Emperor Mingyuan raised his eyes slightly and said gently, “In your opinion, how should we deal with Princess Chu?”
Queen Chu heard that the Emperor was not displeased and said, “I thought that Retired Emperor’s body was related to the fate of North Tang. Princess Chu thought she was smart and thought that her medical skills were extraordinary. She treated him privately and ignored the safety of Retired Emperor. It was a great crime. Fortunately, it did not lead to serious consequences. Therefore, I thought that she should be expelled from the palace and reduced to a second wife. Without an imperial edict, she was not allowed to enter the imperial palace.”
Emperor Mingyuan smiled and said, “You’re right. If you make mistakes, you won’t be punished. If you make contributions, you won’t be rewarded. It’s indeed not His Majesty’s doing. Let’s do as you say.”
Queen Chu knew that the Emperor would agree. The punishment was not serious, and it was only a matter of reputation to be promoted to a second wife. After all, Princess Chu had married into the imperial palace, so she could still be brought back in the future.
Of course, she did not want to have any conflict with Prince Wenhao. The most important thing was that Yuan Qingling could not enter the imperial palace or get close to Retired Emperor anymore.
Chu Mingcui also breathed a sigh of relief. It seemed that the Emperor had not changed his attitude toward Yuan Qingling after the meal.
However, Emperor Mingyuan changed the topic and said, “You have to be punished for your mistakes, but you have to be rewarded for your contributions. It’s a great achievement for Yuan Qingling to save Retired Emperor. If your merits are offset, I’ll first punish her and then reward her. Then, she’ll still be Princess Chu and be rewarded with two strings of Southern Pearl. What do you think?”
Chu Mingcui couldn’t believe her ears at all. If her merits were offset, she would be rewarded. The Emperor did not intend to punish her at all.
“Two strings of Southern Pearl?” Queen Chu’s eyeballs popped out and her face suddenly darkened. “Your Majesty, there are only three strings of Crystal Ball in total.”
The large and round Southern Pearls of Crystal Ball were rare treasures. In previous years, there was only one string of the Southern Pearls offered by Crystal Ball. The Emperor would most likely give it to Queen Mother. It was rare for her to have three strings this year. She thought that she could get one string. Now, he had given two strings to Yuan Qingling. He still had not given the rest to Queen Mother.
“Yes, there are actually three strings this year. The aquatic product of Crystal Ball is very rich this year.” Emperor Mingyuan said with a smile.
Queen Chu said unwillingly, “Your Majesty, how could Princess Chu be considered to have contributed to saving Retired Emperor? Could it be that the Retired Emperor’s illness was cured by her partial prescription?”
Don’t you know? Emperor Mingyuan was slightly surprised. “You have sharp ears and sharp eyes. There are many capable people around you. You don’t know Princess Chu has contributed?”
Looking at Emperor Mingyuan’s slightly sarcastic but gentle face, Queen Chu suddenly realized that he was angry. She was afraid that he had already seen through her and Chu Mingcui’s minds.
“Your Majesty, you must be joking.” Queen Chu’s sharpness slowly weakened.
“Of course I’m joking. Otherwise, I would have punished you for being rude.” Emperor Mingyuan stopped smiling and stood up. “Since you are not feeling well, you should have a good rest. I’m leaving.”
“Farewell, Your Majesty!” Chu Mingcui hurriedly bowed.
Emperor Mingyuan glanced at her and said, “I heard that Yu Wenqing recently likes to write poems. Princess Wenqing is good at poetry. If she is free, it is also fun for the couple to write poems and read books. You don’t have to always go to the imperial palace.”
Chu Mingcui’s face turned completely pale. She said uneasily, “Yes, I will.”
Emperor Mingyuan strode out.
Chu Mingcui slowly walked to the bedside and sat down. She squeezed her fingers into the flesh and said, “I don’t know what Yuan Qingling said to my father. My mother fainted and my father just came. He didn’t greet my mother when he came. His words are full of reproach. My mother, I’m afraid you have to put pressure on Queen Xian.”
