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

Fu Luan suppressed his displeasure and patiently explained, "It is true that Consort Rou is constantly favored and will have her own son sooner or later."

"But right now, the Emperor has many children, and he is a man who bestows his favor equally upon all his offspring."

"I'm sure you understand the intricacies of this better than I do, don't you?"

"Although Guiyi enjoys great favor, she is still quite far from the level of favor that a true imperial concubine enjoys."

"In terms of both appearance and temperament, Your Highness is second to none in the harem."

"The current emperor does not value the talents and backgrounds of his concubines, and there is a difference between those who are favored and those who are not, and between those who are favored more and those who are not."

"What can shorten the time? Only the child!"

Consort Rou said impatiently, "Who doesn't know how precious children are in the palace? Do you really need to come all this way to tell me?"

Fu Luan watched coldly as Rou Guiyi's hands, covered in nail guards, twisted her handkerchief incessantly, clearly indicating her distress.

She was probably convinced by her own words and was already somewhat tempted, but she just wouldn't admit it!

Fu Luan said with a forced smile, "In that case, I'll take my leave. I apologize for disturbing you, Consort Rou!"

Seeing that Fu Luan was about to leave, Consort Rou cleared her throat and forced herself to say:

Even if what the princess says makes sense, I have no one to rely on...

"In short, I also have some connections within the palace, both in the Great Wei and the previous dynasty;"

"There were countless concubines who were favored despite having no children, and some were even made empresses despite having no children."

"I'm afraid I don't necessarily need to adopt a son to keep the Emperor by my side a little longer!"

"Furthermore... even if we were to adopt, there are plenty of young princes in the palace who have lost their mothers;

"Why should I adopt someone who is already a teenager?"

Fu Luan laughed and said, "With my help!"

"You? Just you?" Rou Guiyi asked, frowning.

Fu Luan laughed again: "That's right! Your 'connections' are nothing more than Consort Mei, who just gave birth to the nineteenth prince;

"But don't forget, Consort Mei initially won you over because she was pregnant and unable to serve you in bed."

"To put it bluntly, she just wants to steal the favor of the other concubines by relying on you."

"Now that she and her child are safe and sound and she can serve you in bed, will she continue to support you?"

"Even between sisters, it would be difficult to willingly share a husband, let alone Consort Yuan and Her Majesty."

"If Your Majesty does not believe me, I dare to ask: After Consort Yuan gave birth, how many times did the Emperor summon you to his bedchamber?"

"In the end, the favors given by others are unreliable; you have to have something to rely on yourself!"

"Are you right?"

"This..." Consort Rou hesitated for a moment, and the lady beside her whispered a few words in her ear;

Her gaze toward Fu Luan suddenly turned sharp!

She stared intently at Fu Luan—or rather, at the precious flower ornament between her brows—and said with a half-smile:

"What the princess said couldn't be more true! The Emperor, he..."

"It has indeed been a while since you summoned me! We had agreed yesterday that I would be the one to serve you in bed;

"But who would have thought that in the end he would favor a lowly maid from Yaohua Palace! My lady..."

"I heard that that lowly maid looks seven or eight parts like you!"

"Fu Luan... You dare to sow discord between Consort Yuan and me? You're not worthy of it!"

No sooner had Rou Guiyi finished speaking than she suddenly became fierce, her armored hand reaching directly for Fu Luan's face!

"Ah!" Three extremely thin and long bloodstains suddenly appeared on Fu Luan's face;

Crimson drops of blood dripped down Rou Guiyi's armor...

Fu Luan screamed, covered his face, and collapsed to the ground in agony; when Rou Guiyi saw this, she was overjoyed!

"'The most beautiful woman in the Great Wei'? I'm afraid you'll have to give up that title, young lady!"

"Hmph, I was wondering why Rui'er, who is usually so docile, suddenly dared to challenge me."

"So that's how I got such a powerful backer!"

"Even if Princess Chun'an is not favored, she is still an imperial princess. 'Meek'? Is that a word to describe a person?"

"It's probably inappropriate for Your Highness to speak of her like that!" Fu Luan struggled to get up;

She collapsed to the ground, still covering her face, her gaze towards Rou Guiyi unwavering.

"Good, good, good!" Rou Guiyi nodded and approached Fu Luan step by step;

Her lady-in-waiting went around behind Fu Luan to prevent her from escaping.

"Stop!" Just as Rou Guiyi's precious gold armor, inlaid with pearls, slashed towards Fu Luan again;

The Emperor "just happened" to enter with Yuan Rui and Qing Luan, and "just happened" to witness this scene!

The lady-in-waiting ignored Fu Luan and hurriedly knelt down with the other palace maids in the hall.

"You vile woman!" After examining Fu Luan's injuries, the Emperor slapped Consort Rou several times without saying a word.

This time, it was Rou Guiyi's turn to cover her face, which was clearly marked with fingerprints, and cry out in disbelief:

"Your Majesty, what have I done wrong? I was merely teaching this wretched woman a lesson..."

"How dare you talk nonsense!" the Emperor roared. "According to ancestral rules, even palace maids are not allowed to slap someone's face."

"And you, you're always tormenting the princess or humiliating the noblewoman!"

"Now that the palace gates are closed, how dare they beat up the future Crown Princess!"

"When she was in the Crown Prince's palace, why didn't you dare to hit her? Tell me!"

Rou Guiyi trembled, the imposing manner and fierce aura she had displayed when she humiliated Fu Luan completely gone.

Tears streaming down her face, she cried, "Your Majesty, I know I was wrong! I only acted rashly in a moment of panic..."

"Yes, Father! Consort Rou really didn't mean it;"

"It must be that I said something wrong and angered Your Majesty!"

"Her Majesty has just been promoted to the rank of Noble Consort today, and the investiture ceremony has not yet been held."

"If at this time she is punished because of me, a mere fourth-rank official's wife;

"It would be disheartening for the ladies of the six palaces!" Fu Luan said deliberately, covering her face with a handkerchief.

She wept bitterly, tears streaming down her face, while secretly observing the Emperor's expression.

It would be acceptable if Fu Luan didn't speak;

Her words only fueled the Emperor's anger, and he rebuked Consort Rou:

"I had broken my promise yesterday and did not summon you to my bedchamber, so I specially promoted you to the position of 'Head of the Six Rites' and bestowed upon you the title of 'Gentle'."

"But what about you does that makes you worthy of the word 'gentle'?"

"Since you enjoy bullying people by taking advantage of your noble status, then stay in this position for the rest of your life!"

"Yang Jin, tell the Court of Imperial Sacrifices that there's no need to prepare a ceremony for Consort Shu's investiture; she doesn't deserve it!"

"Shu... Shu Guiyi?" Shu Guiyi heard these three words;

He didn't care that he had just been slapped, nor did he care about Fu Luan standing next to him.

She crawled to the emperor's feet and cried, "Your Majesty, I know I was wrong!"

"Your Majesty, I am willing to offer half a year's salary—no, a whole year's salary—to apologize to you!"

"Your Majesty, I accept whatever punishment you deem appropriate!"

Rou Guiyi's sobs were muffled and plaintive, showing no sign that she had recently used her armor to disfigure Fu Luan.

Yuan Rui sneered: "Your Highness Shu, the investiture ceremony has not yet been held, so the title is merely a formality."

"How can I say 'return' it to you? Oh right, it's to celebrate your promotion to the rank of third grade."

"Your subject has prepared a small gift to express his gratitude for your past guidance."

The palace servants presented the "small gift" to Consort Shu. Upon opening it, they were astonished to find a stack of Buddhist scriptures!