Chapter 1353: She Actually Seduced the Emperor, How Outrageous
January 16th.
The sky is azure blue, with leisurely white clouds.
Qingmei was drying flowers in the yard and turned to glance at Bai Zhi’er.
She discovered Bai Zhi’er sitting alone at the table, muttering to an empty tabletop.
Qingmei sighed.
"Xiao Mei~" Chu Ping popped his head in with a smile, walked into the yard, and handed over the food box.
"These are dumplings my mother made by hand, she insisted I bring them for you to try. Take a break and eat them later, they’re your favorite mushroom and fresh meat."
Qingmei held the food box, her face full of sadness: "I don’t even have the heart to eat."
Chu Ping quickly asked: "What’s wrong? Who bullied you? Tell me! I’ll go sort it out for you!"
Qingmei tugged at him: "Keep your voice down, don’t let the Princess hear you."
Chu Ping was stunned for a moment, his spirit rampant just now, but as soon as he heard it was related to the Princess, he immediately became subdued.
"Xiao Mei, did the Princess punish you?"
"No, I just have no appetite because I feel sorry for the Princess."
"Why?"
Qingmei sighed: "The Princess is about to have a little mother, how can I not feel upset?"
"You’ve probably heard recently, right? The Emperor particularly favors a female officer, and not only grants her various privileges but also lets her reside in the bedroom exclusively for the Emperor."
"Don’t you think it means the Emperor favors her?"
Chu Ping was silent for a moment, then nodded along: "I’ve heard too, in the Xiuluo Guard, at first, some people speculated whether the Emperor might take a concubine."
"In the end, Marquis found out, and they were severely punished. The Marquis ordered us not to discuss this matter."
Qingmei pouted: "Hmph! Marquis Wan doesn’t care about our Princess."
"The Empress hasn’t returned yet, and the Emperor is already considering taking a concubine after only a few years of patience?"
Chu Ping couldn’t help but say: "It’s been almost fifteen years, right?"
Qingmei glared at him: "What, you think that’s a long time?"
"If the Emperor truly loved the Empress, waiting a lifetime would be just proper!"
"You men are all bad." Qingmei, being protective, only wanted to protect Bai Zhi’er, taking her anger out on Chu Ping.
Chu Ping repeatedly begged for mercy.
"Xiao Mei, don’t be mad at me; you’re right, that female officer must not be a good person, actually seducing the Emperor, it’s despicable."
"However, I heard others say that the Princess gets along well with that female officer, and besides, both Prince Kang and Prince Qing have accepted it."
Qingmei gave him an angry look: "The Princess is just being considerate of the Emperor getting old!"
"Actually, only I know, in the Princess’s heart, she must feel terrible."
"You see, she’s talking to an empty table by herself."
"Alas, I watched the Princess grow up, with her mother still missing, and her father shifting his affections, do you think she feels okay in her heart?"
Chu Ping followed Qingmei’s gaze.
He saw Bai Zhi’er sitting by the table through the wide-open window of Ruizhu Palace, facing the window.
Her posture was upright, her expression somewhat serious, sometimes nodding, and occasionally opening her mouth to say something.
Chu Ping was stunned: "She’s really talking to herself, is it this serious?"
"Of course!" Qingmei raised her voice: "In the past, the Emperor would come to coax the Princess to sleep, telling her stories."
"But ever since that female officer entered the palace, the Emperor has been taking the female officer to the bedroom every night."
"Several times, I’ve noticed the Princess has slightly dark circles under her eyes, yawning endlessly, clearly troubled and unable to sleep well!"