The Eldest Daughter Reborn: She Provoked the Obsessive Crown Prince and Couldn't Escape

"Bah! That's why you're all useless! I'm just not blessed enough to bear children for the Emperor and continue the lineage of the Great Wei;

"But you're all heavily pregnant, and not one of you can hold the Emperor in check! What's the use of supporting you?!"

"I... I'd rather support a lowly maid! Maybe she can bring glory to my ancestors!" Lady Yaozhang spat.

Without revealing her feelings, Consort Pang helped Qian Chonghua, who had been knocked to the ground, to her feet; seeing that Madam Yao was angry, she put down her teacup and tried to appease her:

"Madam, please calm down! Sister Qian is really something. Don't even mention the 'Grand Chamberlain,' even the Prime Minister and the General are nothing more than 'household slaves' in front of a ninth-rank concubine!"

"Even our Empress, before she entered the palace and was only the Lady of Yuanshi County, had to obediently bow to Consort Yun at that time!"

"You should know that the rank of a fifth-rank county lady is higher than that of a sixth-rank noble lady! But so what? No matter how high a servant's status is, he is still just a servant, and no matter how low a master's rank is, he is still a master!"

"Besides, what is that Grand Chamberlain who has no rank or grade? Not to mention that Madam is a second-rank official, even I, a mere Consort, would look down on her!"

Hearing this, Madam Yao felt somewhat relieved. She looked Qian Chonghua up and down, her gaze settling on her stomach, her face revealing undisguised disdain.

Qian Chonghua was already annoyed that she had offended Madam Yaozhang and offended Consort Pang; now, with a glance from Madam Yaozhang, she was even more terrified. She shrank back, clutched her stomach, and quietly hid behind Consort Pang.

Meanwhile, Fu Luan lit lychee incense in the Guanju Hall of the East Palace, completely unaware that another conspiracy against her was quietly spreading in the palace.

This was where she lived day and night when she was the Crown Princess, and also the cage that imprisoned her for half her life in her past life! But alas, this was also a place where Yuan Jiu once lived...

"Ah Luan knew all along that Ana Gui's child wasn't mine, didn't she?" Yuan Jiu reappeared amidst the swirling smoke.

Fu Luan fiddled with the lantern made of orange peel, her red lips parted slightly as she said, "So what if it is...?"

On the day Yuan Lu's head was hung on the city wall, she learned that Anagui was pregnant, and she was indeed troubled by this news.

But then she remembered that if we calculate based on the time when Anagui gave birth in her previous life, she didn't know Yuanjiu when she was pregnant with this child, and she hadn't even arrived in Chang'an yet!

In her previous life, Anagui successfully entered Yuan Li's harem. With the guidance of the "Little Khatun of the Western Regions," she won Yuan Li's favor and became the head of the Nine Concubines when she was childless. Later, she was promoted to the head of the Six Concubines because she was pregnant.

The moment that son with golden down and lake-blue eyes was born, it was obvious to anyone with eyes that he was of Hu (non-Han) descent, but who dared to say it outright? Even though Yuan Li had his suspicions, Anagui was already prepared.

At that time, Khan Yarkand arrived with Princess Miaoze, who was known as the "Little Qatun of the Western Regions." The two already had a son. The child had black hair and yellow skin, and looked exactly like a Han Chinese.

Princess Miaoze used her own child to prove that since children of Hu and Han people could be completely unlike Hu people, they could certainly be completely unlike Han people as well. Although Yuan Li was full of doubts, he outwardly believed her.

If he insists that children of both Hu and Han people must have both Hu and Han characteristics, it is tantamount to admitting that the little Khatun's child was born to a Han person and does not have the blood of the Yarkand people from the Western Regions!

The Little Khatun of the Western Regions was a princess from the Great Wei who was sent there for a political marriage. Although the Western Regions scoffed at the word "chastity," it did not stop some people from taking the opportunity to cause trouble and sow discord between the Western Regions and the Great Wei!

Moreover, the Western Regions were not peaceful internally either, with the thirty-six kingdoms eyeing each other covetously...

But how could Yuan Jiu know all this? He could only say through tears, "You're wronging me... You knew perfectly well that it wasn't my child, yet you used that child as an excuse to abandon me! For a bastard who doesn't even know his father..."

Fu Luan raised her hand, wanting to wipe away the tears from the corner of his eyes, but ultimately withdrew her outstretched hand—

She worried that if she "touched" the person in front of her, the person she had finally managed to see would vanish into thin air along with the scent of lychees...

She smiled and said, "You're wronged? How are you wronged? Didn't you have sex with her behind my back? Or did you not see her dancing naked?"

"But you're really not smart... I only tricked you with the child, and you fell for it so easily! If you really didn't do it, even if you have this child, I will clear your name and stand by your side, won't I?"

Yuan Jiu still felt wronged and said, "I... you know what she's been up to behind the scenes, so why don't you write to Father Emperor? Why don't you do what you did to Zheng Zheng, making her lose face and reputation in front of everyone?"

"If that's the case, let alone the child in her womb, even if the Khan of the Western Regions came, he wouldn't be able to protect her! There are clearly many ways to resolve this matter, but A-Luan chose to leave me!"

Fu Luan sneered, "She is the golden phoenix in the hands of the Prince of Yan, the little princess of the Western Regions whom he would rather give up judging his enemies to protect. How dare I humiliate her like a bastard? Has the Prince of Yan forgotten what he said back then?"

Yuan Jiu turned his back, secretly wiped away his tears, and choked out, "A-Luan is now married to Father Emperor and has become Empress. She doesn't need a dead man like me anymore! If I had known this would happen, I would have preferred to let her die in the prison of the Ministry of Justice. That would have saved so much trouble. Why did she have to save me?"

“I thought Ah Luan saved me because she liked me, but now that I think about it, it was all wishful thinking on my part! From beginning to end, you only felt guilty and indebted to me. You felt guilty for standing by and watching when Sixth Brother framed me, and you also felt indebted for me saving your life.”

"You feel you owe me the title of Crown Prince, and even more so, you owe me your life! You've never liked me the way I've ever liked you!"

Fu Luan smiled bitterly, "What does it matter whether I like it or not? No one has ever cared whether I like it or not... It's too late to say anything now, isn't it? You already have beautiful wives and concubines, and the position of crown prince is within your grasp. Why do you want to die?"

She finally got to see him, but he kept saying things that upset her, just like he did when he was alive.

Fu Luan felt so tired and sleepy, but she dared not fall asleep. She was afraid that, like the previous two times, he would disappear as soon as she closed her eyes.

She was also curious: if she stayed awake, how could he disappear from her sight?

Yuan Jiu stared at the orange peel lantern in her hand, his eyes filled with sorrow.

"Do you like it? Do you want it?" Fu Luan handed him the lantern.

Yuan Jiu murmured in a hoarse voice, "I like it, I want it... but not an orange, and not a lantern..."

Fu Luan understood the meaning behind the words of her former beloved. Just as she was about to make a joke, she heard Hua Luo's anxious voice coming from outside the door.

"Your Majesty, something terrible has happened! Consort Qian's child is gone..."