allonlinenovel Chapter 710 Staying in the Palace?
Chapter 710 Staying in the Palace?
The Empress held onto Duanmu Zonghua tightly and refused to let go.
Aside from the Emperor occasionally hugging him and then feeding him a small bite of beef with chopsticks, seeing that he ate with relish, the Emperor couldn't help but burst into laughter again.
Only after the entire banquet ended did Duanmu Zonghua finally return to Aunt Fang's arms.
"This child is truly adorable; I really can't bear to let him go."
"No matter how reluctant I am, I have to let him stay with his biological parents."
The Crown Princess's eyes lit up, but she wisely didn't speak. Instead, she gave a wink to one of the Crown Prince's concubines.
The concubine smiled and said, "Since the Emperor and Empress like this child, why not let him stay in the palace to accompany them?"
One sentence instantly silenced the entire hall.
Mu Chang'an's body froze completely, not moving an inch.
The old General Zhenguo stared wide-eyed at the Crown Prince.
For a moment, the atmosphere in the main hall became somewhat awkward and heavy.
Duanmu Chuze simply lowered his eyes, staring at the table in front of him, his lips pressed tightly together, and he didn't say a word.
Meanwhile, King Ming and King Kang continued drinking their tea as if nothing was amiss.
Mu Xin Nuan's heart skipped a beat, and she looked at the Crown Princess with a pale face.
The Empress's eyes darkened; such a matter was naturally difficult for the Emperor to handle.
"Whose wife is this? How can she be so unreasonable? Even if the Emperor and I love this grandson dearly, we would never allow him to be separated from his own mother. How can she say such a thing?"
The Crown Prince's face was already dark and gloomy. He glared at the concubine and quickly stood up, saying, "Your Majesty, it is my fault for not disciplining him properly. Please forgive me. This is my fourth brother's son, so naturally he should stay with my fourth brother. If Your Majesty and Father wish for a grandchild to be with you, I am willing to send my three-year-old son to Your Majesty's side to accompany you."
These words caused another woman not far from the Crown Princess to change her expression drastically, but at this moment, she naturally could not say anything.
"Alright, it's getting late, let's call it a day. Fourth brother, fourth brother's wife, you two must teach Zonghua a good lesson. He's my precious grandson. Let me make this clear: you can teach him, but you can't hit him! If either of you dares to lay a hand on him, hmph, I won't let you off the hook!"
"Yes, Father."
These words sound like they are supporting Duanmu Zonghua, but in reality, they also clearly state the Emperor's attitude: he cares about this child, so no one can harm him.
If the Prince of Changle and his wife couldn't, then no one else could either.
These words also had a certain meaning; they were meant for the people in the Eastern Palace.
After the palace banquet ended, Mu Xin Nuan and Li Shi walked out together, while Duanmu Chu Ze temporarily walked with his brothers, his face gloomy and unhappy.
"Fourth brother, don't be angry. It's all my fault. I haven't disciplined them properly, which is why they talked nonsense in front of the palace."
"Brother, please stop. There are some things I, as your younger brother, am unwilling to say, but that doesn't mean I know nothing. Are you really completely unaware of what happened in Yanzhou? Did it really have nothing to do with my sister-in-law?"
"Fourth brother!" The crown prince said, slightly anxious.
“Brother, I respect you as the eldest brother and she as the eldest sister-in-law. After all, I served by her side for several years. If it weren't for that, do you think I would have tolerated it until now? I just don't understand, the Xie family already has a Crown Princess, isn't that enough? What else do they want? Do they have to produce a concubine in my Chang Le Prince's Mansion as well? What's the point?”
The Crown Prince's face was gloomy. Of course, he couldn't possibly be completely unaware of what the Crown Princess had done before. But after all this time, they were still husband and wife. He couldn't just depose her like that, could he?
"Fourth brother, it's all my fault, no matter what. If you want to blame someone, blame your eldest brother."
“Brother, I don’t mean to blame anyone. Well, everyone can see who was behind what happened today. Brother, we’ll be returning to Yanzhou soon. Without an imperial edict, I won’t be able to come back to the capital. To be honest, I truly feel that my Yanzhou is the best place.”
"Fourth brother, your eldest brother will have a good talk with her. When you go back, you should also persuade your wife not to be angry anymore."
"Don't worry, brother. My sister-in-law isn't an unreasonable woman. This is the last time. If she does anything that would be detrimental to me again, brother, don't blame me for not warning you before. Just because I haven't taken action doesn't mean I don't have any other options."
The crown prince was stunned for a moment, clearly sensing the fierce aura emanating from Duanmu Chuze.
Yes, how could the killing intent of a general who was once invincible on the battlefield be weak?
"If you try to take advantage of our Chang Le Prince's Mansion again, I won't show any mercy. Brother, please think it over carefully."
Watching Duanmu Chuze's departing figure, the Crown Prince frowned deeply. He truly hadn't expected that at this crucial juncture, the Crown Princess would have someone say such things.
Of these three brothers, only the fourth one is truly close to him. What exactly is the Crown Princess up to?
Is he really going to offend all his brothers?
They're perfectly fine in Yanzhou, what's it to you? Why are you rushing to send them beautiful women for no reason?
Now look what's happened. They've completely offended him. How can their brotherly relationship ever be the same again?
If the Empress Dowager gives her approval today, the Crown Prince of Chang Le will be left in the capital. What kind of situation would that be?
Is she trying to use this to control her own son?
Where does the Crown Princess's action leave the Emperor and Empress Dowager?
But what exactly are the thoughts hidden in the mind of the Crown Prince himself?
If my father starts to think about it more carefully, wouldn't I become a petty older brother?
The Crown Prince grew angrier the more he thought about it, and finally stormed back to the East Palace, heading straight for Yichun Palace.
"Greetings to the Crown Prince."
"Get out! All of you, get out of here!"
The Crown Princess was removing her makeup when she heard that the Crown Prince had arrived, and she naturally felt a little uneasy.
Although I didn't say those words, that concubine was clearly one of my people. Who else could it be but her doing?
"Greetings to Your Highness."
"Bitch!"
With a resounding slap, the Crown Princess was knocked to the ground. Covering her face with one hand, she exclaimed in disbelief, "Your Highness!"
"Shut up! You vile woman, you actually instigated someone to say such things in the main hall. What are your true intentions? Do you think my position as Crown Prince is too secure, or do you think you're too comfortable in your position as Crown Princess?"
"Your Highness, no, I didn't!" The Crown Princess struggled a few times before slowly kneeling on the ground. "Your Highness, I'm innocent!"
"Injustice? Fine, since you claim to be innocent, then let me ask you, what happened in Yanzhou before, was it also me who wronged you? I'm only close to the Fourth Prince now, and he's always been favored by Father Emperor. The way you're doing this, you're clearly trying to ruin my great cause!"