Peerless Physician: The Path of a Foolish Eldest Daughter's Rise to Power

Chapter 385 Royal Face

Chu Niannian blinked her bright, big eyes and said expectantly, "Let's make a super big cake for Daddy! I want to make it with Mommy."

Chu Jingxuan, standing to the side, clenched his little fist and declared confidently, "Once I've mastered kung fu, I'll definitely show Father how powerful I am!"

With a serious expression, Chu Jingkang said to his mother, Gu Xinyue, "Mother, we must not allow any problems to arise within our royal family."

At this moment, Emperor Shengxiang, who was sitting to the side, smiled and looked at everyone, and slowly said, "Mother, I think it's very nice that we sit together like this every day and have a good chat."

"From now on, our family should host more family banquets. This will not only strengthen the bonds between members of our royal family, but also make the entire family more united and harmonious."

Hearing the children's innocent and energetic words and Emperor Shengxiang's suggestion, Gu Xinyue couldn't help but smile with satisfaction.

She thought to herself that among the triplets, the eldest, Chu Jingyu, and the youngest, Chu Jingkang, were indeed quite thoughtful in their thinking, and seemed more mature and composed than their peers.

So she readily agreed, "Okay, since everyone thinks so, let's have a family dinner once a month from now on."

At that time, we will invite relatives from the clan and the royal women of the Chu family to attend, so that everyone can strengthen their bonds.

Upon hearing this, Emperor Shengxiang's smile deepened, and he added, "The fact that those married royal women can attend the family banquet shows our royal family's respect and care for them, and it also helps to enhance their status in their respective husbands' families."

Gu Xinyue nodded slightly in agreement, then asked, "So, when would be a more suitable time for this family dinner?"

After a moment's thought, Emperor Shengxiang replied, "How about we set it for three days from now?"

As night falls and the lights come on, the entire palace is enveloped in soft light, appearing exceptionally tranquil and mysterious.

Chun Tao gracefully entered the room, holding a carefully prepared banquet list in her hand, and respectfully handed it to Gu Xinyue.

Gu Xinyue took the list and carefully looked through it one by one.

The list contained the names of many guests, with the princes of the Chu family occupying most of the space, but the princesses were few and far between, consisting of only Princess Changshuo, Princess Chaoyang, and Princess Jiayang.

Gu Xinyue couldn't help but feel puzzled. She looked up at Chun Tao and asked softly, "Didn't the late emperor have any princesses born out of wedlock? How come they were so few?"

Chun Tao bowed slightly and replied, "Your Majesty, there has never been one. There were two princesses born out of wedlock, but unfortunately, both died young before reaching adulthood."

Hearing this, Gu Xinyue sighed softly, her gaze involuntarily falling on the name of the children's royal uncle.

Crown Prince Xuan, the eldest son of the Emperor, passed away six years ago. Therefore, he is not on the list.

Suddenly, a thought flashed through her mind—there seemed to be two concubine daughters in the Crown Prince's residence! Back then, the Crown Princess had settled them in a separate courtyard.

Thinking of this, Gu Xinyue couldn't help but feel a pang of pity.

These children should have had a noble status. If their father had not met with an accident, they would be princesses in the truest sense!

Therefore, Gu Xinyue immediately decided to send her trusted maid Xia He to the Crown Prince's residence to personally welcome the two children into the palace.

She wanted to see the two children with her own eyes, and if they were of good character, she planned to keep them by her side and raise them carefully.

In this way, not only can the grudges and grievances left by the ancestors be put to an end, but Emperor Shengxiang's benevolence and kindness can also be demonstrated.

This is also a good deed, after all, these two girls are the emperor's cousins.

When Gu Xinyue's gaze fell upon the name Princess Jiayang, it was as if an invisible door to time and space slowly opened, instantly pulling her thoughts back to that distant yet unforgettable era.

At that time, she had just returned from Shihu Town. To her surprise, Princess Jiayang was constantly at odds with her, creating all sorts of trouble and embarrassment for her, and even setting traps to frame her.

Looking back on their past experiences, they realized that they had never had a single moment of harmony together.

Later, a series of shocking changes followed.

First, Empress Meng suddenly passed away, and then the Meng family was brutally executed. Princess Jiayang had no choice but to hastily marry.

After that, Consort Ling also passed away, and even Chu Yize, who was deeply respected by everyone, mysteriously disappeared.

As time went by, the Empress Dowager and the late Emperor passed away one after another, and this series of blows cast a shadow over the entire palace.

