newbobooks Chapter 403 The Substitute Bride Becomes a Reality (4)
Chapter 403 The Substitute Bride Becomes a Reality (4)
The following day, in the imperial court.
The emperor was initially quite pleased with the account given by Eunuch Qian after he returned to the palace, feeling that he had truly had a keen eye and had made the right choice in selecting the husband.
As a result, his good mood came to an abrupt end after he went to court.
Looking at the Imperial Censor Shi kneeling in the center of the hall, presenting a memorial, he said he had something to report. The person he was impeaching was none other than the eldest prince, who had just gotten married yesterday. The accusations were that the eldest prince disregarded ancestral etiquette and so on.
In short, the meaning conveyed in his words was completely opposite to what Eunuch Qian said last night.
The emperor's face darkened immediately upon hearing this.
For a moment, he didn't know who to believe, but it was absolutely impossible for either of them to be lying to him.
Imperial Censor Shi was a loyal but isolated official, while Eunuch Qian was a trusted eunuch.
These two cannot be bribed.
The emperor had Eunuch Qian take the memorial, and after reading it, he left the court without saying a word.
Upon returning to the Hall of Mental Cultivation, the Emperor ignored the trembling eunuch Qian and instead sent another eunuch, Li, to the residence of the First Prince to deliver an imperial decree exempting the First Prince and the Imperial Concubine from entering the palace to pay their respects. He also instructed Li to make sure to find out whether the two were truly in love or just putting on an act.
Eunuch Li received the imperial decree and left the palace.
Compared to Eunuch Qian, who was close to the eldest prince, Eunuch Li, who had always wanted to oust Eunuch Qian and take his place, actually favored the second prince more.
He felt that the eldest prince had a bad reputation and a bad temper.
The second prince was different.
The second prince's mother was the reigning empress, his uncle was the reigning prime minister, and the second prince himself was gentle and refined, respectful to scholars, and highly respected among civil officials.
The Grand Prince's Mansion.
The steward received advance notice that someone from the palace was coming. He sent someone to inform the Grand Princess to prepare, then dismissed the others and quietly went to the dungeon.
When Li Mang saw the steward rushing over, his heart skipped a beat.
His Highness went berserk all night last night. He was worried that the steward was too old to stay up all night, so he agreed to take turns at lunch. It's not time yet, so why did the steward suddenly come over?
"What happened?"
Li Mang stood up and took a few steps to greet him. He saw the steward staring at the unconscious prince in the iron cage and said urgently, "News has come from the palace. This morning at court, Censor Shi impeached Your Highness. His Majesty has sent someone here, and I'm afraid it will be difficult to deal with."
"What should I do?"
His Highness is highly skilled in martial arts, and when he goes berserk, almost no one can control him. In addition, the duration and frequency of his berserk episodes have been increasing year by year, lasting almost eight hours last time.
This time, it's likely to be short as well.
Li Mang paced anxiously back and forth. He deeply regretted not having accompanied His Highness back to the capital with the cunning strategist Lin Huayang. Had Lin Huayang been there, he would surely have devised a plan to resolve the crisis.
"Under no circumstances should His Highness's madness be known to anyone," the steward said firmly.
"Send me back to the bridal chamber."
A low, hoarse voice suddenly came from the iron cage behind them.
It turned out that Qi Jinyu had woken up at some point and happened to overhear the two's conversation.
Lieutenant Li Mang and the steward turned their heads at the same time, their eyes filled with the joy of relief. Li Mang spoke quickly through the iron cage, "Your Highness, how are you feeling now?"
Qi Jinyu's eyelids drooped slightly.
The first sensation I felt upon opening my eyes was not pain, but relief.
He was thankful that he was still in the iron cage and hadn't frightened his newlywed wife by losing consciousness and going crazy.
As for the persistent dull pain deep in my head, and the large and small wounds all over my body caused by the struggle, they were not worth mentioning.
After all, he had long since become numb.
