newbobooks Chapter 407 She's just a general's wife, why do you need to go to so much trouble for her?
Chapter 407 She's just a general's wife, why do you need to go to so much trouble for her?
Chu Ruohan's expression remained unchanged; she simply put down the jade pendant in her hand.
"Madam!" Yu Ling said angrily, "This Yingyue is indeed not a peaceful person! Keeping her in the manor will only cause trouble sooner or later! It would be better to find an excuse to get rid of her!"
Chu Ruohan raised her head, a faint smile appearing on her face.
“If she had remained well-behaved, I would have had to worry about her. Now that she has spoken out, it’s a good time to see what the people behind her are up to.”
She gestured for Yuling to come closer, her voice soft yet firm: "Let her deliver this letter."
"But Madam—"
Chu Ruohan raised her hand to stop Yu Ling from speaking: "Let's see how Consort Shu plans to use these two pawns to stir up the peace of the General's Mansion."
Her gaze fell on the night outside the window, her eyes sharp as knives: "Sometimes, even knowing it's a trap, you have to jump in willingly to lure the snake out of its hole."
Although Yuling had her concerns, she trusted her mother's judgment and could only nod in agreement.
Chu Ruohan gently stroked her swollen belly, a cold glint flashing in her eyes: "Consort Shu, is this truly the Emperor's will, or do you harbor other intentions?"
The next morning, the first rays of dawn appeared.
Consort Shu leaned against the chaise longue, her fingertips lightly twirling a grape, while a maid beside her carefully massaged her legs.
The Emperor had just left, and a faint scent of ambergris still lingered in the palace.
"Your Majesty, there is a letter for you." A young eunuch bowed as he entered, holding a letter in both hands.
Consort Shu didn't even lift her eyelids, only letting out a soft "hmm" through her nose.
The palace maid took the letter and presented it to Consort Shu.
The envelope was unsigned, with only the words "To Your Majesty" written in delicate small regular script.
Consort Shu raised an eyebrow slightly, took the letter, and opened it.
At first, she appeared relatively calm, though a hint of impatience flashed in her eyes.
However, as her gaze swept down word by word, her expression grew increasingly grim, and the letter crumpled in her hand.
"Outrageous!" Consort Shu slammed the letter on the table, her chest heaving violently.
The teacup on the table was shaken, and the tea almost spilled.
"That Chu Ruohan! That wife of the General Who Protects the Nation!" she gritted her teeth, her voice filled with icy shards.
"How dare she treat the person I bestowed upon her so disrespectfully! Leaving her in a remote courtyard and ignoring her completely—whose face is she slapping?"
"You ungrateful wretch!" Consort Shu laughed in anger, which only made her face look somewhat distorted.
In her view, Chu Ruohan was clearly challenging her authority and disregarding her status as a concubine.
The palace maid massaging her legs stopped in fright and said cautiously, "Your Highness, please calm down. She's just a general's wife. Why do you have to go to such lengths?"
Consort Shu snorted coldly, her eyes filled with malice: "What do you know? Gu Junze is a newly favored official, and he commands a large army. Our Pingnan Prince's Mansion is no longer what it used to be..."
She sighed heavily, her voice filled with deep weariness and resentment: "My maternal family is said to be far away from the emperor in the Southern Continent, but my brothers are too incompetent. After Father passes away, it is uncertain whether we can still keep this title!"
"Otherwise, why would Father have gone to such lengths to send me to this deep palace?"
“We have no foothold in the capital, so I naturally have to go to great lengths to win over some powerful figures in the court. As for Gu Junze, he is a stubborn fellow who is impervious to reason. I have tried to befriend him several times, but he has always pretended not to see it.”
"That's why I thought of sending two women over there, so they can whisper in my ear and find out some information."
She grew angrier as she spoke, and picked up the letter again, saying bitterly, "In the end, the person was sent in, but we couldn't even see Gu Junze!"
Seeing this, the palace maid quickly advised, "This servant observes that His Majesty greatly favors Your Highness..."
"Favor?" Consort Shu scoffed, her laughter filled with sarcasm and sorrow. "That's all just a facade!"
She was even too embarrassed to tell anyone that although the Emperor had given her the power to assist in managing the six palaces and spent almost every night in her Phoenix Palace, he simply covered her with a blanket and slept without ever touching her.
I don't know if it's because I spent too much time in the temple back then, but I've become so detached from worldly desires.
Even...even the dragon's body is starting to fail.
Ironically, her father frequently sent letters from the southern prefecture, urging her to firmly grasp the emperor's heart, give birth to the eldest prince as soon as possible, and consolidate her position.
She gave birth to the eldest prince? How did she give birth?
Consort Shu took a deep breath, suppressing the humiliation and anger surging in her heart, a ruthless glint flashing in her eyes.
"Granny Liu!" Consort Shu called out sternly.
A slightly plump, shrewd-looking old woman strode out from the inner hall, bowed, and asked, "What are your orders, Your Majesty?"
This Granny Liu was Consort Shu's confidante. She had been by Consort Shu's side for many years and was always good at understanding her thoughts. She had also done many "respectable" things for Consort Shu.
Consort Shu glanced at her coldly, "You shall leave the palace immediately and go to the General's Mansion."
"Give that general's wife a good 'reminder,' and let her understand what rules and decorum are!"
"Tell her that the person I bestowed upon her is not someone she can use as a decoration, much less someone she can treat as she pleases!"
"Yes, Your Highness." Granny Liu lowered her eyelids and replied respectfully, but a smug smile subtly appeared at the corner of her mouth.
She knew that the Empress was going to teach that arrogant general's wife a lesson.
Consort Shu looked at Granny Liu, her eyes flashing with cold light: "Make sure she knows the consequences of disobeying me!"
Having received the imperial decree from Consort Shu, Granny Liu, accompanied by four burly palace eunuchs, traveled in a grand procession to the Zhenguo General's Mansion in a specially permitted palace carriage.
The carriage stopped in front of the general's mansion. Without even waiting for the gatekeeper to announce her arrival, Liu Mama, surrounded by eunuchs, strode into the mansion with her head held high.
She acted as if she were the true owner of the mansion.
"Where is Madam Gu? Her Highness Consort Shu is very kind and has specially ordered this old servant to visit Miss Yingyue and Miss Qinghe and to speak with Madam."
The steward rushed over upon hearing the news. Seeing the scene, he was startled, but dared not be negligent and said respectfully, "Please wait a moment, Granny. I will go and inform the Madam immediately."
Chu Ruohan had already received the news and was currently sitting comfortably in the main hall.
Before long, Granny Liu was led in.
As soon as she entered the room, her gaze was like two awls, scrutinizing Chu Ruohan from head to toe, as if she wanted to see through her.
Today, Chu Ruohan wore an elegant lake-blue dress, her hair simply tied up in a bun and adorned with a jade hairpin.
Her abdomen was already quite swollen, and her complexion was rosy; she was well-nourished.
Granny Liu sat down casually in the guest seat next to the main seat, picked up the tea served by the maid, and slammed it down on the table with a jarring sound without even lifting the lid.