Unparalleled Beauty

Chapter C137

If it were before, Wushuang would never have asked such a question.

In her previous life, she wasn't ignorant of the First Prince's matter, but she had never inquired about it.

But this life is not the previous one. In her previous life, she followed him as a subject's wife. Even if he treated her well, her position was ultimately not proper or justified. She was a latecomer and had no right to be jealous.

This life is different. She is his wife, and they have experienced so much together. Her mindset has changed unconsciously.

The reason Wushuang asked this question was ultimately because she had detected clues during that dreamlike journey.

If that First Prince was truly born to Emperor Qianwu, there was no reason for him to die prematurely. He adopted the eldest son of Prince Duan's family and established him as the Crown Prince.

At the mention of the First Prince, Emperor Qianwu's expression also became complicated.

"He was indeed not born to me, but a measure of expediency under the unstable circumstances at the time."

In those years, the princes fought for the throne, and too many things happened. In the end, Prince Wei ascended to the throne, but it was not the end, because the rebel party still had factions and remnants. The hearts of the court were unstable, so he decisively started with the issue of offspring, bringing a baby boy from outside, falsely claiming him as his own son, and entrusting him to Consort Hui to raise.

"I entrusted the child to her to raise in order to restrain the Empress. The Empress is deeply scheming and cannot be allowed to dominate alone, and..." Speaking to this point, he suddenly stopped.

"And what?" She stopped and asked curiously.

Seeing her asking him with wide eyes, Emperor Qianwu clenched his hand and pulled her into his arms.

"I have always had a strange aversion to her. At first, I thought I simply disliked her eyes, which were full of schemes and a desire to obtain everything. Later, I realized that I was blaming her unfairly. Our marriage fell through, and suddenly she appeared. Even if she was truly pure and kind, I still disliked her."

"When you broke off the engagement and married someone else, the Mei family came to the door, wanting to replace you with her. I found it absurd and did not agree. Until she took out that white jade dragon pendant, I was actually very angry at the time, angry that you gave the jade pendant to her, and also felt that the Mei family was so bold as to dare to coerce me with gratitude. Later, due to the situation, the marriage contract was transferred to her, and I welcomed her into the house, but I still disliked her. I actually never touched her..."

Hearing this, Wushuang suddenly grabbed his sleeve and looked at him.

He lowered his head, touched her temple, and said, "Actually, in both the previous life and this life, some things have changed, but some things have not. Because I disliked her, I did not consummate the marriage with her on the wedding night. The next day, I had Fusheng casually dismiss the people who came to verify the silk cloth, and it happened to coincide with the winter hunt, so I went to Mount Xiang. I did not take her with me at the time. Do you still remember Auntie Shuyu?"

Of course, she remembered. That was Princess Consort Xi's wet nurse, who was dedicated to taking the Prince Wei's mansion's silver to subsidize the Princess's mansion, and also wanted to help her granddaughter seduce him.

"Auntie Shuyu had great power in the inner quarters. Without my help, she was suppressed by Auntie Shuyu from the beginning. Although she was initially at a disadvantage, she still had the title of Princess Consort, and Auntie Shuyu couldn't do anything to her for a while. Over time, the two fought a real fire, and were caught by the spies around Xi Rong, who drugged her..."

So, the Empress's body was damaged in her previous life because of this?

"I later dealt with Auntie Shuyu, but the matter had already been done. That medicine was for preventing offspring. Since she could not bear children, I naturally had no need to touch her for the sake of offspring."

In truth, Prince Wei's situation at the time was also extremely precarious. He suffered an assassination attempt at Mount Xiang. Though he narrowly escaped, Ji Yang's 'overexertion' caused a brief mental disturbance.

Ji Yang's agitation and chaos began from this point, spiraling out of control.

"The fact that she cannot bear children, whether considering sentiment or reason, should not be known by outsiders. This matter has been consistently concealed, and I have also helped her maintain the facade of Prince Wei's legitimate Princess Consort."

Mei Wuxia was also a clever person. Upon learning that she could not bear children, she exhausted every means to maintain her status and position as Prince Wei's Princess Consort. Perceiving that she was still useful to Prince Wei, she thought what Prince Wei thought, did what Prince Wei wanted, and confronted everything Prince Wei detested.

