The maid's road to success

When the Sixth Prince arrived, he looked obviously unhappy. He greeted the Emperor, the Empress Dowager, the Empress and the Grand Empress Dowager before sitting in the second row of the hall. The first row was occupied by two princes of seniority, one of whom was Prince Li. Many people were shocked to see Prince Li present today. Ever since Princess Yong'an moved back to Prince Li's Mansion with her children, Prince Li seldom attended royal banquets. Many people speculated that it was because the royal family was involved in the affairs of the Huaiyuan Marquis Mansion that made Princess Yong'an a widow, and Prince Li was holding a grudge against the Emperor and those people.

The other one was only born in the legitimate branch, but he had no ability, so he was just more senior. In fact, Prince Li and the Empress Dowager had to respectfully call him Nineteenth Uncle in front of him.

The Fourth Prince looked at the Sixth Prince and sneered in his heart. He was indeed much more arrogant. He dared to be late for such an important event as the Mid-Autumn Festival family dinner. Did he really think that this palace was his own home?

Looking at the expressions of the Sixth Princess and the Sixth Prince, although he was puzzled as to what had happened between the two today, he suppressed his curiosity and looked at the Queen Mother who was sitting on the high platform with a false smile on her face. He gradually calmed down. There were more important things to do today, and it would be best not to create any complications before things were done.

The new dancers in the music house have graceful figures and charming eyes. They are obviously carefully prepared. As for who they are prepared for, you can tell by looking at the emperor's expression now. Although no one knows what has happened to the emperor recently, he stays in his bedroom all day and seldom goes to the harem. Even if he has a need, he will summon a concubine he likes to serve him and send her back after serving her. However, it is difficult to change one's nature. This branch of the Gong family is lustful and greedy in their bones. So they didn't do much to satisfy him. Suddenly, when he saw several dancers who were different from those he had seen before, the emperor's eyes were glued to the dancers.

But it is also true that these dancers are not from Chen country, but seem to be brought back from the west. They have very seductive figures, soft postures, fair skin and exudes a refreshing fragrance, which makes the fourth prince very tempted. Most women in Chen country are reserved, especially the noble women. Everyone feels a burning sensation when they wear clothes made of only a small amount of silk material, covering a small part of the skin, and the whiteness exposed by the thin chains and bells as they move.

When the dance was over, the emperor took the lead in applauding, praising the performance while walking down the steps and pulling up the beautiful girl who was kneeling below.

"I thought I had seen all the dancing styles in the world, but I didn't expect the music hall to give me such a big surprise today. The dancing with wide sleeves is really like a bird flying from the east in the sea."

The dancer had a shy look on her face, so beautiful that she could shame the moon and flowers. Her eyes were like hooks that caught the emperor's gaze.

"I have always admired Your Majesty. It has been my lifelong wish to dance for you. Now my wish has come true."

The emperor has never had any resistance to beautiful women. Recently, because his throne has been threatened, he has focused all his attention on the court. However, he finds it difficult to refuse such a rare beauty. Although he cannot spend too much time and energy in the harem now, it will not be too late to pamper this stunning beauty after everything is settled.

"It is hard for you to be so infatuated with me. Since that is the case, I will fulfill your wish. You are said to be dancing like the wind, light as a swallow, and graceful and beautiful. Those who see you will never forget you. So I will confer the title of Lady Yan on you and keep you in the palace."

With red eyes, the girl knelt on the ground to express her gratitude. Everyone stood up to congratulate the Emperor on the birth of his beautiful wife. Gong Qisu himself was also very happy. Only the Fourth Prince, who had been paying attention to the Queen Mother, noticed the Queen Mother's expression with her head down. She seemed to be very relaxed and breathed a sigh of relief. At that time, the Fourth Prince guessed that the dancer was arranged by the Queen Mother, which was also strange.

The Queen Mother is the biological mother of the Emperor. Shouldn't she fully support the Emperor's efforts to improve himself and take good care of the government? Why is she making the Emperor waste more time, wishing he could stay in the harem and die on a woman?

The Fourth Prince was puzzled from the beginning. When the Emperor first ascended the throne, the Queen Mother had tried to stop him from filling his harem with concubines and advised him to be diligent in his work. But after the Emperor insisted on bringing Zhou Ruoyuan into the palace, the Queen Mother no longer cared about these matters. She even agreed to the Emperor's plan to select concubines from all over the country and even devoted herself to finding the best tonic medicine for the Emperor.

No matter what the reason is, the emperor is able to pay attention to the affairs of the court this time. Although it is not a good thing for the Fourth Prince, shouldn't it be something that the Queen Mother likes to see?

Why did they find such a seductive dancer, who is not even from Chen Country, to seduce the emperor? They were afraid that the emperor would wake up and never get close to women again.

After three performances, the emperor suddenly stopped the musicians who were about to go on stage and spoke to everyone.

