Chapter 98: Chapter 98
Emperor Yongning went to great lengths to avoid the issue at hand, but unexpectedly found himself entangled in yet another.
The core problem of these two matters ultimately boils down to the same issue.
Since Emperor Yongning was able to dodge the first one, he naturally would not be thwarted by the second.
This time, he firmly accused Nanny Li of talking nonsense, insisting her words were not true. Jun Ning, despite her attempts at sophistry, found herself somewhat powerless against the resolute Emperor Yongning.
She considered breaking the pot to pieces, calling out those in Jiaofang Palace for a confrontation.
But with Emperor Yongning’s stance, even if she called them out, what could it achieve? Could it change Emperor Yongning, the highest authority’s, mind?
Thus, this path was blocked too, inaccessible.
Yet, Jun Ning was not inclined to give up this path.
She prepared to speak harshly, "Father, you sincerely don’t want to clear up my doubts, do you?"
Emperor Yongning remained silent, which was as good as an acknowledgment.
"Fine." Jun Ning nodded, fiercely and childishly saying, "Then I won’t be the Eighteenth Princess anymore, whoever wants it can have it!"
Saying this, the little girl angrily took off her dress, undid her twin buns, and removed the pearl earrings from her ears and the golden necklace from around her neck.
With her hands, she gathered all her hair into a bun, reverting to her boyish self.
She provocatively turned her head to pat her bottom at Emperor Yongning, then left.
Emperor Yongning: "..............."
Emperor Yongning clutched his aching chest, watching helplessly as his treasure left the Imperial Study Room, his eyes full of reluctance, pain, helplessness, struggle...
But ultimately, he neither got up to chase after her nor ordered anyone else to, while an internal conflict raged within his heart.
Qiong Hua came from the wild lands of the north.
In recent years, the north frequently invaded the Dong Chu Kingdom, causing the people at the borders of Dong Chu immense suffering. Dong Chu had to dispatch heavy troops to suppress them, expending much manpower, resources, and wealth to subdue the northern barbarians, eventually leading them to send a Peace Princess for reconciliation.
And this Peace Princess was Qiong Hua.
On her first day entering the Dong Chu harem, at the welcoming banquet, Emperor Yongning prepared infertility medicine for her, intending for her to consume it unknowingly, thus ensuring her barrenness to maintain the Dong Chu royal bloodline’s purity and prevent further northern barbarian invasions.
Unexpectedly, the wine laced with the medicine was mistakenly drunk by the Empress.
And a month after that night, Qiong Hua was pregnant.
Emperor Yongning hesitated to act further, the saying goes that a tiger, though cruel, does not eat its cubs!
He eventually acknowledged the child Qiong Hua was carrying.
But on the day Qiong Hua was giving birth, due to the northern matter, they had some arguments, compounded by Qiong Hua carrying twins yet giving birth to a stillborn, and on that same day, a major locust plague occurred at the Jiangnan Grain Storehouse, with the Astronomical Bureau predicting bad fortune for Dong Chu due to this stillborn.
Amid these various contradictions, Qiong Hua was sentenced to the Cold Palace, and the surviving twin was naturally handed over to the Queen for nurturing.
When he handed over the child to the Queen, Emperor Yongning had no intention of ever returning the Seventeenth Prince to Qiong Hua.
Even now, when Qiong Hua refuses to leave the Cold Palace because of it, he has not changed this stance.
Yet the emergence of the Eighteenth Princess brought a major upheaval.
His princess... his treasure...
He cherished this daughter dearly, wishing she could always remain his little princess, always by his side, and he knew this in his heart, even more than those around him.
However, understanding is one thing, action is another.
The northern barbarians have recently been causing disturbances again, so he will never return the Seventeenth Prince to Qiong Hua for upbringing.
In the end, reason triumphed over emotion.
Emperor Yongning suppressed the thought of enlightening Jun Ning, deciding to maintain the status quo for now.
Jun Ning, disheartened, came to the Cold Palace.
Qiong Hua, seeing her child in such a state, worriedly asked, "Yi Yi, what’s happened to you?"
"Mother..." After the Imperial Physician’s treatment over the past two days, Qiong Hua’s wounds were better now, allowing Jun Ning to throw herself into Qiong Hua’s arms with reassurance, softly murmuring, "Who exactly is Ah Yu’s mother, and why won’t Father tell me?"
When Qiong Hua heard the name Ah Yu, her hand trembled slightly. ʀᴇᴀᴅ ʟᴀᴛᴇsᴛ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀs ᴀᴛ 𝔫𝔬𝔳𝔢𝔩⟡𝘧𝙞𝙧𝙚⟡𝘯𝘦𝘵
"Ah Yu’s mother?" She feigned indifference, tentatively asking, "Yi Yi, why do you suddenly ask this?"
Jun Ning: "In the Empress’s care, Ah Yu has never fared well. The Empress always forces him to do various things. Especially studying; if he doesn’t do well, she’s either beating or scolding, even denying him food."
Jun Ning: "To understand, Ah Yu is just two and a half years old now."
How can he endure such torment from the Empress?
"What?" Qiong Hua’s heart instantly became chaotic.
As the Queen, the head of the harem, was this really how she treated Ah Yu?
Wasn’t she afraid of becoming the subject of gossip?
Jun Ning, unaware of her mother’s emotional shift, continued forlornly, "Today, I climbed a tree to Jiaofang Palace to see Ah Yu, and saw him kneeling while studying. And in this heat, the Empress didn’t even give him ice. Ah Yu is truly suffering."
Jun Ning’s words were full of heartache.
Qiong Hua listened with equal heartache, her tears uncontrollably flowing.
But she dared not let Jun Ning see her crying, and fortunately, since Jun Ning was nestled in her arms talking to her, she didn’t notice.
She hurriedly lifted her head to wipe them, chokingly asking, "Yi Yi, is this true?"
"Mother, why does your voice sound off?" Jun Ning asked, looking up.
Seeing Qiong Hua’s red eyes, Jun Ning was even more baffled, "Mother, why are your eyes red? Did you cry secretly before I came? But no, when I first came in, I didn’t see your eyes red!"
"......" Qiong Hua was silent for a moment, sighing at Jun Ning’s keen observation, and struggled with how to explain, "... Ah, there was a bug in mother’s eye just now, I rubbed it a bit, so naturally my eyes turned a little red."
Although Jun Ning appeared to accept Qiong Hua’s explanation, in reality, her heart was suddenly filled with many more doubts.
Why did mother react that way when she mentioned Ah Yu wasn’t faring well?
Moreover, the first time mother met Ah Yu, learning he was the Empress’s son, her reaction seemed slightly off as well.
Furthermore, she and Ah Yu seemed about the same age!
No, they are the same age!
Jun Ning’s mind was suddenly beset with a possibility that she and Ah Yu might be twins, and mother refuses to leave the Cold Palace because she’s trying to reclaim Ah Yu from the Empress on behalf of Emperor Yongning?
With this theory, Jun Ning wanted to immediately ask her mother to get confirmation.
But she suddenly recalled the consequences of bluntly questioning Emperor Yongning...