matron, they escorted the Emperor and Consort Li out of Kunning Palace.
The Empress rubbed her face, then washed her hands and returned to her kind, loving expression. Only then did she wave to Bai Tang. “Tang Tang, come here. I didn’t scare you, did I?”
Bai Tang stepped forward, his face full of admiration. “Mother, you were so impressive! I thought I was going to have to fight Consort Li to the bitter end today.” Just thinking about that woman made Bai Tang furious. She had actually dared to set her sights on Lili. If he didn’t give her a little something extra tonight, then he wasn’t a squirrel who always got even!
“Of course. Who do you think I am? The entire imperial harem is under my control.” The Empress took Lili into her arms and gently coaxed him. “Did we scare our little Lili? Our little Lili is so brave, just like your father. You’re both strong little men. You didn’t even cry just now.”
“Giggle, giggle~~” Lili laughed and waved his tiny fists, showing that he wasn’t scared at all. In fact, he could even beat people up.
The warm and harmonious atmosphere in Kunning Palace was restored once again.
The news that Consort Li had been slapped in Kunning Palace in front of the Emperor, and that the Empress had issued an official decree confining her to her palace, quickly spread throughout the imperial harem. The consorts were all beaming with delight. With one less seductress competing for the Emperor’s favor, their chances of having him visit their palaces would increase. And if they could make their bellies a little more productive and give birth to a prince or princess, that would be even better. They weren’t just thinking about the current struggle for the throne. Looking further ahead, once their sons came of age, left the palace, and established their own residences, they too could be brought out of the palace to enjoy a life of comfort and honor.
Night fell, bringing with it a slight chill.
Bai Tang and Jiang Liangwu carried their child back to Jingwei Palace. Lili also returned to his little squirrel form and happily rolled around on the bed.
The more Bai Tang thought about it, the angrier he became. While Jiang Liangwu was channeling spiritual energy into Lili, Bai Tang transformed into his squirrel form and slipped out.
The nimble squirrel, moving as stealthily as a ghost, darted through the palace corridors and headed straight for Zhaoyang Palace. He found Consort Li throwing a tantrum in the main hall and stuck five Bad Luck Talismans onto her back.
Consort Li froze in the middle of smashing something, and the vase she was holding struck her own hand. A palace maid hurried over to check her injury, only to step on the broken pieces and stumble toward Consort Li. Her neatly trimmed fingernails raked across Consort Li’s face, instantly leaving several scratches. Consort Li let out a shriek, and even more palace maids rushed over crying, “Your Highness!” In the end, every one of them only added to Consort Li’s injuries.
Amid the chaos, the squirrel quietly slipped away without taking any credit for his handiwork. In high spirits, he hummed a little tune all the way back to Jingwei Palace to coax Lili to sleep.