She managed Prince Wei's mansion well internally, upheld Prince Wei's reputation externally, and was able to navigate the interactions with other Princess Consorts and palace Concubines with ease.

So, when a man becomes partial, he truly becomes biased.

All that Mei Wuxia encountered, Wushuang did not.

When she first entered the household, because Prince Wei doted on her, Auntie Shuyu was therefore wary and dared not act rashly. Later, she did act, but was dealt with by Prince Wei. As for everything that followed, it naturally never happened.

It's not that a man cannot attend to every detail for you; it simply depends on whether he is willing. His willingness to care for you is worth more than all your painstaking planning and scheming.

Wushuang threw herself into Emperor Qianwu's arms, embracing his lean waist, shaking him affectionately and coquettishly.

"Chouchou loves Your Majesty the most."

Emperor Qianwu looked down at her. Clearly, she was already the mother of several children, yet still so delicate.

Just as he was about to say something, a wailing voice suddenly arose.

[Who is Chouchou? Chouchou loves Your Majesty the most, then does Chouchou not love me anymore?]

Uh?!!!

Wushuang looked at Emperor Qianwu. In Emperor Qianwu's eyes, there was a faint trace of remorse and guilt.

Ah, ah, ah, why is he here?

Wushuang wanted to cover her face, but also felt a little too ashamed to do so.

How to describe that feeling? It was a bit like having a secret rendezvous with a lover and being discovered by one's legitimate husband. At this moment, she felt both guilty and flustered, unsure of what to do.

Just as she was pondering how to answer him, her gaze suddenly sharpened. She saw Emperor Taihe in the distance, accompanied by several Chamberlains, walking towards the lakeside. She quickly said, "Wait, it's Father Emperor!"

She pulled Emperor Qianwu up, saying, "Your Majesty, it's Emperor Emeritus! Let us quickly go and pay our respects to Emperor Emeritus."

Then, she hurried towards the Emperor Emeritus.

The Emperor Emeritus looked at the Empress rushing towards him with surprise.

Then he looked at his son following behind.

This son of his had always been steady and self-controlled; it was rare to see such haste in his steps. What was happening?

"Father, peace and well-being."

The Emperor Emeritus told him to rise, then asked, "Why have you and the Emperor come?"

Wushuang explained, "This morning, Zuo'er and Reng'er came to the study to learn, and Shuning insisted on coming too. This concubine thought it had been many days since I visited the Grand Empress Dowager, so I brought Shuning along. We just came from Her Old Highness's palace, and this concubine thought to pay respects to Emperor Emeritus. We happened to meet Your Majesty, so we came together."

At this time, Emperor Qianwu also came forward and paid his respects to the Emperor Emeritus.

Seeing that Shuning had also come, the Emperor Emeritus had the wet nurse bring his granddaughter over to play with her for a while before waving his hand and saying, "Alright, now that you've paid your respects, go back. The Emperor is busy with state affairs; there's no need to waste time on this old one. I am well, eating well and staying warm. My health is much better than before, and I have Zuo'er and Reng'er to keep me company during the day. You all go and attend to your own matters."

Wushuang and Emperor Qianwu could only nod in agreement. Then, the Emperor Emeritus continued to fish.

***

On the way back to the palace, Ji Yang relentlessly pursued her.

Mei Wushuang was greatly alarmed. Fortunately, Emperor Qianwu was there to assist her, saying that there were still some state affairs that had not been dealt with, which made Ji Yang relent, leaving behind the words 'You wait for me' before departing.

He took Ji Yang to Zichen Hall, while Mei Wushuang returned to Fengqi Palace.

However, it wasn't long before Ji Yang returned.

Fortunately, Emperor Qianwu was not present this time. According to Wushuang's judgment, he should have entered the 'small dark room.' Afterwards, receiving Ji Yang's 'severe torture' seemed less difficult, and more like foreplay. Naturally, she did not hesitate to say a lot of sweet words like 'I love you the most.'

That being the case, the two also entangled in the bedchamber for a noon and an afternoon.

After seeing His Majesty arrived and pulled the Madam to the bedchamber, and before long, some unspeakable sounds came from within, Linglong hurriedly dismissed the other palace servants.

