flstandardbreds Chapter 180 Consort Qing Has Gone Mad
Chapter 180 Consort Qing Has Gone Mad
"We know what to do from now on," Jinse hurriedly stepped forward, bowing her head and responding respectfully.
"You should do the same. Don't just praise the Crown Prince and Yao'er in front of Cheng'er. If you're going to praise someone, you have to treat them equally and not leave anyone out. Otherwise, this disparity in treatment will become a sharp blade that could take a life at any moment, and it could even become a deadly blade that destroys his entire life!" Su Nuannuan said sharply, her eyes blazing as she looked at Jinse.
"Yes, this servant will definitely explain this matter to Granny Jin and the others in detail." Jinse nodded solemnly in response.
"I do not expect them to achieve great things or accomplish any glorious career in the future. All I ask is that they grow up safely and peacefully, marry and have children, and when they are old, be surrounded by their children and grandchildren and enjoy the happiness of family life."
Otherwise, why would I have agreed to Her Majesty the Empress's request to temporarily place the Crown Prince under my care at such a difficult time? I did this simply in the hope that the Crown Prince would remember this kindness in the future and protect him and his sister in times of crisis. Su Nuannuan raised her head slightly, looked towards the side hall, sighed softly, and said slowly.
Time flies by, and before you know it, it's the end of the month. Yingqiu clutches the token given to her by the Empress tightly in her hand and hurryes to the gate of Cuiwei Palace.
"Your Majesty, Miss Yingqiu is knocking on the palace gate with a token, saying that the epidemic has passed and Empress Ying has ordered that the Crown Prince be brought back to Anning Palace." Li Quan rushed in and bowed to Su Nuannuan to report the situation.
Upon hearing this, Su Nuannuan, who was teaching three children, immediately paused in her actions. She frowned slightly and said softly to them, "You all stay here obediently and don't move around. I'll go out and see what's going on." With that, Su Nuannuan stood up, gently shook off the wrinkles in her clothes, and then quickly walked to the clothes rack. Jinse picked up a thick cloak and draped it over Su Nuannuan's shoulders, and the two of them then slowly walked outside.
Before long, Su Nuannuan arrived at the palace gate. Through the gate, she asked softly, "Is that Miss Yingqiu outside?"
Upon hearing Su Nuannuan's question, Ying Qiu, who was guarding outside the palace gate, hurriedly and respectfully replied, "Replying to Consort Zhuang, it is indeed this servant. Now that the epidemic has passed, Her Majesty the Empress has specially instructed this servant to come with a token to escort His Highness the Crown Prince back to the palace."
Upon hearing this, Su Nuannuan turned to look at Li Quan beside her. Li Quan understood and immediately gave a wink to Xiao Xizi, the gatekeeper. Xiao Xizi understood immediately and carefully opened the palace gate a crack. After seeing that Ying Qiu was indeed holding a token, he reached out and took the token, then quickly turned and handed it to Su Nuannuan.
Su Nuannuan carefully examined the two tokens in her hand, and then put her half together with the other half that Ying Qiu had given her.
With a soft "click," the two halves of the token, which had been separated, fit together perfectly as a single, complete piece. After repeatedly confirming that there were no problems with the token, Su Nuannuan nodded slightly, signaling to Li Quan that the palace gates could be opened.
"This servant greets Consort Zhuang!" Ying Qiu stood respectfully outside the wide-open palace gates, bowing slightly to Su Nuannuan.
Su Nuannuan smiled and gently waved for her to stand up, saying softly, "Miss Yingqiu, there's no need for such formality. Please rise."
After Yingqiu straightened up, Su Nuannuan continued, "His Highness the Crown Prince is currently attending a class with me, and the lesson is not yet over. When get out of class ends, I will send someone to escort His Highness the Crown Prince and Miss Yingchun back to Anning Palace. I hope Miss Yingqiu will report this matter truthfully to Her Majesty the Empress upon her return."
Upon hearing this, Yingqiu quickly bowed again and replied, "Yes. Since His Highness the Crown Prince is still in class, then this servant will not disturb him any longer. However, I would like to trouble Consort Zhuang to send someone to escort His Highness the Crown Prince safely to Anning Palace." After saying this, Yingqiu bowed very respectfully again before turning around and slowly leaving.
Watching Ying Qiu's receding figure, Su Nuannuan pondered for a moment before turning to Li Quan beside her and softly instructing, "Li Quan, go out and find out if anything unusual has happened during this epidemic."
"Yes, Your servant obeys!" Li Quan quickly bowed and acknowledged the order, then hurriedly left the palace to inquire about the news.
After the lesson ended, Su Nuannuan immediately summoned Tingxue and Yaoqin and instructed them to carefully escort the Crown Prince and Yingchun back to Anning Palace.
Before they could return, Li Quan rushed back in a hurry. Upon seeing Su Nuannuan, he said anxiously, "Your Majesty, Consort Qing has gone mad."
"Has Consort Qing gone mad?" Su Nuannuan exclaimed, her eyes wide with disbelief.
Li Quan, who was standing nearby, quickly replied, "Your Majesty, that is indeed the case. The Sixth Prince unfortunately contracted the plague and died young. Since then, Consort Qing has gone mad."
Su Nuannuan frowned, full of suspicion, and asked, "This is really strange. Didn't the palaces close their gates long ago? Even if the Imperial Household Department sent some supplies to the palaces, they shouldn't have contracted the epidemic."
Li Quan bowed slightly and replied in a low voice, "According to the information I have gathered, this was something Consort Qing brought upon herself. She actually used the Sixth Prince to compete for the Emperor's favor, deliberately letting the Sixth Prince contract the plague, hoping to use this to attract the Emperor's attention."
Upon hearing this, Su Nuannuan stomped her feet in anger and cursed, "She's utterly foolish! Even at this point, she's still only thinking about vying for the emperor's favor. Doesn't she know that during this epidemic, the emperor is so busy and overwhelmed that he has no time to indulge in pleasure in the harem?"
"That poor child, he died when he was just over a year old. The Emperor didn't have many children to begin with, and now he's lost one too," Su Nuannuan said with a sigh as she sat down.
Su Nuannuan simply couldn't understand what was going on in Consort Qing's head; her actions were utterly foolish. Now, not only had she killed her own son, but she had also driven herself mad.
However, Su Nuannuan secretly wondered if this madness was just an act, perhaps a way to avoid the Emperor's punishment. Thinking this, she pressed on, "Then how did the Emperor and Empress handle this matter?"