Chapter 87
Zhu Jingchen remained silent. Whether there was a misunderstanding or not, he couldn’t say for sure at the moment.
However, a seed of doubt had undeniably been planted.
Outwardly, Zhu Jingchen appeared calm and unaffected, but inwardly, jealousy churned within him like an overturned vinegar jar.
Damn you, Xu Heming! I treated you as my most trusted confidant, and yet you dare to covet my women!
Sure, he had many consorts, but that was no excuse for Xu Heming to steal one of them.
The thought made Zhu Jingchen’s chest tighten. He couldn’t even guess which of his women had been seduced by Xu Heming.
Consort De? Concubine Lan? Or perhaps one of the others—Consort Xian, Consort Liang, Consort Shu?
Or maybe even Concubine Xia?
The more he pondered, the deeper his frown grew.
He mentally ran through the entire harem—everyone except the empress—yet he still couldn’t figure out who would dare to engage in an affair with an outsider.
What baffled him most was that he kept Xu Heming busy with numerous tasks every day. Where did he even find the time to seduce one of my consorts?
And why had he noticed nothing?
"Liu Xi," Zhu Jingchen finally asked the eunuch beside him, "who does Xu Heming usually associate with?"
Liu Xi tensed at the question.
Is His Majesty suspecting me now?
Under Zhu Jingchen’s scrutinizing gaze, Liu Xi carefully considered his answer.
Prince An was responsible for handling various duties for the emperor, often so busy that he sometimes went three days without returning to his own residence.
If asked how often Prince An visited his own palace, Liu Xi could answer immediately. But as for who he interacted with most frequently…
That required some thought.
"Your Majesty," Liu Xi finally replied, "if we’re speaking of those closest to Prince An, it would likely be you and this old servant."
After all, Prince An reported to the emperor daily, and Liu Xi was always present for those meetings.
So, naturally, the two people who saw Prince An the most were the emperor and himself.
"Damn it, then who is that adulteress?" Zhu Jingchen growled, unsatisfied with the answer. How could Xu Heming have seduced one of my women right under my nose?
Soon, the group arrived at the gates of the Cold Palace.
Zhu Hanyu finally felt his father come to a stop. The entire journey had nearly made him sick.
"Father, put me down!" he weakly patted Zhu Jingchen’s back.
"Ah, you’re still on my back?" Zhu Jingchen quickly set him down, grumbling internally. This brat really takes advantage—can’t even walk a few steps without making me carry him. No consideration for his old man at all.
Zhu Hanyu gasped for breath, but his urgency returned when he spotted the dog hole ahead. Remembering that Xu Qingshi was still in the clutches of that vile woman, he rushed forward.
"Father, hurry! We have to save Qingshi! If we don’t go now, it’ll be too late!"
He was about to crawl through the hole when Zhu Jingchen yanked him back by the collar.
"You little rascal, you expect me to go through that?" Zhu Jingchen pointed at himself in disbelief.
The attendants all averted their eyes, suppressing laughter. Only the third prince would dare suggest such a thing to the emperor.
Zhu Jingchen’s lips twitched. This is my own son, telling me, the sovereign of the nation, to crawl through a dog hole?
Anyone who didn’t know better would think Xu Qingshi was someone of immense importance to him.
If he actually went through with this, he might as well discard his dignity as emperor.
Inside the Cold Palace—
"Originally, I thought killing just one of you today would be enough to vent my anger," Liu Ruyan sneered. "But now this little bastard has delivered himself to me. It seems the heavens are on my side—today, I’ll remove both of you stumbling blocks at once!"
The thought of Li Zhiwei and Xu Qingshi both dead filled her with glee. With them gone, Prince An would belong to her alone. No one could take him away.
"You crazy woman! Even if you kill me and my mother, my father would never marry you!" Xu Qingshi, still a child, wore his emotions plainly—liking or disliking someone with no middle ground.
Right now, he hated Liu Ruyan. The idea of his father bringing such a stepmother into their household was unbearable.
If that happened, his life would be miserable.
He had taken Zhu Hanyu’s warnings about palace intrigue to heart.
"Consort Liu," Li Zhiwei interjected carefully, "you are one of the most esteemed women in the world. Surely this is just a momentary lapse in judgment. There is no affair between you and Prince An—don’t throw away your future and his for a fleeting delusion!"
She had realized by now that this woman was utterly deranged.
Liu Ruyan was infatuated with Xu Heming.
Whether Xu Heming reciprocated or not, Li Zhiwei didn’t know.
But for now, her strategy was to placate the woman and buy time.
Outnumbered and outmatched, she and Xu Qingshi stood no chance otherwise.
As she spoke, she subtly shifted to shield Xu Qingshi behind her.
"Stepmother, are you stupid?" Xu Qingshi muttered, annoyed by her flattery.
"Quiet, child!" Li Zhiwei hissed through gritted teeth.
This little troublemaker is going to ruin everything.
Only a fool would resist blindly.
Survival required playing along—at least until an opportunity arose.
"Oh? The fox finally shows her tail," Liu Ruyan taunted, amused. "Little bastard, why not switch sides? Maybe I’ll spare your worthless life."
She had no real intention of letting him live, of course. It was just a cruel game.
Prince An was hers. The title of Prince An’s Heir would belong only to her son.
Xu Qingshi bit his lip, tears welling as he clung to Li Zhiwei’s back.
"Ungrateful brat!" Liu Ruyan spat when he refused to come to her side.
"Consort Liu," Li Zhiwei warned, "Qingshi is Prince An’s son. If you harm him, Prince An will never forgive you."
Where is Xu Heming? Why hasn’t he come yet?
"He’s just a child. If this one dies, I can give him ten more—each more useful than this one!" Liu Ruyan retorted, her gaze burning with envy.
If not for that scheming Madam Zhou stealing the advantage years ago, she would have been Prince An’s wife, and her son would be the heir.
"Liar!" Xu Qingshi burst out, horrified at the thought of sharing a home with this woman’s offspring.
Any child of hers would surely be just as wicked.
Terrified, he began sobbing uncontrollably, his mind conjuring images of Liu Ruyan’s imaginary sons ganging up on him.
He was just one boy—how could he fight off so many?