Because she could not go far, she could only wait quietly outside, occasionally hearing the Empress' pleas for mercy. That soft sobbing, like a kitten's coquetry, interspersed with tearful pleas for mercy, and that series of sweet words, 'Shuangshuang loves Your Majesty the most,' was truly embarrassing.

Originally, having undergone dark guard training, she had long been as calm as still water, but at this moment, she couldn't help but let her imagination run wild, wondering if all couples in the world were like this.

It wasn't until the latter half of the day, just before Ji Zuo and the others were dismissed from their studies, that Shuning started fussing for her mother again, and only then did the battle in the sleeping quarters cease.

Ji Yang, full of pride and satisfaction, departed with a face radiating contentment.

Leaving Wushuang feeling sore all over, she still had to fluster about, coaxing her daughter, inwardly scolding him for being wicked and taking advantage of her.

Usually, the five family members would dine together, but Emperor Qianwu was absent, reportedly still occupied with state affairs.

Wushuang secretly chuckled at his obliviousness, but then she thought that Ji Yang never seemed to care about state affairs; it was always Emperor Qianwu who was busy. No wonder he dared to be so arrogant, all because someone was covering for him.

Looking at it that way, she couldn't help but feel some sympathy for Emperor Qianwu, who had to handle all the difficult, tiring, and unpleasant tasks, and still had to take care of her in every way.

Therefore, after the meal, someone from Zichen Hall came to say that His Majesty summoned the Empress.

Wushuang not only went, but also brought the nourishing soup she had instructed someone to prepare, as well as some food, and shared another meal with Emperor Qianwu in Zichen Hall.

After they finished eating, Emperor Qianwu said that he had a headache and felt physically exhausted.

Wushuang quickly volunteered to massage him, to relax his muscles and bones.

Thus, Emperor Qianwu enjoyed another round of the beauty's favor, and what followed was naturally unspeakable.

That night, neither of them returned to Fengqi Palace, engaging in passionate lovemaking, a beautiful and captivating scene.

At Fengqi Palace, Shuning initially fussed about looking for her mother. Upon hearing that her mother had gone to Zichen Hall, she wanted to go there as well. Seeing his younger sister making a fuss, Ji Zuo quickly had the wet nurse bring her to sleep with him and his second younger brother.

The two older brothers did their best to coax their younger sister, and after finally getting her to sleep, they both felt that their Empress Mother truly had it hard. They wondered if they had been just as troublesome when they were her age.

As for the back-n-forth between Wushuang, Ji Yang, and Emperor Qianwu, it simply passed by like that. It seemed that the so-called jealousy and fussing were just a matter of adding some fun to their days.

***

After a few more days, Commandery Princess Minghui returned to the capital.

On the day of her return, she moved into the West Garden.

As the Empress, Wushuang had to send someone to inquire or make an appearance, even if it was for the sake of the Grand Empress Dowager. After thinking about it, she decided not to bother with a second trip and went to the West Garden, considering it a gesture of goodwill towards the Grand Empress Dowager.

Upon seeing Commandery Princess Minghui again, she seemed to have changed a lot.

Compared to before, she was much plumper, shedding the delicate charm of her youth and becoming mature and beautiful. Her complexion looked good, not like she had been mistreated in her husband's family.

The Grand Empress Dowager was overjoyed to see Wushuang. She not only spoke with her about her granddaughter but also drew Commandery Princess Minghui into the conversation.

From the Grand Empress Dowager, Wushuang learned that although Commandery Princess Minghui had returned to the capital, her husband had followed closely behind. They had arrived almost at the same time, but he was not staying in the West Garden; instead, he resided outside.

Since that was the case, the problem wasn't significant. Furthermore, judging from Commandery Princess Minghui's expression, she didn't seem intent on divorcing her husband; it seemed more like a lovers' quarrel.

The deeper details were not for her to know. She only needed to perform her social duties well; the Grand Empress Dowager would undoubtedly handle the rest.

After Wushuang left, the Grand Empress Dowager said, "You are already the mother of two children, yet you are still so insensible. The Empress's visit shows that she values you, or rather, she values this old woman's face. But think about it, how many more years can your maternal grandmother live? If you suffer grievances in the future, who can you turn to?"

