frightfiction Chapter 276 Shangguan Yunting and Shen Rou Return
Chapter 276 Shangguan Yunting and Shen Rou Return
Concubine Rong leaned back on the bed, gently stroking her abdomen, a fierce look flashing in her eyes. "Shangguan Mo, I would have been pregnant with the heir even without you. If you dare to harm my son, I will fight you to the death, and I will also disturb the peace of your Daqi Palace."
"Your Majesty, when the Emperor learned that you were pregnant, he was all smiles. He must be looking forward to the Sixth Prince's arrival."
"He's a man of deep thoughts, and you can't fathom his true intentions. If he was hoping I'd get pregnant, he wouldn't have ordered musk to be added to the incense in my bedroom. I used to think he doted on me, but it was all an illusion."
"He's a monster in human form, a beast in heart. He wants to use me to contain Northern Yan, and he's also worried that I might give birth to a prince who will seize the throne of Great Qi. So, he's going all out by making me infertile and relieving him of his worries."
"Mammy, from now on, you will be in charge of my meals and my bedroom, just in case he tries to harm my unborn child."
"Your Majesty, even a tiger won't eat its own cubs. The Emperor won't harm the prince in your womb; he's his offspring."
"Mammy, send someone to Beiyan to report this. My brother knows I'm pregnant, and he's using the New Year as an excuse to congratulate the Emperor. He'll be wary."
"Old slave, I obey."
Qifei Palace
Concubine Qi was furious when she learned that Shangguan Rui would rather marry a powerless county lady than her niece Zhuang Shiwan as his principal wife.
Now he learned that Prince Mu and Princess Mu were not dead, and had given birth to twins who would arrive in the capital soon. He was so angry that his internal organs ached.
She only had one princess, and the Third Prince, without a mother, had married her niece as his principal wife. The entire family planned his future for her. When he ascended the throne, she could have taken the throne of Empress Dowager. However, the Third Prince was stubborn and refused to marry another girl, which made her furious.
The emperor also wanted to plan for the future of the third prince, so he married the daughters of the Zhuang and Song families, as well as the daughter of the Lin family, the assistant minister of the Ministry of Revenue, as his concubines. With the top support of the three major families in the court, the third prince had a promising future.
Upon hearing the news of Prince Mu and his wife's return, Concubine Qi was so angry that she threw the teacup in her hand and said through gritted teeth, "Prince Mu, why did you come back at this time instead of earlier? This has made the already difficult situation even more complicated. You just can't stand me doing well, right?"
"My Lady, Prince Mu and Princess Mu have been dead for two or three years. Is this news reliable?"
"Could it be possible that the news coming out of the Emperor's palace is false?"
"I'm not sure if this news is true or not. After all, Guard Han and his men saw Prince Mu and his wife jump into the deep sea with their own eyes. They searched for them in the deep sea for over a month. Is there any chance of survival if they jump into the rough sea?"
"Mammy, do you think this person wants to return as King Mu?"
"I'm not sure about this. Didn't the eldest son of the He family use a human skin mask to deceive the ministers and the emperor? He Fan has not been brought to justice yet. This situation is not impossible."
"We'll find out when they come back."
"Mammy, please ask him to come over after my father finishes his morning court session."
"Old slave, I obey."
Not long after, Lord Zhuang, the Minister of War, came slowly. Seeing his daughter's angry face, he knew what was going on.
"Your humble servant pays respect to Her Majesty the Concubine Qi."
"Daddy, there's no need for such a grand ceremony."
"Royal rules cannot be broken."
"Dad, do you think the news that Prince Mu and his wife have returned is reliable? Could Prince Mu be an imposter?"
"This news should be correct. Anyone who dares to impersonate Prince Mu in front of the Emperor and the Queen Mother will soon be exposed."
"Then this is true. King Mu's return will probably disrupt all our plans."
"Don't worry, Your Majesty. Although Prince Mu has returned, he has been missing for many years and spent a lot of time in the military camp. His position at court is unstable. The current situation still depends on the Emperor's decision."
"Father, while the Emperor is in a good mood, how about asking for permission to marry?"
"The Emperor is indeed in a good mood because of Prince Mu's return, but this matter will take time. If the Emperor hasn't granted the Third Prince a marriage after the New Year, it won't be too late for you to ask for permission then."
"Father, if there's no hope for the Third Prince, why not place our hopes on the Second Prince? What do you think?"
"Your Majesty, the Emperor has ignored the Second Prince because of the Huo family, and his future is bleak. Many people in the court are optimistic about the Third Prince, and many are also optimistic about the First Prince. After all, he is the eldest son and has a better chance of inheriting the throne. However, the Second Prince's chances are slim."
"One wrong decision affects the future of the entire banker family. There's no need to rush this matter. Even if the Emperor agrees to let the Third Prince marry Shen Xue for Princess Mu's sake, there are still two positions for concubines. If all else fails, we can only promise Shi Wan to the Third Prince as a concubine. When the Third Prince ascends the throne in the future, our banker family can still prosper for decades."
After hearing what Master Zhuang said, Concubine Qi frowned, "Father, are you really going to let Shiwan suffer? She's the eldest daughter of the Minister of War's mansion. Are you willing to let her be someone's concubine?"
Master Zhuang sighed, "Your Majesty, this is the best solution at the moment. Unless the Zhuang family no longer wants to be royal relatives and only wants to be courtiers, then she can only be a concubine."
"Let's wait until Prince Mu returns before making any plans."
"That's all."
Shen Xue sat in the room with Shangguan Rui, drinking tea and chatting. Han Lin hurried over with a letter, "I greet the Third Prince and the County Lady."
"Han Lin, why are you in such a hurry? Did something happen?"
Han Lin handed the letter to Shen Xue, "County Lady, this is great news. This is news from the master."
Shen Xue took the letter and asked doubtfully, "What master?"
"The master and princess are back?"
Shangguan Rui and Shen Xue stood up suddenly, and asked in surprise, "Who? Who's back?"
"Our masters, His Royal Highness Prince Mu and Princess Mu, gave birth to twin boys on the island. They will arrive in the capital soon."
Shen Xue hurriedly opened the letter and was immediately overwhelmed with excitement. "Brother Rui, look, this is my eldest sister's handwriting. The four of them will soon arrive in the capital. She and her brother-in-law gave birth to twins on the deserted island. It's great that I'm an aunt."
Shangguan Rui took the letter and read it. The content was indeed as expected, but he was not sure whether the news was true or not. He was also worried that someone might misrepresent the news and take advantage of the chaos to stir up trouble in the capital.
"Xiaoxue, are you sure this handwriting belongs to your eldest sister?"
Shen Xue smiled widely, tears of excitement welling up in her eyes. She said with a firm look in her eyes, "I'm sure this handwriting was written by my eldest sister. The news must be correct. My eldest sister and brother-in-law must have returned safely. We will all be reunited in a few days."
"Han Lin, when will my grandparents arrive in the capital?"
"About three days."
"Send someone to tell Xiaonan the good news, so he can be happy too."
"Yes."
At this time, Bei Ze came over, smiling broadly, and said, "Master, there's news from the palace that His Royal Highness Prince Mu and Princess Mu have returned safely with their two young masters."
"Brother Rui, don't doubt it. This news is absolutely reliable. It must be my eldest sister and brother-in-law who have returned with my two little nephews."
"I also hope that Uncle Nine and Aunt Huang will really come back."
The two smiled at each other, too excited to speak.