The mother and son chatted for a while longer, and the Second Prince personally fed Consort Rou a small bowl of porridge. Only then did he leave, full of joy.
As soon as his figure disappeared, the smile on Consort Rou’s face froze, and she collapsed powerlessly onto the bed.
The palace maids panicked, gathering around the bed and shouting, "Consort, Consort, are you all right?"
"No worries, just keep it down. The Second Prince hasn’t gone far yet; don’t scare him," Consort Rou replied weakly.
Monts ago, when the Second Prince was here, the Consort seed fine. How did she beco like this suddenly? Her personal maid beca anxious and said, "The Consort looks unwell. How about I go fetch the Imperial Physician for a checkup?"
"No, no, no need, I’ll be fine after a rest," Consort Rou said, closing her eyes wearily.
Yesterday, when the Empress ca to visit her, she guessed what was going on.
The Imperial Palace may appear glamorous, but filthy deeds occur every day; incidents of killing the mother to seize the son, were not unprecedented; in the past, concubines of high status without sons had engaged in such actions.
So, when the Empress suggested adopting the Second Prince under her na, Consort Rou suspected that she wasn’t sick but that the Empress intended to kill her and take her son.
In the Harem, the Empress wielded absolute power. Consort Rou knew she was bound to die this ti and knew she couldn’t let her son find out, otherwise they would both fall victim. Instead, she’d rather sacrifice herself to ensure her son’s survival.
The next day, the Capital heard the tragic news that Consort Rou had succumbed to her illness overnight.
The Second Prince, naturally heartbroken, could hardly believe that the Mother Consort he had spoken and laughed with the day before was now gone forever.
The Empress appeared promptly, helping him manage Consort Rou’s funeral arrangents.
Grateful, and now an orphan, the Second Prince readily agreed to the Empress’s proposal for adoption.
Just a few days after Consort Rou’s burial, the Empress formally adopted the Second Prince, making him her legitimate son from then on.
When the Fourth Prince found out, he was infuriated, his face contorting in anger, cursing the Empress a thousand tis over in his mind. Was his Mother Consort mad to abandon her son in favor of helping soone else’s child vie for the throne?
In his fury, the Fourth Prince smashed everything in the hall to pieces, sending the servants into hiding, fearing they might be struck by the debris.
Most of the furnishings in the hall were porcelain; if broken, they were sure to cause injuries.
"Fourth Prince, please calm down. This matter hasn’t been confird; it might just be a re rumor. Why not enter the Imperial Palace and ask the Empress for clarification?" As the steward, he couldn’t dodge like the other servants, especially with the Fourth Prince right in front of him. Lacking the courage to flee in front of the prince, he had to brace himself and offer comfort.
"The entire Capital is talking about it; what more confirmation do you need?" The Fourth Prince, in a fit of rage, ignored his appearance, ripped off the eye patch from his face, and threw it onto the table.
In doing so, the Fourth Prince’s left eye was exposed in full view — a dark, hollow hole, coupled with his fierce deanor, rendering him exceptionally sinister and horrifying.
The steward shivered, quickly lowering his head to avoid the Fourth Prince’s gaze.
"Look at ." The Fourth Prince’s voice was chilling.
The steward’s gaze was evasive as he stamred, "Fo...for...Fourth Prince, do you have any orders?"
"Are you afraid to look at ?"
"No," the steward replied.
"But you clearly are. Tell , do you think I’m ugly?"
"N...no," the steward was on the verge of tears. Even if he thought the prince was ugly, he wouldn’t dare say so to his face.
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