"Turn to your maternal family? The Chang family might not dare to offend the Kong family to stand up for you. Relationships, favors, and superficial courtesies are all cultivated. If you treat people well, they will treat you well. By befriending her, you will naturally leave a good impression on the Emperor and the future Emperor. Relying on this, even if your maternal grandmother is gone in the future, you won't have to worry about suffering losses or grievances."

Commandery Princess Minghui still looked somewhat unwilling.

She was indeed unwilling; otherwise, she wouldn't have been so cold towards Wushuang earlier. Although it wasn't exactly impolite, it certainly couldn't be called enthusiastic. Now, hearing the Grand Empress Dowager's lecture, she felt both aggrieved and fearful that her maternal grandmother might truly pass away one day.

"Maternal Grandmother, you will surely live a long and healthy life; please don't say such things." Seeing the Grand Empress Dowager still glaring at her, she added, "Maternal Grandmother, rest assured, Hui'er will try to befriend the Empress in the future."

Seeing her show weakness, the Grand Empress Dowager pulled her into her embrace and said, "Don't be unwilling; I am doing this for your own good. Even if not for yourself, for the sake of your future children, befriending her is better than offending her. She may seem quiet and unassuming, but she knows who is close and who is distant in her heart; otherwise, she wouldn't have come in person this time. Others only say that the Empress is easy to talk to, but in reality, the Emperor handles some matters for her, and the unpleasant things never reach her, naturally making her seem gentle."

"Just like you!"

At this point, the Grand Empress Dowager looked at Commandery Princess Minghui sternly. "Relying on Kong Fan indulging you, you act like a shrew with him. Even if you don't want him to take concubines, couldn't you use some subtle methods to win the man over, making him willingly do things for you? Isn't that better than foolishly rushing to the front, risking disapproval to confront his parents, causing the entire clan to know, ruining your own reputation without gaining anything?"

"Speaking of this, I must mention Mei shi again. I'll say it again: don't look down on her." The Grand Empress Dowager said with some emotion, "Since ancient times, emperors have had countless concubines in their three palaces and six courtyards. Even if not an emperor, any wealthy family has a large group of wives and concubines. But look at her. When she married Prince Wei, he only had her. Later, when he became the Crown Prince and then the Emperor, he still only has her."

"It's truly too difficult for an Empress to gain exclusive favor. How many women throughout history have sought it and failed? Why can she succeed when others cannot? Besides the Emperor's inherent disinterest in seeking pleasure with other women, much of it is related to her methods. Others only say that the Empress is gentle and lacks the dignity of an Empress, and that she only seeks the Emperor's help when something happens. But how do you know that men don't like that?"

"Some men like strong-willed women, but that's the minority. Most still prefer gentle, simple women without much scheming. After engaging in power struggles outside, who would want to come home to someone even more cunning than you? The more strong-willed and capable a man is, the more suspicious and thoughtful he becomes. If he thinks too much, you can't think too much as well. It's better to be simple and show weakness; he will cherish you instead, willing to protect you in everything, and take care of everything for you."

"Your tantrums and unreasonable behavior are indulged by Kong Fan, which is fine as a form of affection, but you must know when to stop. Everything has its limits. When he gets annoyed and is no longer willing to indulge you, you are at a loss and start making a scene, becoming increasingly outrageous. As a result, you can't save face and can only run back to the capital."

"This time, Kong Fan chased after you, either out of consideration for your status or out of affection for you as his wife. But have you ever thought about what would happen if you didn't have this status, if you didn't have this old woman to support you, or if his parents didn't allow him to chase after you? How would you save face then? Would you really not go back?"

Commandery Princess Minghui was completely flustered by the Grand Empress Dowager's words.

"Then... then, Maternal Grandmother, what should I do?"

"That's why I told you to befriend the Empress. By befriending her, you will have someone to rely on after I am gone. If you ever cause trouble, the Kong family will at least have some reservations. Learn from the Empress how to handle men and how to get along with them. If you can learn even half of her cleverness, your maternal grandmother won't have to worry so much."

The Grand Empress Dowager glanced at her granddaughter and sighed, "If we were to use leaf cards as an analogy, she was dealt a terrible hand, yet managed to play it into a winning one. You, on the other hand, were dealt a good hand, but somehow managed to lose. Change your temperament, think and observe more in all matters. Life is often unsatisfactory, eight or nine times out of ten, but to be able to live your days well within your capabilities is good enough."