Chapter 171: Chapter 171 Prince Longevity (1)
Chuzheng sat on the ornately carved bed, surrounded by antiquities that resonated with ancient charm, as the tranquil scent of incense curled through the room.
She rubbed her forehead, feeling a bit of a headache.
She always felt sowhat uncomfortable…
As if she had forgotten sothing.
[Miss, do you need to check the mories of the previous realms?]the King’s Account reminded her.
Chuzheng thought for a mont, “Forget it, it’s too much trouble.”
[…]
“Miss, Miss…” The maid rushed in, flustered, and seeing Chuzheng still sitting on the bed, she imdiately beca anxious, “It’s trouble, I just heard the Princess Consort saying that the palace entry spot has been changed to you, Miss.”
Chuzheng: “…”
What palace entry?
Is it a fight?
I can’t do this, I just arrived!
The maid was close to tears, “What do we do now? I’ve heard that the one in the palace is quite fierce. Last ti, two of them said sothing wrong and lost their lives on the spot. Miss, our Prince has just left, and you’re already being bullied like this, the Princess Consort is too much!”
Chuzheng: “…”
Prince?
The palace?
This is ancient tis…
“Don’t cry.” It’s giving a headache.
The maid cried even more bitterly, choking, “Miss, we’re in a situation where everyone turns against us when we’re down. Those people who used to cling to power now can’t wait to trample us into the mud, and there are others behind them… I feel so bad.”
“Yeah, I feel bad too.” The noise is giving a headache.
The maid was overwheld with sorrow, unable to restrain her tears, “That spot should have been for that girl from the eastern wing, how did it beco Miss’s turn?”
“…”
“Miss, what should we do!”
“…” I don’t understand, just play it cool.
So noisy.
Get rid of it!
The maid was so absorbed in her crying that she didn’t notice her mistress sitting there expressionless.
–
The original occupant’s surna was Cheng.
Her father had fought alongside the late Emperor to establish the empire.
He had saved the Emperor’s life countless tis.
This was a bond forged in life and death.
The late Emperor had also placed great trust in her father.
Later, her father helped the Emperor eradicate the rebel factions.
Once the empire was stabilized, her father was conferred the title of Prince Cheng, the only prince of a different surna during this dynasty, enjoying the sa treatnt as the Emperor’s own brothers.
Even those princes had to show a certain respect to Prince Cheng.
Their words didn’t carry the sa weight as Prince Cheng’s.
On his deathbed, the late Emperor entrusted the empire to Prince Cheng.
After the current Emperor ascended the throne, he was diligent and attentive for the first two years, not making any notable contributions but also ruling with diligence and love for the people, performing the duties of an emperor well.
However, everything changed after the Emperor returned from his incognito travels.
He beca paranoid and always suspected soone was out to harm him.
He also increasingly indulged in the search for the thod of Longevity, seeking practitioners with unique skills throughout the world.
His temper beca more volatile by the day; whoever provoked him t with a dismal fate.
Prince Cheng, having the late Emperor’s dying instructions, took it upon himself to remonstrate.
The Emperor, a sovereign ruler, naturally didn’t want to be managed by anyone.
Prince Cheng angered the Emperor several tis, and if it hadn’t been for his Death Exemption Token, the Emperor might have chopped him down long ago.
Unable to eliminate Prince Cheng, the Emperor began looking for other thods.
Prince Cheng, having been injured in his youth, grew increasingly frail with age, and ultimately was angered to death by the Emperor.
After Prince Cheng died, the vast Prince Cheng Residence was left with only the wonfolk and the servants.
The Emperor continued being his reckless self.
The original owner’s mother passed away early, and the current Princess Consort was promoted from a concubine, showing a marked dislike for the original owner. After Prince Cheng’s death, her days within the residence were filled with misery.
The original owner had soone she loved, and the elders had already arranged their marriage.
Unfortunately, Prince Cheng suddenly passed away, and no one ever ntioned the marriage again.
The original owner struggled in the household, enduring hardship, hoping that the man she loved would, after her coming-of-age ceremony, co for her with a grand marriage procession.
But sadly,
she did not wait for the bridal sedan chair.
One day, the Emperor inexplicably insisted that daughters of court officials of marriageable age must enter the palace.
There was a rule in the palace.
If a decree like this was issued, only daughters whose mothers were the principal wives were eligible to enter the palace.
Because only in this manner could it be indicated that the person was fortunate and would not bring bad luck to the palace.
Although the original owner was nominally the legitimate eldest daughter, her mother had passed away, making her unsuitable for entering the palace.
Therefore, her sister, the daughter of the current Princess Consort Cheng, Cheng Xiao, was the appropriate choice for this opportunity.
However, after the current Princess Consort spent so silver, the original owner’s na was written in the registry.
No one understood the aning behind this decree.
Nor did anyone know whether one could even leave the palace once they entered.
The original owner thought that with a marriage contract, as long as her betrothed entered the palace to report this, the Emperor, despite his incompetence, would still show so regard.
However, when she sought out her betrothed, she saw him embracing her sister intimately.
This scene left the original owner at a loss.
In the end, she still took her sister’s place and was sent into the palace.
Upon seeing her, the Emperor was taken with her beauty and, knowing she was Prince Cheng’s daughter, intended to humiliate her because of Prince Cheng’s forr actions, and kept her with him that very night.
The original owner was but a weak young woman, with no father’s protection, unable to resist whatever the Emperor wanted to do.
The Emperor graced her with his presence daily, and everyone thought the original owner had gained favor.
But about half a month later, the original owner was sent out of the palace in a small sedan, without any gifts or decrees.
However, everyone knew well that the original owner had been favored by the Emperor.
Now, she was discarded by the Emperor, who refused to even give her a title.
After being sent out, could there be any hope for survival?
The idle gossip from the outside world and the bullying from the people in the residence left the original owner despondent.
Just as she was contemplating death, she suddenly discovered she was pregnant.
She had only been favored by the Emperor.
It went without saying whose child it was.
Although the Emperor had no children for unknown reasons, as soon as the news of the original owner’s pregnancy reached the palace, she would certainly rise in status due to the child.
Her sister Cheng Xiao sohow heard this news.
Fearing that the original owner might enter the palace and overshadow her with the child’s rit, she conspired with their mother to forcibly make the original owner drink an abortion drug.
When people from the palace ca later, they colluded with the entire household to sar her, alleging that she was involved with another man, did not maintain her chastity, and that the child was not the Emperor’s. Afraid of being exposed, she drank the abortion drug herself.
At that ti, the original owner had just aborted, her body sickly weak, unable to defend herself at all.
Upon hearing of this, the Emperor was furious, ordering her to be put to death by poison and, posthumously, to be punished with flogging.
Chuzheng rubbed her temples.
How tragic.
How could she possibly turn this around?
Beco the Emperor?
Could the throne be bought with money?
Indeed, being disposed of was much easier!
Chuzheng rose from the bed, the sobbing maidservant from before having been sent away by her.
The room was furnished simply, and in Chuzheng’s mory, this was not the original owner’s room.
This was after Prince Cheng had died, and Princess Consort Cheng had sent her here.
Chuzheng walked to the copper mirror, where the blurry reflection showed a slender figure.
The girl had not applied any makeup, with a small palm-sized oval face. Though her features were delicate, her complexion was haggard, and her lips lacked any hint of color.
There was still a childlike quality in her brows; though not fully developed, one could see she would be a beauty.
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