"I have something to announce today. I only have two princes, and they take medicine all day long. I am afraid they are not capable of inheriting the responsibility of the Chen Kingdom. After careful consideration, I still think that I should adopt a few heirs from the royal family and select the most virtuous and talented ones to ensure the future well-being of the Chen Kingdom."

The court officials below were arguing, some were against and some were in favor. The Fourth Prince sat in his seat with a gloomy face, listening to the arguments of people around him. Why did they suddenly mention the matter of the adopted son? According to what he had heard, the Emperor seemed to know about the illegitimate child and had intervened before, so the Lin'an County Prince's Mansion was on high alert. But why did he suddenly agree to adopt a son?

Isn’t he afraid that after entering the palace, the empress dowager will directly send the illegitimate child to the position of crown prince and then force the emperor to abdicate?

The Fourth Prince kept staring at the Queen Mother's face. He always felt that this matter was closely related to the Queen Mother. In this world, only the Queen Mother and the Prince of Lin'an's Mansion would like to see this incident happen and gain greater benefits from it.

He actually discovered something fishy. When the emperor talked about this matter, he always turned his head to look at the empress dowager's expression. The empress dowager herself also looked very satisfied. How did the empress dowager do it? The Fourth Prince didn't know, but he believed that the empress dowager must have done it.

The emperor was very resolute. He waved his sleeves and asked people to bring up all the royal family members who were of the right age and status. The fourth prince's own child was not in good health, so he was not on the list. It seemed that the emperor had planned to choose an adopted son at the Mid-Autumn Festival family banquet. Several children were brought into the palace early and were brought to everyone's attention in a short time, including that child.

She must have been dressed up deliberately. Her face, which originally resembled the emperor by 70%, now only looked 50% similar. The Fourth Prince gritted his teeth and said, "It doesn't matter. This gave him a better reason to reveal the truth. He no longer had to worry about when to reveal it."

"Your Majesty, look at that child in green clothes. He looks a bit like you. This is really fate. When I see him, I think of your childhood, when you were also so well-behaved."

The Queen Mother pretended to have thought of something and wiped the corners of her eyes with a handkerchief. When she was about to say something, the Fourth Prince interrupted her.

"Yes, this child really looks like the emperor when he was a child. If he wipes off the powder on his face, I'm afraid people will believe he is the emperor's brother."

The Fourth Prince's words made the Queen Mother nervous immediately, and she stood up and scolded him.

"Old Four, what nonsense are you talking about? I am your stepmother, and you are so bold to interrupt me and say such unreasonable words."

The Fourth Prince didn't care at all about the big hat that the Queen Mother put on him. He stood up, walked slowly to the child with a glass of wine, and poured the wine on the child's face. The child's eyes turned red with fright on the spot. The Queen Mother stood up and was about to come down, but was stopped by the palace maid behind her. Only then did she realize that it was not convenient to rush down in the current situation.

The Fourth Prince took out a handkerchief and roughly wiped the child's face, threw the handkerchief on the ground, then turned sideways, revealing the child's face for everyone to take a closer look.

"Your Majesty, why are you so anxious to attack me? I saw this child by accident and noticed that he looked really..."

The Fourth Prince did not finish his words, but everyone knew what he wanted to express. This child looked exactly like the emperor when he was a child, with those phoenix eyes, those upturned eyebrows, and even his earlobes had the same curvature.

"When I was a child, I was very curious. My sixth brother, my other brothers and I all looked a bit like our father, but my second brother looked like you, the Queen Mother. When I saw this child, I was even more puzzled. Are there really people in the world who look so alike? And they are all of Gong family blood? Shouldn't they look like the ancestors of the Gong family? My second brother himself is different from the ancestors of the Gong family, and this child also looks different from the ancestors of the Gong family. Is it really a coincidence?"

The emperor himself realized that something was wrong, but he strongly wanted to choose this child as his adopted son. The Fourth Prince's words now clearly showed that he was beginning to doubt even his own bloodline, which was a very serious matter.

He ascended the throne because he was the legitimate son of his father, and with the support of his mother and Duke Cheng'en. Most importantly, he was the emperor's own son, with royal blood flowing in his body. If his bloodline was questioned, he would have difficulty keeping the throne.

"You are so presumptuous. Fourth Brother, do you really think I dare not do anything to you?"

The Fourth Prince had obviously guessed the Emperor's reaction a long time ago, and he was not afraid. He simply took out a cloth handkerchief from his sleeve with many words written on it, spread it out and threw it to Prince Li and another prince to see.

"Your Majesty, why should you be so anxious? I am just worried that someone is confusing the royal bloodline and plotting to seize the throne. This child was born in the Lin'an County Prince's Mansion and is said to be the biological child of the Lin'an County Prince's Consort. But as far as I know, the Consort has been living in the villa before and after the birth of this child. No one in Kyoto has ever seen the Consort pregnant. At the same time, the Queen Mother lived in the Royal Temple to pray for the country. She stayed there for half a year. After that, many young monks in the Royal Temple died of inexplicable illness."

Everyone's faces changed drastically when they saw Bupa's words. The atmosphere became very strange. Everyone looked at the Queen Mother and the Lin'an County Prince's family at the same time, and it was obvious that they believed part of the content.

