Chapter 5778: Picking a Fight
Qiao Lin smiled slightly and waved her hand. "No need to trouble yourselves so much. I'll go back to my room and rest for a bit. We can talk about anything else later."
The servants naturally agreed, eagerly escorting her. Qiao Lin wasn't actually too tired from her journey; after all, they had been stopping and going, and Mo Yu hadn't rushed her through the twists and turns. Moreover, with her current physique, even traveling for three or five days without rest wouldn't make her too weary.
While Qiao Lin rested, Qiao Mu's group's return to the palace naturally caused a stir among everyone. The two first visited Empress Dowager Meng, exchanged pleasantries, and then rushed to pay their respects to Empress Zhao.
Meanwhile, the old king, maintaining his paternal dignity, waited in his bedchamber, and waited, and waited, until the lamps were lit, yet his son, daughter-in-law, and beloved grandson still hadn't come to pay their respects. The old king couldn't hold back any longer. He quickly ordered a carriage, intending to go to Empress Zhao's Jinyang Palace to see what was going on. Unexpectedly, just as he stepped out the door, before his imperial posterior even sat in the carriage, he saw a line of carriages with pearl-draped canopies approaching.
Consort Li from Zhuhua Palace gracefully alighted from her palanquin, bowed to the old king, and said delicately, "Greetings, Your Majesty."
The old king's eyes narrowed into slits. "My dear concubine, why have you come?"
"This concubine heard that the former Crown Prince and Crown Princess have returned to the palace, and thought it necessary to come and see them." As she spoke, a hint of surprise appeared in her eyes. "What? Have they not come to pay their respects to Your Majesty?"
The old king coughed lightly, an awkward expression unconsciously appearing on his face. She just had to bring that up!
Consort Li covered her small mouth with a cloud-patterned silk handkerchief, feigning shock. "This concubine has also heard about the former Crown Prince and Crown Princess's actions. It is said that they are both very powerful figures. Could it be that they don't even hold His Majesty in their regard?"
The old king immediately became displeased upon hearing this. He usually saw this Consort Li as gentle and tender, yet today she was badmouthing his son and daughter-in-law in front of him? The old king found these words extremely unpleasant to hear, and his face immediately darkened.
Li Ruiying had a hint of smugness on her face, thinking that the king had been swayed by her few words and had developed a rift with the former Crown Prince and Crown Princess. Unexpectedly, the king flicked his sleeve, stomped into the carriage, and said angrily, "Depart! To Jinyang Palace." He simply left, completely ignoring her.
Li Ruiying was dumbfounded. She had never seen the king leave her behind like this after barely two sentences. Was the king angry at her?
Consort Li's steps faltered with anger. A middle-aged palace maid beside her quickly reached out to support her, sighing and advising, "Your Highness, didn't this servant tell you earlier? His Majesty's love for his son is well known. It's truly unwise for you to badmouth those two in front of His Majesty right now."
"Those two now hold extraordinary status. The best course of action is to befriend them. To take a step back, even if you don't become friends, there's no need to make enemies."
Li Ruiying secretly clenched her silk handkerchief, a surge of anger in her heart. "His Majesty never treated me like this before. Is he actually abandoning me here for the sake of an adopted son?"
Unheeded Warnings
The middle-aged palace maid quickly continued to persuade, "Your Highness, His Majesty is benevolent and spoils his children, as you well know. Haven't you repeatedly suffered losses when you clashed with the Crown Prince before?"
"Why bother making things difficult for yourself? You know His Majesty has this temperament, yet you deliberately provoke him. Your Highness, I tell you, your most important task now is to have your own offspring; only then can you truly establish yourself in this imperial harem."
"You are still so young; there is much time ahead."
But Li Ruiying simply couldn't calm her anger. "You saw just now how badly my Huaizhu was harmed by them!"
"The Crown Prince completely disregards me!"
The middle-aged palace maid advised, "The Crown Prince is powerful, and the court is rock-solid and unshakeable. Why must Your Highness try to hit a stone with an egg?"
"In this servant's humble opinion, there are many heroes and young talents in Beimo. Why must Your Highness insist on tying Princess Huaizhu to the Crown Prince? If the Crown Prince has no intention of marrying the princess, who can force him?"
"Given His Majesty's love for his son and Empress Zhao's protectiveness, Your Highness, it's best not to focus your thoughts on the Crown Prince's marriage."
"How is my Huaizhu so bad? Is she truly unworthy of the Beimo Crown Prince?" Li Ruiying grew angrier as she spoke, grinding her teeth hatefully. "You saw it just now, Huaizhu's face. Thankfully, the bones weren't injured. But even with just those minor scratches on her face, it'll take at least half a month for them to completely fade."
"The Crown Prince went to pick up Huaizhu, and they traveled back together. This should have been such a natural progression. But that sister of the former Crown Princess inserted herself! Hah, they're trying to steal him from me!"
"Your Highness!" The middle-aged palace maid turned in surprise, making a gesture to cover her mouth. "Your Highness, please mind your words!"
"I simply cannot swallow this!" Li Ruiying retorted. "Third Aunt, you don't need to persuade me. I know what I need to do next."
The middle-aged palace maid, named Third Aunt, was startled by the resolute look on Consort Li's face. She opened her mouth to persuade her again, but saw Consort Li turn and board her carriage, coldly ordering, "To Jinyang Palace."
"Your Highness, Your Highness, please reconsider!" Third Aunt was sweating profusely, anxious. She had a bad feeling. She felt that Consort Li was essentially courting disaster! Going to Jinyang Palace now carried too obvious an intention of picking a fight. Just now, His Majesty was already displeased, and only out of their past affection did he not openly reprimand Consort Li. Now, if Consort Li eagerly rushed to Empress Zhao's Jinyang Palace and burst in, saying anything excessive, even if His Majesty didn't punish her, Empress Zhao could punish her on the spot. What was the point of that?
Third Aunt knew very well that Consort Li's stubborn temper had resurfaced. Although she hadn't been in the palace for long, she had always been favored by the King, and thus had somewhat lost her sense of place. Third Aunt had advised her many times, subtly reminding her: His Majesty greatly respected Empress Zhao and loved the current Crown Prince immensely. It was best not to provoke them unnecessarily, and if trouble arose, it was best to secretly swallow her anger. Furthermore, Empress Zhao's family was powerful, and the Crown Prince's foundation was solid; she was simply no match for them as a minor consort from a foreign land. But the consort had a stubborn temper. Now, she insisted on taking the lead for Princess Huaizhu. It seemed that today's events might not end well.
Third Aunt followed Consort Li, trembling with anxiety. As they approached the main gate of Jinyang Palace, she opened her mouth to speak, but before she could, she saw Consort Li raise her head, step gracefully, and sashay through the door.