Hearing Chu Mingcui’s words, Queen Chu only felt a turbid breath in her chest. She was angry and sad for a moment and said, “What’s the point of telling Queen Xian? Queen Xian may not be afraid of me if she has Queen Mother’s support.”
Queen Xian was Queen Mother’s niece. She had been in the imperial palace for many years and had given birth to a son and a daughter. She was deeply doted on by the Emperor. Even though she had lost the Emperor’s favor for a few months because of what happened to Yu Wenhao, wasn’t the Emperor following her into the imperial palace?
Chu Mingcui’s mind was full of thoughts. She tried to figure out a clear way to deal with Yuan Qingling. But now that Yuan Qingling was in the Emperor’s eyes, she could do nothing.
Too many things had happened in Prince Yu’s residence recently. If they took action again, it would be beneficial to Prince Yu’s residence.
Besides, when Yuan Qingling returned to Rest Room after dinner with the Emperor, Yu Wenhao was already a little anxious.
He was not afraid that his father would find out anything. He was afraid that Yuan Qingling might have said something wrong and angered his father.
That ugly woman couldn’t stand the second wave of bullying.
When he saw Yuan Qingling come back in a daze, he subconsciously propped himself up. With sharp eyes, Yuan Qingling hurried over and pressed his hand down. “You can’t move.”
“Pull away your dirty claws.” Yu Wenhao realized that he was so concerned about her and felt very uncomfortable, so he said fiercely to Yuan Qingling.
Yuan Qingling felt that this person was simply suffering from a mental illness. If she cared about him, he would treat her like a donkey. “Why don’t you know what’s good for you? I’m just concerned about you.”
“Who wants you to care?” Yu Wenhao said coldly.
“I don’t want to talk to you.” Yuan Qingling lay beside him and said, “Move a little more. I want to sleep.”
Yu Wenhao did not move. Their arms were attached to each other’s, but he persuaded himself that he could not move because he was seriously injured.
Yuan Qingling’s face turned to the outside, leaving behind only the back of head.
Hey, what did Father say to you?
“Ask about your injury.” Yuan Qingling closed her eyes, and her eyelids almost couldn’t be lifted. She wanted to sleep when she was full.
“What else?”
“And ask when we will have a baby.”
Yu Wenhao was stunned. “Father asked that?”
“It’s not a big deal. We’ve been married for a year. Why hasn’t our stomachs moved yet? I said I was working hard and gave birth to him one year later.” Yuan Qingling’s breath was a little heavy. It was too comfortable to lie down like this.
“You gave birth to him? Do you know how to speak?” Yu Wenhao was furious. Wasn’t his father going to die of anger after hearing such an answer?
“His grandson.” Yuan Qingling couldn’t stand his ear-piercing, sharp voice. She turned her face back in disgust, and he happened to turn around as well. She blinked her eyes, and her eyelashes almost swept over his face. She quickly moved back.
The distance between them was still a little close. Yu Wenhao could see the fine fur on her face. Her skin was delicate and white. Her eyes were bruised due to her lack of sleep, and the edge of her face was obvious. Her eyes looked lazy because she was sleepy. Her lips were slightly raised, and her head was tilted backward. Her chin was slightly raised, and her black and white eyes were bright.
She looked at him innocently like a bear.
In terms of appearance, she was inferior to Chu Mingcui.
Her facial features were not perfect at all. Her nose was not high, her mouth was slightly plump, and her eyes were not big. However, when these facial features were put together, they were indescribably pleasing to the eye. Especially when she raised his eyebrows, she was very energetic.
His father actually asked when they would have a baby. It was really surprising.
How could he have given birth to a son with Yuan Qingling? How ugly was Yuan Qingling’s son?
Feeling disgusted, he said coldly, “I like giving birth to a girl.”
Yuan Qingling laughed, and her eyes curved. “In this era, girls suffer. I can’t bear to have a daughter and let her suffer. It’s better to have a son.”
However, even if she wanted to have a baby, she would not have a baby with him. They were destined to divorce. When she had enough capital, she would abandon him.