"What's more, the manor where the Crown Prince's wife lives is in the same mountain as the royal temple. When the Crown Prince's wife came back, she brought the child with her. The Queen Mother also returned to the palace a few days later, saying that she was not feeling well and had not asked anyone to pay respects to her for several months. I am a suspicious person, so I checked the palace registration book at that time. The Crown Prince of Lin'an attended every banquet in the palace a year before the child was born, but I rarely saw him at the banquet. Even if I saw him, he would disappear again after a while. I wonder if the Crown Prince can explain where you went when you disappeared?"

Gong Li's face turned pale. Looking at the Queen Mother's expression, he clenched his fists and stared at the Fourth Prince's face.

"Your Highness, do you know what you are saying? I am a good-for-nothing. I have always been on the fringes of the court and have not been taken seriously. But the Queen Mother is the mother of the country and your legal mother. You cannot defile her."

The Fourth Prince seemed to have heard something funny. He clapped his hands twice and looked at Gong Li and the Crown Prince's Consort behind him, whose face had turned pale and who seemed to have hatred in her eyes.

"Gong Li, you are not useless. You have become a great person. But I didn't expect you to be so infatuated. You are still protecting my mother. I don't know where you put the Crown Prince's Consort, whom you married in a formal ceremony. You have suffered such a great humiliation. Your husband was taken away by a fifty-year-old woman, and you have to raise their children for them. Crown Prince's Consort, I wonder how you feel."

Gong Li rushed forward and grabbed the Fourth Prince by the collar, but an official had already pulled his hands away. Gong Li wanted to explain, but the Princess of Lin'an had already burst into tears. She fell to the ground, screaming and venting her dissatisfaction. She looked at the Queen Mother with bloodshot eyes and cursed.

"You are shameless and seduced the sons of the royal family in an attempt to confuse the bloodline and instigate the throne. I am unlucky enough to be robbed of my husband by you. I was also forced by the family to admit that the child was born by me and to raise the child for you. But you shouldn't have used me and told Gong Yurong that I was not his biological mother, telling him not to listen to me and slandering me in front of him. You are really a bitch..."

Before she could finish the rest of her words, Gong Li slapped her in the face and kicked her to the ground. The Crown Prince's Consort saw Gong Li looking at the old bitch, the Queen Mother, with pity on her face. She finally couldn't hold back the emotions that had been suppressed for so long. She stood up, pushed Gong Li away, and spat a mouthful of saliva mixed with blood in his face.

"Gong Li, you are such a lowly thing, begging for her charity humbly, but she is just using you. Do you really think you have the ability to make her fall in love with you? Do you think you are protecting her? I don't want to do what you want. The secret compartment in your study is full of portraits of you and the old bitch, as well as the erotic pictures of you two mingling under the peach tree. I have seen them all. The old bitch even has a lotus mark on her body. Bah, what lotus? It's so disgusting. How can she compare herself to a lotus? Even the prostitutes in the brothels wouldn't pretend to be loyal in front of others and seduce other people's husbands behind their backs like her."

It seemed that she knew that she was destined to die after saying these words. After looking at the two people and cursing loudly that they would die miserably, the Crown Prince's Consort directly hit her head against the pillar and died on the spot. The blood splattered on Gong Li's body. He was stunned for a long time, looking at the Crown Prince's Consort's body. In the end, he did not go up to carry her back, but knelt on the ground to apologize to the emperor.

"I have not managed well, and my wife has been a little crazy for a long time. I always thought she could control herself, but she still caused trouble and defiled the Empress Dowager. I am guilty, please punish me, Your Majesty, but there is nothing between me and the Empress Dowager. My wife is emotionally unstable and often suspects that I have had an affair with other women. I didn't expect that this time she would accuse the Empress Dowager. I am very terrified."

The Fourth Prince did not expect that his wife's tragic curse on them both and then her death did not change his mind to protect the Queen Mother. Even the illegitimate child Zi Changrong was only afraid but not sad. He even wanted to throw himself into the Queen Mother's arms, but was held back by the servant behind him.

"Since Prince Gong Li said so, then you will be cleared of all charges. The Crown Prince's Concubine died in vain. This is simple. The Crown Prince's Concubine said that there are some dirty things in the secret compartment of your study. Just ask someone to search and you will find out."

Gong Li stared at the Fourth Prince with angry eyes, as if he wanted to tear his flesh and bite his throat. The Emperor did not seem to want anyone to search, after all, he would not be able to escape unscathed if something happened to the Queen Mother. However, the Grand Queen Mother would not let go of such a good opportunity and directly issued an imperial decree.

"The royal bloodline cannot be mixed up. We will know whether it is true or not after checking. If it is a false accusation by the Princess of Lin'an County, I will make the decision. If you really dare to do these things, I will punish you even if I take out the ancestral tablets. Eunuch Cheng, take my phoenix seal and search. Anyone who dares to stop me will be killed without mercy."