Qi Jinyu moved her wrist, which was deeply marked by the iron chains, and her voice, hoarse from a long roar, carried an undeniable steadiness: "I'm awake."
Li Mang was stunned upon hearing this, then overjoyed. He immediately rushed to the iron cage, eager to unlock it, but then paused, remembering something.
"Your Highness, you know I'm not very bright, I just want to confirm... are you sure you're really lucid?! It hasn't been eight hours yet!"
He was afraid that His Highness was just putting on a brave front.
If he goes berserk again and kills the people sent by the emperor, then things will be in serious trouble.
Upon hearing this, the steward also advised, "Your Highness, it's best to be cautious. This old servant may not be able to do much else, but stalling for time shouldn't be a problem."
Qi Jinyu didn't move, but stared at Li Mang and coldly commanded, "Untie me, I'm perfectly sober."
Having grown accustomed to obeying orders in the military camp, Li Mang's face still showed obvious hesitation, but his hands and feet carried out the order faster than his brain.
He took out the key to the iron cage, opened the cage, and crawled inside to untie the heavy iron chains wrapped around Qi Jinyu's body and limbs.
The iron chain came loose and hit the ground with a dull thud.
Li Mang was on edge. He would steal glances at Qi Jinyu's expression after each inch of untying to make sure she wasn't going crazy before he could breathe a sigh of relief and continue.
When the last chain hit the ground, Qi Jinyu ignored the hideous wound and only moved her stiff shoulders, neck and limbs very slowly.
The bones made a slight clicking sound.
After confirming that he only had superficial injuries and that his bones and muscles were fine, Qi Jinyu's attention turned to his tattered wedding dress.
Tsk, what a pity.
This is the same wedding dress worn by the lady!
Seeing His Highness staring blankly at his clothes, Li Mang assumed he was pondering something important. The steward, however, was quick to intervene, saying, "Your Highness, this old servant has already had water prepared. You may bathe and change at any time."
Qi Jinyu nodded. "How is Madam doing?"
Remembering the report from the servants last night, the steward carefully said, "Your Highness, the Imperial Concubine asked the maids last night and learned that the wedding banquet was over, so she went straight to rest. Just now, this old servant received news that someone from the palace was coming, and I have already sent someone to inform them."
They're not heartless for waiting until the wedding banquet is over.
Qi Jinyu recalled the sweet kiss, her lips curving slightly. Then she saw the steward frown, his face showing hesitation. "Your Highness, you are rarely in the capital, so you may not know much about the Imperial Consort..."
Before he could finish speaking, Qi Jinyu interrupted him, "It's alright, I trust him, just do as I say."
It was almost a decisive blow.
After leaving the dungeon, Qi Jinyu went to the side courtyard first.
Before bathing and changing, he casually took off his wedding clothes and handed them to a maid, specifically instructing her, "Don't throw away the wedding clothes. Wash them clean and bring them back to me. I still have a use for them."
The young maid, Pu Ye, looked at the tattered wedding dress in her hands, stained with blood. Although she didn't know what His Highness meant by "useful," she couldn't help but imagine many inappropriate scenes.
My goodness, Your Highness is really fierce!
No wonder I heard that the main hospital summoned the imperial physician early this morning.
Whether the imperial concubine is lucky or unlucky is unknown. Marrying a man like the Crown Prince who hasn't had sex in twenty years, she's probably going to have to go through a lot of trouble every night!
The young maid, Pu Ye, blushed and left with her clothes in her arms.
Although she was young, she was a chatterbox, and before long, most of the Prince's mansion knew that the eldest prince and the imperial concubine were very affectionate (and passionate in bed).
Of course, this is also thanks to the tight-lipped nature of the maids and servants in the main courtyard.
They were all carefully selected by Qi Jinyu. Even though they knew perfectly well that the two masters had not shared a room last night, they would not reveal anything about what happened in the main courtyard unless instructed by their masters.