"In that case, Princess Consort Qi should divorce Prince Qi. That despicable man bullied both sisters—such a man deserves to be thrown to the dogs.
As for her only daughter, even if she were scrubbed clean, she’s beyond saving. It’s better to pretend she was never born."
Princess Consort Qi lowered her head, her expression unreadable, but the slight trembling of her hands betrayed her emotions.
Her daughter… as she had suspected, held little affection for her mother.
And her sister—she had no idea her sister had suffered such humiliation.
[Indeed, Xie Zhiyao is even less useful than a piece of roasted pork. Early next year, Chai Jin will succumb to illness, followed shortly by Princess Consort Qi, who will perish from a bout of cold.
Within half a year, Xie Linlang will marry into Prince Qi’s household as his second wife.
The most shameless part? Prince Qi’s excuse was that the sisters looked alike—claiming he was so devoted to his late wife that he married her widowed elder sister, who bore a striking resemblance to her.
With that, he insulted both sisters in one stroke.]
"How utterly shameless! Did Chai Jin die a natural death? Who orchestrated Princess Consort Qi’s demise?"
[Chai Jin died after rescuing Feng Linlang from drowning during an early spring chill. He fell severely ill from the ordeal, and his condition worsened over months.
Feng Linlang’s fall into the water was orchestrated by Prince Qi—he had planned to jump in and save her himself, but Chai Jin intervened and rescued his own wife instead.
Later, Chai Jin’s medicine was secretly swapped by Prince Qi’s men. Otherwise, why would Feng Linlang recover quickly while Chai Jin perished?
The entire scheme was masterminded by Prince Qi!
Years later, Chai Jin’s son uncovered the truth, along with his mother’s suffering. On a moonless night, mother and son plotted their revenge—pushing Prince Qi into a cesspit and drowning him.
Thus, they avenged both husband and sister.
As for Princess Consort Qi, her illness took her within half a month. The culprit? Prince Qi Xie Qi once again, with the help of the heir and his wife.
Hmm… Xie Zhiyao eventually found out, but by then, Princess Consort Qi was beyond saving. She chose to remain silent.
After her death, Xie Zhiyao used this knowledge to negotiate with Prince Qi, demanding shared power with the heir. Their family was plotting rebellion, and Xie Zhiyao was already preparing to become crown princess.
One could say her foresight was… impressively ambitious! Hahaha…]
"Did Prince Qi have a hand in Emperor Mingxi’s poisoning when Concubine Xian Zhou made her move?"
[Oh, more than just a hand! Concubine Xian Zhou slept with four men in her life—the first was Emperor Mingxi, the second was Chonghua, the third was her guard cousin Zhuo Fei, and the fourth? None other than Prince Qi Xie Qi!]
"Sisters sharing a husband, brothers sharing a wife—how scandalously thrilling!"
Feng Suiyu: Sisters sharing a husband! Just let the world burn!
Emperor Mingxi: Brothers sharing a wife? That vile woman doesn’t deserve the title of wife! Let them all perish!
Yue Fuguang subtly glanced around the room, especially at Emperor Mingxi, whose face darkened by the second. She decided to nudge him.
Rein it in—if you’re not careful, she’ll notice!
"Little Zhu, don’t you think the atmosphere’s grown strange? The Emperor looks furious, and Princess Consort Qi is trembling. What’s happening?"
[Should I try investigating—] Before the system could finish, a loud smack echoed, followed by a crack—thud!—cutting off Yue Fuguang and the system’s exchange.
The smack was Emperor Mingxi slamming the table.
The crack—thud! was the table shattering under his force and collapsing. The noise startled everyone in the hall, even summoning guards from outside.
Seeing eight guards rush in, Emperor Mingxi waved them off. Then, glaring at Prince Qi, he commanded coldly, "Xie Qi, kneel!"
To Princess Consort Qi, he said, "Princess Consort Qi, the Empress mentioned you had something to report. Since the Empress Dowager is also present, speak freely."
His emphasis on speak freely was unmistakable. The shrewd Princess Consort Qi understood immediately.
She knelt and kowtowed deeply before declaring, "Your Majesty, Empress Dowager—I beg for justice! I wish to… divorce Prince Qi!"
"Divorce Prince Qi? Why? Weren’t the two of you harmonious? How did it come to this?" The Empress Dowager swiftly guided the conversation.
Princess Consort Qi glanced at the Empress, then shuffled forward on her knees. "Mother Dowager, days ago, Prince Qi insisted on marrying Zhiyao to the Yu family’s eldest son. I opposed it, and we quarreled.
We hadn’t spoken since. The more I thought, the more unsuitable the match seemed, so I went to his study to discuss it.
But outside his door, I heard… laughter and flirtatious murmurs. Assuming it was a bold concubine, I turned to leave.
Just as I hid behind a flowering tree, the study door swung open. I heard Prince Qi order a servant, ‘The Princess Consort is hungry—fetch her a bowl of bird’s nest soup!’"
Here, she paused, as if gathering her words. "I was right there—so who was this ‘Princess Consort’ in his study?
While the servant left, I crept closer to peek inside. And what did I see?
The late Concubine Hu—sitting on Prince Qi’s lap, embraced like a lover! To legitimize her son under my name, he faked her death!
Since Prince Qi has already crowned her his true princess consort, I yield my position. I beg Your Majesty and Mother Dowager to grant me this divorce!"
"You lie!" Prince Qi roared, seeing the Emperor and Empress Dowager’s expressions darken with belief. "Feng Suiyu, you vile woman—how dare you slander me!"
Though he had secretly kept Concubine Hu, they hadn’t met recently—let alone in his study! Their last rendezvous was over a month ago, through a hidden passage known only to him, Lady Hu, and their son. Feng Suiyu was bluffing!
Prince Qi’s harassment of Feng Linlang seemed noticed by her husband, Chai Jin, who now shadowed his wife everywhere, even her visits home.
Chai Jin had also begun investigating him in secret. Just as Prince Qi plotted to eliminate this threat, his own household erupted in chaos.
"Mother Dowager, Your Majesty—I swear, I merely sought solace in a woman who resembled my late Concubine Hu! My wife misunderstood! There could never be another princess consort besides Feng Suiyu in my household!"
"Another replacement trope?"