Since then, Gu Xinyue has had no time to pay attention to Princess Jiayang's situation.

She only occasionally heard rumors that Princess Jiayang eventually married Pan Yue, the son of the Minister of Personnel. As for what her life was like after marriage, the palace maids who once served her rarely mentioned this former princess in front of her now.

At this moment, Gu Xinyue couldn't help but ask curiously, "Do you know how Princess Jiayang is doing now? It's been five years since she got married, hasn't it?" After speaking, she quietly stared at the group of palace maids in front of her, only to see a strange expression on their faces.

After a moment's hesitation, Chun Tao timidly spoke up, "Your Highness, I've heard that Princess Jiayang doesn't seem to be doing well..."

Peony, standing nearby, quickly added, "Your Majesty, as far as I know, that Prince Consort Pan not only has many wives and concubines, but also frequently lingers in brothels. Princess Jiayang does not live in her own princess residence, but rather in the Pan residence. Furthermore, Old Madam Pan has many rules and imposes numerous restrictions on the princess. As a result, the princess has not attended any banquets held by various residences for a long time, and her situation must be quite difficult."

"Xiahe and Qiuju, you two go to the Pan residence immediately to investigate. You should know that the conflict between me and Jiayang has long since vanished. After all, she was once favored by the late emperor and is also the children's aunt. This operation must not damage the imperial dignity."

"Yes, ma'am!" Xia He and Qiu Ju accepted the order and left as swiftly as two gusts of wind.

About half an hour later, Qiu Ju returned hastily, dressed in a black night outfit. Her expression was solemn, as if she had something important to report.

"Your Majesty, something terrible has happened! Princess Jiayang is seriously ill! Not only does she have to wash her own clothes, but her mother-in-law has also imposed many rules on her every day, and she even has to serve the princess her husband and concubines her meals."

Upon hearing this, the Empress frowned and asked in confusion, "How do you know such details?"

Qiuju's face flushed red instantly, and she stammered, "The princess looks extremely haggard, and the prince consort even made the princess serve him while they were having sex..." Before she could finish speaking, Qiuju lowered her head in embarrassment, and her words became stammering.

Upon hearing this, the Empress flew into a rage, slamming her hand on the table and exclaiming, "This is outrageous! How could a royal princess be subjected to such humiliation? Chun Tao, immediately gather your men and accompany me to the Pan residence. Qiu Ju, report this matter to the Emperor at once."

After saying this, Empress Gu Xinyue led everyone towards the Pan residence in a great hurry. When they arrived at the gate of the Pan residence, they saw that the Imperial Guards had already surrounded the entire mansion, while the gate of the Pan residence was wide open, as if waiting for a storm to arrive.

Qiuju lowered her voice and whispered to her mistress beside her, "Your Highness, please rest assured. We acted cautiously and did not disturb anyone else in the mansion. Now, let me take you directly to the princess's courtyard."

Although it was late at night, the Pan residence was still brightly lit, as if it were daytime. With a group of well-trained guards and imposing Imperial Guards clearing the way, they moved as if they were in an empty place, arriving smoothly and quickly at the courtyard where the princess resided.

The courtyard appeared quite elegant and pleasant, with a tranquil and serene environment. As they approached the door, a sudden angry shout erupted from inside. Pan Yue yelled, "Hurry up! What are you dawdling for? Quickly peel all these walnuts for me, using your delicate little hands!" Immediately following was a series of repulsive, lewd laughs, "Jiaojiao, how about it? Having a princess serve you, isn't that wonderful? Hahahaha..."

Upon hearing this, Gu Xinyue's eyebrows furrowed, her beautiful eyes widened, and she shouted, "Throw them into the yard!" Before she finished speaking, two dark figures flashed past like ghosts, and in the blink of an eye, they threw Pan Yue and his concubine out of the house like chickens. However, those present didn't even see what happened clearly; they only heard two muffled thuds, and then saw a disheveled man and woman lying face down on the ground in the yard.

Pan Yue was initially dazed and confused from the fall, unable to recover for a long time. Once he regained some composure, he flew into a rage, shouting at the top of his lungs, "Who is it? Who dares to be so audacious as to provoke us? Are they tired of living?" But as he continued his tirade, he suddenly felt a chill on his neck; a gleaming blade was already firmly pressed against it. In an instant, Pan Yue seemed frozen in place, immediately falling silent, not daring to utter another word.