The Poisonous Consort, the Regent's Beloved

Soon, three figures slowly walked in from outside. The one in the lead was a young man dressed in a blue robe. He had deep-set eyes and bright, sharp gaze, like two bright stars, exuding shrewdness.

A man and a woman walked in side by side behind them; the woman was probably the fourth princess.

She wore a light blue palace dress with exquisite floral patterns embroidered on the hem, and her long, jet-black hair cascaded down her shoulders like a waterfall. She wore a simple headdress.

Her face was delicate and beautiful, her skin was as white as snow, and her eyes were bright and clear, like stars twinkling in the night sky. However, she looked a little unhappy and turned her head to walk forward.

The man beside him looked younger than the one in front; he was probably the sixth prince. He was much better looking than the third prince, but he looked a bit silly.

Since he stepped across the threshold, he had been looking around, seemingly searching for something.

Suddenly, Su Fuying's eyes met his. The Sixth Prince's gaze paused, then his pupils contracted, and he looked at Su Fuying with burning eyes, a smile that was hard to decipher.

nerve.

Turning his gaze, he saw the group step forward to pay their respects. Because the emperor had previously instructed them to only bow to the princes and not kneel, Su Fuying appreciated this.

"Mother, I have prepared a gift for you today," Xiao Junlin said as he stepped forward.

Xiao Junlin looked at the three people sitting opposite him, his brows furrowed, and his expression was somewhat unpleasant.

He had just heard that his father had arrived so early, and he had originally thought that he could take this opportunity to show his filial piety to his father and win a good reputation.

However, to his surprise, these people also learned of the news and came together.

Although the position of crown prince currently belongs to him, he knows that this position is not secure.

After all, the emperor is only forty years old, in his prime, and in good health. This means that he, as the crown prince, still has a long road ahead of him.

There are still rivals ahead, such as the First Prince and the Third Prince. Although the First Prince has been granted a title, the Second Prince remains in the capital, eyeing his position as Crown Prince.

As for the Sixth Prince, he glanced at the two who were bickering with the Fourth Princess. They had no manners or demeanor befitting a prince and were not worth fearing.

Xiao Junlin thought to himself: I must find a way to make the Third Prince disappear as well, just like the Second Prince.

"Lin'er is so thoughtful. Please present this to your mother." The Empress's smile deepened, and her tone became gentle.

Xiao Junlin waved his hand, and the people outside immediately brought over a large wooden box.

The Empress saw that it was another wooden box, and she was already in a bad mood whenever she saw wooden boxes today.

For his son's sake, he opened the box amidst the curious gazes of everyone.

The moment it was opened, a refreshing fragrance wafted out, invigorating everyone present and bringing a sense of comfort.

The moment Su Fuying saw what was inside, a look of surprise appeared in her eyes. This was—the Snow Jade Bone!

Its name is Bone, but it is actually a kind of flower. The whole plant is snow-white. Its root is like a human finger bone, with five segments. Each segment has a small white flower bud growing on it. There are five flower buds in total, just like the joints on a finger.

Snow Jade Bone is a legendary medicinal herb with the effect of reviving the dead and restoring flesh to bones. It has extremely high requirements for its growing environment and can only survive in extremely cold places.

She had only seen such things in ancient books before; they had long since disappeared.

And now, someone actually brought out such a complete Snow Jade Bone, and it was still alive, which really opened Su Fuying's eyes.

"what is this?"

The empress was unaware of these things; the flower was pure white, and its exposed roots were rather eerie.

"Your Majesty, this is a rare medicinal herb that I asked someone to bring back from beyond the borders. It is said that eating it can prolong life. Even smelling its fragrance regularly can keep one young forever."

After hearing the Crown Prince's words, the Empress was somewhat puzzled as to how such a miraculous medicine could exist, but she could not embarrass the Crown Prince. "Your Majesty, look how filial Lin'er is."

"Haha, yes, he truly is my good son. Reward him."

After the emperor finished bestowing the gifts, the other princes also stepped forward to present their own. However, the empress accepted the common gifts with a smile.

Throughout the entire process, Su Fu kept his eyes glued to the potted flower, itching to get his hands on it.

This prince is a fool. He doesn't know how valuable this thing is. It won't survive more than three days away from the extreme cold. Judging from its condition, it will probably wither away completely tomorrow.

Then came the talent show. The women, eager to try, stepped forward one after another to perform dances, play musical instruments, practice calligraphy, and more...

"Su Fuying".

"Cough cough..."

She had just taken a sip of tea when the emperor suddenly called her name, nearly choking her.

"What are your orders, Your Majesty?" Su Fuying quickly straightened her clothes and stepped forward to bow.

At this moment, Su Fuying felt a burning gaze coming from the direction of the Crown Prince.

Why is that scumbag looking at me like that? Disgusting. She silently spat at him a few times in her mind.

"You are a princess personally appointed by me. Today is the Empress's birthday, why do you remain silent?" When he asked this question, the Emperor's aura of authority subsided somewhat.

What? Does a princess have to perform a talent? Facing the emperor, she could only respectfully reply, "This humble woman is unworthy and not skilled in singing and dancing, and I fear I would offend Your Majesty and the Empress's eyes."

The emperor was clearly skeptical. "Not good at singing and dancing? Then what are you good at? Writing poetry?"

A bead of cold sweat trickled down Su Fuying's forehead; she didn't want to recite dry verses in front of so many people.

"Your Majesty, I know how to play chess." After thinking for a while, she decided to choose a two-player activity since she was alone. The emperor couldn't possibly let her play alone, could he?

"Then show me how it's done."

"Here she comes," Su Fuying said solemnly. "But I'm afraid there's no one here who can play chess with me."

"hiss."

Those around gasped in surprise, not expecting Su Fuying to be so arrogant.

Suddenly, the Empress spoke up: "Arrogant, Su Fuying, I'll see how capable you really are today."

The emperor quickly followed up, saying, "Someone, set up a chessboard."

Everyone got excited, eager to see how this princess would slap herself in the face.

Her words just now undoubtedly offended everyone present. With so many powerful and influential people in the capital, she actually dared to say that no one could compete with her.

Immediately afterwards, a young man in blue volunteered to step forward.

He mainly came to join in the fun because of Su Fuying's pretty face, after all, he was quite confident in his chess skills.

Thinking about the scene of Su Fuying crying later, he felt a little smug.

But the game seemed to have just begun when Su Fuying spoke calmly, "Next."

Upon closer inspection, the young man in blue realized that he had lost without even noticing.

He was annoyed, realizing that Su Fuying must have seduced him with her beauty, which had distracted him.

Soon, one person after another went up, but within a few breaths, they were all defeated.

Seeing this, the emperor knew there was no need to continue the game, and couldn't help but praise, "Princess Yongle's chess skills are truly remarkable."

Just when Su Fuying thought it was finally over, the emperor suddenly changed the subject: "The Regent is also quite knowledgeable about chess. Why don't you play a game with him?"